For the next four days, our trailer, Lucy the Gray Ghost, can take a rest from being hurtled from side to side and into the air. She has a lovely pull-through spot overlooking woods and a creek at Vogel State Park in Georgia. Vogel was one of the first two state parks in Georgia and is nestled in a long, narrow valley at the the foot of Blood Mountain in the middle of the Chattahoochee National Forest. This was Cherokee land, and legend has it that they buried their gold in a cave atop Blood Mountain before Andrew Jackson's illegal removal order in what resulted in the Trail of Tears. Of course, the treasure has been much searched for over the years.
Our campsite is large, level, and overlooks a ravine with a beautiful little creek running through it. The 'Possom Hollow Ampitheater' --an arrangement of benches sits on the bank of the creek.
Sunday, we visited my sister's recently purchased acreage atop a ridge between Blairsville and Blue Ridge just north of us. They moved in a trailer as a temporary residence and have been busy building a fence enclosing several raised garden beds and clearing brush. They plan to build a small house on the property this year. The site is beautiful and the narrow, winding, steep road leading to it means they don't have to worry about semi traffic.
Yesterday we drove to the interesting town of Blue Ridge--population about 1500, but the site of numerous shops, restaurants, and big chain stores because of the huge number of vacation cabins in the surrounding area. We had a great lunch at the Fightingtavern, and especially enjoyed The Bear Store and a shop specializing in wood and rock creations, especially furniture. The table pictured has a top made of petrified wood.
Today we will meet my sister for breakfast in the tiny town of Blairsville (population 562) eleven miles north of the park. In spite of its size, it is the county seat, and the historic courthouse is surrounded by a roundabout that has befuddled us several times. Then we will travel north just across the North Carolina border to visit the John C. Campbell Folk School situated on 300 acres. It was established in 1925, based on the Danish folk school model, and teaches classes year round in everything from broom making and blacksmithing to writing and woodworking in an effort to preserve southern Appalachian crafts and culture.
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