July 4th in the Blue Ridge Mountains

We decided to take make a 4-day weekend of the July 4th holiday and rent a cabin just over the GA-NC border in Murphy. David planned some activities on the way and some hikes while up in the mountains. We grilled out, watched fireworks, explored some north Georgia and North Carolina mountain towns and generally just relaxed for a few days.

On the way up to the cabin we stopped at Falls Branch Falls. The road from the west was actually a pretty long dirt road, which wasn't great, but it was just a short hike to the waterfall and it was pretty busy with lots of families. On the way to Blue Ridge, GA we made one more stop to hike Long Branch Trail - which was a short couple mile loop trail through the woods nearby. 

In Blue Ridge, we wandered around downtown, which is mostly cute but does have the occasional confederate flag loving store (hashtag ruralgeorgia). We got lunch at a little Italian place that doubles as a market then went on a ride on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway. This train makes the journey from Blue Ridge to McCaysville and back a couple times per day. You can go on a longer 4 hour tour that includes time to stop in McCaysville and have lunch, but we opted for the shorter 2 hour ride that just goes out and back. It's a pretty ride, and there are multiple classes of cabin that range from essentially sitting outside to an air conditioned (child free) cabin. 

Falls Branch Falls. Stupid name, nice waterfall.

Aww, I see two happy bears! 😉

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway!

Paul's on a train!

Views from the train.

Leaving Blue Ridge, we stopped by the grocery store and headed up to the cabin for the evening. Paul grilled some hamburgers and we just enjoyed the views and relaxed.

Can't beat this view from our cabin!

The main room of our cabin.

Sunset drinks on the balcony.

The next morning (July 4th) we decided to do the big hike of the trip up Chunky Gal trail to Boteler Peak. This hike was a bit of a challenge. We're pretty used to long-ish hikes when we go out west, but aren't as accustomed to them on the east coast. It was pretty warm, very humid and there were a lot of overgrown segments of the trail with thorns. Mid-way up the trail we ran into a man on his way down who warned us about copperheads and thorns. There was also quite a lot of bear scat on the route, which added to the anxiety. When we got to the top, one of the side paths to the north facing viewpoint was so overgrown we didn't bother. We did have some nice views south towards Lake Chatuge. Overall, we'd not recommend this hike in the summer months as it's not well enough maintained due to overgrowth with thorns. Paul was the trailblazer for most of this hike and was pretty scratched up by the time we got down.

Chunky Gal certainly is a unique trail name.

One of the first overgrown parts - it got much worse than this. Thorns and ticks were concerns.

Paul on the trail.

Views while crossing a powerline easement.

Nice view from the top.

David at the top.

After we got back to the car, snake bite free and unmauled by local bears, we drove back down to Georgia to grab lunch in Hiawassee and visit the Bell Mountain overlook. David had seen TikToks about the viewpoint and it did not disappoint. Oddly, people decided to start graffitiing the rocks here which was kinda interesting but also overall a detraction from the natural setting.

Pizza always hits after a long hike.

View from the overlook.

Spray painted rocks.

From Bell Mountain we went back to our cabin to shower and relax. There were some thunderstorms along the way and a huge one blew over the cabin a bit after we arrived - which was pretty cool to watch. After the storm, there was lots of mist coming off the mountains and a thick layer of fog by the next morning. We were also treated to several fireworks displays from residents in nearby communities as well as the city of Murphy's official fireworks display, which was due north of our back porch.

Here comes the rain!

Misty sunset mountains.

Fourth of July display.

The next morning we set off to Leatherwood Falls for a quick hike and look-around. This was a very popular area with lots of people playing in the stream and picnicking, but we had the hike all to ourselves. It was a short loop hike through the woods with some nice stream views. We then drove down to Murphy to explore the little town a bit and grab lunch, before taking a siesta at the cabin. Murphy is a cute town with some nice restaurants and antique shops. There's also a confluence of two rivers and a riverwalk to explore. Just north of the city is a Harrah's casino. We popped in for 15 minutes, lost $60 on the Wheel of Fortune (a family favorite) and then left.

Clouds in the valley in the morning.

People enjoying Leatherwood Falls.

David on the trail.

Quick stop at the casino!

Downtown Murphy.

 

All I see are three friendly bigfeet enjoying a day out on the town in Murphy.

Beer flight at lunch.

An old rail bridge near downtown Murphy.

A boardwalk part of the confluence trail. The water level was high and we saw quite a few flooded trees.

Did we mention there were a lot of deer near our cabin?

We mean a lot of deer...

Even this majestic specimen.

David booked a nice restaurant for dinner in a nearby 1-stop-light community of Brasstown. The Crown was up on a hill and had great views of the Blue Ridge mountains at sunset. Their cocktails were really good and the food was rural community 5 stars (city 3.5 stars). The setting was a bit odd, and there was a nearby camp or something that gave cult vibes... maybe don't linger too late after dark. 😉

This covered porch is actually a solar pavilion. 

Solid cocktail game.

The southern sampler plate.

On our drive home the following day, we decided to route through Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia. We've been here before but never hiked down to the river (which is like 600 steps down). We were actually pretty close to the close-off time due to the heat. After 11am when it's hot they don't let people walk down anymore, and everyone is supposed to be out of the gorge by that time. We luckily got in, made it to the bottom and back up at 10:59am while the ranger was closing it off. Apparently, there is a fine if we were a few minutes later! Interestingly, you can actually get a permit to go further down the river than we did to a place with a natural water slide. Something to keep in mind for the future.

View of the falls.

The big pedestrian suspension bridge crossing the gorge.

Hurricane falls from the bottom.

Paul on the bridge.

We drove back to Atlanta, of course stopping for some Korean food in Gwinnett county on the way. We'll be back up to the mountains again soon!

Orange Bowl and Surprise National Parks

Notre Dame is having a great football season, and I (Paul) decided to make the trip to see them in the Orange Bowl in Miami. Lots of things aligned to make this happen, including a federal holiday (RIP Jimmy Carter) and a Skymiles flight. My plan was to fly to Ft. Lauderdale Thursday morning, see the game Thursday night, and fly back to Atlanta Friday afternoon. Mother nature had different ideas - more on that later. :)

After landing, I went to lunch at Temple Street Eatery, just north of downtown Ft. Lauderdale. It's kind of a small food hall, with a noodle/dumpling restaurant and a bubble tea place. My food was OK, but the bubble tea was great. I also enjoyed eating outside - although it was "chilly" for south Florida, in the 60s. After lunch I went to the nearby "Secret Woods," a nature center run by Broward County. Apparently they had some flooding recently and parts were closed, but there was a nice boardwalk trail with views of the swamps. It was a great little stop while I waited for hotel check-in time.

After checking in to the hotel, I had a little while before I needed to go to the stadium. I decided to go on another nature walk part way to the stadium. Checking Google Maps, I saw "Snake Warrior's Island Natural Area." This was more like a park, with a nice paved trail around a pond. I had a pleasant walk with some wildlife viewing.

I arrived at the Orange Bowl a couple hours early, and there were already big throngs of people. There is no transit to the stadium so it's a bit of a cluster with all of the cars and parking lots. Notre Dame won, securing a spot in the national championship! My aunt and uncle who live in Tampa were there, so it was a great bonus to be able to visit with them. Unfortunately it took more than an hour to leave the parking lot when the game was over. I really appreciate being able to walk, bike, or take transit to Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta.

Lunch

A little raccoon friend in Secret Woods.

I love the stabilizing roots of swamp trees.

The boardwalk.

An iguana and Snake Warrior's Island.

Always lots of birds to see in Florida.

A big ol tree.

Made it to the stadium.

The goodyear blimp at sunset.

Irish win!

The next morning, a big winter storm hit Atlanta. My flight was cancelled, but I was put on another flight which was delayed until early afternoon. I took the morning to visit the nearby Weiner museum of decorative arts. This is small museum that has a surprising collection of glass and other art. It was worth the visit. I then went to the airport, where my new flight was cancelled, and then I was put on another flight that was delayed. Eventually they announced the departure would be at 11:45pm. Since I was unsure if this would even happen, and amid a complete ground stop at ATL and with no end in sight to the snow, I decided to just leave the airport and try to come back to Atlanta on Sunday. not what I had planned, but it gave me an unexpected bonus day to do some tourist things. I quickly got a rental car and a new hotel, and spent an hour on the phone with Delta to rebook my flight for Sunday early afternoon. That evening I walked around "The Shops at Pembroke Gardens" near my hotel and got some ice cream.

Some cool glass art at the museum.

A cool elephant vase.

Ice cream time!

On Saturday, my bonus day, I woke up early and began the one hour drive to Biscayne National Park, which I had never been to before. Most of this park is underwater, but there is a visitor center and a small jetty trail you can take. I met some nice tourists from Boston who took my picture in front of the sign, and spent about 45 minutes walking the trail and enjoying the scenery and wildlife. Ideally I would have done a boat tour, but since it was a weekend with no notice, they were all booked up for the entire morning. So, I drove west to visit the other national park in Florida, Everglades National Park. I went to Everglades as a kid, so it was nice to visit again. I stopped by the main visitor center, and then went to the Royal Palm visitor center where I did the Anhinga Trail and the Gumbo Limbo Trail. The Anhinga trail is a short boardwalk trail with iconic swamp views. I saw three alligators (including one very close-up), turtles, and lots of different birds. This is the quintessential Everglades experience. Right next to this is the Gumbo Limbo Trail, which was very different but equally cool. It's a forested trail, with lots of neat plants and little pockets of swamp and sink holes. I greatly enjoyed this loop trail because it was empty and quiet - a nice moment to commune with nature away from the crowded boardwalk.

With a quick google maps search I found a spot for lunch, but along the way while driving through an agricultural/industrial area I happened to see a brewery sign. I pulled over, and it was Miami Brewing, which was just about to open since it was noon. I went inside and had one beer. This is a pretty cool venue that I'm sure is more popular in the evenings. At lunch on a drizzly Saturday there were only two other people there. I then continued to lunch at Rancho Los Jamaliches (Jamaliches is Cuban slang for someone who eats a lot). This is an outdoor restaurant where the tables are picnic tables under canopies. It's pretty nice though, with lush plants. It's mostly family style, but I ordered "La Unica," the meal for one. It was delicious, and was a ton of food - enough for two meals, and I ate the leftovers for dinner. This place is definitely geared toward Cuban families, and I was assigned to the one waitress that spoke English, but also communicated in my limited Spanish to the other staff. I would highly recommend this place. While a bit pricey, the food is exceptional.

I planned to go to the nearby Knaus Berry Farm, which is kind of like a farm stand and bakery. However there was a huge line, as apparently their cinnamon rolls are very famous, so I just used their bathroom and left. :)

Yay, new national park credit!

Miami is visible in the distance.

The boardwalk trail.

Birds on a sign.

A cool little fish.

Second national park of the day!

Watch out for Florida panthers.

This guy was very close to the boardwalk trail.

I love all of the aquatic plants.

Birds...

... and more birds.

A little swampy area on the Gumbo-Limbo trail.

Cool old rotting tree.

Camouflaged lizard.

As I was leaving, some rain moved in, which looked really cool across the wetlands.

Beer break!

This was SO GOOD. Pork, tamales, rice and beans, and yucca.

The line at Knaus - no thanks! :)

Continuing north back to the hotel, my last stop of the day was the Gold Coast Railroad Museum, which is right next to the Miami Zoo. This was a cool stop. They have a bunch of trains in a big train shed, which was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and rebuilt. The most notable train is the Ferdinand Magellan, a presidential train that was used by Truman and FDR, and even by Reagan in a throw-back whistlestop tour. I took a tour of this train and it was interesting to hear about the history and see the bullet proof windows and thick steel walls. I then went back to my hotel, where I relaxed after a busy day and ate my leftovers.

Gold Coast Railroad Museum.

Umm, I guess it's famous?

Exhibit on separate sections of trains for black people during Jim Crow.

An army hospital train.

The Ferdinand Magellan, a national historic landmark.

The famous photo of Truman holding up the "Dewey defeats Truman" paper was taken on the train!

The windows are bullet proof, but several of them cracked from Hurricane Andrew damage.

Inside the train.

FDR's wheelchair he used on the train, which is narrow to fit down the aisles.

Photos of Hurricane Andrew damage.

A blimp exhibit - the site was originally a military blimp hangar and launch pad.

On Sunday, I woke up to see my flight delayed, as the effects of the Atlanta snow were still cascading through the system. So, I made one last stop - Flamingo Gardens, a wildlife rescue center and botanical garden. This was a neat attraction, with lots of birds and beautiful trees and flowers. They also have a rescued Florida panther.

Bird!

Cool looking plant.

Up close with butterflies.

More butterflies.

And another one!

Red puffball plant. I think that's the official name.

Cattle egret.

A giant banyan tree.

Peacock roam freely through the garden,

One of the huge trees.

I went to the airport, and eventually my flight took off, and I made it back to Atlanta early Sunday evening, "only" 48 hours later than expected. But I appreciated the opportunity to visit some national parks, have some great food, and see lots of nature.