Road Trippin’ ... by Karen Ruhl

Road Trippin’ in Georgia and North Carolina by Karen Ruhl

I cannot tell you how excited we were to get back to our road trips. This is the first time this year that we could venture to another state and spend a few days out. We went to Helen, GA first. Helen is a mountain town in northeast Georgia. It’s known for its vineyards and Bavarian-style buildings, and it didn’t disappoint. If you go, put on your walking shoes and enjoy the shops, restaurants, and biergartens. Just outside of Helen, we saw this beautiful white church sitting on a hill. While I was taking photos of the outside of the church, I noticed the doors were open. I stepped inside and looked around, I snapped a

We saw a gazebo out in a cow field and wondered who would put it there. It is a Nacoochee Indian Mound that was the center of the ancient Cherokee town of Gauxule. It was visited by DeSoto in 1540. More info is on the sign above. Not far away, we found Nora Mill Granary, packed full of jams, jellies, and more homemade goodies. When I hear mill, I know there will be water close by to power it and this did not disappoint. The waterfalls were pretty, but they also reminded me that this is the where people located to be able to operate their businesses and provide many products. There is so much to see in this area, Craig and I highly recommend taking the time to explore, relax, and enjoy the natural beauty that will surround you there.

This is how I want to spend my spare time. Hmmm, we need some rockers on our patio!

While climbing up Bell’s mountain, we kept reading signs saying “very steep mountain, please use turn outs to pass other cars. The turn outs were small little spaces and not something you would want to do. A lot of prayers were said climbing to this glorious view. Photos: ©KarenRuhl

The rocks from where they built the parking lot were stacked in piles, you could spend hours just reading the graffitti. After taking the photo below, I noticed the lion and went back to shoot the beautiful rock.

Craig and Karen Ruhl

It would not have taken much for us to turn around as we headed up this mountain. We were so thankful that we made it to the top.

Cherokee, NC never disappoints. The Smokey Mountain views, forest streams, and of course, the elk. It was not rutting season yet, but don’t tell those bull elks that! We must have seen a few dozen elks, the parents and young elks. What a treat we had before heading home. Please take time to get out and explore!