Georgia 1

Georgia was a big surprise to us!
We taught we'll stay there 2-3 days and move on to Florida, but it was so beautiful and interesting that we stayed for two whole weeks!
I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Vogel State Park

The Appalachian Trail, falls, creeks, mountains, lakes, bridges and hundreds of stairs...

Trail of Tears

About 6 years ago we spent some days in south Missouri. There we first met the Trail of Tears... 

The forced relocation of the Indian Tribes of the Southeastern United States to Indian Territory in Oklahoma, under the Indian Removal Act of 1830 signed by U.S. president Andrew Jackson clearing former Native American lands for white settlement. This tragedy happened during the years 1831–1850.

We met the trail several more times in west North Carolina, Tennessee, and at their final stop in Northeast Oklahoma. 

On the beginning of our trip, on February first, we arrived to the place where the Cherokees were forced to cross the Tennessee river, at Blythe Ferry. The Cherokee Removal Memorial Park is a monument that tells the whole story including the written language of the Cherokees.

This monument is really impressive.

 

Something about accessibility

Accessibility is not obvious in my homeland Israel!

People there need to fight over it!

Here in the US I find time after time the beauty of caring for other people, through all those beautiful accessible places! All state parks, rest areas and pablic places in general are accessible to those who need it. I am impresed!

Tennessee and Georgia

More then two weeks passed since we left Columbia. Time passes quickly!
Since the Internet connection we have is really lousy... I'll give you short briefing on what we experienced in the last week or so.
We stayed for 3 nights near Chattanooga where there are some nature wonders.
Underground world is one of them: A visit to Ruby Falls, an underground fall inside a beautiful cave, naturally decorated with thousands of stalagmites and a drive to the Lost Sea, an underground lake, were part of those wonders.

Another beautiful place was Rock City, a natural garden of rocks, huge boulders that create narrow canyons and a beautiful fall.

On our way from the Lost Sea back to our campsite near Chattanooga, we followed the original Trail of Tears. We were amazed by the story of the removal of the Cherokees from the east territories to Oklahoma. At least now a days there are many memorial sites along the route, so that this sad chapter of history will not be forgotten. Some pics... later

The only thing left are the names... Chattanooga, Chatuga, Toccoa, Tallulah, Hiawassee... all Indian names...

Next stop of our trip was Vogel State Park in the north east corner of Georgia. The park nests between mountains on a small lake. It was so quite there, and very cold! I'll give this stay the title of Fall's land. We saw lots of falls and cascades, high ones, large ones, slow streams and babbling white water.
I'll mention the highlights! Helton creek falls, Amicalola falls and the best of them all - Tallulah Gorge. Hundreds of stairs, I could hardly breath, but it was worth it! The visitor center is really nice.
That night we watched the Super Bowl!

We jump to the next place we stayed in - Indian Springs State Park, GA. People come and take jerrycans filled with the water which are considered as healing water due to its high content of sulfur and other minerals. Without being aware of it, we reached Juliette, and we ate Fried Green Tomatoes in The Whistle stop Cafe... Yep, same place as in the movie!

Atlanta: High Museum was nice. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park is amazing!

For the last 3 nights we are staying in Whispering Pines Campground and RV Park

The death of one comic's character

Dear friends of mine!

My apologies for my absence... I had no Internet connection.

I want to tell you about a new comer to the US who is not familiar with the American history...

When we first came to Missouri 7.5 years ago, we found this road sign almost everywhere...

I had no idea what it meant! The only Lewis (Lois) & Clark I heard of were Superman's heroes...
I was confused about those signs until we visited St Louis Gateway Arch.
There, in the museum, I found out about the fascinating and heroic chapter of the American history, The Louis and Clark Expedition to the Pacific Northwest (1804-1806), was the first American expedition to cross the western portion of the US.
Since that day I noticed every Louis and Clark road sign to find out what they did at one location, or another. In Jefferson city MO for example, there is a nice memorial site to the Expedition.

Years passed and few days ago, while driving along the Natchez Trace Parkway TN, we arrived to Meriwether Lewis Site, the same Lewis, co-leader of that historic expedition.

Meriwether Lewis was 35 when he died of gunshot wounds at an inn at this site, in 1809. Conspiracy theories were circulating around his death from suicide to murder.
His grave site is marked with broken stone column, symbolic of a life cut short by tragedy.

Symbolic site of a death of a superhero!