Travel Journal - More from Moss Rock Preserve, AL

Travel Journal - More from Moss Creek Preserve - After working our way around all the boulders -- such fun!! We heard water and followed the sounds up the trail, over more boulders to the waterfall --- a beautiful sight!

 

Travel Journal - Moss Creek Preserve, AL

Travel Journal - While in Alabama, we hiked the incredibly beautiful trails at Moss Creek Preserve. I LOVED the boulders, creeks and waterfalls ---

 

Travel Journal - Tannehill Ironworks, Alabama

 

Travel Journal - As we continued exploring Tannehill Ironworks, we worked our way to the Grist Mill and the waterfall. The mill was closed, but we were able to get a bit closer to the waterfall ...

Travel Journal - Tannehill Ironworks - McCalla, Alabama

Travel Journal - More from Tannehill Ironworks - The foundry

 

Travel Journal - Tannehill Ironworks, Alabama

Travel Journal - We continued our roadtrip through Alabama and took in another stops we had planned to make earlier this year - Tannehill Iron Works, McCalla, Alabama. This state park was once a major supplier of iron during the Civil War. Unfortunately, the Museum was closed during our visit, but we were able to see many of the outbuildings which included several log homes that we samples of the period.

 

Travel Journal - Providence Canyon, GA

Travel Journal - Another canyon view from Providence Canyon, GA

 

Travel Journal - Another Canyon from Providence Canyon, GA

 

Travel Journal - Providence Canyon, Georgia

Travel Journal - Another canyon from Providence Canyon, Georgia. What I loved about these canyons is the way the trees softened the view. According to the literature, these canyons were formed recently - all due to poor farming practices during the 1800s, causing run-off and erosion.

 

Travel Journal - Providence Canyon, Georgia

 

Travel Journal - After leaving Adamson Oaks, we headed to our campsite, Bluff Creek Campground, across the Chattahoochee River that divides Georgia and Alabama. A really lovely campground that also gave us a chance to walk around this island ....

Camping here was a 'time-challenge.' Our cell phones pinged off towers in Alabama, thus reading Central Daylight Time, while many of the area sites we visited, operated on EASTERN daylight time. So it was always a question of 'what time is it -- and where' to decide if we were on time for a museum or site being open ... lol

But we were here for one of the highlights of our trip - Providence Canyon - across the river in Georgia.

Before planning this trip, I never hear of Providence Canyon. But it was reputed to be 'the little Grand Canyon' of Georgia. We had planned to visit it during our travels west, but since that trip was canceled due to Covid, we decided to make Providence Canyon a stop THIS trip.

AND WE WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED!!! WHAT A TREASURE!! Canyons, bluffs, rocks, colors -- WOWZA! We were able to hike all 9 canyons .... from along the wet canyon floor ... and then hike the rim for awesome view INTO the canyons! Absolutely LOVED this place.

Travel Journal - Adamson Oaks

Travel Journal - On the way to Alabama, we had an overnight stay at Adamson Oaks, Glennville, GA. This alpaca farm also boasted sheep, chickens, donkeys, horses, dogs and cats --- We went on the farm tour and visited their gift shop. We came away with pecan flour, muscadine jelly, and cane syrup. WE parked the motorhome under one of the pecan trees in acres of pecan trees.

 

Travel Journal - Poinsett State Park, SC

Travel Journal - We spent a week at Poinsett State Park taking in each of the many trails ...The focus of this part of our trip was definitely the hikes and I was glad to capture them with a bit of ink and watercolor.

One thing about keeping a travel journal - the compromises, especially when traveling with a non-sketcher/non-journaler. It seems to me that I had a few options, depending on what I wanted to focus on --- I could relish and LIVE the experience I was having, stop and capture the moment(s) with words or images, or take lots of photos and recapture those moments from photographs. With a non-sketcher as my partner and husband, what became most apparent to me was the importance of living in that moment -- TOGETHER. So that meant, I could capture a word or two on paper, and take tons of photographs (which I've done), and sketch later -- my compromise.

What I found by doing this, was my experience of what we were doing, seeing, living, was later RECREATED from the photos I had taken. The scenes I had experienced by sharing those with my husband, were amplified by recreating them in pen and watercolor and words. While I might stop and do an on-location sketch when we weren't hiking, I found that the time spent with my spouse and sharing that experience took priority over capturing a sketch or paragraph.

Priorities may change on different travel plans, but this trip - the focus was on the hiking, seeing things we missed when our plans to go West were canceled due to Covid, and simply enjoy the spring as the season made its way north.

So, more hikes, and a rest at the Poinsett Visitors Center.

 

Travel Journal - Poinsett State Park, South Carolina

After a monthlong roadtrip thru South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina, there is much to catch-up on. I'll begin uploading some of my journal sketches -- it may take a bit of time as there is more to sketch and add. Had a great trip -- weather was perfect - only 3 days of rain thru the entire trip -- needed rest days to be sure.

We started our trip at Poinsett State Park in South Carolina. I had visited this park with my children ages ago -- and my return visit was just as terrific --save for the gnats!!! Mercy, they were relentless!! Fortunately, our early morning hikes had fewer gnats on the trails ---

I followed Liz Steel's suggestion for adding maps to our journals - so this part of our trip was mostly sketches of our trails and some of the many wildflowers we found ...