Mountain Getaway

Christmas was stressful, I'm not gonna lie. There was an assortment of other things that happened in addition to Frankie breaking his leg that made us more than happy to put 2009 behind and move forward. We decided, at the last minute, to take advantage of the MLK holiday and take a one-night trip to the North Georgia Mountains. Growing up in Dallas, there really wasn't much to see within an hour - or two or three - of my house (Oklahoma? Gah.), so I'm not used to this idea of having 'nature's wonders' almost in my backyard. It turns out, there's a really amazing waterfall about an hour and fifteen minutes away called Amicalola Falls. Who knew? (Apparently a lot of people, but not me, obviously.)

Here's our family picture at the top of the falls. We couldn't do any hiking because of Frankie's leg, but we did drive to the top and pull him out in the wagon to get a good look at things. Not sure what's up with my hair - I'm going to blame it on the drizzle.


We then drove to the middle of the waterfall and took a walk down the trail.



And then...the waterfall!!! It was wet! It was huge! It was water cascading down a cliff!




We didn't get any pictures of our fancy buffet dinner at the Amicalola Falls lodge (woot buffet!), but we did manage to prop Frankie in a chair for the first time. It required two pillows and it now means that we know he can sit at the table. I don't have to feed him anymore in a semi-reclined position, so this was a huge breakthrough. We braved the fog and drove down the mountain and went to a 'resort', where we stayed in a 'rustic' cabin. Rustic = old and unrenovated. It was the very definition of 1980s kitsch. There was a freakin' hot tub in the middle of the living room!


Can you say 'awesome'?


There was a lovely porch swing out back where one could sit and look at the trees. Unless you are Frankie, and then you have to avert your eyes if there is even the least bit of sun.


Rustic!


We then drove into the gold mining town of Dahlonega, Georgia and had breakfast.

Look at me! Sitting upright! Drinking milk!


It was quaint, but mostly touristy little shops in a town square, nothing too special. Although we did get some great chocolate-covered pretzels. And the weather was perfect that morning, none of the drizzle and fog from the night before. It was surprisingly relaxing and really great to see some of the 'local' sites. I hope that we get the chance to do it again, perhaps when all of the family members are mobile instead of only half.