Day 99 - Project 365

Helen, GA

Today was the first day that I truly felt like a gypsy! We drove from Blacksburg, SC to Helen, GA last night. We had looked up free camping and was led on a wild goose chase through the small town of Clarksville, GA. After finding ourselves at a shady and very creepy little park with signs saying you’re on closed circuit TV we decided to move on and find another park. We drove up and down winding roads in the black of night. At one point, Joyce turned, looked at me and said I'm starting to see things on the side of the road. I simply responded with, "well, its good that your not driving" We needed to pull over and soon! I was tired but still functional and since we had little to do until Monday we had decided to do what ever we felt like whenever and where ever. I guess pulling over to sleep went out the door once we exited the I-85 shortly after entering Georgia. I knew that rest stops would most likely not exist after we left the main highway. I just hoped for somewhere to pull over with out the fear that we'd be ticketed.

Day 99/365 - Nothing but the sound of the water.

That somewhere didn't come until 1 mile short of Helen. We turned into Unicoi State Park at just past 1 pm and made our way to the camp sites. We noticed a parking permit payment drop box. We dropped $5.00 dollars in and grabbed our pass. We then proceeded to the most obscure and remote area we could find, yet somewhere where parking was permitted. We found our spot at a parking lot for a primitive camp site. Campers have to hike up to the site so they leave there cars at the bottom. Well, it just appeared that we were up there camping.

We moved anything we could from the back to the front and setup a nice little nook. With sun visor in and dark tinted windows, no one was the wiser. We even popped in the redbox movie we grabbed at Walmart just off I-85. By the way… I love you Phillip Morris is the biggest stretch Jim Carey has ever taken. It was interesting and unexpected.

We fell asleep shortly after 3 am and slept until the car heated up enough for us to wake up. 10 am and we hadn't even heard so much as a car. This was great! We slowly made our way from the back to the front and finally out of the camp ground area. We had decided to inquire about a RV Camp site spot so we could back the trailer up have a fire and roast some marshmallows and mingle with the other campers. Unfortunately all sites were reserved.

From there we decided to get brunch but we were both feeling the desperate need for a shower. Well, why not pose as campers a little more. We drove back up to the squirrels nest parking, grabbed our bags and made our way down the back trail to the campsites "comfort station". Here we found, hot showers and just enough "comfort". During our visit with Diver Doug from San Fransisco he had said in regards to traveling "it’s funny how something as small as a shower is sometimes all you need to feel human again." It’s funny how that is so true!

From our stolen shower, we headed to eat at Hofer's, a great little German Cafe in the heart of Helen. I ordered a traditional Ruben while Joyce stayed safe with turkey on white bread. Way to embrace to culture Joyce! We overheard two women talking about a obscure trail that most tourists don't know about. We got directions and after securing a hotel and trailer parking spot we were off to 4 wheel it up the mountain. This is where today's picture came from. About 5 miles up the mountain road that followed the Chattahoochee River we spotted a young man and older gentlemen fishing in the river. We pulled over and I got out, walked down to the river and observed for a few minutes before I introduced myself and secured Day 99!

Jonathan and his grandfather Allen were up from Newnan, GA a 2.5 hour drive up the windy mountain roads. They were in Helen to camp and fish for the weekend. I could only have wished for an outdoor activity with my grandfather. His idea of bonding was sitting me on his lap and sharing his candy or whatever he was eating. We'd watch old reruns of Mash or The Gene Autry Show. Its ok, gramps… I loved you just the same! Sometimes I think that if he would have been more of an outdoor person, he'd still be with us!

Well, Jonathan and Allen were great sports and I grabbed some great shots of something I've never actually been able to do… Catch fish! I'd starve if left in the wild with just a fishing pole. I'd have better luck stabbing a squirrel with the pole than catching a fish. Hell, I'd most likely catch a bear first.

Shortly after dragging the AB800, Vagabond and C-Stand down to the shore. I was firing away, moving the lights and jumping from dry patch to dry patch trying to get that perfect angle. I decided that the best spot was in 18 inches cold fast rushing mountain water. I removed my shoes, trying not to get my socks wet, failing of course! I then made my way into the water. The shock of the nearly freezing water sent a shock up my legs all the way to my head. It wasn't the cold that you get used to, no it was the cold that after a while you legs just go numb. Funny thing was, there were people all up in the water like it was 90 degrees. Crazy!

We finished up, I gave them my cards and told them to look out for the shot. Jonathan had lost his wallet and we decided to help him look for it for a few minutes. We all gave up and hoped he had left it in the car or somewhere else. Joyce and I continued our adventure up the mountain. We made it all the way up the trail that eventually led out to I-75. Gas mileage in the Jeep is horrible and since we were up in the mountains we decided to just coast all the way down the mountain, our mpg went from 15 to 99!

We coasted until we ran out of downhill road. We drove to the next town and bought some TV dinners, drinks and much needed laundry detergent. I don’t like having to smell my socks before putting them on. This will be the 4th and final time we do laundry on this trip. The sad realization that our cross country adventure is nearly over. Its crazy how fast the world flies by when you stop paying attention to time.