Wednesday, April 15
Happy Birthday to Aunt Glennis Wright in Marianna, Florida!!!
This morning before saying our goodbyes to the volunteers in Ethridge, Tennessee, we took time to have one last photo with our “Toccoa” friends Mike and Renee from Ohio and Lynn and John Worley from Georgia.
After having the morning devotional and breakfast with the group, and then as they all drove off to the new church site for the day, we turned our attention to getting Big V ready to travel again.Getting ready to move includes straightening the inside up so the slideouts can be pulled back in, disconnecting the water and sewer lines and the electricity, and then backing Big V up to the trailer so we can prepare to load the Vibe. All in all, it takes nearly an hour to have everything loaded and buttoned down so we can head on down the road.
Around 8:30 we pulled away from the church and started off on the day’s journey to northern Georgia, between Blue Ridge and Blairsville. The route took us south on Highway 43 to Lawrenceburg and then east on U.S. 64 to Chattanooga.
We did just fine until we got on a bypass loop around Dalton, Georgia, and missed our cutoff. When we drove back into Dalton, we realized that we had done something horribly wrong, so we stopped and got directions from one of the local store managers. Armed with information about what to look for, we continued the trip without incident, although Barbara did call our friends, Jere and Gwen Akin, to let them know we were going to be later getting to their home than we anticipated.
All went well though, and we arrived at the cutoff to Jere and Gwen’s house right at 4:30. They were at the highway to meet us and guide us back up to their house. We needed the guiding service, because there is a quarter mile of narrow gravel road that we had to follow along the way, and they went ahead to stop any oncoming traffic, since there was no way that two vehicles could meet and get by each other for that short length of the road.
We arrived at the house in time to get a quick tour and then left with them to attend the Wednesday night supper and Bible study at their church, First Baptist of Blairsville, where we met some really friendly folks, got reacquainted with Pat Baldwin, one of the ladies we worked with at Toccoa last fall, enjoyed a wonderful supper, and had a tremendous Bible study-an introductory lesson about the lives (and deaths) of the 12 Apostles. My only regret was that the series would be a tremendous history lesson and we wouldn’t be there to hear it!
We returned to the house to unload a few things from Big V since we were staying in their gorgeous upstairs guest room complete with a breath-taking view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Then we visited the rest of the evening away, catching up on each other’s activities since we last saw each other in Toccoa in October.
Since it had been a long day for all of us, we called it a night fairly early and headed for bed and a good night’s sleep.
Thursday, April 16
What a fun-packed and adventurous day this turned out to be!
First, I awoke very early and went downstairs to check my email. Jere soon made his appearance, did his morning workout, and then we went out to the hot tub that sits on the lowest landing of the house and overlooks the joining of the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains to the north…a great way to begin a morning.
While Jim and Jere were out enjoying the hot tub, I did some photo taking of the views around the Akins lovely home. Some of these photos were taken later in the day by Jim as he surveyed their land. Awesome place!
When everyone began to seriously gin around, Gwen fixed a wonderful breakfast for us and then we headed out for the days adventures.
The first stop was at First Baptist Church, where we got to see the inside of the sanctuary. They were doing some remodeling inside, so we didn’t take pictures, but it truly is a beautiful facility.
From the church, we drove down to the town square to visit the old county courthouse, (photo on left) which is now a museum and a site for local concerts. The upper floor of the building, the courtroom, is now used as a small concert hall. The museum houses a number of northern Georgia’s historical artifacts and has a special room just for military history.
We left the museum and began the drive out of town through the Chattahoochee National Forest toward Helen, the quaint little German-style village that Bob and Nell took us to last fall. Before we had gone very far, Jere stopped at an old grist mill that is not only still in operation (they were grinding grits this morning), but also houses a little market where we saw a wide variety of jams, jellies, preserves, and syrups. Of course, we just HAD to make a few purchases there.
Back on the road again, we wound through the mountains, stopping at a couple of specially marked scenic views to take some pictures. While the pictures turned out very nicely, they can’t begin to capture the grandeur and scope of the beautiful northern Georgia mountains…some things are just meant to be enjoyed in person!
We arrived in Helen around noon, looked through a couple of shops, and then decided to have lunch at a little restaurant, “The Troll,” on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Since it was midweek, there wasn’t much of a crowd, so we were able to sit outdoors and enjoy the view as we munched on brats on a bun and German potato salad.
After eating, Barbara and Gwen visited some of the shops while Jere and I sat outside in the town square and enjoyed the warm sunshine while doing some serious people-watching.
We left Helen and headed back to Blairsville on a different route, this time going through the town of Hiawassee where we stopped to get tickets to an upcoming concert at the fairgrounds. Then, it was back to Blairsville for more visiting while Gwen cooked up a virtual banquet for us.
We whiled the night away by talking and showing Gwen and Jere the DVD that Barbara made of the church building project for Liberty Hill Baptist Church.
Soon, it was again time to call it a night. Jere was scheduled to get up and out early so he could join some college classmates for a golf tournament tomorrow morning, and we needed to get things put together so we could load Big V and take off on the next leg of the journey.
Friday, April 17
Even though I woke up earlier than usual this morning, I just missed seeing Jere before he left for his golf tournament. But, Gwen stayed behind and fixed us breakfast fit for royalty…if we stayed here much longer, we’d have to leave the car parked and just walk up and down the mountain to try to keep up with the calorie count!
After saying our goodbyes and thanking Gwen for their wonderful hospitality, we loaded Big V and followed Gwen down the mountain (she led the way so she could stop any oncoming traffic) and then took off toward Toccoa, traveling back through Hiawassee and Clayton before coming to the cutoff to Toccoa.
We arrived at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center around 12:30, checked in at the office, went to the dining hall to visit friends there, and then, after leaving the trailer in the lower parking lot, drove Big V and the Vibe up the hill (and narrow, dusty road) to the campgrounds, where we located the site we wanted, parked, and set up housekeeping for the next three or so weeks.
As it did last fall, our site overlooks Lake Louise and the beautiful woodlands that surround it. Now though, we see the gorgeous spring colors and green trees…what a beautiful place to come serve our Lord!
We spent the afternoon and evening cleaning house, washing clothes, and doing all the thousand and one chores that come with setting up the RV, and then went down to the dining hall to enjoy an evening meal and meet with Jesse and Nancy Fairfax, coordinators for the volunteers, who had also come in a couple of days early to line out the job assignments for the volunteers who will arrive between now and Sunday evening.
Saturday, April 18
With the house set up and no chores to take care of today, we decided that even though we had been driving or riding the last couple of days, we’d go off for a little quiet time together. So, we threw a change of clothes into the Vibe and headed off to see the mountains, driving through stretches of the Chattahoochee National Forest, the northern Georgia and southern North Carolina reaches of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the southern section of the Great Smokey Mountains.
No chores, no responsibilities, and a beautiful Saturday…what a way to spend some time away together to regroup and refresh before starting a new volunteer mission in Toccoa!
“Without Friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.” Aristotle
Hiding away in the Great Smokey Mountains,
Jim & Barbara
When everyone began to seriously gin around, Gwen fixed a wonderful breakfast for us and then we headed out for the days adventures.The first stop was at First Baptist Church, where we got to see the inside of the sanctuary. They were doing some remodeling inside, so we didn’t take pictures, but it truly is a beautiful facility.
From the church, we drove down to the town square to visit the old county courthouse, (photo on left) which is now a museum and a site for local concerts. The upper floor of the building, the courtroom, is now used as a small concert hall. The museum houses a number of northern Georgia’s historical artifacts and has a special room just for military history.We left the museum and began the drive out of town through the Chattahoochee National Forest toward Helen, the quaint little German-style village that Bob and Nell took us to last fall. Before we had gone very far, Jere stopped at an old grist mill that is not only still in operation (they were grinding grits this morning), but also houses a little market where we saw a wide variety of jams, jellies, preserves, and syrups. Of course, we just HAD to make a few purchases there.
Back on the road again, we wound through the mountains, stopping at a couple of specially marked scenic views to take some pictures. While the pictures turned out very nicely, they can’t begin to capture the grandeur and scope of the beautiful northern Georgia mountains…some things are just meant to be enjoyed in person!
We arrived in Helen around noon, looked through a couple of shops, and then decided to have lunch at a little restaurant, “The Troll,” on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Since it was midweek, there wasn’t much of a crowd, so we were able to sit outdoors and enjoy the view as we munched on brats on a bun and German potato salad.After eating, Barbara and Gwen visited some of the shops while Jere and I sat outside in the town square and enjoyed the warm sunshine while doing some serious people-watching.
We left Helen and headed back to Blairsville on a different route, this time going through the town of Hiawassee where we stopped to get tickets to an upcoming concert at the fairgrounds. Then, it was back to Blairsville for more visiting while Gwen cooked up a virtual banquet for us.
We whiled the night away by talking and showing Gwen and Jere the DVD that Barbara made of the church building project for Liberty Hill Baptist Church.
Soon, it was again time to call it a night. Jere was scheduled to get up and out early so he could join some college classmates for a golf tournament tomorrow morning, and we needed to get things put together so we could load Big V and take off on the next leg of the journey.Friday, April 17
Even though I woke up earlier than usual this morning, I just missed seeing Jere before he left for his golf tournament. But, Gwen stayed behind and fixed us breakfast fit for royalty…if we stayed here much longer, we’d have to leave the car parked and just walk up and down the mountain to try to keep up with the calorie count!
After saying our goodbyes and thanking Gwen for their wonderful hospitality, we loaded Big V and followed Gwen down the mountain (she led the way so she could stop any oncoming traffic) and then took off toward Toccoa, traveling back through Hiawassee and Clayton before coming to the cutoff to Toccoa.
We arrived at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center around 12:30, checked in at the office, went to the dining hall to visit friends there, and then, after leaving the trailer in the lower parking lot, drove Big V and the Vibe up the hill (and narrow, dusty road) to the campgrounds, where we located the site we wanted, parked, and set up housekeeping for the next three or so weeks.
As it did last fall, our site overlooks Lake Louise and the beautiful woodlands that surround it. Now though, we see the gorgeous spring colors and green trees…what a beautiful place to come serve our Lord!
We spent the afternoon and evening cleaning house, washing clothes, and doing all the thousand and one chores that come with setting up the RV, and then went down to the dining hall to enjoy an evening meal and meet with Jesse and Nancy Fairfax, coordinators for the volunteers, who had also come in a couple of days early to line out the job assignments for the volunteers who will arrive between now and Sunday evening.
Saturday, April 18
With the house set up and no chores to take care of today, we decided that even though we had been driving or riding the last couple of days, we’d go off for a little quiet time together. So, we threw a change of clothes into the Vibe and headed off to see the mountains, driving through stretches of the Chattahoochee National Forest, the northern Georgia and southern North Carolina reaches of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the southern section of the Great Smokey Mountains.
No chores, no responsibilities, and a beautiful Saturday…what a way to spend some time away together to regroup and refresh before starting a new volunteer mission in Toccoa!
“Without Friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.” Aristotle
Hiding away in the Great Smokey Mountains,
Jim & Barbara 