Friday, October 25, 2013

Visitors From Florida

 

Blairsville, Georgia (high 48, low 28)

We awoke to am outside temperature of 26 degrees this morning.  That is our coldest morning so far.  After today, it will be warming up and the day time temps are supposed to be in the upper 60’s.  We are staying nice and warm, and only use our new portable heater at night.  We love our new heater and prefer it to our heat pump or furnace.

 

We had visitors from Tampa yesterday.  I worked with Karen at USAA.  She and here husband came to see the fall foliage.  They were unable to get a hotel here in Blairsville and had to to up to Murphy, North Carolina.  This is a busy time of year and you need to make hotel reservations early.

They wanted to see the new RV lot, so they drove into Blairsville.  We visited awhile, then went to lunch and then off to see some sites.

We ended up driving through Helen, Georgia, which is billed as Alpine Helen in the Bavarian style.

This is a picture I took last summer.

Helen, GA

Our destination was nearby Anna Ruby Falls.  It’s a nice short .4 of a mile paved hike along a mountain stream ending up with a huge double waterfall at the end.

Anna Ruby Falls

Karen and Ken Williams

I am always amazed how these trees seem to grow out of the rock.

tree growing from rock

IMG_1433

Anna Ruby Falls

Anna Ruby Falls

Anna Ruby Falls

Our route to the falls took along the Richard B. Russell Byway and some pretty fall color.

IMG_1419

We stopped at a scenic overlook for a few photos.

IMG_1416

The colors still have not peaked in this area and I’m afraid the leaves might drop off before they completely change colors.

We took the other route back home, over the infamous Blood Mountain.  It’s a popular ride for motorcycles and bicyclists.

IMG_1451

It’s also a gateway to the Appalachian Trail, so we stopped at a shop along the route.  They sell all kinds of hiking and camping gear.  There is a nice overlook on the deck behind the shop.

Ken and Karen Williams

We plan on heading up towards Murphy today and seeing what interesting things we can find to do today.

13 comments:

  1. Too bad the tree colors aren't as vibrant as usual, but they still are better than Florida. ;c)

    Nice to visit with friends, those are always special times.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We're still hoping for more color and many of the trees are still green, so there is hope.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful waterfalls - sure looks like a nice spot. I thought your trees were pretty colorful too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a gorgeous area. Your short hike looks wonderful.

    Enjoy those colors while you can. Very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks like your friends are fun loving folks. You sure have a gorgeous area to share with them although 26 is COLD. I take it your new heater is electric and not propane.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Sherry, the heater is electric and it is working great. No noise from the furnace.

      I believe you also know our friends, but I know David knows Karen from school days.

      Delete
  6. It is so nice to have friends visit and get out to enjoy the wonderful fall colors.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nice visit and now we have gotten to see the falls we missed due to the government shut down.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your guests are lucky to have you for tour guides.

    We are in Asheville now and also have temps below freezing. I am ready to head south!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's going to start a little warm-up, so don't leave Asheville too soon. It's a wonderful place to visit. I hope you see the Biltmore house. It's worth every penney.

      Delete
  9. We used a little portable electric heater in the motorhome and it worked wonderfully for us. We didn't have any trouble keeping warm in cold temps when we had them. Glad yours is doing the trick. Great header photo!

    ReplyDelete

Please feel free to leave comments. We love to read them! To contact me directly you can send e-mail to rvtravels2@yahoo.com