“We don’t inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children.”
-Ancient Native American Proverb
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Amused by our antics of threading our hilariously long rig in between the adjacent Class A and the various other obstacles (like a silly ole lamp pole and guy wires) placed on the opposite lot lines, our new next door camp neighbors at Harvest Moon RV Park in Adairsville welcomed us warmly. Learning that they were visiting family, and from the area originally, we asked tons of questions and they were full of suggestions for things to do, which became a blueprint for our stay.
“Offspring from Foothills” at the Southern Reach of the Appalachian Mountains
Noticing our “hog”, our neighbors imagined that we’d enjoy challenging roadways leading into the Blue Ridge Mountains and we agreed! Reprehensibly, Mother Nature did not see eye-to-eye with us the following morning as she lobbed a very crisp morning our way; it was 30-degrees folks! Determined to enjoy the clear blue skies and sunshine no matter what, Curtis threw on his leather riding coat with a thin fleece coat underneath and Laura donned just about every cold weather outerwear that she could find, before waddling our way out the door, comically “scrambling” onto the trike, flipping on the heated seats and handle grips, and starting our quest!
During our ride, we stayed off the main highways to experience the promised winding backroads and were not disappointed! Many of them were narrower and the very hilly topography certainly dictated slower speeds. Pine trees interspersed with deciduous trees opened up the canyons of dense foliage that we’d found ourselves in since Louisiana, which made it easier to glimpse through to the surrounding mountain slopes. In a little over an hour, we arrived in the small town of Ellijay and it reminded both of us of a small mountain town outside of Denver, Colorado called Evergreen. True to the Indigenous Itsate Creek People’s original meaning of its name, Offspring from Foothills, Ellijay is tucked into the small valleys that spring forth from the surrounding mountains. It felt like home so we delighted in tooling along, taking in the natural beauty.
Lunch was looming and the town of Blue Ridge was just under 20 minutes to the north, so off we went! And while we drive, a little trivia; can you all guess how it got its name? Yes! The Blue Ridge Mountain Range! It is actually near the range’s western edge. Did you know that the Blue Mountains are actually the southern-most segment of the overall Appalachian Mountains? And if anyone knows how to truly pronounce that mouthful…well, that’s just a matter of locale!
We are drawn to the quaintness of historic downtown areas and this one was surprisingly larger than most. It also strayed from the typical ubiquitous small “square” configuration. Instead it was rectangular and encompassed the train depot with the tracks dividing it longitudinally in two. A variety of small businesses, ranging from the typical tourist shops to the those offering unique local craft and artworks, lined the streets, interspersed with a variety of restaurants, wine tasting rooms and breweries.
A small tavern, The Vine Wine Bar and Eatery, seemed like it would be a great choice for a small lunch. Not only were we able to enjoy their pleasant outdoor patio, but while waiting, as a bonus, Laura was able to get acquainted with the rather tall and hairy host, Wolfy! Everything we ordered was extremely tasty! In addition to sampling wine (Laura) and beer (Curtis), we shared the “Dixie Chicken” flatbread. We would highly recommend this saloon!
After our delicious lunch, we figured it was time to take off and enjoy a slow ride back to our campground. While winding our way back south, we came across several small and scenic river valleys where we enjoyed the sun shining through the forest trees, highlighting the clear, flowing waters that were a companion to our drive.
After arriving back at our camper, we enjoyed our ride so much that we decided another one was in order for the following day!
From Tears to Hopes of Silk
The next day greeted us with carbon copy crisp clear blue skies, but thankfully, it was slated to get warmer! Off we sped to explore Canton! Apparently it has a contemptible past that stems from the 1828 discovery of gold when white settlers forced the Cherokee Nation to leave their lands, some by federal troops. Over the years it was renamed several times until 1834 when it was named after the Chinese city of Canton (now Guangzhou), as it had hopes of becoming a powerhouse of silk production by bringing 100,000 silkworms to the areas newly planted mulberry trees. Alas, the climate wasn’t temperate enough to support them, and the dreams faded.
Nowadays, Canton has a vibrant historic district that we enjoyed walking around. Of course, consulting our watches (ok, it was our stomachs grumbling), it was lunchtime and we were standing in front of Palermo’s Original Pasta & Sandwiches (P.O.P.S.), so in we went. We placed our order at the deli counter, found a place to sit in the open, bright and stylish setting, when Laura noticed that it also includes an Italian market. Well, that was it, she was off and shopping for some sun-dried tomatoes and Italian cookies.
A Caprese Panzanella Salad arrived for Laura, the B-Sting Sandwich came for Curtis, and we shared an order of Pasta Chips with their Tomato Chile Jam for dipping. And we gotta tell ya! It was all fantastic, but our new favorite is definitely the pasta chips!!
As we walked back to the trike, and since Laura was in a “grocery” shopping mode after the Italian market, we remembered that we needed some coffee. We’d seen a line of people outside a coffee shop when we’d first walked into town, and it hadn’t dwindled, so it had to be a good sign. Popping into Bizarre Coffee, we discovered that this tiny little shop had some very unique flavor combinations and their beans are freshly roasted right there in Canton to boot! It was hard to narrow our choices, but we finally picked two different bags. They ground our beans to a French Press consistency while we waited, then off we went. (We woke up to these specialty treats for several mornings; good thing they ship!)
The Oldest Covered Bridge in Georgia
Euharlee was an hour away, and while we’d like to say that we knew of something unique about this town that was drawing us there, we were only in search of the famous Nanny G’s Bakery at the Covered Bridge that our camp neighbor gushed about. They’re only open Friday to Sunday, and it was Saturday after lunch after all!
Luckily it was easy to find! It’s right next to the covered bridge; the oldest one in Georgia as a matter of fact.
Of course once we spotted the bakery, Curtis could only focus on the sign. They served ice cream as well as fresh baked goods. I know what you’re thinking; “can’t this man go a week without having some ice cream?”. The answer, you should know by now, is no. Since the day was actually very sunny, and had warmed up nicely, approaching 80 degrees, we couldn’t help but have a small serving of ice cream to cool off while relaxing and chatting with the staff and other patrons.
Finished, we drooled over their baked goods, finding it hard to narrow down our selection to bring home with us. We were thinking two of everything would be good, but the choice was narrowed down fairly quickly by eliminating pies which we didn’t have room for; damn leather coats took up too much room in our trunk! The young man behind the counter tried to be helpful by asking us what we liked. In the end, he thought we should buy two of everything too! Finally, we settled on two Bananny Pudding Cups, two different huge chocolate cookies, two different hand pies and an entire tray of cinnamon rolls! Good thing we “limited” the sweets we were buying, but we swear we left plenty behind! To top it off, as we were heading out the door, Nanny G herself poked her head out, handing the young man another cookie for us on the house. She claimed it had cracked and couldn’t be sold! Yummy!
“To encounter the sacred is to be alive at the deepest center of human existence. Sacred places are the truest definitions of the earth.”
-Navarre Scott Momaday, Kiowa Tribe
During our last full day in the northwestern area of Georgia, and continuing with the advice of our neighbors, it was time for some archaeological enrichment. It was predicted to be another overcast day, promising possible rain, so the trike stayed in camp while we headed to the Etowah Indian Mounds only about 30 minutes to the south.
These indigenous, culturally significant mounds were built next to the north bank of the Etowah River which flows, now from Lake Altoona, and continues through the wide Etowah Valley heading west into Alabama. It is believed by archeologists that the indigenous people living in this area began constructing the mounds around 1000 CE (Common/Current Era) and took around three hundred years to achieve their final size and heights. The largest mound rises over 60 feet and it’s base covers an area of over 3 acres! There are a total of six mounds, with three of them being very sizable. The overall expanse of this site is 54 acres, which is encircled by a large hand dug moat that provided protection, and is thought to have had several thousand people living within the walled, fortified town.
This location served as the regional capital of those living in the area and served as the center of the political, economic and religious life for the people within the valley. The Etowah flourished here for over 500 years, until 1550 CE. The arrival of the Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando de Soto in 1539, with several hundred soldiers, set about the overall decline of the local Indians due to conflicts and introducing diseases such as smallpox and measles which eventually devastated the Etowah populations.
Today the site is a protected historic site with a museum and interpretive signs throughout the grounds, providing the visitor with a slight glimpse into what life might have been like for those living in this unique location several hundred years ago. The largest mounds even include stairways (132 steps for the largest mound), allowing visitors the opportunity to climb to the top to survey the area for miles around (see our featured panorama picture taken from the top at the beginning of this post)! After walking around the historic site, we were wondering if there might have been a connection or influence from the Maya civilization due to the similarities of the pyramid shaped mounds and the overall construction of the fortified town?
Friendship Plaza
With our brains chocked full of local lore, it was time once again for…Lunch! Historic Downtown Cartersville was only six minutes to the northeast. While we walked around quite a bit of the town, passing several different restaurants along the way, admittedly the pizza place we’d parked near kept calling our names. If you haven’t gotten it by now, we love trying new and quirky foods so the Mule House Wood Fired Pizza was right up our alley.
We took our time and it felt good to rest and re-energize after spending several hours at the Mounds, especially since the next day was moving day!
English 
From my one and only time in Georgia (Peachtree) in August I can say that having to don multi-layers to keep warm is preferable to the alternative. Temperature pushing 100 deg. F and 98 percent humidity kind of gets in the way of enjoying the countryside. You can only remove so many items of clothing before the locals start dialing the cops.