Cartersville/Atlanta, GA-Red Top Mountain State Park

Well we hit the jackpot again!  Another gorgeous state park WITH brand new shower house and laundry facilities!  Woo Hoo!

Seriously, this park was so beautiful.  It is about 35 miles northwest of Atlanta in the town of Cartersville.

Sadly, we did not get to explore the park as much as we would have loved to.  We had something planned for every day leaving little time at the park. We should have stayed two weeks! 

Having never been to the park before, we were unsure about how our trailer would maneuver through the park so we opted for the pull through sites up front (which have their own issues). Well, it turned out to be another time where we would have what we call "campsite envy", wishing we had picked another spot.  There were some amazing campsites up on cliffs overlooking the water.  We probably could have moved but parking the trailer and moving about the campgrounds is always so stressful that once we get in somewhere I hate the idea of moving again.  So we stayed put.  Nonetheless, it was still a nice spot.  It was wooded and I loved the view out the windows.

I was amazed at the amount of pollen everywhere.  The ground was yellow!  It was unbelievable!  Jordan took JUST A FEW STEPS with her clean black shoes through some of the pine needles and this is what her shoes looked like:

I thought for sure that we would all be suffering tremendously from our allergies but it didn't happen. Jacob, Greg and I were already on our allergy medicine and Jordan just doesn't seem to be bothered by it.  

This is a picture of Allatoona Lake from the day use area.  They had miniature golf, picnic tables and two playscapes.  

One evening, we made it out for a bike ride on the Iron Hill Trail.  There was access from our campsite and it made a 6-mile loop.

There were some great views of the lake.

Another cool thing we saw was a Momma fox and her cubs that were playing around the den but neither camera would zoom well enough.

I just thought this was a cool area.  The soil was so red!

And check out this long earthworm we found!

As I said, we had a number of things planned for this week.   But first, I had to go to Target! I have not been in a Target since we were in Destin and this was only my second time since we left Austin 3 months ago!  Wal-Mart is no substitute!!

So after that was out of the way, we headed to the park office where Jacob presented his activity book to earn his Level II badge in the Georgia state park Junior Ranger program. We are so proud of his work and what he is learning from participating in these programs.

Then we were off to the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville.  It was a great museum and we got in free with our museum pass.  We did pay $2 each to watch a planet movie in the planetarium theater but the kids were a little young and did not enjoy it.

The grounds were very pretty and they had an observatory and offered programs periodically.

Jacob (and many of the kids) really like the Foucault's pendulum.  It was great the museum had someone stationed there the whole time to explain it.

There was a dinosaur exhibit.

And a space exhibit,

transportation exhibit,

(In 1903, this was the most affordable car.  It went $20 miles per hour and cost $425.  For an extra $22, you could have a roof put on.)

And here is what the kids enjoyed most:  fossil digging (they each got to take home one real fossil-they chose shark teeth)

And panning for gems.  Here, they could take all that they found.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield was next.  Jacob and Jordan finished their Junior Ranger written work at the museum and the required hike, thereby earning their 4th National Park Junior Ranger badge.  

Afterwards, we had a picnic lunch.  While it looks gorgeous outside, it was really only in the low 50s!

From there, we drove to the Cheatham Hill Battlefield.  There were some cannons, 

and the Texas monument,

and the Illinois monument.

The kids were mostly interested in the stones that marked the locations of fallen soldiers. We read all of the signs and markers and took the trail to the grave of the unknown soldier.

The earthworks where the soldiers hid are still visible.

This area is called Dead Angle.  Here, Union troops charged up this hill towards where the Illinois monument is behind me.  The Confederate soldiers were positioned in the earthworks and fired upon the Union soldiers resulting in hundreds of casualties.  It's beautiful now. It's hard to imagine the battle that happened so many years ago.

Greg was able to join us for the rest of the outings.  Our first one was to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History (also free with our museum pass).  

This is what Greg and the kids would have looked like in the Dinosaur Age ;)

The permanent exhibit halls had exhibits on development of life on Earth as well as landscapes of Georgia today, but they also had a great temporary exhibit on Whales.  This is a real whale skeleton.  It was so huge!

And this is a life-sized model of the whale's heart that the kids can crawl around in.  Maybe one day I will see a whale because it is still hard to imaging something so big!

And, there was a children's area called Nature Quest.  It had a lot of hands on fun for the kids.

The kids moved around this place non-stop.

One of Greg's friends, Frank, from his teenage years, now lives in Atlanta.  We met his wife, Cynthia, and their two kids, Vangie and Alexander at the Atlanta Zoo for the afternoon.  We were all able to get in for free on their zoo membership.  (Thank you, guys!!)

It was a fun afternoon, their daughter is 7 and their son is 2 and they are beautiful kids. Jordan and Vangie connected quickly and she led Jordan through the zoo like a caring big sister; making sure she could see everything and that she stayed with the group.  (It was kind of a nice break for Mommy! :)

The kids all seemed to have a good time together and the zoo was nice.  They had a wide variety of animals there. 

There were lots of cool and beautiful birds.  This is a Kori Bustard from the grasslands and savannahs of Africa.  Look at that fat neck!

 

I don't know what the rest of these are but they were just beautiful.

 There were all the usual animals too like the pandas, elephants, zebras and gorillas.

 There was a small petting area.

 But all the oooohhhhiiinnng  and aaaaahhhhiiinnng came with all the babies they had there!

My kids were sad to part the other two kids but got excited again when we told them we would see them again for dinner the following evening. 

The next day was spent at the Georgia Aquarium.  Field trips + Good Friday = very busy aquarium!  It was so crowded!  It was a great aquarium but a little hard to enjoy with so many people there.  I felt like I was in the middle of a herd of cattle.

See all of the little worm-like things poking out of the sand?  Those are actually eels.  I don't think I have ever seen them before.

The large aquarium walls made for some great views.

A whale shark swam right overhead!

It's things like this that really make me fearful of swimming in anything but a pool; wondering what is lurking below.

And of course, the kids' favorite was touching the rays.

So from there, we headed over to Frank and Cynthia's house for dinner.  It was a great evening.   The kids really enjoyed playing and we enjoyed the conversation with old friends. And, I must add that the lasagna was to die for!

Our last stop was Six Flags Over Georgia.  We have a Season Pass from Fiesta, TX and the kids have been looking forward to it for a long time.  It was AWESOME!  Mainly, because it was Easter weekend and a little misty and so no one was there.  We hardly had to wait in any lines at all! Jordan rode her first big roller coaster, but she quickly decided that was not her thing :).  Jacob rode a roller coaster that flipped upside down but did not like that!  He rode everything else in the park as long as he could stay upright.

I think we rode these cars a million times!  The kids had so much fun in them!

And a couple of times, while Greg and I sat in back, we gave the kids a little taste of their own medicine.  We whined, we fought, we asked "How much longer?" in the whiniest voice possible, and we yelled.  If only I had remembered to kick the seat a few times! Ha Ha!

The cutest part of the day was when Jordan saw all of the Looney Tunes characters.  She got so excited and ran up to hug, high-five and get her picture taken with them.  I think we have pictures with all but one of them!

And if you couldn't tell, Tweety was her favorite.

It was a very fun way to end our stay in the Atlanta area!

Next week is Birmingham, Alabama.

Adel, GA (State #4)-Reed Bingham State Park

Well this Georgia state park did not disappoint! We were hoping for a beautiful state park and that is what we got!  The azaleas and dogwoods were in bloom and everything looked so bright and amazing.

As you enter the park, you pass near the dam and Reed Bingham State Park Lake. Here is what the dam area looked like on the evening of our arrival:

The next day it started to rain heavily and rained for at least 5 hours.  They had had some heavy rains before we got there and the ground was already saturated so in about 2 more days, here was what it looked like:

And it wasn't quite at its peak yet.  By Friday, the water ran straight across.

Some of the trails were flooded but we still had access to the parts that were not.  And they were beautiful too. Everything was so green and in bloom! You could smell the fragrant honeysuckle as you rode by and I couldn't help but take in a big deep breath every time!

I just love the boardwalks that allow you to venture into areas you would not be able to otherwise due to the water. 

Jordan went on her first trail ride on her own bike and did really well but we rode into some rougher terrain and she got frustrated and complained all the way back.

Since there was another trail we wanted to ride the next day, I let her ride with me again for our 6 mile journey. It was a tough ride especially with the extra weight of Jordan, but very fun and of course it had a lot of pretty areas to see.

The campground consisted of two loops, one with full hook ups and the other without. We opted for water & electricity only to save the additional $7 per night. Both loops were nice and full of trees and both had ONE laundry machine (which surprisingly I never had to compete with anyone and it was cheap). There was however, one BIG difference. The OTHER loop had brand new shower and restroom facilities. But I just sucked it up and went to the one right behind our site. It wasn't awful but the shower was about the size of our old trailer tub shower. This would have been fine but instead of putting the shower head on the short wall of the rectangle, they put it on the long wall so the shower pretty much sprayed out through the curtain and you just could not stand in the right place! But I am sure the bathouse is probably on their agenda for updates.

Other than that, we had a fabulous time. We were very close to the putt putt course. It was a really fun one with lots of unique obstacles. The kids rode their bicycles a lot. Jordan is finally excited about it. And they met a friend, Jenna, who was from nearby Valdosta and on Spring Break.

Georgia also has its very own Junior Ranger program. Of course, Jacob jumped on that and earned his Level I badge. There were quite a few activities he had to do and he worked on them steadily. Jordan unfortunately was too young for this one.

One of the activities was to do some fishing. He still hasn't caught anything. Definitely not like fishing at Grandma and Grandpa's place :(

But we did watch some of the locals fish for awhile and see what they caught. We got to see a gar and some sunfish. We even got to see an Agkistrodon piscivorus (water moccasin). YIKES!

(water moccasin at water's edge)

Apparently there are a lot of homeschoolers in Georgia and we happened to be there for the park's monthly homeschooling program. For $3, the kids were able to attend the class led by the park ranger. They did some fun activities related to the three phases of water and the water cycle.

I was amused by the mothers. Most of them came up to me to talk after finding out that I was from Texas. They either had lived there or were hoping to go there. Who knew being from Texas would be so interesting??  At least it made a good conversation starter.

It was also funny when at one point the ranger instructed the kids to “line up”. The kids looked more like bumper cars as they all jumbled together without the end result he was looking for. Then one of the moms shouted “They're homeschooled! They don't know how to line up!”. So true! We don't need to line up to go to the bathroom or the cafeteria. It wasn't too long before they figured it out, though.

After the program was over, we joined the group for lunch where we discovered the kids' most favorite part of the park. The wisteria vine!

The kids loved playing and climbing on this. The vine twisted and turned and hung low in a couple of areas so that when one kid would swing the kid on the next hanging would swing even more. I think they could have played here for hours and hours.

And the vine is where we had another special moment. While there on Saturday, a group came over and began setting up for an event. The kind people introduced themselves and invited us to join in their celebration. They were from Adel's Assembly of God and getting ready for their Easter picnic and egg hunt. After talking with them a little while, we decided to join in. We had gone on our bike ride first and returned after lunch. They welcomed us again and made sure the kids got cupcakes. They had bouncy houses and some friendly little kids.

Then it was time for the egg hunt! Since we had not planned on an egg hunt yet, I did not have any baskets.  But have no fear, they came running up to us with two extra ones that they already had! One pink and one blue. (It sure beat the plastic Walmart bags that we had. Hee Hee). The kids enjoyed it and it was a perfect answer for us since I had been trying to find one for the kids to participate in. There were about 60 children there and they had 1800 candy-filled eggs.

And of course, they invited us to church on Sunday and after making sure we had a place to park the RV at the church (travel day), we agreed. It was a wonderful experience. SOOO many of the congregation came up to meet us and others came to welcome us again. And I got a lot of hugs! Just the way it should be, right?! The music was great and the sermon was very well done. As the pastor stood up front with his pink beard (because he lost the girls vs. boys Easter candy collection contest), I was reminded of how much I love our church back home. But we are so glad to have had such an amazing experience away from home.

From there, we headed out to Atlanta.  We have a busy week ahead!

Orlando, FL-Thousand Trails

We have been in Orlando for the past two weeks and well, we don't have much to show for it. It has been a frustrating two weeks in regards to the repairs on our trailer. The guy we had lined up to work on it, did not show. The next person we spoke to, did come out, but he would not be able to get all the parts before we left. So, it was decided that he would do a few repairs to make sure the trailer was protected in wet weather and then further down the road, we would get the rest done.

Well, he was supposed to come out on the Thursday before we left, which was pushing it close already, but then had to reschedule for Saturday, the day before our departure!!! So, of course, Greg was stressed about whether or not the guy would show and if the repairs we needed pre-departure would get done. Then there was also the issue of arranging for the rest of the repairs to be completed later and making sure the parts get there in time. Fortunately, the repair man did show and he did a nice job.  Phew!

We stayed at another Thousand Trails campground on the outskirts of Orlando. They have everything you could want to do in this type of setting. The kids have gone fishing a couple of times but they haven't caught anything. We have also gone swimming, played shuffleboard, air hockey and miniature golf, as well as some board games.

One evening's entertainment was watching a couple of big tow trucks as they tried to rescue a large motorhome.  The owner had pulled into a grassy area so that he could back into his spot and ended up buried pretty deeply in the sand. Not only did they have to pull him out but they had to try to do so without hitting another nearby RV or running over a water and electricity hookup.  It seemed like most of the campground (which is huge, by the way) came out to watch. I felt so bad for the owner because of the crowd he drew (I am sure it is on youtube by now-cameras were everywhere) and because of the potential damage to his RV. He had been stuck a good part of the day and they were finally able to pull him out just as it turned dark. We are probably extra sympathetic right now due to our own repair needs.

The campground is very close to Disney but that wasn't in our plans for this year (giving the kids something to look forward to for next year). And it's funny that I don't think the kids realize that we are so close. They have mentioned that they see Mickey Mouse items everywhere but they haven't quite made the connection. Ha Ha! It's probably for the best! And believe it or not, we made it two weeks before anyone even mentioned it! 

We left the campground only for trips to the grocery store and one other time to see the Lego movie (which, to me, was so disappointing).

The campground had some interesting wildlife. There were alligators but I did not see any. The two, I saw often, were the gopher tortoises and the sandhill cranes. There were tortoise nests all over the place! And every so often you would see one of the tortoises emerge and start munching on some grass.

The cranes were really cool. They got very close and they were so big, about as tall as Jacob! They came around our campsite usually mid-morning and then early evening. The sound they made was quite LOUD! I am glad I saw them before I heard them or I would have been frightened! If you're interested, here's a link with their sound but even with the volume all the way up on my computer, it was not as loud as they were in real life. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/sandhill_crane/sounds

The kids are happy.  Jacob has yet again said that this campground is "the best place ever!". Every once in awhile they mention Austin, friends and family but I think they are adjusting VERY well.  I also think it helps to meet other kids living in the same way.  Their relationship continues to grow and I just love watching them explore and play together.  They are never lacking friends because they have each other.  Mostly, Jordan plays whatever Jacob wants to, putting in a few of her own ideas but it just melts my heart to see a moment like the one below; Jacob decided it was her turn and had a girlie tea party.

While here, they met Alexander, Andrew and Bella; very sweet kids all the way from Maine. The boys spent most of their time together catching lizards around the campground. They would release them everyday then hunt them down again the next. And we have loosened the reigns on Jacob a little. He has been able to travel off to friends' campsites as long as he carries a walkie talkie and checks in frequently. So far, so good.

Jordan played with them a little but she really wasn't into lizards.  She wanted MUD! Ha Ha. I cannot keep her out of the sand and mud!  It is like there is some force that draws her to it the moment she steps outside.

One day Greg checked on her while she was playing outside. He ran back inside, grabbed the camera, snapped a picture, then returned with a smirk on his face. I thought, Oh no! And, sure enough! She was outside in the mud and sand. When I asked her how many times I have told her not to do that, she tucked her chin, cocked her head to the side, batted her eyelashes and said “A hundred”. That was followed by her sweet, yet sad, “I'm sorry, Mommy”. I know she only means that she is sorry she got caught! That little stinker. Well I hosed her off outside and we moved on. I know she doesn't look all that dirty, but her legs were filthy! (AND she doesn't look all that sorry, either)

We are really ready to get back into a State Park setting. We met and visited with some nice people (like the couple who owned Abby, the pet skunk) but it's just not the environment we like most. One day Jordan looked out the window and said, “This is not a beautiful campsite!” Surprised, I asked “What would make it beautiful?” Her response was, “Palm trees and water!” Too funny! Well, we will be in state parks for the next 5 or so weeks. We'll see how that turns out!

We are headed to Georgia next and hoping for some cooler weather!