Our Mountain Getaway

We headed to Blue Ridge, GA for a little mountain getaway. We left on Saturday, December 27th. The drive was pretty uneventful, but we did get a bit lost trying to find the road that the cabin was on...but we eventually found it. Upon our arrival at the cabin, we got everything unloaded. Then we headed back to Walmart (a 40 minute trip one direction) to stock up on groceries for the week. You see, our cabin was 21 minutes from the main strip in Blue Ridge, so we weren't going to be eating out. Well, we were busy getting all of our groceries and such at Walmart, and I was in the baby aisle trying to find Micah some formula. Well, much to our surprise, they didn't have powdered formula. I found a sales associate, and she informed me that they had to keep it behind the service desk because people used it to make drugs. Now, I don't know if they use the formula itself to make drugs or empty it and then use the container for transporting them...but it took us by surprise. So, we had to go to the service desk and get the formula. Then, the guy had to walk it to my register...talk about CRAZY! And -- Brian and I quickly came to the conclusion that we may be country, but we are not mountain folk.

Sunday was a relaxing day spent at the cabin. We just hung out fishing (trying to), playing the Wii, and just enjoying the remoteness of the cabin.

Brian and Caleb playing the Wii.

A view of Fightingtown Creek...this ran right behind the cabin...so peaceful. It was supposedly a fully-stocked trout stream.
A view of the creek and outdoor firepit from the porch.

Caleb trying to catch some fish...not much luck though.

Micah enjoys a little snack.

Caleb eating some "chicken bones" (ie...fried chicken).

Monday, we got up and drove to Chestatee Wildlife Preserve. It was about an hour and a half away, and we had to drive up and down the mountains to get there. Needless to say, the roads were a lot of fun for my husband who LOVES to drive like a mad man. LOL!

Micah enjoying the animals.

One of the wolves.

A Siberian tiger

An African lion and lioness.

This little goose (guess that's what it is) followed us all along it's cage...it was so cute...it just kept walking along with us and chatting away.

A spotted leopard

Another wolf (we actually saw one of the workers go into the cage with the wolves. It was an amazing sight to see them interacting with him and vice versa...it was like we were watching a live taping for Animal Planet. LOL!).

We got there right after the snakes had been fed lunch...this one is eating a rat. We saw another one eating a rabbit. It was a very educational trip for Caleb (score some homeschool hours for Caleb...YEAH!).

The baby horse and donkey...the horse was quite the bully.

When we returned back to the cabin on Monday afternoon, we noticed that Caleb's car crocs were gone. We had just bought them so that he could wear them while playing down at the creek. Well, we called the owners to talk to them, and it turns out that the neighbor's dog, Bubba, is quite the shoe thief. So, we learned that we couldn't leave our muddy shoes outside. Oh well, lesson learned.

Monday night, my brother Daniel and his friend Allie came up. We were glad to have them visit with us for a few days.

Brian had to get into the creek to make it better suited for fishing. There were too many branches in the way. So, when he called the owner, he told him he could borrow his waders to get into the creek to clear some of the branches. Well, I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of Brian in the waders, but you can see him in the water here...Daniel is helping him.

Caleb practicing with his bow and arrow.

Tuesday afternoon, we drove over to Brasstown Bald. We thought we'd tackle the hike up to the observatory. By the end, we were wishing we had not made that decision. LOL!

Caleb standing by the memorial for some judge.

Everyone looking all happy during the hike...it was a pretty darn steep hike...not an easy task at all.

Caleb saw everyone else had a walking stick, so when he found one, he asked Uncle Daniel to get it for him.

Brasstown Bald is the highest peak in Georgia...and we can all attest to that fact. LOL!

Caleb on the steps of the observatory.

One of the views from the observatory.

Look at all the mountains.

This is the view of the parking lot from the top of the mountain...pretty neat shot.

I opted out of walking up the steps to see the views...besides, we didn't want to try to get Micah up there with the stroller.

This is the view of the observation tower...notice how high we hiked. Another view of the tower.

Micah has developed a love for plastic bottles...here he is enjoying an empty water bottle.

He had so much fun he fell asleep...notice he is still holding on to the bottle.

Wednesday, Daniel had to take Allie back home. One of her good friends is in the hospital, so she needed to get back to check on him. One of my best friends, Jennifer, came up on Wednesday afternoon to visit with us. Jennifer and I have been friends since my freshman year of college, and she was my maid of honor. We love her to death, and she is always so much fun to be around. That evening, Daniel drove back up. It was New Year's Eve, and we just spent the evening playing Uno, Western Train dominoes, and the Wii. It was a good time.

Thursday we decided to head over to Vogel State Park. They had a lake there, and since Brian and Caleb hadn't caught any fish, we decided we'd attempt to catch something at the lake. Man...it was way too cold to be fishing. I ended up having to stay in the car with Micah since it was so darn cold.

The only picture of Micah at the park...it was just too cold for him to be outside.

Brian and Caleb attempting to catch some fish.

Jennifer is all bundled up while watching the guys fish.

When we got back home from the state park, Brian made a fire in the outdoor firepit. We wanted to get the chance to roast some marshmallows before heading home.

Micah and mommy...Micah is all bundled up.

Everyone watching on as Brian gets the fire going good.

Caleb roasting some marshmallows.

He managed to catch it on fire.

Jennifer roasting some marshmallows as Daniel manages the fire...thanks to Uncle Daniel for finding the perfect sticks for roasting.

After roasting marshmallows, we ended the evening by playing games. We enjoyed Uno, Western Train dominoes, and a Wii tournament. It was a great time, and we laughed so much.

Caleb and Jennifer take a break from dominoes to pose for a picture.

Friday we got up and had breakfast. After having a discussion, Brian and I decided we'd go ahead and pack up to leave. We figured it would be easier to pack with Jennifer and Daniel there. So, we made the decision and had everything ready to go and packed up within two and a half hours. I think that's a record for us. LOL! We're glad Jennifer and Daniel were there to help...it made it all so much easier.

We made our way back home and enjoyed the last little bit of our getaway. We had a wonderful time up in the mountains, but we wished we would have seen some snow. We did see some frost, but that's about it. But -- we had a great time, and we made some wonderful memories.

Thanks to Daniel, Allie, and Jennifer for coming up to hang out with us. We had so much fun with all of you, and we love you all so much! Hope you had as much fun as we did!