Galax, VA

After leaving Georgia, I needed to slowly make my way to Michigan.  I knew I wanted to stop in Indiana for a short time, but I wasn’t really sure what else I wanted to do.  With a little research I found a few places in Ohio that I wanted to visit.  But before that I needed a stop and had seen that the NorthEast Lazy Daze group was holding a get together in Galax, VA.  My timing wasn’t very good as I was there about 2 weeks before they were.  But it gave me an idea of a place to visit the last few days of April and the first few days of May.

It rained a good bit while there, so I didn’t do too much.  But one grey and rainy day, I headed to the Blue Ridge Parkway, which was only a mile or so from my campground.  Below was taken just before I got on the parkway.

I did a little bit of walking, but most trails were muddy.  I stopped for a while at Mabry Mills and walked some there as much of it was paved and the sun tried to come out!

The most fun I had was enjoying the New River Trail State Park.  This is an interesting park.  It is really a rails to trail trail, but it is a state park also.  I walked 4 miles one day and biked about 20 miles another day.  The spur trail from Galax is not really the New River, but is a huge creek that leads to the river. 

 

Above is my 10 mile turn around point.  I got off my bike to rest my “bikers butt” and was happy to see some Bloodroot blooming.

From Galax, I headed to Hocking Hills State Park in Logan, Ohio.  It’s a place I loved and took a lot of pictures so it may take me a while to go through all my pictures!!

Georgia

It’s been a while since I have blogged, but mainly because I didn’t do many new things!  After leaving Crooked River State Park, I headed to Fort Yargo State Park, then River Vista Park in Dillard, then Watson Mill Bridge State Park.  As many of you know these are the parks that I usually stay at when I go back to Georgia.

While there I visited friends, family and the eye doctor.  Luckily I came back to Georgia because my contact prescription was out of date and I was running low on contacts! 

In both state parks, I hiked and walked.  Below is a picture similar to one I posted a few years ago of the covered bridge at Watson Mill Bridge State Park.

The picture below was taken during one of my morning walks from inside the bridge.

While in Dillard, I visited some areas that I used to go visit quite often.  I headed up to Highlands, NC,  not to visit the town like some people like to do, but to see a few waterfalls.

We had a good bit of rain a couple of days before I went  “waterfalling”, so there was a good bit of water falling!  One of the first ones I stopped at was a waterfall that you can drive under!  I have been here in the past when there was no water falling.

Then I headed to another waterfall that you go under, but you walk the trail to go under this one.

Below is a picture of a couple of people about to go under the falls.

They made it to the other side!

Looking out from the edge of the water fall to the river--

The above was taken from the other side after I made it out without getting too wet!!

The last waterfall of the day is one that is on the side of the road.  It has always amazed me that this waterfall has no parking lot like the others and no trails around it.    Just a few places to pull over.

Cullasaja River Falls --

 

After leaving Georgia, I am slowly making my way to Michigan.  On the way, I made a quick stop in Virginia and will stop for a few weeks in Ohio.  I am currently in Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio where I have no internet connection.  As soon as I make it into town, I’ll go to the library and post this blog!