Labor Day Weekend 2011 - A Quest for Gold, Gems, Waterfalls, and Festivals

For this long Labor Day weekend holiday, we decided to re-visit Gold n Gem Grubbin' in Cleveland, Georgia for a rockhounding adventure. In addition to providing an awesome place to pan for gold, grub for gems, and generally rockhound, the campground provides a great home-base while exploring this part of Georgia. Some friends joined us on this trip, so the kids had friends to play with at the campground. And play they did. We were so happy they were getting exercise.

Our first full day was a Saturday, and we decided to spend it exploring the area. Blairsville was hosting a Mountain Heritage Festival, so that was our first destination. We had a hankerin' for some funnel cake, home-made ice cream, folk music, and farm animals. We swung into Vogel State Park on the way. We've stayed at Vogel just once, but we loved it. We're coming back Thanksgiving! The festival in Blairsville was a lot of fun, and we saw many works of art, and lots of folks working at it. All our expectations were filled before having a picnic lunch and heading for Helton Creek Falls to play in the water.

Eventually, we concluded our day back at the Gold n Gem Grubbin' campground by a nice fire. We knew tomorrow would be filled with treasure hunting and discovery, not to mention a little playing in the creek.

For the rest of the story, including dozens of pictures, details, and Adventure Journal entries about Gold n Gem Grubbin', click here.

Cedar Creek Park - Cave Spring, Georgia

Come play in the water!   Read the full story

Cedar Creek Park is cradled by the banks of its namesake in Northwest Georgia near Cave Spring. The clean, cold water winds from the ancient Cherokee farmlands and foothills to the Coosa River, and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. Big Cedar Creek  provides multiple opportunities for sport and entertainment. For instance, you can rent a kayak or canoe from the outfitter store, and they will shuttle you upstream for an invigorating 5-mile paddle back down. It's a lot of fun, and the creek is typically very safe and  "family friendly."  Back at the campground, fishing, swimming, and rock hounding are all pretty good at the creek. It's rocky, so wear water shoes.
 

Water, however, is not all this park has to offer. The most obvious non-aquatic feature is the driving range. From any campsite at Cedar Creek, it's just a short walk to the tee-boxes. We like to hit a bucket or two after a good meal, just around sunset.

Additionally, the outfitter/camp store has a variety of sports and game supplies such as horse shoes, volleyball, badminton, and much more for loan. Movies are also available! Simply check-out the items and return them when you're done. Their use is free. These are just a few of the perks of Cedar Creek Park.

While on the subject of the Cedar Creek outfitter store... WOW! If you are looking for a kayak or canoe, a personal flotation device, or a water-proof cell phone holder, you are in luck. This store is all about fun on the water. It also carries most of the basic RV essentials and a limited number of convenience items. There is, after all, a nice little grocery store is just a couple minutes away, just before THE light in Cave Spring.

Every member of the Richardson Tribe has his or her eyes on the ground regularly, seeking previously overlooked treasures such as semi-precious stones and artifacts. Creek beds in this region can yield very nice specimens of quartz and other crystals in various forms. Also, this is within the gold belt that is known for its rich placer deposits. At this site, I have found small geodes containing nicely formed crystals, cloudy and colorful quartz crystals, and a wide variety of flint and chert nodules. With regards to artifacts, there is no doubt that arrowheads and other ancient stone tools can be found here. Check laws regarding artifact collection, and always ask the property owner's permission to search for artifacts.

The gravel campsites are pretty good, but not perfect. Many of the sites back-up to the creek and provide a nice lawn overlooking the water. The sites are surprisingly level for water-side sites. However, because creek-side real estate is limited, those sites are pretty narrow for the most part. If you are expecting "state park" sites with all their acreage and privacy, you may be disappointed. What this place does have that most state parks don't? Full hookups For the Richardson Tribe, that's a big deal.
 

Another very positive aspect of Cedar Creek Park is its proximity to so many great places to go and things to do. It's just a stone's throw from Cave Spring's, Rome, Lake Weiss, Cedartown, the Silver Comet Trail, and much more. 

Click here for more pictures and details about Cedar Creek Park.

Visiting an Old Friend

Fort Mountain State Park

See Fort Mountain's PB&J Page

The Tribe gets around. We like to see new places and do new things. But sometimes, it's nice to visit an old friend. Sometimes a sure thing is better than a gamble. This is a very busy time of year for our family, so, to decompress, we decided a to visit an old friend, Fort Mountain. It's a mystery to me why more people don't take advantage of parks like this in the Winter and early Spring. We enjoyed 70 degree weather in paradise, practically by ourselves.

It was a little chilly first thing Saturday morning, so we decided to take a short ride in "Willie B" the Jeep. Fort Mountain is located adjacent the Cohutta Wilderness. We wanted to see if we could spot a bear, and maybe do a little rockhounding around the water falls. We founds lots of quartz of varying colors of blue and green, just the kind of stuff in which gold likes to hide.

When we got back to Fort Mountain State Park, we put the canoes in the lake and spent the rest of the day paddling around, fishing, and playing at the playground on the opposite end of the lake. We closed the day with a beautiful sunset, games, hot dogs for the kids, and a delicious grilled steaks with baked potatoes for Mommy and Daddy.

Altogether, it was just about as perfect a day as I can remember. Fort Mountain can get a little crowded in the Summer, especially the beach. But camping here this time of year is a no brainer. We can't wait to come back to see our old friend again soon.

Fort Mountain State Park - A wonderful place for an adventure.

Overview - The Tribe's Favorite Park
Fort Mountain State Park is located near Chatsworth, Georgia on the Southwestern edge of the Cohutta Wilderness. This park is the Richardson Tribe's #1 favorite place to visit and camp, Why? Where do I start?

1- Accessible- Fort Mountain (Cohutta to the Native Americans) is perhaps the most easily accessed mountain in North Georgia. It's about 1.5 hours from Atlanta and just a little over an hour from Chattanooga. All but the last eight miles is flat freeway and highway travel. The final segment is curvy, steep, and scenic. There are several picturesque pull-offs that should be observed on the way. 

As you wind your way up the mountain, roll your windows down so you can enjoy the gradual temperature and humidity change. Typically, from the base of the mountain to the park, there can be as much as a 10-12 degree change. The dramatic temperature change can affect the weather on Fort Mountain, often making it totally different from the mountain's base (as in rain, snow, or lack thereof).

2- Campgrounds- Georgia's standards for its state parks are high, especially when it comes to campgrounds. Fort Mountain State Park has two campgrounds. One is located adjacent the lake, the other is just across the road. The sites are level, extremely large, clean, and furnished with fire ring/grill units and sturdy picnic tables. If we can't get a site on the lake, we usually go over to campground 2 and use the very large pull-through sites. The ONLY negative I can think of is the lack of full hookup (as in sewer), but that's pretty standard for state park (with very few exceptions). They have cable there, but channels are few and picture quality is sub-par. It doesn't matter, you should be outside enjoying the fresh clean air anyway.

3- Amenities- Fort Mountain State Park seems to have all the right stuff. There is a lake with a very nice (sometimes crowded) beach, row boats, pedal boats, and some good fishing. Near the beach's snack bar and picnic shelters is a miniature golf course and a very nice playground. The park features 14 miles of hiking and 27 miles of mountain biking within the park. and the Cohutta Wilderness is directly accessible as is the Pinhoti Trail making hiking and biking almost unlimited. For a fee, you can rent a horse at Fort Mountain Stables (a private business).

4- Wildlife - You can find just about every type of animal native to this part of the country at Fort Mountain including bear, turkey, bobcat, and even (according to some) cougar.

5- History, Mystery, and Legend- Fort Mountain State Park is the home of much history, mystery, and legend. For example:

- The wall- Located at Fort Mountain's peak are the remains of an 855 ft wall. Though there are many speculations as to its origins and its purpose, it is unlikely it was built as a fortification. While it would help to fend-off enemy attacks, there is no water source. All the enemy would have to do is sit and wait. It's more likely the wall was somehow a part of a ceremonial ground, which is consistent with other sites such as Old Stone Fort State Park in Manchester Tennessee. Some speculated the wall was built by Desoto's men, and some think it was built by Welsh Prince Madoc's men. The fact is, no one knows for sure, although the estimate the wall's construction to be around 500ad.

- Cherokee Gold - There are legends related to a secret Cheroke gold mine on "Cohutta", the Native American word for the mountain. Stories about the local Cherokee wearing gold jewelry, and settlers trying to find the source have been handed down for years. One has to consider the wealth of some of the local Cherokee such as Joseph Vann. Vann's father accumulated massive wealth while living near the foot of the mountain. They say his father made the money from taverns and various other enterprises, but when his son was forced to move from this area to Tennessee, he deposited over $200,000 worth of gold in a bank. That's $200,000 in the 1830s, think about it.

 - Cohutta Gold Mine - Apparently, placer gold had been successfully panned from the creeks on Fort Mountain for many years before the Cohutta Mine opened around 1905. According to the United States Geological Survey, a large vein of gold had been discovered and was being worked when they visited in 1906. In fact, the owners had ordered additional equipment and were stepping-up production. Mysteriously, four years later when the same surveyors visited the site, the mine was shut-down. In 1926 the property was purchased by wealthy businessman (and later Atlanta Mayor) Ivan Allen, then donated to the state of Georgia as a state park. So, the mystery of the Cohutta Mine exists today. Where was it? Why was it shut down? Is there still gold to be panned? I believe there is.