Dunnaway Gap - Nothing, in the Middle of Nowhere

Dunnaway Gap isn't your typical destination. In fact, unless you're from the immediate area, you probably don't even know it exists. It's located near Armuchee (pronounced arr-merr-chee, with a twang) Georgia within the Chattahoochee National Forest. The view from the ridge to both the east and the west is incredible.

When I was a teenager, my buddies and I would ride motorcycles in this area, along an old petroleum pipeline trail, and over miles of winding mountain roads for hours. Perched on top of the narrow ridge, we would watch Jeeps, dune buggies, and motorcycles try to climb the ridiculously steep western slope (I only saw one succeed, and it was my buddy). Other times, we would watch hang gliders launch from the ridge and sail across Armuchee Valley.
 

Dunnaway Gap Road is dirt, but it is graded well enough for the family sedan, at least to a point. If the weather has been dry, it will be one filthy sedan when you exit. The picture of the road "Willie B" (the Jeep) is on here is actually a secondary road that leads to the summit of the ridge. You can park the sedan at the bottom and walk up a hundred yards or so for the view.

Now, quite frankly, as a destination, Dunnaway Gap offers little more than a view. It's the ride that's the best feature, and the view at the ridge's peak along a petroleum pipeline is bonus. If you want to continue exploring once atop the ridge, you can drive along the forestry service road for several miles. It's a beautiful place year round, especially the Fall, but be aware of hunters during Deer season.

Dunnaway Gap is a pretty remote location, especially if you head on out along the ridge. Make sure someone knows where you are, and check to verify you have enough gas for the full trip. There is no restaurant or gas station up here, so bring what you need. Consider a picnic at the summit. Then you might head down the western side of the ridge for some fresh spring water coming from a pipe in the side of the mountain.

For more details about Dunnaway Gap including pictures and a map, click here.

Note: People ask how we fit 6-7 people in a Jeep Wrangler. Look for the answer to that and more in an upcoming article

Doll Mountain Campground on Pristine Carters Lake - North Georgia

The building of Carters Lake was a pretty big deal when I was a kid back in the '70's. The dam is massive, the largest dam east of the Mississippi. The lake is an incredible 450' deep at it's deepest point. Its capacity to generate electricity was welcome back in the day, but possibly more important was the dam's ability to regulate the frequent floodwaters that often caused damage to communities and crops in the valley below. Rebecca and I know. We grew up in that valley.

In the early years of our marriage, Rebecca and I came here often. We had a personal watercraft, and enjoyed the lake's many primitive camping opportunities. We could tell you stories of riding-out storms in our tent, snake encounters, and searching for missing personal water craft gone missing overnight, but...

Now we're much older and have an RV and four young children. So, a real campground with water and electric was our goal. There are two Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds on the lake. We opted for Doll Mountain because it's just a little closer to home, and Woodring campground happened to be fully booked this weekend.

When we arrived at the campground, we were pleased with its layout. Our site, high atop a little branch ridge, had a beautiful view to the west, over the water (as in great sunsets). It was apparent that it would not be easy to keep the boat in the water overnight because of our distance "down" to the water., It was really no problem though, because the campsite's driveway was plenty long for the motorhome, the Jeep, and the boat pulled end-to-end. Wonderful!

It has been an unusually hot summer this year, so on our first evening at Doll Mountain, the entire Richardson Tribe was very happy to feel a steady breeze blowing cross the lake and up the ridge. It was the first pleasant evening we'd had in weeks, with regards to temperature.

Over the course of the next two days, we spent a lot of time in the boat. We never even set foot on the beach as planned. The beach is not a part of the campground, so it's either a short ride by boat, or a longer ride by car. We did some fishing, but kept the tube busy quite a lot. The kids are getting braver on the tube. Lee Thomas is even standing on it now.

Our meals were exceptional on this trip. The kids have grown very fond of salad, especially spinach (I'm shocked!). Rebecca used the cast pie irons to make calzones using canned pizza crust, turkey pepperoni, pizza sauce, and lots of yummy cheese.

 We are anxious to come back in the fall before the campground closes for the season. We'd like to get the very same site so we can enjoy the sunset through the colorful fall leaves. CAN'T WAIT!

For more information on Doll Mountain Campground and Carters Lake, including lots of pictures, click here.