Still Gravity

The Olustee Monument in the historic battlefield - License our images  here . The Battle of Olustee is also known as the Battle of Ocean Pond. This was the only major Civil War battle fought in Florida. It happened in 1864, one year before the end of the war. The Confederate army won. There is a monument and a trail across the battlefield. Nature is beautiful here.  We found this place while camping in Osceola National Forest .  The trail goes around the old battlefield. 

Driving near the sunset on a dirt road of Osceola National Forest, Florida - License our images  here .       Days of free forest camping in West Tower, East Tower, and Cobb campgrounds. All are primitive camps. The name of this forest comes from a Seminole Chief. There is a paint of Osceola made by George Catlin .  The main campground and only with electricity in Osceola National Forest - Ocean Pond - was closed. We also checked Hog Pen Landing at the shores of Ocean Pond but didn't like it. It was crowded, muddy, and too humid. We ended in the more remote West Tower campground.  Our campsite in the West Tower.  We found only one bad thing with this campground: there is a dog kernel nearby. A lot of barking at night. Mornings were foggy here. Enjoy this view from the camper window. 

Stop at the Walasi-Yi Interpretive Center in northern Georgia  - License our images  here . This building was right by our camping place in Vogel State Park . It's on the eastern side of Blood Mountain. The Appalachian Trail goes through the stone building. Restaurant, art space, store, outfitter, hostel... what a journey through the times for the old structure rebuilt by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.  For us, there were clouds all around and no views. Humid and cold was the Neels Gap.

View from one of the overlooks of the Russell–Brasstown Scenic Byway - License our images  here .  One of the scenic roads over the mountains of northern Georgia. It crosses the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest and has some great overlooks. This road is a loop. We started our drive northwest of the City of Helen . Since 1989, it's designed as a National Forest Scenic Byway.  (We were camping at Vogel State Park .)

Some of our photos of the German inspired architecture of Helen, Georgia - License our images  here . If you guessed, you got it right: this is the picturesque City of Helen. The Bavarian Alpine look of this small town - population 600 - brings a horde of tourists year around.  This town is now a far cry from the modest lumber village of old times. The city building codes obligate everybody to build in the style of the Alps since 1969. All feels German here. Good place to go if one can't visit the originals. We replenish our camping supplies at Betty’s Country Store. Nice market with a traditional flavor.   (We were camping at Vogel State Park .)

Lake Trahlyta in Vogel State Park, Georgia - License our images  here . This is one of the oldest state parks of this state. It's at the shadow of Blood Mountain, the highest summit crossed by the Appalachian Trail in Georgia.  The ominous name comes from old tales of a battle between Creeks and Cherokees. There are some talks of an Indian treasure hidden up there - who wants to be looking for treasures in a place called "Bloody Mountain".  The campground of the state park is in a beautiful setting. Two creeks run through it on a sloped terrain. Our campsite faced Wolf Creek. The bridge over Wolf Creek.  The one-mile-long trail around Lake Trahlyta was the right place for relaxing walks before sunset. There is a waterfall at the farther end - the spill over of the lake. 

The beauty of Lake Rabun in the fall - License our images  here . This is one of the lakes on the path of the Tallulah River through Northern Georgia. We camped in a recreation area of Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest - these are two forests combined.  The road access from the east is dangerous for big vehicles. It's narrow, winding, and with many blind curves. We had a couple of close calls with incoming vehicles travelling too fast. C worried about crashing the right mirror against stone fences on the hilly sides of the road - it reminded some routes of the Swiss Alps. The campground was good. The host had a great check-in station at the entrance - the table in the next montage.  Check-in station, our campsite, and Lake Rabun before and after the storm.  The "beach"...

Our woodpecker was too busy with its hole to pay attention to us.  We met the bird on a tree of the small forest that surrounds Our Lady de la Leche Shrine in St. Augustine, Florida - by the spot where the Spaniard conquerors landed in 1565. We had many previous encounters with this bird in Florida trails, but this one resulted in the best photos.  Pileated Woodpeckers are the biggest in North America - third in size in the world. They live mostly in the east. "Pileated" means "capped" in Latin. The bird makes holes in trees to get ants.   A woodpecker's drilling  Echoes To the mountain clouds."           Dakotsu Iida