Blue Ridge, GA
May 20-31, 2016
On May 20th, we lifted our jacks and moved merrily along from Hoover, AL to Morganton (Blue Ridge), GA. Anyone into tiny houses? We saw this as we headed out.
Guy and Sue are in the right-hand lane
I could totally live in this tiny log cabin. And if you didn’t notice, it has a front porch on the other side. This was not the only tiny house we saw, so their popularity must be catching on.
Sue was our navigator and decided that we would take the backroads, for the most part, instead of major thoroughfares.
Those drives are always awesome, but RVers must do their homework and determine if there are any 6-7’ bridge clearances along the way. Those can prove to be catastrophic, especially since the majority of our rigs are over 13’ high. Fortunately for us, there were none. However, the roads twisted and turned, but nothing we could not handle. It just makes for a slower drive, that’s all. And what’s so bad about slowing down? Nothing, actually! It’s a much better way of getting to actually see the countryside, instead of driving through it. And, who’s in a hurry, anyway? Good golly, we’re retired! Just gotta love those back roads!
Our destination was Guy and Sue’s property in Morganton, GA, a small mountain town located within the Chattahoochee National Forest in Northern Georgia. What an absolutely beautiful/peaceful/serene place it is. This is where we would call “home” for approximately the next three (3) weeks… Camp Alexander!
Guy and Sue purchased the property approximately 1 year ago and have done a tremendous amount of work preparing it for future visits, and to share with friends and family. They have installed three (3) full hook-up RV sites with 50 amp service. What a beautiful place it is!
Our drive from Hoover was approximately 4-5 hours. That is a relatively short travel day for me and Craig in comparison to some of our previous record-setting days. 🙂 (We’re going to have to work on that!) Guy had just one more day of treatment on Monday, May 23, but he wanted to make the move to Blue Ridge, anyway. His plans were to drive to and from his last treatment in Birmingham by himself. Sue, Craig, and I held down the fort while he was gone. After his return later that day, we shared dinner together and afterward I surprised Guy with homemade cinnamon rolls in celebration of his final treatment!
But, there was still work to be done! For the next two days Sue, Craig and I got busy putting the final coats of paint on the storage building. Guy was busy cutting and installing skirting so LaciLou would not be tempted to race under the building to attack wild animals who might be hiding underneath. The entire project turned out very nice, I might add!
During our stay, Guy and Craig cleared a good amount of fallen limbs to add to the woodpile…
…they built a structure that would support Sue’s swing…
…and Guy went crazy with these men-in-a-tree ceramics for his kids and grandkids to discover when they come up to the property.
He purchased 2 or 3 of these at a fair we all visited in downtown Blue Ridge. After hanging them in the trees, he liked them so much he went back for more the next day. So, there is now a total of about 6-7 tree men on their property. Pretty cool! I love the element of surprise in the unexpected. He does, too… obviously!
A couple days later we went into town to visit Mercier Orchards.
As you can see behind us in the above photo, the place is huge. And what you see is only a tad portion of the entire orchards. We purchased some veggies and a bag of yummy peaches, and we were on our way back to Camp Alexander. We passed this lake along the way to the orchards.
Later that evening (05/26/16), we loaded up our lawn chairs, bagged some snacks and drinks, and headed for Horseshoe Bend Park in McCaysville, GA. Every Thursday evening, 6:00 PM to dusk, May through September, there are live jam sessions right there on the Toccoa River. I failed to get the name of the group, but I believe this group is from Bethany Church in Epworth, GA. Apparently, they have been jamming here for quite some time.
Well, I didn’t mean it that way, but they have been performing at the park for quite some time… really!
One thing I had wanted to do for a while is take a train ride on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad. Yeah, kinda touristy, but I didn’t care. I love train rides! How else are you going to see these parts if you don’t take the train?
The 4-hour, 26 mile round trip winds along the beautiful Toccoa River.
There is a 2-hour layover in the quaint sister towns of McCaysville, GA and Copperhill, TN. After exiting the train in McCaysville, GA, we walked a couple of blocks further into town where we had lunch at a Mexican food restaurant… in Copperhill, TN. As Sue said, we went to Georgia to have lunch in Tennessee!
And this just cracked me up! 
Yes, I did manage to get Craig to sit down and have a little chat with this guy. He tried, but no response. If you know Craig, he can talk to a fence post… just not an Indian! LOL!
On the other hand, I simply asked the guy to pose. And he did!
Back at Camp Alexander, we planned to have dinner with Guy and Sue’s neighbors, Jo and Bob.
Jo and Bob’s beautiful cabin!
We drove back up and through Blue Ridge to the Toccoa Riverside Restaurant.
And here’s Guy trying to figure out which door to use to get into the restaurant. 🙂
Although we chose to dine inside, there was also dining outside. The view was absolutely beautiful, but too many flies out there.
Craig had shrimp and grits which he said were de-lish…
… and I had the fried trout.
Although my plate of food is beautiful, I prefer my fried fish to be somewhat crispier. As I began to eat my dinner, however, I also realized it came with a little something extra. (No charge!) See that piece of non-food item between my bread and fork in the upper left-hand corner? I think it was the plastic seal off a spice bottle. YUCK! Oh, well. Could have been much worse, right!
We were on a roll… The very next day (05/28/16) we attended a fair in downtown Blue Ridge. While the weather was gorgeous, it was hot! After walking around a while, we departed the vendor area and wandered downtown. There, we hit the olive oil store…
… while our guys were in day care!
Later that afternoon, Sue took me on a tour of their “neighborhood”. We were able to walk through some of the unfinished cabins and the view was simply breathtaking! Made me wish I lived there. Kinda sorta.
View of the Smokey Mountains out on the horizon
A special “THANKS” to Guy and Sue for their hospitality and sharing their beautiful place with us!
Be blessed!
This moment in time... 
August 4, 2016 at 6:45 PM
Wow, were you guys ever busy! I’m sure they loved having your company and help during that time. Did you know that they bought that place form Mario and Ellen which are another 2014 couple? We’re hoping to stop by next fall.
August 4, 2016 at 6:51 PM
Yes, ma’am, we were very busy and I do know they bought it from Ellen and Mario! They were at the 2014 spring rally. Our visit to Blue Ridge was fun and beautiful. We loved it!
August 4, 2016 at 9:36 PM
Good to hear from you! You are behind lady! So glad you were able to hang out with Guy and Sue! I’m thinking we may be near their neighborhood next spring sometime. Hope all is well and you are figuring things out! Miss you!
August 5, 2016 at 6:38 AM
Yes, very behind, but I’m putting in the hours to get caught up. We are trying to get things figured out, but it’s a very slooooowww process. I believe we’re getting there, though. Things are looking up. It will just take time. Miss you, too!