Mountain Trip - Days 4 & 5

We were up bright and early on day four of our mountain trip to head somewhere that we had never been – Brasstown Bald… the highest point in the whole state of Georgia.  The ride was about an hour from the mountain house, and we arrived at the park around mid-morning.  There were two ways to get to the tip top of the mountain – hike or take the shuttle.  The hike was just over a half of a mile, but we were told it was pretty steep the whole way so we decided to take the shuttle because we were worried Olivia’s little legs might not be able to get her all the way up there. 

The shuttle ride was short and sweet and when we arrived at the top it was about ten degrees cooler.  At the top of the mountain there is an observatory, a small museum, and a tiny movie theater that plays an informational movie about Brasstown Bald. 

We headed up to the observation deck first to take in the views, and at 4,784 feet up the views were spectacular!  From the top you can see four states – Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.  The kids took turns looking through the binoculars and we took in the views for a little bit before heading back downstairs to tour the museum. 

After we had seen all there was to see in the museum we headed over to the little movie theater to catch the 15 minute movie.  After the movie we headed back up to the observation deck for one last look at the view before heading out.  When we got to the top, one of the employees was setting up a special little area for a couple who was going to get engaged later in the day.  The guy who was going to propose had made a giant board with a heart on it made from their pictures, and there were roses and pumpkins and other little decorations as well.  It was so sweet!!  I wish we could have been there when he proposed.

At this point it was getting close to lunch time so we knew it was time to head back to the car.  We decided to hike back down the mountain just to see what kind of walk it was since we hadn’t hiked up.  Both of the kids ended up doing great and now we know that the next time we go, we can probably just hike up to the top.  It wasn’t too bad at all.

Since we weren’t too far from Helen, GA we decided to drive there again for lunch.  It was Saturday so Helen was PACKED!!  We stopped at Troll Tavern, the cutest little underground restaurant, for lunch and I had the yummiest grilled chicken, bacon, and ranch wrap and it was nice to be able to take a little rest while we ate.

After lunch, we walked over to the candy shop that we had never visited.  On the way, we stopped for a minute to watch a band play Georgia on My Mind and then we made it inside the shop to browse.  What we thought was going to be a tiny little candy shop turned out to be huge!  The main room was way larger than we had expected and there were three smaller rooms to browse as well.  The kids ended up choosing bubble gum and an assortment of gummies on sticks, and B and I grabbed a box of chocolate covered Oreos (gimme all the dark chocolate ones!) and a box of turtles (chocolate, caramel, and pecans). 

It was about an hour drive back to the mountain house from Helen, so we settled the kids in the car with their DVD players and a piece of their bubblegum.  They are both so obsessed with gum.  Haha.  On the drive back we passed several more cow pastures.  When we’re on road trips and we see cows it’s inevitable that someone always yells out COWS to point them out.  Well, on this trip we seemed to see more cows than ever, so naturally, I had to put that in my “By the Numbers” post… and take a picture.  :o)

We arrived back at the mountain house mid-afternoon and we were all exhausted from all of our early mornings and activities from the past three days.  Georgia was playing that evening, so we made the call to stay at the house for the rest of the evening and relax.  We played Sorry and we played Life, and then B and I cracked open some beers and enjoyed the view on the back porch for a bit.  Since we didn’t feel like leaving the house, we ordered pizza and had it delivered and then we watched the game.  The TV has never been updated in the mountain house, so we had to watch it on an old-school box TV.  Since those TVs don’t do HD, we had to pull the rocking chairs right up to it to see, but at least we were able to watch.  Lol. 

We put the kids down for bed at halftime and they both drifted off almost immediately from sheer exhaustion.  It had been a busy few days!  Fun fact: my aunt and uncle's mountain house that we stay in is MASSIVE... probably 6,000 - 8,000 square feet if I had to guess?  But the kids sleep in sleeping bags right there on the floor of the master bedroom where B and I sleep.  Lol.  They are not interested in having their own room in that big ol' house.  It can be kind of creepy at night because it's so huge and dark and kind of in the middle of nowhere so I don't blame them.  

Once they were down, B and I busted out the chocolate covered Oreos from the candy shop and we enjoyed those while we watched Georgia get another win! 

The next morning was Sunday which sadly meant it was time to head home, so we were up bright and early to pack, change sheets on the beds, and clean up, and once all that was done, it was time to hit the road.  We stopped by Ingles on the way out to grab some donuts for the road, and Momma grabbed a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks, too.  Because every good road trip starts with a PSL.  ;o) 

We made it home just in time for a late lunch, and unfortunately, my allergies/asthma/reflux? all kicked in right as we got home and I spent the whole afternoon STRUGGLING.  It was terrible.  I had tons of pressure in my head and ears, was super dizzy, super lightheaded, couldn’t breathe, and could barely function.  It was probably the worst I’ve ever felt from my allergies.  Welcome back to the crappy city air!  Haha.

By dinnertime, I was feeling a bit better, so we met my parents for Sunday dinner at our favorite barbecue restaurant to tell them all about our trip.  The restaurant puts paper on the tables so the kids can color, and Jacob tore off his drawing to take home with us.  On the way out, one of the waitresses told him that she loved it and that she would hang it up in the restaurant if he wanted.  He thought it was the coolest thing, so he told her yes.  Of course we had to snap a picture on the way out.  

Monday the kids were off for one more day of Fall Break, and we spent the day unpacking, washing clothes, cleaning, and getting caught up on life stuff.  Another vacation has come to a close, and I’m so thankful for every single memory that we made! 

And if you missed it, the rest of the recaps are below:

Days 1 & 2

Day 3

By the Numbers

*Linking up with Home of Malones for Thoughts for Thursday.