Day 4 - Helen, GA - Brevard, NC

We kicked off our day by visiting the Georgia Mountain Coaster in Helen, GA.  We've been to the one in the Smokies, so the kids were excited to find another.  Afterward, we walked around Helen, formerly a logging town, that embraced tourism in the 1960s and resurrected itself by becoming a replica of a Bavarian alpine town, in the Appalachians instead of the Alps. This design is mandated through zoning, so that the classic south-German style is present on every building.  We didn't stay long as the crowds were more than our comfort level allowed.

After a quick BBQ lunch south of town, we headed to Tallulah Gorge State Park which includes the 1,000 foot gorge in the name.  It was formed by the Tallulah River and includes six waterfalls.  100 passes are handed out daily allowing visits to the river; the passes are always gone by noon, according to the ranger I overheard.  We stuck to the rim trail to get in some afternoon hiking (perhaps a mistake in retrospect as it was very warm and very muggy).  Our group did spot a lizard along the way, clinging to a tree branch with a waterfall in the background.  Look carefully and you may spot him in a photograph as well.

We headed northeast late in the afternoon for our final stop for the day:  Brevard, NC.  The roads were very windy as we climbed and descended the Appalachians.  Fortunately, the Blue Valley Overlook in North Carolina offered an amazing view of the valley below, and as luck would have it, a summer storm skirting by.

Day 2 - Sacramento, CA - Stateline, NV

We began the morning with a quick trip to Target for some road trip supplies (and perhaps toothpaste that your's truly forgot at home), but we were soon off to our first stop:  Sutter's Mill in Coloma.  In 1848, James Marshall found shining flecks of gold in the tailrace of the sawmill he was building in partnership with John Sutter.  California would never be the same after as its population boomed with Forty-Niners coming to seek riches.  A replica sawmill now sits where the original used to be (it having been abandoned and torn down for its lumber shortly after the Gold Rush) very near the South Fork of the American River.  The gold discovery site was busy this morning with not only tourists, but also whitewater rafters going downstream.  I've always wanted to visit here and had no expectations at all.  It was a very nice spot, worth the stop, and I can now say, "been there!"

After leaving Coloma, we headed south-southeast toward Highway 4, which we would eventually take over the Sierra Nevada mountains.  We found ourselves in Angels Camp about 1:00 pm and realized we were quite hungry.  We headed into the small, quaint downtown area and soon found an amazing restaurant:  Crusco's Ristorante.  This family-run spot was full of great charm, atmosphere, and amazing food.  We soon learned from our waiter (the husband) that he was Irish and his wife did all the cooking using her Italian family recipes.  His daughters also worked in the restaurant.  Honestly, this was some of the best food we've ever had, and the homemade panna cotta was out-of-this-world!

Angels Camp is located squarely in Calaveras County, which owes Mark Twain a debt of gratitude for making it famous with his first short story.  An annual Jumping Frog contests happens every summer and all the winners have plaques embedded in the sidewalk indicating how far each frog jumped to win.  Very near our parking space was the original Angels Hotel where Twain visited and heard the story which eventually became his own.

Our after lunch stop was the Calaveras Big Tree State Park.  We hiked the trail around the Northern Grove and were treated to many beautiful giant sequoia, ponderosa pine, and sugar pine trees.  I had forgotten how these giant trees really make you feel so small and insignificant.  These giants have been living for over 1,000 years and show no signs of slowing.  Carolyn had never seen big trees before so she was very much in awe.  The trail was pretty full as many were out enjoying their Labor Day weekend, but it still offered us a chance to soak in nature in a way not available back home.  I even saw a fox cross our path about 50 feet in front of us.

Back on Highway 4, we headed up to Ebbets Pass, which sits at an elevation of 8,700 feet.  The road soon turned into a one and a half lane byway with little to no should and no guardrails.  It was amazingly beautiful and scenic!  Once we crossed the pass and started descending towards Nevada, we were treated to some amazing views.  The sun was starting to set and the "golden hour" created some great light and shadows on the peaks and rock faces.  The drive really was amazing; even the hairpin turns with steep dropoffs on the side were fun to see!  Several times we both noted how many people were out camping and fishing in the National Forest.  The designated campgrounds all looked full and often it appeared that people just pulled off the road and found a flat surface on which to pitch a tent.

After getting back into the valley to the east of the mountains, and then entering Nevada, we were soon climbing back up the range in order to get to Lake Tahoe.  It was after dark and we were ready for dinner, so after checking into our hotel, we headed into South Lake Tahoe in search of food.  We finally landed on Riva Grill was had lakefront seating, live music, and really good food.  The area was crawling with people, presumably because of Labor Day.  All the people and the darkness (Tahoe believes in downward lighting) created confusion for us as we never really got a good grasp on the city.  No doubt daylight tomorrow will help.

With that, we've come to the end of day 2.  We spend two nights here so tomorrow is Lake Tahoe viewing and probably a trip into Carson City.