October 15, 2013
-
Leaving, Part 2
October 5th, 2013 (Continued):
So after the race, I headed up to "Big Canoe," which is where Mr. Hurley has a cabin. I'd heard him talk about it plenty of times in the past. He was always wanting Kaylin and me to use it for a little weekend getaway. And oh my, we should have. "Big Canoe" is a huge, gated community between Jasper and Dawsonville, and beautiful doesn't even begin to describe it. I regret not coming to north Georgia sooner, but my timing this time was perfect. The change of season was just beginning to hit the trees, and the view was amazing. This place was crazy nice. Mr. Hurley's cabin was a good 15 minute drive from the front gate up a bunch of winding roads. I got lost for a bit, but after a little navigational help from my host, I found the place.
Like I said, it's hard for me to even describe how nice this place was. The view from the backyard was amazing...
I wish I would have taken some shots of the inside. It was crisp, clean, and something you'd probably rent for $150+ a night. It was about 4:30 or 5:00 when I got there, so it was cooling off, the sun was making it's way down. I just...thinking about it...it was like I was in shock. Maybe it was because of how nice it was, maybe it was the fact I was in the mountains, maybe it was the weather... All those things hitting me at once, I know I was smiling like a little kid.
Mr. Hurley arrived about an hour later, and he took me out to dinner. It's always rejuvenating talking with him. He tells me things and asks me things that just intrigue me. It might be because he's older or maybe because he hasn't been inside my life for that long, but I rarely leave a conversation with him disappointed. When we got back, we watched a couple of football games, then went to sleep.
October 6, 2013:
For church we went to the community's chapel. It was "non-denominational," but it had a liturgical, high church thrust. The chapel itself was very nice on the inside. The congregation was older, which I expected. Probably not many teenagers in a community filled with $300,000+ homes on the side of a mountain. I left the service a little disappointed. I didn't know the songs, and there weren't many. The service itself was short (a little under an hour). I guess I've become used to staying a little longer in the AoG church
After the service, Mr. Hurley drove me through some of the countryside outside Big Canoe. Just half an hour away was Amicalola Falls State Park. I hiked up the stair to the top of the falls, and, again, like a kid in a candy store. Nature is just...gorgeous.
That was the view looking up. The climb was fairly intense, but getting to the top was worth it. It was crazy that this gem had been here my entire time in Georgia, and I was just now seeing it. Mr. Hurley drove up (instead of climbing), and after a few more little sight-seeing stops, we headed back to the cabin.
The plan, or so I thought, was that Kelly was going to start driving up to Bryson City on Monday. Turns out, he didn't plan on driving up until Tuesday. I also thought Mr. Hurley was staying Sunday night, but he left early, so I had the place to myself Sunday night to Tuesday morning. After Mr. Hurley left, it was late evening, so I just flipped on some Sunday Night Football, had a little dinner and some adult beverage, and relaxed.
