We crossed from Tennessee into Georgia fairly early on the morning of December 29 and made our way to the first stop of several the Biologist had identified before our journey began. The first stop was a Georgia Historical Marker at the former site of Fort Gilmer. Fort Gilmer was one of the Cherokee Indian removal forts in Georgia and is part of the Trail of Tears! No remains of the Fort exist today, but the history is not to be forgotten.Next we made our way south to the Red Top Mountain State Park where the Georgia Orienteering Club maintains a Permanent Orienteering Course. After purchasing a map of the course from the State Park folks, we made our way to the Course starting point and trekked to Station 1. We didn't have time to run the entire course, but it appears to be well designed and runs through a nice pine forest in a large, well maintained park.
Then we were off to Cedartown, Georgia, to visit a Cobblestone Building. After visiting the building, we found a couple of other similar Cobblestone structures in the area and are hoping at least one of them meets the category criteria. The old homes in this area are very nice and we enjoyed driving around the neighborhood to look at them.
Next we headed off to grist mill country and stopped by the Jones Mill, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has a Water Wheel (although it doesn't appear to be a Working one). Then to historic Berry College in Rome, Georgia, to drive through the beautiful campus and on-site wildlife refuge to the Old Mill at the College, which has what is considered to be one of the largest Water Wheels in the world and is still operated on special occasions. It was spectacular and well worth the trip if you're in the vicinity.
Now it was time to make tracks to Alabama. I mean, who doesn't get to Florida from Georgia through Alabama? Not us, that's for sure. The Biologist had identified an unclaimed Alabama Historical Marker in Cherokee County so off we went. Unfortunately, she had gotten some misinformation and we never did find a historical marker there, but we did see a sign for the Cornwall Furnace in Cedar Bluff and decided to check it out. This 35-foot high iron ore furnace was built by the Confederate States of America in 1862 and became the first to supply iron for the construction of Confederate cannons during the Civil War. Turns out the furnace is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has a Wikipedia entry! Another awesome piece of history that we just stumbled across on our wonderful adventure home.
We made it to Oxford, Alabama, that night before having to stop and find a place to lay our weary bones. However, since we had an internet connection, the Biologist decided to search for another unclaimed Alabama Historical Marker that we might be able to find on our way south. Turns out there was one! And it was located right there in Oxford just 3 miles from the hotel where we were staying. So of course, that was our first stop the next morning before heading down to Florida.After a delay on Florida's Turnpike due to an accident that had all the Southbound lanes shut down, we FINALLY made it to the Biologist's sister's home in Melbourne, Florida, on Tuesday evening to visit with family for New Year's Eve and to pick up Rascal and Scamp. Yes, their vacation is coming to an end too! They had a blast with Aunt Joanie and Uncle Mikey, but all good things must come to an end...
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