Wherever You Are, Be All There

Wow - we're really behind, already, in our blogging....we've been having some great days and our travels are just beginning.

Please see Geoff's flickr page for photos from the following....

We arrived in Dahlonega which is in the foothills of the northern Georgia mountains (hills compared to the Rockies, of course) on Monday afternoon. The weather is perfect and sunny and the trees that aren't blossoming are now bursting forth with their new leaves. Our first night, we went to listen to a singer-songwriter night at a local small music venue which was wonderful. Yummy dinner and great music in an very small venue. Yesterday, we went to the GA Racing Hall of Fame and then the Dawsonville Pool Hall for lunch. I'll let Geoff write about that.

Geoff: The first thing I noticed about the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame was that it was also the Dawsonville City Hall. I guess that pretty much nails its importance to the city. For those who are not racing fans, Dawsonville is famous for being the home town of many early stock car racers, but most notably, Bill Elliott, who was mostly prominent in NASCAR in the 80’s and the 90’s, although he still races today on occasion. The hall has many of Bill’s race cars, but also has cars from other racers from Georgia, as well as some notable ones from famous racers not from Georgia. We sat and watched a movie on the start of NASCAR and many of the racers in the sport who called Georgia home. One of the gentlemen talking about the history was Gordon Pirkle, a racing enthusiast who was also the owner of one of the most popular eating spots in Dawsonville, The Pool Room. Well, as I was looking over some of the cars, he walks by and says hi. We talked for a bit and he said that they had just gotten one of Davy Allison’s cars in. He also mentioned that they were not as interactive as they had been because of cut backs in funding, but they are still open every day and free to the public.

Later, I told Ellyn about talking with him when we were eating at the Pool Room, and then as we walked out, there he was. So we stopped and talked with him again and told him how much we liked the Hall of Fame and the food at the Pool Room and he was very happy that we enjoyed it. When we mentioned we were from CT and had heard of Jerry Nadeau, he went in the back and brought us each a Jerry Nadeau keychain.

Today we did a ton of things.....waterfall hike, lunch by a river in "Bavarian" Helen, bought grits at an operating Grist Mill, flea market, Appalachian Trail Mountain Crossing, Cabbage Patch Kids Babyland Hospital. We saw a sign at the Mountain Crossing (which is the only portion of the AT that goes inside) that said "Wherever you are, be all there" and that pretty sums up how Geoff and I are trying to live each of the days we'll of this extended traveling.

Tonight, we're off to the boarding house style dinner at The Smith House and tomorrow afternoon/evening we'll go down to Alpharetta to see the "This American Life" Live viewings at the movie theater. It's supposed to be 80F which will be amazing. I already gave my legs their first shaving of the spring and I'm going to try to squeeze in a pedicure tomorrow.