'Twas the Day After Christmas (Our Journey to the Beginning of the Appalachian Trail)

'Twas the Day After Christmas (with apologies to author Clement Clarke Moore)

'Twas the day after Christmas, when the Sonnier-Fawcett clan
loaded into an SUV and a 15 passenger van;

The adVANture begins!

The children were nestled all jittery and alive;
With adults silently wondering how we would survive;
With diligence and conviction, we vowed to avert all the brawls,
That were sure to erupt on our way to Amicalola Falls,

The cabin

Amicalola Falls State Park in North Georgia was our destination,
Where we purposed to spend our after-Christmas vacation,
We successfully traveled eastward, halfway across the nation,
And checked into two cabins - very cool accommodations.

The whole family played fun games in our spacious chateau,

Playing "Salad Bowl" and "Tribes"

Graham put out a hat and danced for money in town when his funds were running low,

"The Spin Cycle Dance" netted $5

Keeping all the kids together proved to be quite a chore,
We called them by name,
Then called them some more:
"Now, Russ! now, Laura Lee! now Conner and Benjamin!
On, Hayes! on, Brooks! on, Landry, Carson and Graham!"

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway Depot

In Blue Ridge we got our tickets outside the depot,
On the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway we wanted to go,

All Aboard!

With all the crew aboard and free from mishap,
MoMo Kay settled in for a long winter's nap,

"While visions of sugarplums danced in her head..."

A scenic adventure for sure - it was fine,
It deposited us right over the Georgia-Tennessee line.

Makin' a run for the border

Back at our cabin, nature calls,
Beckoning us to experience Amicalola Falls,
Amicalola means "tumbling waters" in Cherokee, we're told,
The beauty was stunning, the view never got old,
Here's one from the top,

Going over in a barrel?  Nope, nope, nope...

One from the middle looking up,

Tumbling Waters

And one looking down,

A Long Way Down

And a panoramic one that shows the view all around:

Peace in the Valley

A sign announced the beginning of the Appalachian Trail,
It goes from Georgia to Maine, a campaign I would fail.
2,168 long miles this epic trail goes,
Where persistent hikers succeed, but I'd decompose.

A Walk in the Woods

Instead we opted for a less ambitious goal,

425 strenuous steps up: The Staircase from Sheol,

High Steppers

Going down was simple, we did not despair,
Going back up was a workout, we were gasping for air,

Steep steps

To the top of the staircase! to the top, men, let's go!
Now climb up! climb up! To the Visitor's Center we must go!"
For there Ranger John had a presentation to make,
Like at hillbilly church, the boys handled a snake!

A red-tailed hawk named Lancelot put on quite a show,

Lancelot showing off his plumage

Along with his pal, a Screech owl named Gizmo!

Gizmo

We toured a working Moonshine Still, well, the whole family came,

Still the best!

It was located inside the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.

That might sound odd, but that's how NASCAR began,
Runnin' shine during Prohibition -
Outrunnin' "the Man."

Fast Cars

We raced back to the cabins, listening to country - not rap,
The boys jumped into a stream and built a fish trap!

Does anyone hear banjo music?

Like the Indians who placed stones in a "V" to catch fish,
The boys' goal was to herd unwitting fish into tonight's seafood dish.

The Fish Trap

With no fish in the trap they climbed out on some logs,
Built a nice fire back at the campsite,

The Campfire

And grilled some hot dogs.

Chiens Chauds

From climbing to the top of tall trees,

A bird's eye view

To the start of the Appalachian Trail,
The place where Uncle John lives is pretty swell.

Gotta be back in college in 2 weeks - Don't think she can hike to Maine in that timeframe...

But the fun was not over, no, not by a long shot,
We gathered into the cabin, running faster than snot.
Everyone assembled, moving fast as a comet,
To play a Russian Roulette Jelly Bean game:
Where the beans taste like dog food, rotten eggs and vomit.

Will this brown jelly bean taste like chocolate?  Or Dog Food?

We all laughed so hard from the kids to the grownups,
Only rednecks play games that require spit cups!

"That's Horrible!"

By the next day with the foul tastes mostly gone from our mouth,
We drove to tell Uncle John "Bye" at his house.

Farewell!

But I heard him exclaim, as we drove the van down the road—
“I hope the cabins are still standing.  What a wild episode! ”

We did make it back to Louisiana, although the van was a wreck,

Homemade Sign on the window

We got many stares down the road due to a sign the boys made announcing we were "Country Boy Fresh."

Country Boy Fresh

Our annual vacation ended with memories made and much fanfare,

Thanks Dad and Mom for getting us there.