RonnieAdventure #0609 - Atlanta: Stone Mountain, Olympic Park, Atlanta Wheel, and more

Stone Mountain near Atlanta had been on my Bucket List for a long time, so I was really looking forward to visiting the site. However, like several other things that had been on my Bucket List, my expectations were far greater than reality. 

I had envisioned that Stone Mountain would be something like Mount Rushmore in South Dakota; but in reality, the monument was not well maintained and the services were not well organized. The mountain sculpture is in need of a major cleaning to restore the figures because it is difficult to see the sculpture details.

We arrived at 9:30 AM and the entrance attendant collected our expensive parking fee and then told us that the viewing areas were not open until 10:AM. Since it was only 30 minutes until the viewing areas opened, we parked the car and walked up to the gift shop; only to find out that it also did not open until 10 AM. While we were standing around with a group of other people waiting for everything to open, a person that operated the aerial tram came out and announced that everything would not open until 11 AM. 

Since we had an hour until opening, we drove around the park to several other sites we wanted to visit.

Our first stop was the historic granite quarry that was located on the west side of the mountain. Just east of the parking lot there was a sheltered area with displays that gave a brief explanation about the historical quarry operations and the granite industry in the 1850s through the 1970s. 

From the shelter it was short hike to the quarry site along a wood walkway that was very slippery. The wood was covered with leaves, and it had been raining, so I had to walk carefully. Once at the quarry site, there were various exhibits, informational kiosk, and monuments. One large granite block had a sign indicating that it weighed 66,000 pounds. Not the kind of thing that you would want to drop on your big toe. 

On the other side of the granite quarry parking lot was a historic grist mill. I was surprised that there were no information signs about the mill, or maybe I just looked in all of the wrong places. In any event, I found the mill, which was located in a very picturesque setting.

Not far from the grist mill, the Washington W. King Covered Bridge connected the shoreline to a small island in Stone Mountain Lake.

It was about 11 AM when we returned to the viewing area parking lot. By this time there was a much larger group of people waiting to get into the viewing areas. Needless to say, people were really unhappy when someone came out and announced that everything would not open until 1 PM. 

It was bitter cold, the wind was blowing, and it was continuing to rain intermittently; so I decided to get as close as possible and just take a few pictures. While I was leaning against the fence trying to take pictures, a security guard came by to see what I was doing. I explained that I was from Las Vegas and could not wait until 1 PM, so I asked him if he would let me into the nearest viewing area to take a few pictures. He did not give me permission to enter, but he did respond that the gate was not locked. So, when he walked away I opened the gate and walked inside. When other people saw me open the gate and walk inside, they just followed. The security guard was a short distance away, but did not try to stop anyone. After a few quick pictures, we left and drove to Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta.   

The 22-acre Centennial Olympic Park is a remnant of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games held in Atlanta, Georgia. The park contains numerous statues, reflecting pools, water features, and monuments commemorating the 1996 Olympic Games.   

Directly west of Olympic Park is the College Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was founded in 1951 to recognize the best players and coaches of college football. Notre Dame has the most inducted players at 48.

Located north of Olympic Park is Pemberton Place, which is named after John Pemberton who invented Coco-Cola. Located in Pemberton Place are the World of Coco-Cola, Georgia Aquarium, and Center for Civil and Human Rights. 

Located east of Olympic Park are office buildings and the Skyview Atlanta Wheel. It was fun to ride the Wheel and look down at Olympic Park and the surrounding neighborhood. Then, it was off to the airport to catch our flight home.

RonnieAdventure #0608 - South Carolina/Georgia: Branchville, Denmark, Healing Springs, Augusta Canal, Laurel/Hardy, and more

Branchville (population 998), South Carolina, received its name because it is the location of the "World's Oldest Railroad Junction." The railroad junction was built in 1828. Branchville is also the location of the "First Scheduled Train in the United States," which ran from Branchville to Charleston. 

As we passed through Bamberg (population 3,076), there was a large topiary caterpillar beside the highway and a short distance away was a nice veterans memorial. 

A short distance down the road was the community of Denmark (population 3,186). In case anyone passing through Denmark is wondering if it is "A Good Place to Be," there is a sign on the edge of town that gives seven reasons why people are "Welcome." The town's motto is "Stop for a visit, stay for your life!" 

Beside the sign was a Palmetto Tree, the South Carolina State Tree. I do not recall ever seeing a Palmetto Tree before, so I had include a picture of the tree.

Blackville's historic courthouse was demolished several years ago, then the town's Old Railroad Depot was moved to Courthouse Square. The Depot itself is quite picturesque and now houses the Blackville Branch Library.

About three miles north of Blackville (population 1,932) is God's Acre Healing Springs. For centuries people have been coming to the Springs to "seek solace, spiritual renewal, and the purported health benefits of its crystal-clear waters." I filled my bottle and partook of the water, but I did not feel any change. However, if I had not partaken of the water I may have come down with some illness. Who knows?

We stopped by the Aiken Visitor Center and Train Museum, but all I could think about was the poor horse standing in the front yard. He looked like he needed some water from God's Acre Healing Springs. It was cold and had been raining all day, so maybe he was just cold and blue. 

The Augusta Canal National Heritage Area in Augusta, Georgia, is an all-day destination; but we did not have all day, so we just visited the Discovery Center. 

Augusta Canal was completed in 1845 to provide power for textile manufacturing facilities, transport raw materials and finished goods, and to provide municipal water for the city. It is the only canal in the United States that has been continually used for its original purposes.  

The Discovery Center is located in the original Enterprise Mill and contains exhibits explaining how the canal was built and how it works. Water from the Savannah River is diverted into headgates on the canal, then the water flows 13 miles through the city of  Augusta. Along the length of the canal water is divided into three levels before it is diverted to various users. Water in the canal not used for power or municipal purposes is returned to the river at the end of the 13 miles. 

Boat tours are now available on the canal and the adjacent towpath is used as a hiking trail and bike path. It was raining the entire time that we were there, so we did not partake of any outdoor activities. 

Oliver Hardy was born January 18, 1892, in Harlem (population 3,571), Georgia; thus, the location of the Laurel and Hardy Museum. Since it was raining outside, this was a great stop. Actually, it would be a great place to stop even if it was not raining. 

A member of the museum staff told us about the museum and then offered to show us a movie short in their theater. At the risk of telling my age, I remembered seeing a Laurel and Hardy movie when I was a kid. 

While we were touring the museum there happened to be a movie short running in the theater (I don't remember the name of the movie), so we just watched the rest of the movie. I had forgotten how funny they were with their slapstick comedy. It was nice to have a good laugh on a rainy day.

Greensboro (3,648), Georgia, is located about half way between Augusta and Atlanta. A sign stated that this is the city that Mickey Mantle moved to after retiring from the New York Yankees baseball team. 

Located around the courthouse are various statues, monuments, a jail, and the Old Gaol. The Old Gaol is designed after European bastilles used a hundred years ago to house and punish prisoners. Published literature states: "Prisoners in the cells could be chained to the walls. They were given a bed of straw, a tin bucket for a toilet and a candle. There was no other light, no heat and no ventilation. People arrested for non-violent crimes were sometimes put in the upstairs room where they at least had light."

The building walls are two-feet-thick granite and the second-story floor contains a trap door in the floor where prisoners were hanged. While standing on the trap door, a guard pulled a lever that released the door and the prisoner fell to his destiny.