Every October LB and I head out to do some leaf looking and waterfall hunting. This year we invited Mama to come along. When I first mentioned this to her, she seemed intrigued, but she told me “I’ll pray about it”. I don’t know if she remembered to pray about it, but a week after that discussion she announced that she had contracted COVID. Tuesday I reminded her that this was vacation week and she told me she wasn’t up to it. Also, she is still in quarantine and will be testing again on the 22nd.

On Wednesday LB and I pulled out of our driveway to begin our annual fall adventure. LB has been working hurricane recovery overtime for the last 2 months and he was chomping at the bit to go. So off we went!

As I have previously mentioned, a trip to the mountains would not be complete without a stop at Classy Crossroads in Macclenny, FL.

They carry men’s clothing now.LB is a good sport.

We stopped at Classy Crossroads on Wednesday around noon. After about an hour and a half of shopping, we continued west, stopping only for gas.

By 8 PM when we arrived at Fajita Grill in Dawsonville, I was starving. I’m not sure if Mama would have appreciated skipping lunch, but that is typical for us. We sat at the table and took pics of each other taking pics.After a sufficient supply of fajitas, LB and I made our way to Amicalola Falls State Park.It is a beautiful place.

The view from our room was lovely.

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On our 2nd day of fall 2020 vacation LB and I left Amicalola Falls and headed to Dahlonega. We walked around the Main Street town square and visited several shops before we headed for Helen GA.

It had been a long time since we were in Helen.

Nothing has changed. If you were there five years ago, you’ve already seen it.

But in Yonah (White County, GA) at the Elkmont Valley resort, our friends Wayne and Laurie were waiting to welcome us to their mountain home. As luck would have it, they were in GA this week and set aside some time to spend with us.

We enjoyed a lovely evening catching up, then went back to our suite at the Holiday Inn Express. It was a strange but comfortable room and I was able to sleep soundly knowing my sister was taking care of Elvis.

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On vacation day #3 LB and I stood looking over the Chattahoochee River while trying to decide what we wanted to do for our last full day away. Selfie Time

We began with a stop at Alexander’s in Blairsville where we picked up a few Christmas presents. After we had spent an adequate amount of cash we headed to Highlands, NC for our annual zigzag through the mountains, appreciating leaves and waterfalls, riding white-knuckled and praying to make it safely to our destination.

Even in the midst of a pandemic, the shops at Highlands were full. There were several shops that we visited but only one that I feel I must mention

Spoiled Rotten

It was at this shop that we foundYes that’s right… Krazy Larry Pants.LB wouldn’t be satisfied until I tried them on.Impressive.

No I did not purchase these.

After a long day of sightseeing and shopping, LB and I were tired. But there was no place to go. LB had not made reservations for our last night. We sat in the car for an hour while he searched for a hotel. We both agreed that Mama would not have enjoyed this.

While it was absolutely necessary that we get away, it was a crazy fall vacation. When we returned home on Saturday evening, it felt like another vacation would be needed to recover from the vacation.

I’m thankful for the adventure and grateful for the time away.