A little out of order

We've been busy the last couple of weekends...so my blog posts will be a little  out of order while I try to catch up. We didn't have a chance to get up to NC this October because between work, our family get together at Fort Wilderness and a wedding...our weekends were pretty full. I was trying to figure out a way to see some fall foliage...so John came up with a plan to go to Georgia at the end of the month.
The peak color for North Georgia is usually around the end of October/early November...so that was perfect. Not to mention the easy flight out of Melbourne to Atlanta.  There are a number of state parks around Atlanta...so we planned to head in  that direction.We weren't sure exactly where we were going to go...the idea was some place not too far from Atlanta; and nearby parks.

we had a reservation at the Heidi Motel....many other area hotels were booked up

I had heard about the town of Helen, Ga several times over the years. It's a town in north Georgia that was once a logging and mining town...but back in the early 70's the town was "dying".  The mayor and /or other local townspeople were trying to figure out a way to revive the economy. A local business man had an idea to make it a tourist attraction by giving the town a makeover so that it resembled an alpine village. He had at one time been in Bavaria and had always thought the geography was similar, and it was an idea he had been thinking about for quite a while. One by one business owners remodeled, converted, built places to fit in with the theme. and it was a huge success. My brother had been there several years back and enjoyed it...and I had read about it in a magazine or two over the years. We had nothing to lose...so we decided to check it out. It was an easy drive from Atlanta and the area was beautiful in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. We saw lots of reds, yellows, oranges on the trees and the cool temperatures were nice too.

As we got into town we were kind of laughing about the fact that we were going to stay at a place called the Heidi Motel.....but what the heck...why not. I think John was afraid of my reaction when we pulled into the place.....not exactly a 5-star place...hahaha but the beds were comfortable...it had a little refrigerator, microwave and TV...and we could walk around town. It was also just down the road from more than one park.
We had left early from Melbourne on the 1st....so we arrived in town before our room was actually ready.
 We headed up to Unicoi State Park

to see some leaves and enjoy the afternoon.
We had a nice lunch at the park lodge * and took a few minutes to relax and charge our phones and my camera.

                 We checked in at the guard station and headed up to the Anna Ruby Falls.

It wasn't too crowded as we made our way up to see the falls. There were a few groups of people along the path...but we just passed them by...hahah I was collecting leaves along the way of course.

these red and yellow leaves are my favorites...they were so vibrant

We enjoyed the view at the top for a bit and then made our way back down the trail. 

By this time we figured we could probably check in to our hotel....so we headed back into town.

This supermarket was right across the street from our motel...it was the nicest place in town as far as I was concerned...hahah Everything you could possibly need or want...a nice deli, 50c (!) coffee......and none of the cheesy souvenirs that every other store in town seemed to carry!
Now...since we were there on November 1st...we were also in the middle of the town's Octoberfest Celebration. Translation-----lots of very drunk people stumbling around with their beer steins, on their way to the next bar. All ages....people from all over judging by the accents, etc.... the drinkers were enjoying themselves and feeling no pain.
The town in general reminded us of Pigeon Forge, TN or Panama City Beach or Key West...you get the idea a TACKY tourist destination. Bumper to bumper traffic by the end of the day Saturday, people everywhere. Interesting, to me anyway, was the number of Indian  and Asian tourists...I couldn't figure out if there was a tour group or just a number of foreign visitors in town. (as I said it was Octoberfest...and a busy time in general for the town with the fall foliage at/near peak.) I will add that none of the foreign tourists I saw seemed to be there for the drinking....there were a number of large family groups and young families just enjoying the town in general. All I could think was Lord help us if they think that this town is what America is all about! hahah. John was watching football and suggested that I go enjoy the afternoon and go shopping. I don't need much encouragement to shop...hahah but after going in several shops in a row and seeing all the same junk in every store...I just couldn't take it. If I saw one more tacky t-shirt or piece of home decor with a cutesy saying on it I was going to lose it. You know the signs I'm talking about...."Love you to the moon and back" " Always Kiss me Goodnight"... "Home Rules...."etc.... one in particular made me wince..."I Laughed Until the Tears Ran Down My Legs"....and I saw this over and over again....I just kept thinking there are homes all across the country with this stuff crap in them...AGGGGGGGH! Lest you think I am exaggerating...here's a sample of t-shirts from two different stores....

*I had to take these pictures and send them to Brenna and Megan so they wouldn't think I was just whining....it was BAD! (and there were plenty of people wearing similar items....it was a little frightening...hahaha)
Sunday we decided just to hit the road and visit some more parks...and stay clear of the bars and junky stores. The town and the area are beautiful...it just seems a shame that it can't survive on the beauty alone. Obviously what they have for sale sells....or the mobs of people wouldn't be there.....
Anyway...we found another road to the middle of nowhere....following the trusty GPS

We really were out in the middle of nowhere....and it was a little unnerving because if anything happened I had no idea how we would have told anyone exactly where we were. So...even though it was pretty we didn't stay out in the particular spot for too long...hahah
We headed back into town and after we watched football for a bit, we walked around town and had dinner  at a place down by the river that several locals had recommended.

There were still plenty of people around, music at lots of the bars, people dancing and having a good time. In general everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The weather was perfect!

we stopped here for dessert and I'm glad we did...they had the BEST Doughnuts!

On Monday morning when we got up...the town was quiet. Sitting outside I could see why people liked the area...it's beautiful. It was peaceful, the skies were blue, no clouds in sight. We walked around and just enjoyed the peace and quiet while we drank our .50c cups of coffee from Betty's Supermarket.

nice big pine tree!

We walked around for a bit and then made one more stop by the Hofer's Bakery for another one of their delicious doughnuts before we hit the road.
The trip home was uneventful and we had a nice time.
We have decided one trip to Helen was enough...but if we don't make it up to NC next year; we will definitely return to North Georgia area again...because it was a beautiful time to be there.