…Florida that is. Jimmie and Stephen’s Alexa kept reporting the weather for Jacksonville, NC when asked.
I think I left Jimmie and Stephen around 8 am and arrived in Jacksonville around 4pm, so that’s pretty much 8 hours including stops. My first stop was actually in Greensboro to get some diesel and to air up my left front tire. It’s had a slow leak for about a year and I probably should do something about it but I have a pump that plugs into the cigarette lighter that does the trick. Another reason I haven’t done anything about it is it’s about time to get new tires. There’s still a little tread left but it’s getting pretty thin.
It seems the drivers on the interstate are pretty aggressive. I travel the speed limit and try to be helpful to truckers in letting them in or moving over a lane when they begin to overtake me. On the other hand are those that cut you off, block you off from your lane so you cannot move over to allow people entering the interstate and most famously, those that match your speed while they are in the fast lane so you can’t maneuver around slower traffic in your lane. Regardless, I made it safe and sound to Jacksonville.
I’m in the Hilton Garden Inn in the downtown area. The hotel is very nice but the area is a little iffy. It looks like the area is undergoing a resurgence but it also looks like it hasn’t gotten there yet.
Speaking of iffy, I got a little nervous when I walked into the elevator and a very professional looking sign that said the rule about no parties was strictly enforced. Also strange, my self check in app on my iPhone did not work. Then when I went to the 6th floor, there were wet paint signs all over the place. I would have assumed the hotel would not book a floor that was undergoing painting because of paint fumes.
In any case, the room is nice albeit the carpet seems a little dirty. I’ll just wear socks everywhere.
Dinner tonight was Grubhub delivery of red curry with chicken. It was mediocre at best. My favorite Thai restaurant is a little hole in the wall called 84 Thai (it’s on state road 84). Of all the Thai restaurants in Fort Lauderdale area, this one is the best (to me).
Tomorrow is a five plus hour drive to Fort Lauderdale – all on I-95. There will be the usual slow down in Palm Beach but unless there is a major wreck (entirely possible) I should be home between 2-4 pm. Then comes the unpacking. Then a dip in the pool. Then a stiff drink.
My day started a teeny bit earlier than yesterday. Instead of getting up at 7:30 I got up at 6:30. As usual, Stephen was ready with the coffee. Since it so early and the morning was cool (in the low 60’s) Jimmie and I headed out for a walk. The humidity was low and it was overcast so it was a very pleasant walk of around 1.8 miles.
We headed back home and had bagels for breakfast. They know my weakness for cream cheese with chives and always have it on hand for me.
After breakfast, it was time for our traditional making of the tea cakes. Over the years, I’ve given the recipe to most of my relatives and all of my friends (often with samples of the tea cakes) and everyone raves about them and yet no one seems to make them. The only time I make them at someone’s house is when I come to visit Jimmie and Stephen. Every time. Like clockwork. Stephen has become our official taster. Jimmie rolls the dough and cuts the cookies while I make the dough and place them on the cookie sheets.
After lunch, Jimmie and I did tai chi. Jimmie is a long time practitioner but I’ve never done it but have admired the grace of those who practice it. She logged onto a site and introduced me to tai chi with an instructor that was pretty laid back. It certainly is good for breathing exercise and Jimmie knew I wanted to work on my balance so she cued up a video for balance. I did OK but I found out I really do need to work on my balance. Strangely, I have better balance on my left side than my right side. Jimmie says the same for her. I think I’ll continue it when I get home.
Later in the afternoon I did another walk. A block from their house is a loop that is perfect. Every time I visit I try to make that walk at least once. This visit I made it twice.
While on the walk, I found some maple “seeds.” Technically, they are not seeds but are a winged fruit called a samara. Where Jimmie and I grew up, we would find the winged seeds of pine cones and throw them up in the air. The design of the seed at one end and the wing on the other makes them “helicopter” back to earth. It’s a pretty efficient means of seed dispersal.
She had been wanting some maple samara to show her granddaughters and as I walked on the sidewalk of the loop I found two pair of maple samaras.
I know it is confusing that pines have winged seeds and maples have winged fruit but for the most part, to young children, they are just helicopters and a load of fun.
Tomorrow I head for Jacksonville, Florida to spend the night en route home. I always thoroughly enjoy my visits to Greensboro and catching up with Stephen and Jimmie. They treat me too well but that’s how they are. Hopefully, before too long I will get a chance to spoil them a little in Fort Lauderdale.
The trip to Jacksonville will be a little over 7 hours. It’s just too long of a drive for an old man like me to make it in one day back to Fort Lauderdale. By the way, I found out why my GPS was routing me through strange back roads. I clicked on the options and found that during some trip I had clicked on the “closest” route, not the fastest. I checked my new routing to Jacksonville and it had me going mostly via interstate with a couple of short by roads to the next interstate. Maybe, just maybe, it will not steer me down any more dirt roads that lead to nowhere.
I was a late sleeper this morning. Part of the reason was taking a Benadryl last night for itching. I probably needed the sleep anyway since I’ve been getting up around 5 am on this trip.
Stephen had coffee ready for me first thing and then we all sat down to bagels for breakfast. From there, Jimmie and I decided to head to Kernersville to tour the Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden and Körners Folly. My GPS routed us through the back roads to Kernersville and we both thought how quickly the trip went even though it was the back roads. We figured it was because we were busy talking and seeing the sights of the area we passed through. Actually, Kernersville is 14 miles west of Greensboro.
This is a really neat, small quintessential southern town. The main street is Main Street. Some of the architecture of the old homes reminds me of the Federalist period.
Private home in Kernersville
The botanical garden was named for Paul J. Ciener who had a vision on the garden for the Piedmont triad of North Carolina. I can safely say I’ve never seen a better maintained botanical garden. That may be, in part, due to the small nature of the garden (7 acres) but when Jimmie and I arrived there was a host of volunteers at work weeding the garden.
View of the visitor center from the garden
The visitor center was completed in 2011 and when the garden is completed, the garden will have 25 different botanical areas.
Butterfly houses
Most gardens have butterfly gardens to attract butterflies but this is the first time I’ve run into butterfly houses. Look at the slots on the houses. At first confusing, I realized that the body of the butterfly can fit through the opening when the butterfly’s wings are folded upward over the body. The idea is to protect the butterfly from predators.
A trellis made to look like a fenceFormal garden
There is still a good bit of land for development of the 25 areas but the areas that are complete are exceptionally maintained.
From there, Jimmie and I walked two blocks to Körners Folly. The bachelor home of Julius (Jule) Körner is 6,000 square feet, 7 levels, 22 rooms and 15 fireplaces. It is one of the most unusual architectural structures I’ve ever seen.
Körners Folly
The home was initially completed in 1888 but it’s probably been under constant construction during Jule’s lifetime. It was scheduled for demolition in the 70’s but a private group took over the facility and began renovation. There are still rooms that need renovation but the house is in amazing shape.
Dining Room
What is now the dining room was originally a carriage entrance where carriages would pull into the center of the house and guests would then enter the “real” house to be entertained by Jules. Eventually it was enclosed to include the dining room and the breakfast room seen at the back of the arch.
Playroom Number 2
There were two playrooms for the children. The ceilings were exceptionally low (child height). To get there, you had to walk up a confusing number of stairs and twists and turns in the house. It was very easy to get lost in the house but the staff figured out that if they numbered the rooms, tourists would be able to figure out if they had missed any of the rooms. I think we must have missed room number 5 but to be honest, I was doing good to figure out how to get out of the house.
The reception room
The reception room was probably the largest room in the house. Guests were entertained here.
The theater
The top floor (remember there are seven levels) was a home theater with a stage where plays and performances occurred. It was easily the second largest room in the house.
If you are ever in the area, this place is a must do on your list.
Our last stop of the morning was at the Musten and & Crutchfield market.
Jimmie wanted to stop and get their original pimento cheese. Jimmie and I have a pimento cheese history. Both her mother and my mother used to make it for us. My grandmother had a hand grader that you slipped cheese into and you turned a handle that rotated a cylindrical drum that grated the cheese.
Her mother had a sausage grinder that clamped onto the kitchen table. Both made excellent pimento and cheese. We were pretty much raised on pimento cheese sandwiches, potato chips and cokes. We are pimento cheese connoisseurs. She swears by the version put out by Musten & Crutchfield. I have to admit, we had some for dinner tonight and it is far and away better than any pimento cheese you can get remade in supermarkets.
Of course, I make a superior pimento cheese by adding raw onions to mine. There are enough people who don’t like raw onions in their pimento cheese that they refuse it when offered which means there’s more left for me. I think what makes Musten & Crutchfield’s so good is they add a little vinegar to theirs – no onions, though.
Tomorrow is tea cake day. We’ll make a batch from my great grandmother’s recipe and eat ourselves into a sugar coma.
There’ll only be a brief entry today. I checked out of McKinley Edwards Inn and was on the road around 9 am. My GPS, strange as usual, routed me through back roads and not the major ones. I didn’t mind one bit. I got to see some really great scenery and some picturesque small towns. I also have to admit how much fun it was to drive the curvy back roads in my jeep.
However, as I was nearing Asheville, a very recent wreck had the road blocked so I did a U-turn and headed back the way I came until I came upon an I-40 sign. Begrudgingly, Cassandra allowed me to stay on I-40 all the way to Greensboro.
It’s been about a year since I’ve seen Jimmie and Stephen. It felt good to pull into their driveway and see Jimmie there to meet me as I got out of the jeep.
I got an immediate hug from her and a hug by proxy from Jo (in New Mexico at this time). I felt badly but I had a ton of washing to do and we immediately put a load on. Jimmie and I went for a great walk at the bog garden and then across the street to Bicentennial Park.
Bog Garden
I’ve been to both before but always enjoy them. It was good to stretch my legs after a 4 plus hour drive to Greensboro.
Even though its been a year since I’ve seen them, we fell into our usual laid back conversations, as if it had only been a few days. She and Stephen waited lunch for me and I was hungry.
I’ve been doing too much meat lately – some by choice and some because the vegetarian items on the menu were pretty bad – and Stephen and Jimmie made me smile with black beans and rice for dinner with all kinds of veggie toppings. She also made me her version of Waldorf salad which she knows I love.
We spent the rest of the night catching up. We haven’t any real plans tomorrow, just tentative, and I’m pretty much amenable to anything.
Last night, dinner was at the Fryemont Inn in Bryson City. I had reservations for 6:15 and I walked into the restaurant around 6:05. At first the hostess wanted me to wait (the restaurant was virtually empty) and then she decided to seat me. Their claim to fame is the inn was built in 1923. Everything here seems to be either 100 years old or nearly 100 years old. The other major claim to fame is the fireplace in the restaurant is so large it can accommodate eight foot logs.
I opted for the vegetarian item on the menu (white beans in a tomato sauce). It was a prix fixe night and you got soup, a salad, an entrée, and a desert. I would have thought that asking for the vegetarian entrée, they would think about the soup. Nope, it came out with bacon in it.
Unusual for these days, you were presented a check and you had to walk to the cashier to pay. I haven’t seen that in quite a while. The food was just so-so.
Beechwood Inn spoiled me for breakfasts at hotels, inns, and B and B’s. It wasn’t terrible this morning at McKinley Edwards Inn but it wasn’t the same as what Eli would prepare at Beechwood. There was fresh fruit and an egg concoction in a tortilla. There were also homemade waffles.
In any case, after breakfast, I decided to attack my nemesis today – Deep Creek trail. When I first started hiking after retirement, my first attempt was a three day trip along Deep Creek. The campground is about 1.9 miles out of Bryson City. My first day was 6.2 miles and it pretty much killed me. I decided to come back down the mountain after the first day.
Today was much easier. Of course, I was only carrying a day pack as opposed to 45 lbs on the three day trip. That might have something to do with it. I decided to hike the Juney Whank trail to Juney Whank Falls. It’s all up hill to the falls.
Juney Whank Falls – there’s a feature on my iPhone that allows me to do time shots which gives an unusual appearance to the falls.
So far, it’s exactly like my last attempt at this hike – steadily upward. Then I joined the Deep Creek Horse Trail (no horses thank goodness – only horse droppings). That takes you up, up and more up until you reach around 2240 feet in elevation. That’s 426 feet elevation gain in 0.8 mile. That’s pretty steep.
Juney Whank Falls trail – it’s a pretty good representation as to what the grade is on the entire trail to the top.
From the top of the trail you start descending along side Deep Creek.
Stream feeding into Deep Creek
The terrain begins to level out and the walking from that point on gets easy. The Deep Creek Horse Trail merges with the Deep Creek Trail and you start you walk back to the parking lot.
Deep Creek Trail
Where Deep Creek Trail merges with Indian Creek Trail, you can walk an extra 200 feet and see Indian Creek Falls.
Indian Creek Falls
It’s worth the extra 200 feet uphill to see this falls.
As you continue downward, you run into the tallest of the three falls, Tom Branch Falls.
Tom Branch Falls – on the opposite side of the creek from the trail
What makes me feel so good about this 3.1 mile loop that I did today is that I did not stop to rest once the entire trip. I normally have to stop and catch my breath at least a dozen times on an elevation climb this steep but I pushed through.
After the hike, I headed to Bryson City.
Bryson City – Everett Street
The city has certainly grown since 1970’s when Crag Knox and I first stopped in for breakfast after a hike. On Main Street, there was really only one store open for food. It was a pretty run down little town. Today it is a booming tourist area.
Lunch was at Mountain Layers Brewery. Actually, they only sell beer but they have an outdoor area upstairs and a food truck in the back.
Mountain Layers Brewery
The food truck is called the Rice Wagon. I’ve eaten at a lot of food trucks over the years and the food generally runs from horrible to mediocre.
The Rice Wagon
I hade the Kalua pork and it was delicious. If the rest of their entrées are as good, this food truck is a definite winner!
I have a 4:30 massage scheduled. It’s back to town for dinner (something simple) and then an early night.
As a point of interest, while driving up on this trip, I somehow dislodge the leather head rest from the plastic on the drivers side. I figured since I had three days in Greensboro, I’d take it into Crown Dodge/Jeep and have them put it back together. I called this morning and they can’t put it back together; you have to purchase an entire new headrest. They checked and it is not in stock and there is a 3 month backorder. I’ll tend to it when I return home.
Another outstanding breakfast! Eli made an almond/brioche tart with cooked apples with a side of ham. I asked her if she would divorce Marlon and marry me. These two really know how to run an inn. I can’t recommend Beechwood Inn enough.
I hit the road around 8:30 am full of belly and hating to leave.
It’s a quick trip from Clayton, Georgia to Bryson City, North Carolina (approximately 1 hour) but I decided to take a detour to Gatlinburg to get my taffy.
I’ve mentioned this in previous blogs but one time when I was very small my grandmother Ruby took me to Gatlinburg and it was the first time I had professionally made taffy. Mother would make a version of taffy but where the taffy in Gatlinburg is soft and chewy, Mother’s was equally good but stiffer. I have lost quite a few fillings over the years to Mother’s taffy and the Gatlinburg taffy.
I remember the taffy Mother made was made by melting sugar in a cast iron skillet and at a certain stage adding baking soda which made it foam up like crazy. Then she stirred and stirred and stirred until the stuff cooled enough that you could pull it. She would make me oil my hands with butter and she would pull the taffy out into a long strand and then hand one end to me to continue to pull. Then we would meet and put our ends together and I would grab the loose end and begin to pull anew. This went on forever, it seemed, the taffy becoming pliable at the same time it cooled. No matter how much butter I put on my hands to keep it from sticking it did and it was still hot enough to cause a blister if you weren’t careful. Trust me when I say it didn’t last too long after the taffy pull.
To get to Gatlinburg, you have to enter the park just outside of Cherokee, NC. That’s another nostalgic place for me as it was often a stopping point for my parents going home to Morton, MS from military bases (Fort Bragg, Aberdeen Proving Grounds) and also for my grandmother Ruby. She also took me to see Unto to These Hills – the story of the Cherokee removal by Jackson. I remember one scene in the play is someone doing the eagle dance. The Cherokee never really did the eagle dance but it looked good from the audience and at the time I didn’t know better.
It’s only May and there was as much traffic in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park as I’ve ever seen. Traffic ran from the super impatient to the super cautious. The park asks you to pull off the road and let faster traffic by but I seemed to be the only one that did so.
I also seem to be the only one who downshifted. One car in front of me rode their brakes from Newfound Gap to Gatlinburg. I foresee a brake job in his future. Some of the people who pressed me from behind seemed to not know how to drive curves. On straight aways they would be on my bumper but when I started taking the curves, they fell behind. Mountain roads are not for everyone. Even me, when I was small. I got car sick a lot in the Smokeys to the point Mother would put a pail in the back seat with me and my brother.
Back when I was a kid, Dad would blow his horn in the three tunnels on 441 in the park. Back then, there was no traffic so he would actually stop in the tunnel to blow his horn and you could hear what sounded like rain in the tunnel. I suspect it was rocks settling on the roof of the tunnel. My memory must have something to it because people still blow their horns when passing through the tunnels.
The drive from Cherokee to Gatlinburg, to me, is one of the most beautiful drives in the U.S.
The park road to Gatlinburg
I stopped several times along the way to take a few photos.
Oconaluftee River on the way to Gatlinburg
I always stop by Clingmans Dome. (Don’t blame me about the absence of an apostrophe in the name. It’s official policy of the U.S. Board of Geographical Names.)
It’s a beautiful 7 mile spur off 441 (park road). I didn’t go to the top this time. My knees always give me problems from walking down from the observation tower to the point I have to walk backwards. The last time I was here I did go to the observation tower and paid the price. I had to walk backwards. Yes, I got a lot of stares but one guy walked up to me and said “I know exactly what you are doing.” We laughed and I continued my walking backwards to the parking lot. This time, I stayed at the parking lot and took a few photos. The clouds were beautiful and low hanging.
View from road to Clingmans DomeView from Clingmans Dome parking lot
From Clingmans Dome, it’s a short drive to Newfound Gap. I always stop here. It’s the dividing line between Tennessee and North Carolina. One of my favorite sights is the Civilian Conservation Corps monument at Newfound.
CCC Monument for their work on the park during the depression
The tourist industry is in fine shape if Gatlinburg is any indication. I felt like I was ploughing through the streets of New York because of the number of people. I made it a very short trip to pick up my taffy, eat lunch at 5 Guys and then get out as fast as I could.
There are so many places in the park I pass but never stop. One such area just out of Gatlinburg are three “quiet areas” with pull outs. I’ve never stopped before so I made a point to do so this trip. You are encouraged to walk the area, stop, rest, and meander. There are also some pretty streams through the area.
The McKinnley Edwards Inn was built around 1925 but there are no rooms in the actual house. Next door to the inn is where I am staying in an old apartment complex from the 1940’s that has been remodeled.
Common Room at McKinnley Edwards InnBreakfast roomView from my balconyI’m on the third floorGarden AreaThe White Heron Room
Tonight, I’m having dinner at the Fryemont Inn Dining Room, a 4 minute drive from my inn.
Tomorrow, I’ll probably hike a few areas around Deep Creek Campground. It’ll be my third time at Deep Creek and it was also the site that did me in on one of my hikes. I hope to see a few waterfalls and then head back for a deep tissue massage at the inn.
Well, I feel much better about my hiking skills after today. More about that later.
I am always an early riser on these trips and today was no exception. I was awake by 5:00 am but then again, I went to bed at 9:00 pm. Coffee was ready around 7:00 am and I got a cup and realized as I sat on the porch I needed a jacket. I met Mark from South Carolina who spent a significant part of his military career in Germany. That’s where he met his wife (she’s actually from Massachusetts) and they raised their two daughters in Germany. Yesterday, he and his wife did Tallulah Gorge and he and I compared notes.
Breakfast was exceptional! Eli is a good cook. It was grits with truffle sauce, eggs purgatory (a fried egg with cooked tomatoes) and country sausage.
The coffee and juice kept coming. Eli and Marlon really treat their guests royally.
The view with my coffee
After breakfast, I changed into my hiking clothes and headed for Black Rock Mountain State Park. It’s a short drive from Clayton and is between Clayton and Dillard, Georgia. The park roads are very curvy but well maintained. A quick stop at the visitor center to pay the $5 parking fee and to pick up a map and I was off.
The two trails that interested me were the Tennessee Rock Trail and the Ada-hi Falls Trail. The Tennessee Rock Trail is listed as a 2.2 mile loop and the Ada-hi Trail is a 0.6 mile out and back trail. After the hike, my InReach GPS listed the Tennessee Rock Trail had it as 2.6 miles and the Ada-hi Trail as exactly 0.6 miles.
The Tennessee Rock Trail is listed as moderate. I agree but it also has some of the steepest grades I’ve encountered on my hikes. The average grade of the trail (park figures) is 10% and the maximum is 25%. I think the maximum needs some updating.
Trail head for the Tennessee Rock Trail and the James E. Edmonds Backcountry trail
You eventually reach the top of Black Mountain at an elevation of 3,640 feet. You start from an elevation of 3,079 so there is a elevation gain of 561 feet during the hike.
Some of the scenery is spectacular on the trail, albeit steep.
Just after this monument you reach Tennessee Rock Overlook.
View from the Tennessee Rock Overlook
One thing that stuck out to me was the variety of trilliums I found. Trillium is a genus of plants that has three leaves. The Atlanta Constitution-Journal lists 22 species in Georgia. I saw four on my walk today alone and three of them were new species for me.
Catesby’s Trillium (Trillium catesbaei). I first found this species walking a trail at Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in Georgia. I found a few species scattered along the trail. This was the most abundant species on the trail today.Trailing or Decumbent Trillium (Trillium decumbent). Most trilliums have a stalk that lifts them above the ground. This one grows very close to the surface.Vasey’s Trillium (Trillium vaseyi). This was a startling sight to me. The first one I saw in bloom I had to climb down a part of the mountain to get the photo. Later, they dotted the trail and was able to get better photos.Red Trillium or Stinking Willie (Trillium erectum) This was growing at Ada-hi Falls. I almost missed it because the flowers were so small.
After the Tennessee Rock Trail, I headed to Ada-hi Falls Trail. It’s near the trading post for the campground and it simply drops down to the falls. There are some wooden stairs (3 sets) and the downward leading trail through rhododendrons.
The first set of stairs down to the fallsTrail down to falls
The park warns you that the falls are mostly a trickle in dry season. Once I saw the falls, I realized it could be much, much larger than it was.
Ada-hi Falls Wikipedia says the falls are 35 feet in height
In this case, the average grade is 25% and the maximum grade is 58%. As usual, I handled going back up better than I did going down.
After doing the falls, I drove to downtown Clayton. I really like the way they have maintained the downtown area. The place was really busy and there were very few available parking spaces along Main Street. I thought, this is like a Saturday morning in my old home town – and then I realized it was Saturday morning. There were a lot of tourists but also a lot of locals.
Side street of Clayton
Dinner tonight was at the Lake Rabun Hotel and Restaurant. Like Beechwood Inn, they are celebrating their 100 year anniversary.
Lake Rabun HotelHotel Lobby
It looked as though the hotel was filled. I was the first diner for the night. I had the pork loin, collards, with some smoked grain like bulgar. The pork loin was very good but they gave me two huge cuts. I was only able to eat one. The collards were good but a little salty. The grain was disappointing. The real problem was the service. Once served, that was it. I had to ask for the check.
Last night the service was excellent and the food mediocre. Tonight the food was good but the service was mediocre. Go figure.
Tomorrow is a short trip to Bryson City, NC. GPS says it is around 1 hour and 16 minutes. In any case, I don’t trust the GPS. It tried to route me to the restaurant tonight and sent me into someone’s driveway. How embarrassing!
Instead of heading directly to Bryson City, I’ll probably head into Smokey Mountains National Park and over into Gatlinburg. I need my salt water taffy!
Another good night of rest. Last night I had the hamburger steak smothered in onions and gravy. Of all the meals I had at the restaurant at Wakulla Springs Lodge, this was the best. It reminded me of the same meal served at the Gulf Cafe in Morton, MS when I was working there and since I worked there, it was free! . It was my go-to meal. At the Gulf Cafe they served it over rice. I had to ask for the rice at the Lodge. The actual steak, onions, and gravy were just as good as I remembered from the Gulf Cafe. Kudos to the chef!
I was on the road by 7:30 am. I forwent the breakfast to get an early start. I wasn’t looking forward to the 8+ hour drive and I needed to get to Clayton in enough time to dine at Julep Kitchen at 6:30 pm.
Again, Cassandra tried to get me to turn onto dirt roads. I refused twice and then she tricked me the third time with a road that started out paved and then turned to dirt. However, she was at least nice enough to route me immediately to another paved road.
One road mistake was not her fault. I was stopped with a massive fallen tree across one of the roads she sent me on. Road crews were busy at work trying to remove the tree but Cassandra re-routed me quickly. I arrived at Beechwood Inn at 4 pm. The trip took 8 hours and 30 minutes but most of the over time was due to bathroom breaks.
The hosts are Eli (pronounced Ellie) and Marlon who recently purchased the Inn in December of last year. They were corporate types in Miami and decided they wanted to do something different after the pandemic craziness in the corporate world.
Beechwood Inn, 220 Beachwood Dr. Clayton, GA
Eli said the house was built in 1916. The husband died and the wife turned it into a bed and breakfast in 1922 to support her and her three daughters. It has pretty much operated as a bed and breakfast for 100 years.
Common AreaFront PorchView from the front porch
My room is the Savannah room and Eli thinks this was the original master bedroom. It has a dressing room attached to the room. My room is massive. There is a gas fireplace by the bed, a sitting area in the bedroom, and a huge walk-in shower.
Savannah RoomSavannah Room
Eli showed me a feature throughout the house that confused them at first. There seemed to be a huge number of coat pegs in every room. It was explained to her that instead of having candles or kerosene lamps in every room, a device was made to hold the candle/lamp that had a hole at the top. You simply carried the lamp from room to room and hung it on the “coat” pegs.
Candle/kerosene lamp holder
Dinner tonight was at Julep Kitchen, the restaurant associated with Julep Farm. It’s very touristy. I had the duck. It was just OK. They substituted asparagus for green beans. The highlight was the cheesecake. I have to say it was the best I’ve ever eaten.
Julep FarmJulep Kitchen
Just a bit of nostalgia. Behind my bathroom door at Wakulla Springs was something that I remember from childhood. My parents would often travel from military bases back to Morton, MS and my grandmother Ruby would take me all over the place – the Smokeys, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Michigan, etc. We would often stay at these mom and pop motels along the way or what were sometimes called travel courts. Invariably, attached to the bathroom door was something similar to what is shown below.
If you guessed a bottle opener, you’re correct. Of course, they were provided for people to open Coca Colas. You’d never use it to open beer bottles. Ahem.
Tomorrow there is 69% chance of rain and Sunday, it is 68%. I may or may not get a hike or two in. I’d be just as satisfied to curl up in the king size bed and read and nap all day.
Dinner last night was 1/2 fried chicken, Mac and cheese, and collards. I can’t imagine sitting down and eating 1/2 of a chicken but it’s on the menu, so apparently someone does. The chicken was good but not as good a home made and the collards seemed fresh but not as good as home made.
In any case, I was ready to do some hiking this morning. I was ready to start around 8:45 am on the Sally Ward Trail. It’s a six mile one way trail with a loop starting at 3.5. If you hike the whole trail, it’s 10 miles.
The ranger said to be careful of ticks. They recommended long pants, long sleeved shirt, tuck your shirt into your pants, and tuck your pants into your socks and spray down with insect repellent. I did. The only thing that bothered me was the horseflies. At least I didn’t find any ticks after the hike.
Trail head for Sally Ward and Hammock Spur trails
The weather was perfect (58F) the trail wide and well maintained. It is also the best marked trail I’ve ever hiked with blue paint splashes on trees at eye level all at the right points and it also had mile markers every half mile along the trail. The only problem is it is an extremely boring the trail. You see everything you’ll ever see in the first 30 minutes of the trail.
Sally Ward and Hammock Spur trails
Around mile marker 0.5 you come to a bridge over the Sally Ward Spring Run. This seems to feed into the Wakulla River.
Sally Ward Spring Run
Looks inviting doesn’t it? Especially on a hot summer day. There’s only one, not-so-little problem.
You would think after all the alligators the tourists saw on the boat tour they would know not to swim in undesignated areas, but apparently not.
Since it is May, you would think there would be a lot of wildflowers in bloom. However, due to the canopy, it’s so shady they haven’t really started to bloom yet. I did find a few, however.
Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica) I never understood why this is called Indian pink. There’s nothing pink about this flower.
I don’t know if I overdid the 6.2 walk/hike at Cedar Key or if I’m just getting old but I stopped at the 2.0 mile marker. I was no longer interested in the trail and it was getting warm. That meant the return was going to run me to a total of 4.1 miles.
I made it back in time for lunch at the Lodge Restaurant. I had the small navy bean soup and the small Bee Line salad (it was huge).
Tomorrow I head to Clayton, Georgia. Apple Maps says it is on 6+ hours and my jeep GPS says it is 8+ hours. I don’t understand why there is a two hour difference but I’ve noticed that my trips typically take longer than what Apple Maps says and less time than what my GPS says. I do know the GPS updates itself as I travel. In any case, I have reservations at the Beechwood Inn and at the Julep Kitchen at 6:30 pm for dinner. I don’t want to miss that. The Beechwood Inn used to do three meals a day but since the pandemic, they only do breakfast. They recommended several restaurants in the area and the Julep caught my attention.
By the way, I slept great last night. The bed was comfortable and the walls of the room are so thick, I heard absolutely nothing. I was out like a light at 10 pm.
There were no ghosts last night roaming the halls but there was one thing.
At least one couple on one side of me didn’t heed the suggested no sex rule. I can tell you the man was fully satisfied but not so the woman. I can also give you a pretty good run down on their conversation. The room on the other side of me had a snorer. It was funny in that he would be softly snoring and then give a big snort and wake himself up. Things finally quieted down around midnight.
Well, the restaurant was just OK. The menu sounded better than it tasted. I went for the stuffed fish. The description was “Fresh fish of the day, split to hold an artichoke, shrimp and cheese stuffing, baked in white wine and butter sauce.” We had our choices of fish and I went with red fish on the recommendation of our waitress. The fish was OK but the stuffing was simply piled on top of the fish. I got a side order of wild rice and green beans. The green beans were really sad.
However, the Neptune Bar in the hotel was fun. I order a Stella Artois and the tap ran out after 3/4 of a glass so the bartender gave it to me for free.
The signature of the bar is a painting of Neptune. Someone was reported to have gotten drunk and shot up the painting. Our host told us that when the painting was removed to refurbish it, there were three bullet holes in the wall behind the painting.
One comment from a person who used to work for the hotel as a young kid said it was the first time he had seen a naked woman (the mermaids).
The bar has a real homey feel to it and also has a back section that has a stage that Jimmy Buffet supposedly would hold impromptu concerts when he stayed at the hotel.
Area where Buffet would hold forth (stage behind the “fence”)
Breakfast was the same choice as the day before and I opted for the French toast. It’s strange to me how good their breakfasts are in comparison to their evening meals.
In any case, I was on the road by 8:45 and had to immediately turn around and bring back their room key. I forgot to give it to them and they forgot to ask for it. It’s kind of loosely run but a charming place.
It was indeed a 3 hour drive to Wakulla Springs – over blacktop thank god! I arrived about 11:45 am and since my room was not ready, I opted for lunch.
I love this old lodge. I remember it from graduate school days at Florida State. The lodge was built by Edward Ball and opened in 1937. I think it was pretty much a private facility until the state of Florida obtained the 6,000 acres. The lodge reminds me of Spanish Mediterranean architecture.
Entrance to the lobby of The Lodge at Wakulla Springs
The lobby is pretty astounding. Not much has changed since 1937.
The lobby
The beamed ceiling has interesting stenciling and painting, the artists lost to history.
Close up of the painted beams
I’ve eaten in the dining facility several times as a graduate student. The food has always been good and it was the same today for lunch.
Lining the walls are photos of meetings in the lodge and dining room from the late 30’s and early 40’s through the 50’s. Their private dinging room off to the left of this photo has photos of Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan. Many of the films were made at Wakulla because Hollywood thought it looked like the jungles of Africa.The swimming area and the source of the springs. Just past the diving tower and the platform on the left is the source of the spring which pumps out anywhere from 150,000 to 600,000 gallons per minute. Today’s output was around 350,000 gallons.
When I first started coming to the springs 34 years ago, there was only one small platform a little further out from the one on the left. If you pushed up onto it from side, the opposite side would lift out of the water. If I remember correctly, the diving platform was off limits on those early visits.
At the deepest part of the springs, it’s origin, it’s about 200 feet deep.
I had scheduled a boat tour along the Wakulla River at 2 pm. It was a pretty full tour and we traveled from the spring’s origin (in back of the lodge) down until we were blocked from further travel by the manatees.
I’m still amazed at how many people get so excited when they see an alligator. We, of course, saw plenty, but every time they would run to either side of the boat the alligator was on and snap pictures.
The river is quite beautiful and it was a cool, cloudless day – perfect for the boat trip.
What was interesting was to see the manatees. The lower limit of the temperature they can tolerate is 68F. The Wakulla is 69F yet they seem to thrive here and are actually more active than elsewhere in the state.
This manatee was curious and followed us in the boat.
The boat tour was approximately 30 minutes and the guide did an excellent job explaining the biology of the system and of the animals.
By the time I got back, my room was ready. My room is on the second floor and faces the spring.
The floor is marble squares and the walls of the bathroom are marble. It’s like stepping back to 1937. My parents had a four poster bed similar to this one.The room is much more spacious than Island House and I suspect the walls are pretty thick and I won’t hear anything through them tonight.
By the way, the Dove soap seemed to work last night.
Dinner is at 6 pm tonight. I can’t wait to see what it is like! Tomorrow, I intend to try to hike a 10 mile trail. Hopefully, I’ll survive!
