The "Grand Canyon" of Georgia and Eufaula, Alabama

From cousin Don & Pam's farm near Quincy, we made the short drive to Eufaula, Alabama on Friday, June 24th.  We had planned to stay at Lakepoint State Park on Lake Eufaula or also known as the Walter F. George Reservoir.  Not having made reservations, we hoped we could find a site.  We pulled into the main parking lot of the campground and were met with guys wearing bandanas, chains, & tattoos.  These were not normal state park employees.  One of the guys approached me as "brother" Jim from the Dothan chapter.  I didn't know what to make of him.  I soon discovered that the I.B.E.W. (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) had reserved the whole campground of 192 sites for the whole weekend.  They were even staffing the park office.  After they identified me as a non-brother, they were no help on advice of an alternate campground in the area.  We moved on.

We looked on our maps and the internet to discover a Corps of Engineers campground on the same lake about 10 miles away.  We called their office and they said a couple sites were available that could handle our large rig.  Their office staff was very friendly and said they'd hold a site for us.  We arrived to find a wonderful campground with trees for shade and a short walk to the lake.

Campground site at White Oak Creek C.O.E. on Lake Eufaula

We made a day trip to The Grand Canyon of Geogia.....Providence Canyon State Park near Lumpkin.  I'll bet you did know this park existed. 
Visitors are often amazed when they visit “Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon.” The massive gullies, as deep as 150 feet, were caused by poor farming practices during the 1800s. Hikers who explore the deepest canyons will usually find a thin layer of water along the trail, indication of the water table below. Colorful wildflowers, as well as the pink, orange, red and purple hues of the soft canyon soil, make a beautiful natural painting at this unique park. The rare Plumleaf Azalea grows only in this region and blooms during July and August when most azaleas have lost their color.  We had a great afternoon hiking into the canyon and exploring the all its nooks and crannies.  The light was good, so we got some pretty pictures with lots of color.

Linda exploring in the canyon

 Eufaula was a very important center of commerce prior to the Civil War and was not destroyed during the war. Many antebellum homes and mansions are found there.  So we decided to visit the Shorter Mansion the next day.  The mansion was built in 1884 and remodeled extensively in the early 1900's.  Today the mansion contains many furnishings and articles from its heyday.

Our tour was led by the head of the local association that handles a pilgrimage of homes in the area every spring.  She was very interesting and gave much insight into the history and famous families of Eufaula.

On Sunday we drove to Gadsden, Alabama.  More on this area and a special occasion for Linda and Tim in the next post.