Playing Catch-Up
Blogger has an option where I can update this blog by email. But if you're as slack about sending email as you are about updating your blog anyway, it doesn't do too much good.
This past weekend was kind of a mini-vacation for Sarah and myself. We drove out to Helen, GA and stayed for a few nights. It's an odd town, kind of like Gatlinburg if it were hit with a shrink-ray and turned into a small Bavarian theme park. It does have its moments, though. There are a couple of very good German restaurants in the area; Sarah and I spent a lot of time at the Altstader Weinstube and Biergarten. I particularly recommend the goulash and the schnitzel. And there are small shops in among the tourist traps that actually have interesting stuff to sell.
Overall, the town itself wasn't the main appeal for me. A lot of our time was spent walking around the area; Helen is right next to Unicoi State Park, which is also home to Anna Ruby Falls (see the panorama shot above). There are a few other falls in the area that I just now found out about, and I'm wishing I'd seen them too (and the more I read about it, the more it's killing me).
There's also Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia at 4784 feet. Sarah and I drove up to the parking area and, as her knee was hurting, didn't try the steep trail up to the vistor's center at the summit. I went back the next day by myself and discovered that I was almost not up to it in my own right; the trail is a modest 0.6 miles long, but climbs about 1000 feet in that distance. Nonetheless, I made it. The gloves, hat, and sweatshirt that I took off on the way up all went back on at the top, as there's nothing to stop the wind.
Thanks to the in-room movie service at the hotel, we finally caught up on some movies, specifically: The Departed, Casino Royale, and The Illusionist. All are excellent, and I recommend them to your attention.
Miscellany
This past weekend was kind of a mini-vacation for Sarah and myself. We drove out to Helen, GA and stayed for a few nights. It's an odd town, kind of like Gatlinburg if it were hit with a shrink-ray and turned into a small Bavarian theme park. It does have its moments, though. There are a couple of very good German restaurants in the area; Sarah and I spent a lot of time at the Altstader Weinstube and Biergarten. I particularly recommend the goulash and the schnitzel. And there are small shops in among the tourist traps that actually have interesting stuff to sell.
Overall, the town itself wasn't the main appeal for me. A lot of our time was spent walking around the area; Helen is right next to Unicoi State Park, which is also home to Anna Ruby Falls (see the panorama shot above). There are a few other falls in the area that I just now found out about, and I'm wishing I'd seen them too (and the more I read about it, the more it's killing me).
There's also Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia at 4784 feet. Sarah and I drove up to the parking area and, as her knee was hurting, didn't try the steep trail up to the vistor's center at the summit. I went back the next day by myself and discovered that I was almost not up to it in my own right; the trail is a modest 0.6 miles long, but climbs about 1000 feet in that distance. Nonetheless, I made it. The gloves, hat, and sweatshirt that I took off on the way up all went back on at the top, as there's nothing to stop the wind.
Thanks to the in-room movie service at the hotel, we finally caught up on some movies, specifically: The Departed, Casino Royale, and The Illusionist. All are excellent, and I recommend them to your attention.
Miscellany
- I passed my yonkyu test in Aikido last month, took a break to rest and let some stuff heal, and now I'm back at it.
- I made a B on my first Calculus test. I'm annoyed, but in all fairness, I did drive 400 miles to get to class that day.
- Upcoming trips include New York City, Kansas, and North Dakota. More schedule information as I have it.
- Check out a copy of His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik. Alternate history, with dragons, set during the Napoleonic Wars.
posted by Matt at
11:44 AM
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