Today was an off the bike day. Though it took a few for me to roll out of bed, I made my coffee and a quick breakfast.
Being off the bike, decided to explore another Georgia State Park. Which ones hadn’t I visited within my permitted radius? It was going to be warm enough for shorts, yet cool enough to enjoy a late fall day. I dug out my fishing gear, and made sure I had snacks in my daypack.
After filling up my car with gas, I had about a 40 minute drive to A. H. Stephens State Park. This park, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s as Camp Liberty, offered walking/biking trails, equestrian trails, and lakes. Due to current COVID restrictions, the museum on the property is still closed, nine months after the world went upside down!
The drive to the Visitor’s Center is a bit of a narrow and windy trek, but beautiful all the same. Driving up, I noticed an open field with Christmas decorations. I found my way to the restroom first, of course! Note on that, the push lock did not work on the handle! Went in to the Visitor’s Center and chatted with a nice lady who works there on the weekends. She pointed me to the trails and gave me a map.
I got my pack out of the car, and headed off. Much of the trails, built by the CCC, were originally roads within the park. The first was paved and led to the main campground.
Along the way, I passed a couple water pump houses, and a few nature trail signs describing critters that can often be seen within the park.
I entered the campground drive and walked around it to the water/observation tower.
I waved to a few campers and chatted from afar with the owner of an overland rig, which was impressive. It is not very common to see overlanders on the east coast! After looking at the tower, I headed back past campsite #1, and went down the wide track, continuing straight when I could have turned right. Leaves on the ground and a breeze rustled the leaves remaining in the trees.
At the end of the trail, which slowly went downhill, I landed at a picnic table next to the lake. It was time to whip out my Zebco 33 Telescopic casting pole. I never expect to catch a fish, as I am quite certain both my hook and fake bait are not the best set up, but I stood there for about an hour, wondering if there were any fish in Lake Buncombe.
No luck as I suspected. The breeze had picked up, so I felt a slight chill. Time to head back up towards the main campground. I say main campground because the park also has an equestrian campground, for riders and their horses! I used the campground restroom, which did have a locking door.
I headed back towards the Visitor’s Center, and took a right on the Cedar Nature Trail, another wide track. This took me back to the road and park entry point. They decorated the fee station rather nicely!
I cut across the open grassy area so I could check out the decorations. Each little exhibit was provided by a different local organization. The Christmas program runs through Christmas Day, and starts at 6 p.m. Maybe I will be able to see it next year!
I got back to my car and realized I had forgotten to turn off my headlights since it had been foggy on the way in. All was good, and I sought out food. I was not impressed with the BBQ I picked up to sit and eat in my car. I was also not impressed with the lack of expression by the employees at the BBQ joint, which will remain unnamed.
I continued along backroads all the way home, so it took a bit longer, but a country drive is good for the soul!
I look forward to visiting the park again at some point. I forgot to mention, the Visitor’s Center rents out fat tire bikes to ride on the trails. During non-holiday weekdays, they allow non-equestrians to go along the equestrian trail, which I believe there are more than 21 miles of trails!
I have been using the heck out of my state park pass over these last eight months, which has kept me sane during pandemic restrictions.
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