Tallulah Gorge and Falls

Saturday we took a trip up to Tallulah State Park and walked the trails along the gorge to see the falls.  They only offer 100 permits a day to actually go to the very bottom of the gorge into the river itself, and unfortunately by the time we got there (still pretty early in the day) the permits had all been handed out.  We went as far as we could though, starting at the top (over 750 feet) and traversing down to almost the very bottom (about ten feet).

Zuri was fairly lethargic at the beginning.  She actually wanted her stroller (which is unusual for her).  It could have been the heat--we are still in the middle of a "deadly" heat wave, and Zuri does not like the heat.  She didn't complain though, just enjoyed her cozy stroller ride.

It seems like overnight the leaves have started to turn.  We first noticed the leaves changing yesterday at the Callaway Gardens, and we saw quite a bit of color starting to pop through the green on our hike today.  It is too bad we won't be here to see it all in the fall--it will be beautiful with all the trees out here!

 This is the southern view of the gorge.  Oceana falls is directly below.  We are at the top of the gorge at 750 feet.

                                                          Wildflowers still in bloom

We went all the way down the steps.  All 1062 down and 1062 back up!  It was crazy!  Zuri loved it and didn't want to stop to enjoy the view of the falls.  She wanted to go right back up the steps.  She went almost the whole way--she was picked up a few times to let others by.  People kept laughing and making comments about how cute she is, and how would it be to have that energy again! 

The three of us on the suspension bridge.  It was the weirdest feeling, because when you first get on the bridge, it feels really stable and you think it won't move, but as more people come on, it wobbles up and down a bit.  The more people who are on, the more it wobbles.

Hurricane falls and the bottom of the gorge. 

After the falls, we ate a late lunch by the lake. 

Since we were so close to the border of South Carolina, we decided to take a drive on over.  Zuri had fallen asleep and we thought she could get a good nap while we drove.  Unfortunately, the roads were too windy for that to happen.

We stopped in at this little market.  Peaches out here are so delicious!