Minihaha/BRMSP ramble

   6-8-15

    Minihaha Falls here I come !! I even had directions written down . With mileages to the turning points . Right there on the front seat beside me . Well.... you guessed it . Haha . The directions I had were lacking in one small area . The name of the road you turned on to get to the road the falls are on . I figured it out about five miles later and pulled a u turn . When you see the Lake Seed dam turn left if you are going west . Then turn on Bear Gap Road . No , I won't tell you the name of the road . Don't want to spoil your adventure . 

   You still have to keep your eyes peeled for the post/sign/ stairs . They are on the right and the small pull off is on the right . If you are as observant as I am , you can always back up after you miss the pull off . 

   After the first couple of steps , it's not too bad . BTW  . If you don't use hiking sticks or a walking staff , this would be a great place to start using them .

   The path goes through tunnels of mountain laurel and rhododendron  . If I remember correctly (another haha ) laurel leaves are short and the rhodies are long . They were both beautiful . Factoid . Rhododendrons are poisonous . Do not use for firewood .

    

   There are quite a few small cascades along the path as you follow the creek up to the falls . Use caution if you go down to them . It's slicker than owl snot on some of the side paths . 

   The falls are about as picturesque as you could ask for . There is one lone tree you may have to work around to get the picture that you want . There was one other fellow hiker on this day and we both spent a while just enjoying the solitude and the sounds of the waterfall . 

   Like I mentioned earlier hiking sticks or a walking staff are real good for this spot . As you can see , the spray from the waterfall keeps the ground and slick rocks pretty wet . Also the mass of tree roots make for great toe busters that can easily turn into butt busters . 

   I see a lot of pictures that show the water as a flowing milky white sheet . I may try for a few of these but mostly I kind of like to see the drops , drips , and splashes . 

   Next up was a side trip to the Moccasin Creek S P area . Another u turn got me on Wildcat Creek Road . The ride up Wildcat Creek  made this look like a prime  trout fishing spot but I bet it is slammed on weekends with folks enjoying the sliding rock . 

   Moccasin Creek S P was a lot smaller than I had imagined . Fairly crowded and not spread out as is usual with Georgia's great State Park system . The trout hatchery next door is ok if you have kids to take fishing . If you have been to the CNF hatchery on Rock Creek , you may give this one a pass . 

   There is another waterfall in this area but it was getting hot and I wanted to get cooled off at Black Rock Mountain S P , the highest S P in Georgia . I stopped at Ingle's deli and bought a late lunch and a jug of sweet tea . There is a picnic shelter by the visitor center where I ate . The views here are long range and magnificent .

   One more haha for the day's ramble . I asked the lady Ranger in the visitor center for directions to the park's waterfall . After taking a gander at my Santa Claus like physique , she told  me it wasn't a regular waterfall per se but more like a rock wall with a little water running down it . She added that some folks were a bit disappointed after seeing it . 

   It's only a quarter mile , right ? Right ... haha ... LMAO !!! At least the lmao was probably what she did after I left . 

   I didn't count the steps on the way down . I did on the long climb back up . There are 150 or so . Where there aren't stairs , there could be . I'm guessing they figured they didn't want to compete with Tallulah Gorge for the most steps . Or have to put up cardiac warning signs . 

  I had to think hard about putting pics of the ''waterfall '' in this ramble . I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from seeing them in person . 

  On a very odd side note , I had ample time to concoct an easier way back to the top . But only in my mind . Take off all my clothes , throw them in the bushes , and wait on the next set of tourists to report the insane nekkid man at the bottom of the trail . Surely the Rangers would carry me back up . 

   You will all be pleased to know that I made it back to the top . Fully clothed , under my own power , with no handcuffs .

Eufaula NWR ramble

   Eufaula NWR is located just north of Eufaula , Alabama . The town itself is well worth a visit . A well kept and enchanting stretch of houses line the main drag headed to Lake Eufaula on the Chattahoochee which is also the dividing line between Alabama and Georgia . Factoid - When the state line was established ,unlike most rivers dividing status , The Georgia line was placed at the high water mark on the Alabama shore rather than the center of the river , giving Georgia title to the entire width of the Chattahoochee .

   This trip was in mid May . It must have been the mating season for these guys because they were everywhere and appeared to be doing quite a bit of traveling .

   The water in the impoundments was very low to non existent . There were signs of hogs rooting every where you looked . There seems to be a serious hog problem here . While standing on the edge of the levee scanning a semidry section , I heard something coming towards me in heavy brush at the bottom of the levee . With the wind in my favor , I was expecting to see deer .  Nope . About a dozen of these little piggies popped out about ten feet away , saw me , said something that sounded like '' oh it-shay '' and took off hauling butt . Momma either wasn't there or she laid low .

   I was starting to wonder about the bird sightings , or rather the lack of , but I was still in the upper portion of the Refuge . I headed down to the Houston impoundment that follows the Chattahoochee .     A first for me in these numbers that appeared through out the Refuge were the Little Blue Herons .

   This is not the best photo but there are four different species in it . Front left is a Snow Egret . Front right is a Great Egret . Back left and right are Little Blue Heron . Back center is a Great Blue Heron .

                                                      Another Great Blue Heron      

                                                                      Great Egret

There seemed to be a little bit more water in the lower impoundment .

                                                            American White Ibis

                                                         

   These tiny purple flowers gave much of the area a rather splendid purple haze .

  There were quite a few of these blooming as well . I guess I am going to have to invest in a plant I D book or catch the devil from the YaYa plant experts .

   The aquatic flowers and plants were putting on a pretty good show also .

                                                                 Fishing buddies

   Something I missed entirely while trying to get a shot of this Ibis was the hog trap in the background . I only saw it after I had downloaded pics and reviewed them on the monitor . The Refuge is definitely trying to get the hog problem under control . Maybe I can help them out when hunting season rolls around .

   I finally got this Ibis in focus when it slowed down for a landing .

   I am still working on my photography skills and this is a great place to work on them .

   From the next pics you would never guess where they were taken . This stretch of beautiful flowers was planted planted between the road and the maintenance equipment yard . Not bad from what I assume are some construction type workers .

   The Chattahoochee River gets fairly wide as it enters Lake Eufaula . There were quite a few folks out fishing . If you are looking for a place to wet a line , birdwatch , relax , or maybe catch up to some bbq on the hoof , I highly recommend this fabulous Refuge , lake , and town .