If there is one thing that can keep you from enjoying your travels through Georgia it is the heat. I’m not sure why, maybe to travel fewer miles between campgrounds on our way to Michigan, or maybe because much of Georgia had eluded us over the years and we thought it would be fun to spent some time exploring it. Unfortunately, we chose to spend 2 weeks traveling through the peach state during one of the hottest summers on record.
Did we have any peaches? We bought two, at a price equivalent to a gallon of gas. Vivian also tried peach ice cream, which cost less than the fruit itself.
At any rate, we left Mt Dora with temps reaching 90+ degrees, and began our exploration of Georgia not far from the Florida border, at Laura S Walker State Park. The heat and rain showers followed us to the campground. This is a lovely campground on the water, but unfortunately the black flies contributed to our discomfort like an annoying cousin visiting at the most inopportune time. In short, we really couldn’t enjoy ourselves beyond our shaded campsite and the wonderful AC that greeted us every time we stepped inside the Casita.
Did I mention it was hot? Daytime temps never failed to reach 90 degrees during our entire time in Georgia, from the low country, through the rolling hills of the Piedmonts to the Appalachian Mountains.
Our next stop was Augusta. A casual stroll downtown and along the Savannah River started off enjoyable enough; but after a couple miles, it was time to seek refuge from the heat – which was the Morris Museum of Art. And later, lunch at Bradley’s BBQ. Before heading back to the campground, we stopped at the Confederate States Power Works building, which produced much of the gunpowder for the Confederate armies. For whatever reason, General William T Sherman’s Union army on its infamous march to the sea bypassed Augusta while the power works continued production.
Augusta’s riverwalk on the Savannah River 
The Savannah River divides Georgia from South Carolina. 
At the Morris, we enjoyed the southern artist exhibit. 
Mine and Vivian’s favorite, “From This Earth” by Lamar Dodd 
Bradley’s BBQ in downtown Augusta, at lunch time. 
Georgia BBQ is quite good 
The Powder works building was in use during the Civil War and now preserved. 
Opposite direction of Sherman’s march to the sea, we left Augusta and drove west to Madison. The town is considered one of the most picturesque in the world with plenty of antebellum homes and a main street full of historical buildings to prove it. For whatever reason, Sherman and his troops left Madison mostly in tact.
While staying near Madison, we drove a short distance north to Athens, where we visited the birthplace of public higher education in America, the University of Georgia. It’s a beautiful campus with lots of rolling hills and curvy roads that make it easy to get lost. We visited the Georgia Museum of Art (to escape the heat, of course) and learned about artist Edmonia Lewis, a black woman who gained support from Frederick Douglas and became an internationally renowned sculptor.
You can’t visit Athens without experiencing its downtown scene next to the university campus, a popular location for student nightlife. And also the birthplace of bands like REM and the B-52s. The youthful vibe steeped in college culture was refreshing after spending time deep in antebellum country.
Last, we headed north into the Appalachian foothills. Not only did the heat follow us, but the humidity worsened. But we had a lovely shaded campsite on the water, and evenings were mostly pleasant enough to enjoy sitting out with our drinks.
Staying there allowed us to visit the first major site of the U.S gold rush, the tallest cascading waterfall in the southeast, and Project CHIMPS, all within the Appalachian mountains.
The gold rush village of Dahlonega. 
Amicalola Falls, at 729 feet it is the tallest in Georgia. 
At the top of the falls 
In the Amicalola Falls state park campground 
Our friend Candy gave us a tour of Project CHIMPS 
Project CHIMPS is a sanctuary for chimps used in research. 
Several large buildings house 10-20 chimps. Over 100 adult chimps live at the project where they can be indoors or outdoors, its their choice. 
No one is given direct access to the chimps, there is always a barrier between human and chimp.
Our last stop was another Georgia state park, James ‘Sloppy’ Floyd, not far from the Chickamauga National Historic Battlefield. And once again, we avoided the hottest time of the day by visiting the battlefield in the morning where we took a ranger-led tour. Chickamauga was a site of a Confederate victory, but it came with a cost. As soldiers were spent on the battlefield of farmland near Chickamauga, nearby Chattanooga had become a Union stronghold and would soon be the starting point for Sherman’s march to the sea.
The first national military park in the country, established in 1895. 
War veterans came together and created the park filled with monuments and plaques. 
Blue plaques signified union 
Pyramids of cannonballs are placed in locations where specific commanders were killed. 
Overlooking Chattanooga from Lookout Mountain.
If not for the weather, we would have enjoyed Georgia much more and explored more of it So, We’d like to come back to some of these places – just not in August. In the spirit of Scarlett O’Hara, “Afterall, tomorrow is another day”.
Changing Views From Our RV 