In this somewhat remote part of Georgia is a marvel of a state park. There is an 1880 Covered bridge over a dam from the same timeframe that created a shallow pond that the Cypress tree has fallen in love with.
It is a lovely camping spot. Quiet and calm.
Fort Scott has an interesting history. It was built when the frontier of new America started here. It was overbuilt in terms of the strength of construction. Meant to last a long time, which it has. But only after a few years it was readily apparent that folks were going to continue to forge west and the frontier continued the march to the Pacific. Fort Scott was closed.
The fort had passed into private hands and was used for housing and became run down. The US government stepped in to save it and its place in US history. The town ended up being built right next door and has retained its charm.
I had no idea I could be a rockhound. Sure, over the years I have picked up a notable stone here and there and held on for awhile, but they have always found a way back to ground, getting lost in natural camouflage.
I went for a walk in an open area next to our campground at Torrey, Utah. Utah is prized as a part of the world to hunt for attractive rocks. I could not resist what lay at my feet. These will travel with us on this RV journey until we arrive home, where they will work their way into our landscaping.
Goblin Valley.
Not on the way to anywhere, it seems, but we were close enough to make the side trip to see this so very unique creation of Nature.
The photos pretty much say it all.
Torrey, Utah
This is a geologic feature of this small town which is 11 miles from Capitol Reef National Park.
Unique in its architecture, the locals have given it the name. It is fitting. You imagine sarcophagi in the shapes. If you stare for awhile, you begin to see faces, as if ancient spirits have been frozen in the rock, their afterlife secured for the ages.
We planned a stop here as, reading about it, it seemed like a good place to take a soak in the 102-114 degree mineral pools. The pools were indeed nice.
However, we were not expecting the weekend crowds we encountered and the popularity of tubing the Portneuf river that slides along the lava rock of the area. It was a zoo! Cathy did the 11 minute tube ride twice and had a blast.
Tube shuttle trucks endlessly move through town:
The river is busy:
Check the pile of tube rentals in the distance:
Our campground had a unique configuration and we were assigned a "showplace" site as if we were in an RV dealers' lot on display:
Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The sight of this noble earth and rock mass was a means for celebration to the early settlers moving west in the days of wagon trains. It as the sign that 2/3 of their journey was over. The Great Plains were behind them. The Old Oregon Trail they were on took them right through a gap in the bluffs.
Scott, the namesake, was a fur trader who was left behind by a group he had joined. Folks after him named it in his honor. He likely would have preferred another way to be remembered. Nonetheless, it is a very impressive sight. They allow hikers and bikers to ascend the road to the top prior to opening the road to traffic at 9 AM. We did that and it was great.
