Road trip.........

.
......Sorta.....

I'd have thought last night would have been spent in nocturnal dreams of the vague and disturbing type......especially after sliding to the floor and low crawling to the bedroom.

Not so.......for at around 12:30 I'm sitting on the side of the bed, replying to the wife's query as to "what's the matter" with a squeaky "It Hurts".

So off to the kitchen to warm the rice filled heating pad in the microwave and attempt to find comfort on the big recliner. This helps the muscles in the neck but nothing for the sharp cutting pain in the shoulder.........so off to the freezer for the ice pack.

At last........freeze the nerves in the shoulder while heating the neck......
....Hey don't look at me like that.........I'd have murdered your sister for a little relief. My way didn't require any bloodshed.

One would think that today would have been spent in taking ease on the couch watching Tim Russert pander to his masters.....(whoever they are).....
But no.......sometimes you have to get out of the confines of the nursing home.....
.....and so.....

Off to the hills to the north.

Vectoring the Red Ram up 441 through Commerce (where Bill Anderson....ol' Wispering Bill his-own-self......wrote the hit 'City Lights' while working as a DJ there long and long ago. (sorry no you tube version available)
Then up through Baldwin Ga. home of the big red apple............sadly all the once productive orchards have been abandoned to progress or simply to grow rampantly, unpruned, neglected like red headed step children.........their branches reaching skyward like witches fingers.........and you think....what a shame, no one cares for them any more. Once you could buy local apples and boiled peanuts along the road. (if you've never tried this, you have missed out on a little bit of heaven on earth.....the salty goodness of the goobers perfectly balanced with crisp, juicy bliss in a red or green skin.

Onward.........

Up 105 across 115 to 17 past the Nacoochee indian mounds. Some fool has built a house atop the actual native American burial mound, the smaller more famous mound was found to contain only two Caucasian skeletons........possibly members of De Soto's expedition in search of the fountain of youth.

Through the faux alpine village of Helen.........logging town of yore while the majestic pines, oaks and popular trees still could be found..........now a tourist trap that even on a cool winter Sunday draws the after church crowd in search of trinkets and beer.

On up the Richard Russel highway to the trailhead to Raven Cliffs..........a nice
2 1/2 mile trek which I figured, given the wife's limited lung capacity, would be shortened to about 1/4 mile. To the surprise of both the pooch and I we went the whole way. Deep dark tangles of Mountain Magnolia, Rhododendron and Sourwood trees lightened by the occasional White Pine grove. The temp was just right for a light jacket. The murmur and occasional roar of Dood creek our constant companion......... the trip could have only been better if we'd thought to bring along a little water and a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches.

Back at home..........I immediately held the recliner in a recumbent posture for two hours in lieu of supper since the Wendy's Spicey Chicken for lunch was not consumed till after 4pm. The pooch stretched out on the couch like a small shoat awaiting the ritual dunking in scalding water for the scrapping of hair and dirt preparatory to cutting into hams and porkchops......the wife off to a long hot soak.......and a hot shower for me, followed by the preemptive application of horse lineament to my, sure to be sore tomorrow, calves.

And now fortified by Hersey's Dark chocolate, furnished by a thoughtful lady, and a glass of milk, I sit here with the heating pad once more across my shoulders........fingers shaking slightly from the fatigue of the day......... thankful for the wonders of nature and the time to enjoy it.