peterskucmaphotography

Looking Back – YE Travels Ormond Beach to Pasadena #1– Callaway Gardens

Finally have finished the documenting our year end trip from Florida to Pasadena — the opportunity to finish has been granted by the horrible Coronavirus. I hope this finds you all well and are handling cabin fever as we are. We were hoping to be back in Florida soon but alas the virus has put our home sale on hold and we will be in Pasadena until the market returns. I will be publishing the trip over the next several days — so enjoy.

I have upgraded my blog site and the URL is: peterskucma.photography — if you enjoy the posts please feel free invite others to join.

We are Back in Pasadena after a 3000 mile cross country trip enjoying the sites and roads of this country. Most importantly we were able to spend time with family in North Carolina and Northern California over the holidays. Our first leg was from OB to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain GA.(https://www.callawaygardens.com/). We spent the day touring the gardens and the night at their Fantasy in Lights. Riding by open air tram in the low 30’s was more than invigorating.

The Gardens, Butterfly Center and Aviary

Fantasy in Lights

April 6, 2020 6

Hiking Black Creek Ravines Conservation Area

You will see a remarkable number of different Florida landscapes here, with elevations ranging from five feet above mean sea level at points along Black Creek to 90 feet above mean sea level on the sandhills. Some areas within the conservation area are classified as being imperiled in Florida because of their rarity and vulnerability to natural or man-made factors. Consisting primarily of pine flatwoods, sandhills and wetlands, this property’s most distinctive characteristics are the seepage slopes and steep ravines that result from a series of naturally eroding seepage streams. These sensitive ecosystems support a wide variety of native aquatic and wetland-dependent species. About 2.7 miles of the south shore of Black Creek is protected to maintain the important recharge functions of the upland sandhill community.

One of the special highlights of this property is its ravine system, which is almost a mile in length and almost 95 feet deep. Ravines are created when an underground soil layer, typically comprised of dense clay, prevents rainwater from percolating downward through the soil layers and into the water table and instead forces the water to move laterally across the landscape, creating natural erosion that begins as a small gully and over time grows into a large ravine. Additionally, one of the features not to be missed at Black Creek Ravines is the spectacular overlook of Black Creek. The bluff stands almost 30 feet above the creek, an elevation rarely seen in Florida and provides a breath-taking view of the creek.

November 26, 2019 2

Day 2

Early morning hike along the High Shoals Trail passing Blue Hole Falls and ending at Shoals Falls. This 2.4 mile trail was well marked and described at the trail head except for one important point -a bridge over the stream to the falls was out. It was a quick wake-up fording the stream – glad I wasn’t doing it in the spring.

Moving on to Brasstown Bald which is the highest point in the U.S. state of Georgia. Located in northeast Georgia, the mountain is known to the native Cherokee people as Enotah. The bald is 4783 feet above sea level. You could hike from the parking lot to the bald but after doing the High Shoals Trail I opted for the parks shuttle bus — but I did hike down to my car.

My next stop was Anna Ruby Falls. Anna Ruby Falls is a pair of beautiful waterfalls, cascading in tandem through a beautiful slice of North Georgia forest. The twin waterfalls spill from a towering cliff in wispy white tendrils before splashing and pooling over mossy boulders.

The final hike of the day was Dukes Creek Trail a moderate 2 miles out and back through a beautiful, mountain stream-filled forest in Georgia just north of Helen. The trail descends alongside a shallow, mossy stream, hiking to several large, cascading waterfalls that tumble at the convergence of Davis Creek and Dukes Creek. At trails end the main attraction is a multi-tiered, 150-foot-tall drop of Dukes Creek Falls.

High Shoals Trail

Brasstown Bald

Anna Ruby Falls

Dukes Creek Falls

Day 3

Awoke to a light rain so I donned rain gear and headed out. First stop was Helton Creek Falls. Helton Creek Falls cascades in a set of two waterfalls, sliding down a beautiful, hemlock-

filled creek valley. Getting there was half the fun – fording two streams and hoping the Rouge

was going to make it.

The weather went down hills as I headed to Amicalola Falls. Amicalola Falls is a 729-foot waterfall on Amicalola Creek in Dawson County, Georgia. It the highest waterfall in Georgia and is considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. The name “Amicalola” is derived from a Cherokee language word meaning “tumbling waters”.

Too bad I didn’t make it — the rains were so heavy I need to pull off the winding mountain roads because the wipe couldn’t clear the windshield. When I arrived at the park the ranger didn’t advise hiking to the falls — so I headed south to Ormond Beach — but is was a fun trip. You can check out Amicalola here:https://www.atlantatrails.com/amicalola-falls

Helton Creek Falls

Trekking in Northern Georgia Day #1

Left Plantation Bay on Sunday and drove to Helen Ga.- my first stop on my Leaf peeping and waterfall hiking trip. Helen was a surprise an Alpine Village in the south. Sunday was their Oktoberfest and the town was packed with swaying revelers. On Monday I started my touring just after sunrise first viewing a small waterfall on the Chattahoochee River then heading through fog shrouded fields to Stovall Mill covered bridge. Then off to my first hike in Tallulah Gorge SP – the park has 6 waterfalls and a trail with 5 view spots. The gorge is over 1000 feet deep and two miles long. My highlight was the 310 steps down the gorge to a swing bridge over Hurricane falls. Not a fan of swinging bridges but it was the only way to get a close look at the falls. I then headed north to Black Rock Mountain SP for the leaf viewing – northern Georgia was near to past peak – many trees were just brown because of limited rainfall this summer. To get a up close view of the colors I hiked the Tennessee Rock trail – a 2.2 mile loop trail first dipping into a gorge the up to and along the eastern continental divide. An overlook point on the trail provided views of mountains in North and South Carolina as well as Tennessee. I ended the day in Young Harris Ga. a few miles from the North Carolina border.

Helen Ga.

Tallulah Gorge SP

November 2, 2019 3

2019 Europe & Africa Trip – Day 27 – Italy – Orvieto 2 & Home

Our last day on this amazing vacation. On our way to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport we stopped back at Orvieto to finish viewing the town and viewing the interior of the Duomo. From Rome we flew to Paris, spent the night -then flew to Atlanta on the 26th and completed our travels driving the 6 hours to Plantation Bay.

September 29, 2019 4

2019 Europe & Africa Trip – Day 26 – Italy -Montalciino; Montepulciano; Pienza

Pienza is a town in Tuscany, Italy. The central Piazza Pio II is framed by 15th-century buildings like the Pienza Cathedral and Piccolomini Palace. The latter was Pope Pius II’s summer residence and features a roof garden with valley views.

Montepulciano – The king of Italian wines reside here. So we bought a case hopefully the shipping works.

Montalcino is dominated by an imposing fortress and blessed with a impressive history. But this Medieval hill-top town is arguably these days best known for its wines, being home to Bruello di Montalcino , one of the world’s most famous reds.

September 29, 2019 0

2019 Europe & Africa Trip – Day 25 – Italy – The Chianti Region

Our first real rainy day in 25 but it didn’t stop us from driving around the area stopping for tastings and checking out the city centers. Our stops included:

– Castellina – Radda – Gaiole – Greve – home of Verrazano – Panzano

September 29, 2019 0

2019 Europe & Africa Trip – Day 24 – Italy – Volterra, San Gimignano & Certaldo

Volterra is a walled town southwest of Florence, in Italy. The central Palazzo dei Priori has medieval frescoes and a bell tower with expansive views. Volterra Cathedral has a marble entrance and a gilded coffered ceiling. Nearby are the remains of the Etruscan Acropolis. The Guarnacci Etrurian Museum has a rich collection of archaeological artifacts. The Roman Theater complex includes the ruins of 3rd-century baths. Check out Alabaster Carver – wonder what his lungs look like.

San Gimignano is an Italian hill town in Tuscany, southwest of Florence. Encircled by 13th-century walls, its old town centers on Piazza della Cisterna, a triangular square lined with medieval houses. It has a skyline of medieval towers, including the stone Torre Grossa. The Duomo di San Gimignano is a 12th-century church with frescoes by Ghirlandaio in its Santa Fina Chapel.

Certaldo in Tuscany Italy is famous for being the birthplace of the poet Giovanni Boccaccio. The name comes from the Latin ‘cerrus altus‘ which translated literally means ‘hill covered with oaks’. This medieval town is currently divided into two parts, Certaldo Basso (Borgo) and Certaldo Alto (Castle), connected by funicular for those who cannot or do not want to do the ‘pettata’ (steep uphill) walk! Certaldo Alto is the old part of the citadel that is rich in monuments, churches and scenic spots that are very striking.

September 23, 2019 0

2019 Europe & Africa Trip – Day 23 – Italy – Siena & Montariggioni

Our first full day in Italy covered Siena – Siena is distinguished by its medieval brick buildings. The fan-shaped central square, Piazza del Campo, is the site of the Palazzo Pubblico, the Gothic town hall, and Torre del Mangia, a slender 14th-century tower with sweeping views from its distinctive white crown. The city’s 17 historic “contrade” (districts) extend outward from the piazza. Siena Cathedral is a medieval church dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church, and now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.

From Siena we headed to Montariggioni – Monteriggioni is a walled town in Tuscany, Italy, known for its medieval fortifications and watchtowers. The castle walls offer views of the surrounding Chianti region.