Upper Tallulah Basin, GA April 2010 |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2010) |
Molly's ready for an adventure! (before heading over to Tallulah) |
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A gravel forest service road (FS70) follows the upper Tallulah River on an old railbed, winding through the spectacular Rock Mountain Gorge. After about 4 miles, the gorge widens out to a beautiful small valley, the site of Tate City, an old mining and later logging town. We visited Denton Branch Falls first, and then made stops for photos, lunch, & other short hikes on the return... |
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Colorful barn in Tate City |
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Close-up of the barn roof to better show the "See Tate City". A takeoff on the ubiquitous "See Rock City" barn roofs. |
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Horse farm in Tate City, upper Tallulah basin. After going through a narrow, winding river gorge, the bottom widens out to this beautiful little valley. |
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Denton Branch Falls. |
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Molly stays busy with E, as B shoots pics |
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Two good girls! |
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Another view of Denton Branch Falls |
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Under the rhododendrons |
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Tate City Mall |
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Well, what do you expect in a town of population 32 +/- ? |
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I couldn't even fit in the door to shop! |
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This was a good spot for lunch. |
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Molly waits patiently while we eat lunch... |
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I was hoping this log wouldn't suddenly decide to slip into the rapids...! |
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A couple of artists painting the river gorge |
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I guess one advantage of painting vs. photos is that you don't worry about someone (like us!) stepping into your subject. |
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A few more views of the gorge of the upper Tallulah River: (not to be confused with Tallulah Gorge, further to the south...) |
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You can see where high water has worn a tunnel through the rock. |
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One thing that the photos don't convey is the tremendous sound of the river / rapids. |
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A series of cascades. |
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The river here has a tight squeeze between the rocks. |
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But here the river has room to spread out a bit... |
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Notice the perfectly circular hole in the rock at upper right... |
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Huge boulders litter the river gorge. |
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Artists and fishermen on the river. The Tallulah is a popular spot for trout fishing. |
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The Coleman River, which feeds into the Tallulah |
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Small waterfall on the Coleman River |
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Mold and moss on end of an old tree trunk cut. |
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Popcorn Overlook, scenic viewpoint along Hwy 76 |