The Wandering Disciple

Hop aboard the Stone Mountain Railroad and enjoy a scenic ride on the rails around historic Stone Mountain Park. The rock line takes you on a five mile loop that completely encircles Stone Mountain, a 1,686 foot quartz monzonite dome.  Stone Mountain Railroad was once a spur of the Stone Mountain Granite Company used to serve the mines at the foot of Stone Mountain. In the 1960's the rail lines were repurposed to create a tourist scenic rail line and the present day Stone Mountain Railway was born. Today the train is one of the many attractions you can enjoy when you visit Stone Mountain Park.  Taken: December 21, 2014 at Stone Mountain Park, (Stone Mountain, GA)

The Summit Skyride travels to the pinnacle of Stone Mountain, taking guests on a stunning view of the mountain and its surroundings. This Swiss cable car lifts over 825 feet above the ground as it transports its riders to the top of Stone Mountain. From here you can see over sixty miles and includes a birds eye view of nearby Atlanta and the distant Appalachian Mountains. (Photo: December 21, 2014)

Merry Christmas from Donten Photography.  Today's Christmas edition of Photo of the Day comes from Stone Mountain Park.  Each year, the park transforms into Snow Mountain Park filled with millions of Christmas lights, shows and snow.  (Photo: December 21, 2014)

Looking more like the surface of the moon rather than a Georgian mountainside, the top of Stone Mountain features barren rock craters and very limited trees. The summit can be reached by a cable car or by hiking to the top. (Photo: December 21, 2014)

A diesel locomotive from the Stone Mountain Railroad sits on the tracks at Stone Mountain Park.  Once utilized by the Stone Mountain Granite Company to help their quarry operations, today the railroad provides a scenic tour around the base of Stone Mountain. (Photo: December 21, 2014)

The Confederate Memorial adorns the side of Stone Mountain.  The memorial is the largest bas relief sculpture in the world, measuring nearly three acres.  It features Confederate president Jefferson Davis with generals Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson.  (Photo: December 21, 2014)

The village at Stone Mountain lights up the night sky as thousands of bright Christmas light adorn the buildings.  Christmas at Stone Mountain is a holiday celebration featuring Christmas lights, holiday shows, a sing-along train ride and much more.  (Photo: December 21, 2014)

Stone Mountain, Georgia: Rising over 1,600 feet above the Earth, Stone Mountain is home to Stone Mountain Park. A brief drive outside Atlanta allows you to leave the city life in the rear view and enjoy Mother Nature’s finest creations as well as take a glimpse into history. The history of Stone Mountain goes back several million years ago during the creation of the Blue Ridge Mountain range during the Ordovician Period. Geologists believe that magma during the creation of the mountain solidified underground. Over the years, erosion exposed the solidified magma, resulting in the Stone Mountain we see today. European settlers learned of the mountain in 1597 but when they arrived they realized that they weren’t the first inhabitants of Stone Mountain, the Creek and Cherokee Indians already resided on the mountain. In 1790, President George Washington visited the mountain to negotiate a treaty with the Indians, but that resulted in a war and the land being ceded to the state of ...