The Wandering Disciple

Tallulah Falls, Georgia: At a depth of over 900 feet, Tallulah Gorge located in north Georgia is the deepest canyon east of the Mississippi. Formed by the flow of the Tallulah River, the gorge is a popular park in the Georgia State Park system.  The centerpiece of the park is the famous Tallulah Falls, a series of falls that give the town its name. While we did not have time to stop in the park to fully explore what it has to offer, we did manage to stop at the scenic overlook at the rim of the gorge.  There is a scenic bypass off of US-23 that passes over the sound rim of the gorge and features a great roadside attraction called Tallulah Point.  From their covered porch you can get a look at the beauty of the gorge. The 2,600 acre state park features hiking trails, a museum, campsites, a beach for swimming and many more amenities.  Adventurous hikers can hike to the floor of the gorge after obtaining a permit from the ranger station.  Only 100 permits ar...

A young gorilla hangs from the ropes at Zoo Atlanta.  Zoo Atlanta is home to the nation's largest collection of gorillas.  Since 1988, nineteen gorillas have been born at the zoo.  They can be found in different colonies at the 1.5 acre habitat at the Willie B Gorilla Conservation Center, part of the Ford African Rain Forest at Zoo Atlanta. (Photo: June 5, 2016)

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee:   Today we continued our trek to the mountains of Tennessee as we checked-out of our hotel in Atlanta and hit the road for our four hour trip to Tennessee.  This section of the trip would cross two more states off our list as we passed through North Carolina on the way to Tennessee. This section of the drive was one of the most scenic I have been on.  Just a short drive north of Atlanta and we were in the mountains where amazing view were to be seen around every corner. Our drive was delayed a bit as we made two pit stops along the way.  The first of which was at Tallulah Gorge.  It was here where high-wire artist Karl Wallenda crossed the gorge on a tightrope.  Our second stop was the town of Cherokee where we took a brief walk along the river to stretch our legs and take some pictures. Then it was back on the road and into the Great Smoky Mountains.  This was by far the best drive I have ever been on.  I have nev...

Atlanta, Georgia:   In the heart of Atlanta lies a hidden gem, Zoo Atlanta.  The urban zoo packs a serious punch in a little space, making the most of their little chunk of Grant Park.  It is most popular as being one of just four zoos in the nation to house Giant Pandas on loan from the People's Republic of China. A journey to Zoo Atlanta begins in Flamingo Plaza.  The park is laid out fairly easy to navigate, however it can be a little overwhelming looking at the park map.  We chose a left hand pattern and began our tour in the African Plains. The African Plains are home to a pride of African Lions.  They have both a indoor and outdoor viewing area.  During our visit, the lions were best seen from the outdoor area as they were mostly on top of the rock. This area is also home to elephants, rhinos, zebra, giraffes and many more.  However during our trip, there was inclement weather on the horizon so many of the animals were off exhibit. T...

Atlanta, Georgia: We have been planning our summer road trip since early February.  We booked a 4-day, 3 night trip to the Smoky Mountains.  But unfortunately, Mother Nature threw us a curve ball in the form of Tropical Storm Colin.  Rather than cancel, the trip, we decided to head out before the storm and leave town before it came so we were not stuck missing the trip. To make the timeline work out, we had two new days of vacation to fill so we decided to start the trip out with a return to Atlanta.  In addition to the trip expanding, so did our travel party as my mom and nephew came with us on the trip as well. We hit the road bright and early at 3 am.  The weather forecast called for strong storms in the Atlanta area in the afternoon so we figured if we left early enough, we could still get in a good day of exploring. We arrived into Atlanta to a light drizzle but decided to go to Zoo Atlanta anyway.  After our last trip to Atlanta, we decided we...

During the early morning hours, we embarked on our annual family road trip.  This year's adventure takes us to eastern Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains.  Be sure to visit the site in the coming days and weeks to see the photos and hear the stories from our trip.  We are planning to visit Dollywood, Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, a whitewater rafting adventure and much more.

Today's photo of the day is a little different from what I usually do. It is a collage of photos representing the five Charlotte Stone Crabs who were named to the 2016 Florida State League All-Star team. Congrats to Nick Ciuffo, Cade Gotta, Brent Honeywell, Mac James and Riley Unroe. The 2016 Florida State League All-Star game will be played on June 18, 2016 at Century Link Sports Complex in Fort Myers.