Hello, Helen

Our trip to Helen began with an on-the-way-out-of-town visit to the CVS Minute Clinic (I'm not even going to go into it -- let's just say they were incredibly inefficient, and the visit left Jarrett and me giving each other the silent treatment in the car for about half of the drive, at least) and ended with me at my doctor's office, but other than that and the horrendous hangover I gave myself for Mother's Day, it was a great trip. Really, though, we had a nice time with Jarrett's dad and Susan, and we are really glad they invited us up to share part of their weeklong stay at their timeshare.

We arrived Saturday around lunchtime and enjoyed some sandwiches at the condo before Elsa's nap. Once Elsa woke up, we decided to take a drive up to Brasstown Bald, the most difficult climb in the Tour de Georgia (when the Tour was still taking place) and the highest point of elevation in the state. But first it was a necessity to get ice cream from one of the local ice cream shops -- after that we were on our way. Elsa was not too happy with the climbs and descents, likely because she was having problems equalizing her ears, but thankfully my father-in-law was able to somewhat distract her with his personal speaking device. Elsa thought it quite fascinating, and had a fun time trying to learn how to talk. It was fairly chilly and very breezy at the top of the mountain, and we didn't go prepared enough to make the hike to the peak, unfortunately. We were out of the car for a bit -- just long enough to snap a couple of photos and chill ourselves enough to want to get back in the car -- and then we made the descent back into Helen.





That evening, after Elsa went to bed, I popped open a beer, hoping it would take the edge off of my throbbing, burning, itching hand. The first one didn't do much, but I muscled through and enjoyed our yummy chicken and rice dinner that Susan cooked, and then popped open another beer before starting into our game of Cranium. We never actually finished the game because it was getting kind of late (but the competitive side of me must tell you that Jarrett and I were in the lead), and Dad and Susan went to bed. Well, Jarrett and I decided to continue drinking and took our beers outside and sat on one of the swings and chatted. I really shouldn't have had anymore to drink after what I had during the course of the game, but I remember thinking it was a good idea since I could still feel the pain in my hand. I also remember saying when I came back inside that my hand was feeling great -- wasn't bothering me at all. That should of been my first clue that Sunday morning was not going to be fun.

Sure enough, I woke up around 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning feeling terrible. The alcohol was out of my system, so I could nurse Elsa safely, but its residual effects on my system were running strong, and I was sick as a dog. Jarrett was very sweet and took care of Elsa for me while I tried to recover. By around 9:30 I was at least over the worst of it and was able to get up and get Elsa fed again and down for her nap. A hangover on my first Mother's Day -- shouldn't I win a Mother of the Year Award or something? Geez. Talk about stupid. Anyway, thankfully the rest of the day was salvaged, and we made sandwiches and packed them to take to Unicoi State Park. It was a popular spot, but we were able to find a nice picnic table right along Smith Creek, which was the perfect settting on such a nice day. The water was frigid, but I let Elsa's toes dangle in it for a little while -- couldn't resist. After lunch, I strapped Elsa on, and we walked up the road toward Anna Ruby Falls, which is part of the Chattachoohee National Forest, and has nothing to do with the state park. Thus, you are supposed to pay a separate fee to enter -- even if you are on foot! So we basically walked up near to where you would have to pay, and then turned around, which was actually a good length of a walk in and of itself, and long enough for Elsa to take a short nap. Once Elsa woke, she, Jarrett, and I headed back to the condo, and Dad and Susan caught up with us later, bearing more ice cream and ingredients for a burrito dinner. Yum. That evening, Jarrett and I challenged the folks to another round of Cranium, and -- ahem -- kicked their butts. Fun was had by all.





We took it easy Monday morning... ate breakfast, played with Elsa, read, packed up the car. Around lunchtime, we headed out to Cafe International and ate lunch overlooking the Chattahoochee River before Jarrett, Elsa, and I headed back to Atlanta.



Having only driven through Helen maybe once before, and not really knowing much about it except that all the buildings seem to have tried to adopt a Bavarian theme, I didn't really know what to expect. But it turns out that was pretty much all to expect. I labeled it the "Myrtle Beach of North Georgia." Granted, I didn't actually walk around and browse around the shops or anything, so I can't really give it a fair review, but it definitely seemed like a tourist trap a little past its prime. However, the surrounding scenery, parks, access to the Appalachian Trail, etc., seemed quite lovely, and it was great that we had really nice weather to be able to enjoy it a bit.