Road Trip Day Four

We woke up in Chatanooga and were lucky enough to be fairly close to a Starbucks.  I hadn't had one since I left home, so it was a welcome stop.

We then headed to Georgia...we were taking back roads and saw the prettiest scenery on the way.  The river had white water and was apparently a really popular activity.  We got to see lots of rafts at different levels along the river.  I grabbed a photo out of the car window.

We finally got to Springer Mountain and there is a road that goes up the mountain.  It is about seven miles of uncared for dirt with right angle turns.  It was an adventure.  As you get discouraged that there really isn't anything on the mountain, you come across a parking lot PACKED with people and cars.

There are lots of trails that lead all over the mountain and you could hike for a long time.  However, the most popular trail leads to the summit of Springer Mountain where the AT begins.  At the top, there is a nice view, a metal box placed inside a rock with a sign in book, some prayer flags and some special markers.

There were a lot of people at the top, all very talkative.  We met some people who were starting their journey on the AT.  We met lots of families and we even met a border collie who immediately brought me her stick to throw.

The hike was fairly easy, but full of rocks, roots and mud.  It took about 20+ minutes to make it to the top and even less to get back down.

We then made a detour and stopped to see the Talladega Speedway.  It was closed so there wasn't much to see.  However, we were shocked at how large the stadium was and how many people clearly come to a Nascar event.

We ate dinner as a Southern fast food place, Zaxby's.  They only serve chicken and they know how to fry it and make it awesome!

We spent the night in Birmingham and are headed to New Orleans for the longest stay of our trip.  We will first stop and stock up on bottled water, food, fruit and snacks.