#peavine tower

[diablo1776]

Peavine Peak, NV - @ 8200ft

[steppingstonesphotography]

Beautiful Parks in Atlanta, GA for a Picnic

Atlanta, Georgia is a city that offers a delightful mix of urban charm and natural beauty. If you're looking for the perfect spot to enjoy a picnic with family or friends, you're in luck. Atlanta boasts a variety of stunning parks and green spaces that are perfect for a relaxing outdoor meal. In this blog, we'll take you on a tour of some of the most beautiful parks in Atlanta, GA for a picnic.

1. Piedmont Park:

Piedmont Park is undoubtedly one of Atlanta's most iconic green spaces. Located in the heart of the city, this 185-acre park offers a beautiful backdrop for a picnic. Whether you prefer a sunny spot near Lake Clara Meer or a shaded area under the towering trees, you'll find the perfect place to lay out your picnic blanket. The park also features walking and biking trails, making it an excellent place to explore before or after your meal.

2. Chastain Park:

Chastain Park is known for its sprawling grounds and scenic beauty. The park offers a range of picnic spots near the playground, gardens, and even an amphitheater for some entertainment after your picnic. With plenty of open spaces, you can enjoy a game of frisbee or simply relax in the tranquility of this urban oasis.

3. Grant Park:

Grant Park is famous for its historic charm and home to Zoo Atlanta. It's a great place to combine a picnic with a visit to the zoo. If you're looking for a peaceful picnic setting, you can explore the nearby Grant Park Farmers Market for fresh, local produce to add to your picnic spread.

4. Lullwater Park:

For a quieter and more serene picnic experience, consider Lullwater Park, situated on the Emory University campus. This hidden gem offers beautiful walking trails along Peavine Creek, making it an ideal place for a leisurely stroll before or after your picnic. The park's pristine natural beauty and wildlife make it a unique spot for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

5. Sweetwater Creek State Park:

If you're willing to venture a bit outside of the city, Sweetwater Creek State Park is worth the drive. This park is known for its stunning hiking trails, picturesque creek, and rugged beauty. You can find a picnic area near the visitor center, which offers breathtaking views of the park's red clay hills.

6. Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area:

For a truly unique picnic experience, visit the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. This park features a lunar-like landscape of exposed rock and unique plant life. You'll feel like you've stepped into another world as you enjoy your meal in this one-of-a-kind environment.

Remember to pack your picnic basket with your favorite snacks, sandwiches, and drinks. Don't forget to bring a blanket, sunscreen, and any outdoor games or activities you enjoy. Most importantly, take time to appreciate the natural beauty that these parks in Atlanta have to offer. Whether you're a local or just visiting, a picnic in one of these parks is an excellent way to enjoy the great outdoors and create lasting memories with your loved ones. So, pick your favorite park and start planning your next picnic adventure in Atlanta, GA!

[hikeofthemonth]

February 2022 Mangum Dental Hike-of-the-Month Iron King Trail, Prescott Valley, Arizona

Distance: 6.7 miles out-and-back

Difficulty: Easy (minor elevation gain, smooth surface, wide trail)

Elevation Gain: 315 feet

Parking: Park in the dirt area on the northeast corner of Sante Fe Loop Road and Granville Fairway.  This parking area may change in the future, but currently, there are no fees, no restrooms, and no water.  

Directions: From Mangum Dental drive north on Willow Creek Road for 2.7 miles and turn right onto Pioneer Parkway.  Stay on Pioneer Parkway for 4.5 miles and exit Glassford Hill Road.  Turn right on Glassford Hill Road and drive south 1.3 miles and turn right on Santa Fe Loop Road.  In less than a mile, park on the right side of the road at the intersection of Granville Fairway and Santa Fe Loop Road.  This is across the street from Granville neighborhood dog park.  

Summary

This area is one of the most rapidly changing in our region and most online maps start this hike closer to Glassford Hill Road.  In December 2021, there is still a sign on Glassford Hill Road pointing to the old trailhead.  Start from the intersection of Santa Fe Loop and Granville Fairway and head west on the sidewalk to the roundabout of Santa Fe Loop Rd and Jasper Parkway.  The dirt trail starts here, near the new Jasper subdivision.  The first mile is lined with new houses, construction, and recent underground work for more houses.  The next mile is grassland just north of Glassford Hill.  At the 2.0 mile mark, the trail enters the boulders of the Granite Dells.  One can picture the historic trains cutting through these boulders.  At 2.5 miles a third bridge actually crosses over a creek and then hike past the third small train car.  The junction with the Peavine Trail and turn-around point is 3.3 miles.  There is a porta-potty and a bench at the junction.

This trail is fully exposed with very little shade especially the first and last two miles.  It is a popular trail that has moderate traffic of hikers, runners, and bike riders. The growth of housing in the area is a sign of progress, but others lament the loss of native grasslands and expanding urban development.  The old railway cars dot the path like mile markers.  This rails-to-trails project provides a surface that is raised and wide with excellent drainage. There are dog waste bags and trash cans along the way.  The highlight of the trail is the last mile before the junctions.  The towering boulders surround individuals like a boy in an NFL football huddle. The appearance of trees and bushes gives a rustic and isolated vibe. Cognitively, there are population centers on every side of these dells, but it is quiet, peaceful and maybe the deep soul of the Prescott area.  

Mangum Dental is a growing dental practice in Prescott, Arizona.  Our team is consistently earning your trust with a smile.  Find us at www.MangumDental.com.

[apoundofben]

Sunday May 31

You are a grain of sand.

350 million years ago a shallow sea tossed you around. But since then you’ve hardened into a part of a cliff that towers over the heads of humans. You sparkle when the light hits you, making you noticeable at times. There are thousands of grains like you, no millions, making patterns in the cliff and forming it, all smashed together. Spiders spin webs in front of you, catching insects. Water drips across you, loosening you. Soon you join other grains at the bottom of the cliff face, becoming like beach sand once again, this time far from the ocean. Ants crawl among you and your brethren. Antlions use you as part of a funnel to catch the ants. Moonshiners step on you, hiding beneath the cliff to avoid the authorities. A world towers over you, with you powerless. And yet you just wait for what it will throw at you next and what you’ll next become.

***

I’ve missed hiking the Cumberland Plateau. The lost world of sandstone cliffs tucked away in the woods behind towering evergreens isn’t exactly like other wild areas such as the Great Smoky Mountains. The plateau holds its own charm. And most importantly for some people now, plenty of it is so not well known that you can walk there and never run into a single other human except the ones you take with you.

There are many different parks and trails here, among them the Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park. I wrote a book with my Dad “Wildly Strolling Along”on what the trail was like in 2012.

It’s an unfinished overnight trail from Chattanooga to Cumberland Gap. But volunteers are busy building other sections of it every day. After hearing about this recently completed section, I knew Yvonne and I had to hike it.

The entrance on Peavine Road is easily miss-able, a set of stone steps with no parking area. Directions to it are available here, although much of the other information on that website about the trail is out of date.

After climbing up the stone steps we found ourselves admiring wildflowers as we headed deeper into the forest.

The flowers are a highlight depending on when you visit. On our visit we saw the white flowers on mountain laurel and the bright orange flowers of Cumberland azaleas, among others. I hope to return during rhododendron season when rhododendron “hells” (yes that’s the word) will surround the streams.

The part of the trail we traveled crosses streams in several places with bridges that look brand new. At one such stream we sat down to eat.

A bridge on the CT

View from the bridge

Yet it was the cliffs which the trail goes through, underneath and on top of that really held my attention.

After walking through a narrow passage between rocks, the trail goes underneath cliffs.

Yvonne enjoyed them too through her own, odd filter, focusing in on little holes in the rock as the homes and businesses of a fairy civilization.

“This is where the fairies go to drink beer,” she said pointing to one such opening.

“This is where they have sex,” she said regarding another near flowers.

Even without fantasy creatures, these cliffs work as apartment buildings for spiders and wasps. Lichens, mosses, and even rhododendrons grow from them. You can see different colors– reds, tans and grays in the stone with the occasional sparkle. Sandstone is made of sand, as I explained above. It forms ledges and shelters.

What appear to be the ruins of an oven are beneath one bluff. Dad has said it was part of an abandoned moonshining (bootleg liquor) camp at one point, as seem to be common in various places around the plateau.

Sand covers the areas below the cliffs some areas, you can see the neat little dents in the that antlions use to funnel ants into their mouths.

We stopped at a crossroad with a wider trail, about halfway down the main trail. I hope to return soon.

Sandstone splendor-Cumberland Trail State Park near Fairfield Glade Sunday May 31 You are a grain of sand. 350 million years ago a shallow sea tossed you around.

[diablo1776]

The top of Peavine Peak, NV