Today’s activities started with a big delay as Karen couldn’t find her phone and it wasn’t responding to Apple’s “Find My Phone” or to her Apple Watch’s search capabilities. Karen was sure the battery must have died. We searched for hours. After tearing the cabin apart, we finally found the phone. Karen was so relieved.
We decided to head out to hike Dukes Creek Falls Trail near Blairsville, Georgia and to visit Helen, Georgia that we have heard so much about from Hope. The drive was beautiful through the mountains of Georgia. Along the way, we stopped at various overlooks. The picture above is from one of those overlooks.
In Blairsville, we spotted a thrift store, had to stop, and we scored a few items.
Dukes Creek Falls is a beautiful cascade of 150 feet. The trail itself is about 2.3 miles round trip. Along the trail, you have beautiful views of Duke Creek. The actual falls are on Davis Creek, which join Duke Creek at the base of the falls. We saw trout fishermen and lots of cascades in Duke Creek.
Karen wished we had had time to hike the Raven Cliff Falls Trail, but the round trip distance of 5 to 6 miles was too much. The falls cuts through a rock at the top of a cliff.
We arrived in Helen very hungry so we drove around town looking for a place to eat and learned that parking is a big deal in Helen as there are parking lots every where with high fees. The town is a tourist destination, but we arrived in the off-season so the place was empty. Most of the town is decorated as a little German Village. Many of the residents are of a German heritage and a great many speak with a German accent.
Karen wanted fish for our late lunch so we decided on The Troll Tavern & Restaurant, which is under the bridge on the Chattahoochee River. The food was very good and Katie Beth loved playing in the river on the rocks. We could have sat along the river for hours. The weather was wonderful with mild temperatures and a nice breeze. 
Katie Beth had children to play with on the rocks. We even had a parent compliment Katie Beth on how nice she was with their child.
Many places were closed, which could have been do to the season or that is was a Monday. But, we did find Zu Zu’s Petals Rock Shop. Karen and Katie Beth enjoyed exploring the store. The owner let Karen have some free single crystal Staurolite samples. Karen is wanting to find in the wild the double crystal form of Staurolite, which is in the form of a cross.
As the day came to a close, we needed to head back toward our cabin for dinner and to be packed for tomorrow’s trip home.
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