Chasing Waterfalls

The Barker Family reunion is always held somewhere between Florida, where most of the Barkers live, and South Carolina, where the other half of the family lives. This year it was held at Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge, amicalola being a Cherokee word for tumbling waters. Which is exactly what you find there, a lot of waterfalls. We took the opportunity to hike to some of the falls, choosing paths that would allow us to take the stroller, and they were incredible. The water was loud and soothing - Chapel and Eli were awe struck and even the babies just watched the water falling over the cliff. There are several sets of stairs that allow you to walk up or down the falls and see the view from the top and bottom. Notice in the picture they are labeled strenuous. We did do some of these stairs, carrying the babies. Which I would think warrants the label "extra strenuous".

We also got to see some wildlife, including two deer and a wild turkey. Brett was especially excited about the turkey, claiming it was as tall as our car. And even more exciting, was the black bear sighting by Brett's cousin at the cabin RIGHT BESIDE the cabin we were sleeping in. There was a grill in the back yard and the first time the bear was spotted he was licking, yes licking, the grill at 7am. Later that afternoon when the cousin was napping beside the grill while grilling, he heard a rustling, woke up, and the bear was right there, only a few feet away from him in what I can only guess was an attempt to get whatever he smelled cooking. Yikes - bears sure are cute but I have a feeling they are not cuddly. I wish I could have seen him....from the safety of my cabin, of course!