Covid Trip Tip: How To Have Fun On The Road Safely

ROAD TRIPPIN’

With Lysol, Clorox, Disinfectant Wipes, Hand Sanitizer, Gloves, Masks & Derek

It’s been four long months of lockdown. Like most Boomers, we take the COVID threat very seriously.  We leave the house only for groceries. We’ve done very few backyard social distancing meet and greets, opting instead for several enjoyable weekly Zoom get-togethers. We are fortunate to live in a suburb with lots of safe space for walking each morning, and biking at night. But, as travel is in our DNA, we began to long for “The Getaway.”

Of course, flying was out. Too damn scary. But, could we craft a safe getaway? What would it take?

Since we live in Miami, a beach vacation held no thrall. We were looking for a dramatic change of scenery. So, we looked northward to the closest mountains to Miami –the Blue Ridge Range in Northern Georgia. When we started thinking about a trip, we didn’t know too much about them. But, we did the research, and were more than pleasantly surprised at the prospect.

First, we needed to grapple with the drive. Yes, it would take about 12 hours. We decided to bite the bullet, and do it in one day.

Next, we began to look into cabins. We wanted to find something central, and do day trips to different waterfalls and mountain hikes. We chose Helen, Georgia, because it’s smack dab in the middle of places we wanted to visit. Helen is a Disneyesque Alpine town, complete with half-timbered houses and “stresses” rather than streets, famous for river tubing and a rip-roaring Oktoberfest. While we were hoping for a remote mountain cabin, our budget and limited availability helped us decide on an Airbnb condo in a golf resort. It was extremely private. Our unit was perched on a hill with a great forest view. The cost (with cleaning fees) was about $110 per night. The owners were wonderfully communicative about the extra cleaning COVID precautions they were taking. And, I had devised my own cleaning plan upon our arrival.

Even though the condo had a complete kitchen, I knew the last thing I would want to do was lots of cooking while on vacation. Of course, we had agreed we were NOT going to eat in any restaurants. (Though we would consider take-out). A couple of weeks before the trip, I began making double recipes of dinners, and freezing half. We would be away for 6 nights, so I froze 6 different meals. Next, I shopped for breakfast and lunch items, snacks galore – and lots of vino.

When it came time to load up the car, we had two large coolers filled with the dinners, veggies and fruit, plus one cold bag filled with road snacks, drinks and our lunches for the day. I also had a separate, easy- to-access bag of cleaning supplies, paper towels and disinfectant wipes for use during bathroom breaks. For the condo, I also brought along aluminum foil, baggies, small Tupperware – so we could pack lunches for our hikes.

And off we went. We left Miami at 9 am….and were in Helen in time for a late dinner. (Shockingly, we ran into rush hour around Atlanta – surprising, since we figured many office workers would be working remotely.) We had downloaded several audio books from the library, so we were happily engaged during the drive.

I know you’re wondering….so here it comes. Bathroom Breaks. I must give kudos to the Florida Turnpike rest plazas. They were spotless. Everyone wore masks. All the bathrooms were touch-free. Then we crossed the border into Georgia. Mask wearing dropped off dramatically. We opted for Race Trac gas stations, because we’d heard their bathrooms were clean. They were, but you have to walk through the convenience store areas to get to the bathrooms, and most folks were not wearing masks. (What’s wrong with these people???)

Upon arrival at our condo, we noted that it looked spotless, but I was relentless. Out came the Lysol, Clorox, etc., Every surface in the kitchen (including inside of frig) and bathroom got a vigorous wipe down. I washed all of the plates, silverware and glasses before we used them. We put the TV remote inside a baggie. We had brought along our own bed pillows. We took the top comforter off the bed. It was a bit of extra work, but when it was done, I felt confident about our cleaning and safety.

Now….for the good part: the splendid hikes. Here is a link I used to learn about waterfalls in North Georgia. https://www.exploregeorgia.org/things-to-do/list/10-georgia-waterfalls-worthy-of-a-walk-in-the-woods

Be sure to check the opening hours of each trail, as many schedules have changed because of COVID. Each does have a small fee, usually $3 or $5 per car.  Also, try to plan your hikes for weekdays, and not weekends – far fewer people. While you’re enjoying all that scenic splendor, you don’t want to be worrying about getting too close to other hikers. Here are the ones we visited, though there are many others to choose from:

Raven Cliff Falls. Only 15 minutes from Helen, this 6 mile roundtrip hike begins right off the Richard Russell Scenic Highway in the Chattahoochee National Forest. (Even if you’re not a hiker, you should definitely plan on driving this entire road for its magnificent scenic overlooks). The hike only gains 560 ft. of elevation, but you need to be on the lookout for roots and rocks that could trip you up. There are lots of spots along the way that make for comfortable perches to view the streams and the rhododendrons, many of which were still in bloom. While the actual waterfall at the end is not as spectacular as others we visited, the path is lovely. Most of the way you’re trekking along Dodd Creek, with the sound of rushing water your constant sound track.

Toccoa River Swinging Bridge. The longest swinging bridge (270 ft.) east of the Mississippi River, this easy hike takes you down to the Toccoa River Gorge where many folks like to swim or paddle.  Don’t confuse this hike with Toccoa Falls, which is 67 miles away (access to which is closed due to COVID). Be prepared to drive a rough 3 mile gravel road up from Hwy 816 to the parking area. Definitely worth it though.

Amicalola Falls. Located inside one of Georgia’s most popular state parks, Amicalola is the tallest cascading waterfall in the Southeast at 729 ft. There’s a simple half mile pathway to a great vista point, or you can choose an 8.5 mile hike that ends at Springer Mountain, the southern end of the 2,175 Appalachian Trail.  Bring your mask for this hike – there were lots of people on the pathway.

Tallulah Gorge. Make sure to “power up” before setting off on this hike. One of the most breathtaking canyons in the eastern U.S., Tallulah Gorge is two miles long and nearly 1,000 ft. deep. The famous Karl Wallenda walked a tightrope over the Gorge in 1970…stopping twice along the way to do handstands. You can still see the towers he erected for that insane venture. Though you can choose to only hike the rim trails, that would only be half the experience. Make up your mind to climb down the 500 steps that get you really close to the rushing river. You’ll be rewarded with views of six falls cascading through the Gorge, as well as the opportunity to take some great photos from the suspension bridge that sways just 80 ft. over the gorge floor. Getting back up those stairs – Yeah, it was tough.

Anna Ruby Falls. One of North Georgia’s most popular Falls, Anna Ruby is actually a twin waterfall that marks the junction between Curtis and York Creeks. The tallest of the falls drops 153 ft, the other drops 50 ft. They meet at the base to form Smith Creek which you walk along from the parking lot to the viewpoint. This path is crowded, as it’s very close to Helen and easily accessible. Bring masks. It’s well worth it. This is one of the most picturesque waterfall settings anywhere.

Dukes Creek Falls. Very near to Helen, this trail is 2 miles out and back through a beautiful, stream-filled forest at the convergence of Davis Creek and Duke Creek. The payoff is a 150-ft. magnificent multi-tiered waterfall.  Make sure to take advantage of several large wooden viewing platforms for snacks before you begin the uphill climb back to the trailhead. We did this trail in late afternoon, and practically saw no other hikers.

Many people come to Helen to go tubing. Frankly, when we began planning the trip, we thought we might enjoy that activity. When we arrived, we saw it was jam packed (even on weekdays). No way were we going to get that close to that many people.

However, we did discover another activity that allowed us to relax and feel secure in our social distancing – The North Georgia Wine Route. There are more than 23 wineries dotted around Northern Georgia, from east to west. All feature tastings, some serve food, and many have outdoor tables that look upon rolling hills covered in vines. You can sample award winning red, whites and roses – we certainly did – while sitting outside far from other folks. Find out more at https://gamountainsguide.com/vineyards-wineries-in-the-georgia-mountains

There were also some charming little towns to visit in between all the hikes. We especially liked Dahlonega and Blue Ridge. It was disappointing, however, to be in these towns during COVID. I did not feel comfortable strolling in and out of stores, as we would have done at any other time. We just did a drive-by

So, that was our little getaway. I have to say, even though there was lots of prep work that we would have never done had there not been a pandemic, we enjoyed every moment of our trip. It was so rejuvenating to get away, see totally different landscapes, and yet, feel safe. No matter what part of the U.S. you call home, we urge to think about taking a short getaway where you can have some control over your environment and feel confident and safe.