Don't Take It For Granite

Yeah, I know, corny post title. What's up with that lately?? Anyway...

Yesterday Ed and I went to Stone Mountain, Georgia, the largest granite dome in North America. It's 825 feet tall, covers 583 acres and the granite of the mountain extends underground nine miles at its longest point. The exposed portion is approximately two miles in length and a half a mile wide.

In addition to the many attractions at the park, they have many nature and hiking trails, including a trail to walk to the top of the mountain. Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. A trail! To the top! That you can walk. Oh my God, my sides are splitting! Isn't that the funniest thing you've ever heard??

We took this to get to the top. Yeah, that's right. I'm no dummy.
From the top, in addition to everything else we saw, we also had a very good view of where we parked our truck. It's just to the right of that circle down there in the parking lot, which happens to be a helicopter landing pad. It's handy to be able to keep an eye on the truck, you know, just in case any hoodlums decided they want to go joy-riding; although I'm sure they wouldn't hear me yelling, "Hey! Stop!" from the top of the rock.

This next one is a shot I got of a father and his son enjoying the view. I saw them struggling to get a picture of themselves with their teeny cell phone camera, so I offered to take one for them; the father shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't possible and then told me that the batteries in his camera were dead. I then offered to take one with mine and email it to him.

He liked the idea and posed with his son for a photo, then gave me his email and thanked me for taking the picture of them. As we talked, I learned that they were in Atlanta from San Salvador, El Salvador for a neurological medical treatment for his son. The kid was about ten years old, so I hope everything goes well for them.

When I got back to my computer, I sent him not only the picture I took of them facing me, but also the one above and several others I took as they were walking down the mountainside, with the fall colors behind them. In this one, although there is a haze in the distance (you can barely make out the city of Atlanta right in the center, waaay out there) and not a whole lot of vibrant color, I really like the father and son moment.

Here we have Ed taking a break from his extensive picture taking; you know, because it's such hard work and all.

Another view from the top, with the lake and golf course in view.

And finally, the famous carving.The entire carved surface of the Memorial Carving, which is the largest bas relief sculpture in the world and located on the face of the mountain, measures three acres; larger than a football field. The carving of the three Confederate leaders of the civil war; General Stonewall Jackson, General Robert E. Lee and President Jefferson Davis, towers 400 feet above the ground and measures 90 by 190 feet. It is recessed 42 feet into the mountain. The deepest point of the carving is at Lee's elbow, which is 12 feet into the mountain.

I was thrilled to finally have visited this site, after hearing so much about it. I'm also glad that we went in now, since I couldn't imagine being at the top of that rock in the humid Georgia summer. The Fall foliage colors were an added bonus....much more spectacular in person!

Maybe next time we'll get to see that laser light show I've heard so much about!

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