We got
an earlier start than Tuesday by getting up earlier and simplifying
breakfast preparations. We packed lunches and hit the road.
I plotted our route to follow Old Cliff Top Road to CR82 and then
down to the canyon. Along the way I spotted this field of
semi-rigs.
The GPS
had other ideas and we ended up at Route 19 just above the bridge.
I decided to cross 19 and go down the other side but found that the
small road became one-way (up) so we turned back and went to the
originally planned route that the GPS had ignored so well.
Once we found it,
it was easy to drive down the narrow, twisty road with steep, sharp
switchbacks, to the bottom of the canyon. I stopped to make a
picture as we crossed under the bridge from the NW side of Route 19.
At the
bottom of the canyon, we found the Tunney-Hunsaker Bridge. The
plaque there describes the history of the two parts of Fayetteville
and the role this bridge played. It also described the
restoration of the bridge in the late 1990's and the additions to
support pedestrian traffic.
The view of the high bridge was fantastic. We spent a good
amount of time down here taking pictures, walking across the bridge,
picking raspberries, and just enjoying ourselves.
The
boys and I tore across the bridge. Maria came across in her
own time.
The
Visitor Center Outlook is visible on the wall of the canyon,
situated on top of the rock formation in the trees.
On the
other side of the bridge we found a path and clamored down the bank to the river
below.
We
found some beautiful raspberries and picked many for ourselves and
Maria.
After a
while I walked back across the bridge to get the Jeep and get us
moving again.
Meanwhile the kids kept picking raspberries.
We
drove up the other side of the canyon, stopping at the trail head to
the Kaymoor Number 1 Mine trail. Thinking this trail led to
the geocache I was seeking, we got ready to hike in. But a
check of
the geocache info indicated a different trail head so we packed
back into the Jeep and continued up the canyon to the correct trail
head for the Long Point Trail. We put water and lunches in our
packs, grabbed our walking sticks and hit the trail. We found
ripe blackberries on the trail.
The
trail dropped out of the meadow and into the woods, slowly
descending to a ridge line. The trail looks quite old.
As we
reached the far end of the trail the woods thins out and the ridge
narrows into a point. At the end of the trail is a slab of
rock that juts out into the canyon. It can be seen from the
bridge across the canyon.
Tom took some pictures and we sat down to eat our lunch.
With
lunch done, we cleaned up and headed back to the parking area.
We
reached the parking area at 1:00PM, got something to drink, and
loaded back into the Jeep.
We
drove into downtown Fayetteville and did some shopping in the gift
shops.
We
finished shopping and went to Dairy Queen for a snack and then
headed back to Babcock and hit the pool at 3:00PM. We stayed
there until 4:30PM and then went down to take a closer look at the
Glade Creek Grist Mill.
Next we
visited the Babcock gift shop. There were a number of
interesting things. Ted got a little sword; Tom a shark-tooth
necklace. I got a sticker or three; Maria got a book of bread
recipes.
We went
back to the cabin and cooked some burgers for supper with S'mores
for dessert.
Then we
cleaned up and got back on the road to go see the Fire Works in
Fayetteville.
I had
premonitions of Fourth of July traffic jams like back home and in
every other small (or large for that matter) town I had ever lived
in. The only time I ever escaped them was when I walked or
rode my bicycle. But I fooled myself into thinking this was a
really small town and it would not be a problem.
We
reached Fayetteville and found the recommended parking area filled
but for one space. That should have been a clue to the traffic
after the show but instead of going elsewhere I parked in the one
space. I had to go back to the Jeep to get my umbrella because
it was starting to look like it might rain. Ted was upset with
me because he felt it was delaying too much and we'd miss the show.
Along the way I spotted this little girl wearing a Statue of Liberty
hat and waving a flag. It was too good to miss.
As I
passed I saluted her. Ted was upset with me for acknowledging
her so I explained how she had dressed up to celebrate the Fourth of
July and how she probably had to be very brave to stand there all
that time while the whole town walked by the front of her house and
she was waving the flag. I'm not sure he got the drift.
The town Police Cruiser was parked in a prominent place - probably
the pride and joy of the watch commander. We followed the
crush of people to the park where the Fireworks were to be lit.
When we
reached the park it became apparent that there were other things
besides Fireworks. There were carnival rides, Funnel Cakes,
and all that jazz. We were not prepared and had not brought
any cash. This caused great consternation on one kids part and
we had a bit of a situation before at long last we got everything
calmed down. Meanwhile I played with the camera trying to home
in on a setting that would capture the Fireworks best.
The
Fireworks came just before the rain. I opened my umbrella but
it wasn't really adequate for everyone. But we all squeezed
under as best we could and watched the Fireworks.
The
crowd was as interesting as the Fireworks.
