The Minimal Travelers

There’s something so magical during the autumn months of the year. Especially if you have the pleasure of living or visiting those states with fall foliage. The husband and I had the opportunity to stay in the North Georgia Appalachian Mountains area for few months from August thru October. And after being in the swamp of Florida for a good eight months too long, that mountain air was like a breath of fresh air.

We know this area a little bit from previous family visits and friends having a home here. So when it was time to move on we decided to explore more of Ellijay and the Blue Ridge area. During our stay we give our time as resident volunteers with the local USACE parks. This allows us to live in our cargo trailer conversion camper on site with FHU for free! We work our hours and Jason also works his jobs and then we go out exploring!

It’s going on the 3rd week of September and signs of fall are sprouting up. The historic downtowns are decorated with the seasonal flowers of mums and marigolds with scarecrows, hay bales and corn husks in fall fashion. There’s pumpkins abound with corn mazes, haunted walks and hay rides. And as the air gets cooler it makes for the perfect weather for all those fall time activities and seasonal warm beverages.

Ellijay is hometown to the states largest Apple festival. The Georgia Apple Festival is held during the first two weekends of October and this small town transforms into a busy place of tourists from locals and out of town visitors. The orchard farms are ready and lines of folks are at every orchard place in town to pick their share of fresh apples off the trees, grab a pre measured bag, candied apple or a jar of jam, jelly or applesauce! You can also check out the Downtown area where there are local artist set up to sell their handmade crafts and goods. And then there’s the main event at the fairgrounds where there’s over hundreds of vendors, on site demonstrations on how some crafts were made, along with a car show and parade. There’s something for all and it’s a great way to support the local farmers, artists, and businesses.

And if you are an outdoor enthusiast such as ourselves, there are plenty of nature and hiking trails and mountain bike trails to disconnect from your busy lifestyle and allow yourself to get lost in nature.