Roseate Spoonbills on Big Slough

Roseate Spoonbills on Big Slough
Roseate Spoonbills on Big Slough

Sunday, November 19, 2017

A Visit to Roosevelt State Park


I was told Rosevelt State Park was only a few minutes from the Hatchery up a mountain. My advisor, pointed across the street and told me that the park was behind the hill and up a mountain.  The hatchery is at 917 feet and what I was looking at seemed to only be another couple of hundred of feet highter. But I followed my GPS's directions and soon turned and went up a winding and rolling road, getting mostly every higher until I was at 1379'.  Not much of a mountain, but it did offer some great views of the valleys which were eventually on either side of the road.

The day was gorgeous, with a few scudding clouds along the horizon and only a bit of a breeze, a perfect temperature in the mid 60's.

I took a side road off to Dowdell's Knob and found fantastic views. But workers were blowing leaves off the road and the sun was too bright for enjoyable pictures, so I planned to come back on the way home and continued on.

I managed to miss the visitor center and went on to a loop road where most of the camping is located. Most of it was on either side of the small, pretty Lake Delanor.



On my side of the lake, there were cabins for rent while there were camping loops on the other side

Most of the roads looked pretty much like this except for a few places where there were buildings or pullouts for a view. 

I finally located the visitor center when I made my way around the loop.  It

The Visitor Center and the Cottages were build by the CCC during the depression


I found this amazing boulder on the grounds of the visitor center. The outside looked
 like granite, but the inside was very diferent. 


The back of one of the cabins - I couldn't go in there - overlooking a valley

I came in on the top of this overpass.  The park is both through it and straight right on the top road. This reminded me of the beutiful stone arches in Acadia where the roads cross. 

Most of the leaves that will turn, have turned and leaves are rapidly falling


I think this is the second lake at the park.  I saw it from a long way up the hill to the ridge where the road runs. 

A view from the parking area at Dowell's Knob

President Franklin D. Roosevelt loved Warm Springs and came here to build a polio healing center where patients could swim in the warm springs.  He loved to drive up to Dowdell's Knob and sit on a car seat and contemplate his problems while enjoying the view.  Now a full sized statue marks his place forever. 


President Roosevelt


I took a very short hike in this area, as I fouond I had to be out by 5:00 P.M.  One of the things I discovered along the trail was this memorial.


This markes the site of a plane crash

This leaf was glowing in the setting sun. 

Another view of Lake Delanor from the ridge

A long view across the forested valley from a highway pullout

Enjoying the view with President Franklin Rosevel

Some of what we could see

This park is the largest in the state of Georgia, and has more than 40 miles of hiking trails. I'm looking forward to hiking some of them, especially as soon as the leaves are off the trees so the views get better.


Please leave your questions and comments below.  That way, I'll get to review our conversations forever.



No comments:

Post a Comment