Sunday Stroll Through the UGA Botanical Gardens

Every weekend, if not sooner, the urge hits to be away from people and into quiet bliss. On the weekend, I want to be out exploring nature, running my hands over the trees, smelling the wildflowers, feeling the crunch of leaves beneath my feet. Most particularly, on the weekends, I crave mountain vistas -- to the point that my loved ones likely think I'm shady because I visit the mountains more than I visit them.   But sometimes, our adult lives milk us dry of the want to travel long distances by the time Friday rolls around, so... we explore locally.

Lucky for us, we live in a college town that has quite a few options for hiking. Granted, there's a lot of give and take for me and Gadget when we hike locally -- there's no two-hour drive involved as with our mountain hiking, but obviously, solitude and silence are harder to find in a park that lies smack dab in the middle of a city nicknamed "Little Atlanta".  Despite the contstant reminder that we weren't even close to being alone in the woods, it was refreshing to see so many locals out and about on this trail, just a few miles away from my alma mater, the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!).

One special thing about the white trail at the Botanical Gardens is that it runs alongside the Middle Oconee River. The Oconee River spans 220 miles over the state of Georgia, and flows through the center of my small hometown. I have countless memories of fishing on the Oconee with my family. If the fish weren't biting, my sisters and I would get out  of the boat and play on the sandbars -- as a kid and even as a teenager, feeling the mud squish between my toes was a favorite. Yes, I am a country girl at heart. Walking along that same Oconee River in the town where I have settled as an adult two and a half hours away makes for a nostalgic afternoon.

Relaxation under dark skies

Gadget monkeying around

Athens is artsy, even in the woods. 

Gadget loved these pretty benches, as they bring back memories of his Maw-Maw, a lady I wish I'd known. 

This green field looked interesting through the contrasting fallen leaves. 

"Whooo... whooo... who goes there?"

This gate was made by Athens Technical College, Gadget's alma mater.

Metal working detail

There's always time to stop and smell the flowers.

Gadget manages to get lovely shots from the crappiest of cameras.

Thank you for taking a peak at another (miniature) hiking adventure! 

If you have viewed our blog before, you may have noticed we changed the name, as we found new, more fitting trail names for each other.  He is Gadget & she is Goose. I'll leave the stories for how that came about for another time.   

Merry Christmas, everybody! 

Lily wanted some adventure too, but dogs aren't allowed at the Gardens. Next time, Lily.