Spring Break Trip - Day 7

We didn't get an early start today because Mollie slept in her "own room" until 0845. The weather was horrible (flood and tornado watches) but I'll admit the room was very nice and I didn't want to leave early either. After she was awake, Mollie ate breakfast (yogurt, breakfast bars) we’d bought the previous evening. Then we packed up the car, got gas at the Robins AFB gas station (0945) and got on the road (I-75). To get to Atlanta, we had to drive through some areas of major convective weather. Fortunately, the rental car I got for this trip (nicknamed "Fancy") handled well - we avoided several scary accidents. As we arrived in Atlanta, the precipitation decreased to a drizzle and we were able to get some good views of the 1996 Olympics venue before we parked at our first NPS site of the day: Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Park. I'd taken Brenna and Erin to this park in the mid 2000s but Mollie had never been. It had grown since our last visit and there were actually four Passport Stamps (at various buildings). Mollie marveled at the reverence that everyone had as they walked the grounds - we learned a lot about MLK at the museum and in the old Ebenezer Baptist Church building. Fortunately, we didn't get rained on too much - the apparently improving weather increased our optimism for better weather at NPS sites nearby. We drove west on I-20 until we reached our old neighborhood in Douglasville and snapped some pictures of our home there - this was the third former residence I'd showed Mollie during the trip and it brought back more good memories. We ate lunch at in town (Wendy's) at 1310 and then drove a short distance to the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield. When I worked at the old Dobbins ARB, I used to drive through the park on the way to work (whenever traffic was horrible). However, I'd never stopped at the Visitors Center or climbed the mountain. After Mollie got her Passport stamp, we got ready to hike to the summit - just then, another huge thunderstorm hit. We waited for a little bit but things never really got better. So we took the auto tour of the battlefield, stopping at a few memorial sites and earthwork battlements. We did get out of the car for a little bit and got our shoes soaked in the wet grass. We then (1445) drove east (back roads, GPS, lots of rain and traffic) and located the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (Island Ford Site) near Roswell. The Visitors Center there was still open when we arrived (1600). Mollie got another passport stamp and we talked to the Ranger and learned about the trails and flooding in the area. With much better weather, we took a great hike along the muddy, swollen river bank. We saw several deer, chipmunks and Canadian geese. For one of the first times on the whole trip, we were able to stay in the park after 1700 (they didn't lock the gates). It stopped raining completely and the sun came out - after all the rain we'd seen, it was hard to believe that the day could end so beautifully. I even got to take another nice hike while Mollie rested in the car). We then drove north towards the Georgia mountains and on the shores of Lake Lanier (US-19 and GA-53 to I-985/US-23). We arrived in Gainesville at around 1830 and explored the area for a little while. Eventually, we found a hotel (Motel 6) on the east side of town and settled in for the evening. The manager recommended a restaurant and we drove to eat Chinese food for our dinner (Chef Wang). Mollie and I had a fun conversation about our trip so far (it was almost over and Mollie was NOT happy to be heading home). The food we had was good and I was pleased to see that Mollie’s appetite had returned after her major cold at the beginning of the trip. At 1910, we drove back to the room. We both noted how it was getting much colder! We spent the evening watching TV and reading. Mollie discovered she had a tick from walking in the woods earlier (her second one in a month). We both went to bed at 2200. Planning to dodge some more storms tomorrow, hopefully, and make the most of the last few days of this awesome Spring Break!