Saturday, November 25, 2023

Pic(k) of the Week: Washington W. King Covered Bridge

Washington W. King Covered Bridge

A historic covered bridge (open to light vehicular and pedestrian traffic) crosses a narrow channel of Stone Mountain Lake.

Stone Mountain Park: DeKalb County, Georgia, USA. 15 November 2023.

The Washington W. King / College Avenue Covered Bridge was designed, engineered, and constructed, in 1891 (at a cost of approximately $2,470), by Washington W. King, the son of a freed slave. It is one of only four remaining structures of the many created and constructed by King. Several members of his extended family were prominent African-American businessmen for decades in multiple Georgia cities.

The covered bridge —using a 'Town Lattice' design that allowed the wooden bridge to flex, expand and contract with the seasons— was built by King in Athens, Georgia, to connect the downtown area with outlying farm lands across the Oconee River.

The bridge served Athens until two severe floods, in 1910 and again in 1963, severely damaged the bridge. Soon thereafter, the covered bridge was replaced with a new concrete and steel crossing, and the original bridge was set aside on the banks of the Oconee River.

In 1965, the Clarke County Commission donated the bridge to the Stone Mountain Memorial Association (SMMA). The bridge was partially disassembled and transported sixty miles to Stone Mountain Park, where it was re-assembled and re-installed atop new cement and granite piers. It now connects the park to Indian Island, a picturesque 17-acre island on Stone Mountain Lake.
Stone Mountain Park.
Decaturish.

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Saturday, November 18, 2023

Pic(k) of the Week: Verboten off-piste

Verboten off-piste

A trail heads off into an autumnal woodland. A trace of light kisses the canopy.

But...stay off, a sign cautions.
Nature Preserve Guide Hikes Only.
State Law 12-3-10B
Violators Prosecuted!

Why the ominous warning? The park's brochure reveals the answer:
Because of the rare species of plants that live on Panola Mountain, a guided hike is required to enter the conservation area and go on top of the mountain. While both Stone Mountain and Arabia Mountain are similar geologic features, Panola Mountain has never been quarried, making it one of the most pristine monadnocks in the southeastern United States.

So, respecting the environmental concerns (and the law!), I took this photo from the (legal) Rockdale River Trail, a paved hiker/biker trail that follows the South River for several miles in Rockdale County, Georgia (an outlying suburban and exurban county in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area).

But, oh, off-piste looked inviting!

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Saturday, November 11, 2023

Pic(k) of the Week: South River at base of Panola Mountain

South River at base of Panola Mountain

A bend in the South River, as seen from a pedestrian bridge at the base of Panola Mountain, along the Arabia Mountain PATH trail.

Panola Mountain State Park: Rockdale County, Georgia, USA.24 October 2023.

Linger awhile.

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Saturday, November 04, 2023

Pic(k) of the Week: Tree in morning marsh

Tree in morning marsh

Morning light anoints a dead tree, yet standing on marshy ground.

Seminary Wood in Legacy Park: City of Decatur, Georgia, USA.
3 October 2023.

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