A spacious house on a north Georgia mountain requires great driving skills and nerves of steel for those gorgeous views.
On May 12, 2022 we had 4 days before check in day in Myrtle Beach and no reservation for a place. So on the evening of May 12th we found a really good price on a house in the mountains near Clayton Georgia. It had what we needed: wifi, TV, kitchen. It had the most gorgeous mountain views with a huge partially shaded deck. I did read a few reviews, with one noting that it would be “helpful” to have a 4 wheel drive. Well, we drove our old van up and over many dirt and stone roads, so we weren’t deterred. Our new van doesn’t have the pesky hitch that the old van did, so it doesn’t drag when going down hills and bumps. “We should be good.”
The rental was an instant book, and sent detailed directions on how to get to the home. We decided not to follow their directions, but to drive in from the more western direction. Bad idea. Being out-of-the-box thinkers and seasoned travelers sometimes creates troublesome hubris.
Stuck!
We drove up a windy, mountain paved road, aptly named Screamer Road, and made the turn onto Orchard Trail, the road the house was on. Keith carefully drove the van, up the steep, sliding scree of 2-inch-rocks. Grinding, sliding, spinning tire sound. Even with those scary sounds, he maneuvered the 4 gullies in the road. But the steep angle and a huge rock blocking a 5th gully stopped the van. Uh oh. Now what? Turn around? Not possible on this narrow road with a steep drop off. Keep going? And get stuck? Nope. So Keith carefully and successfully backed down the trail about .2 miles, crunching stones beneath us. Ah, we made it to the paved road. Relief, tempered with fear of what the other approach would be like. “Can you imagine how hard that would’ve been if it were dark?” Keith asked, still sounding totally calm.
Overwhelmed with fear hormones still coursing through my body, I tried to read the directions from the rental company and Google maps. Comprehension is surprisingly impeded when your brain is full of grinding stone sounds and adrenaline.
Shoot the (Saddle) Gap
Onward with the directions off of Warwoman Road. We missed the small road, so we had to turn around, again. Even after many missed turns, that experience still heightens our anxiety – a bit. Made it to our target turn, Saddle Gap Road, which looked more like a driveway than a road. It was paved, but really narrow – like one car-wide narrow. No designation as a one-way road. Keith drove up the twists and turns, hoping no other vehicle was approaching. I was so scared in this danger zone, I felt I was holding my breath all the way. No shoulders and eroded mountain sides with gullies to catch a 6-foot mudslide offered no pull over areas for long stretches. Twist and turn around more blind corners as we climbed this mountain. Two miles of breathless driving – ah, we made it to the intersection.
Turn right, drive .2 miles, turn onto the crunchy, steep Orchid Trail from the easterly direction. The gullies weren’t there, and the crunch crunch of the 2-inch rocky scree led us to a hairpin turn onto the steep driveway. Thank God the driveway was paved. And yes, of course, the driveway was on a hill. Short and not as steep as some of the mountainside driveways we saw nearby.
It’s two days later, and we have no intention of leaving today. Luckily, we had just done grocery shopping. As long as we ration our meat, I think we can stay up here until checkout in two more days.
Mountains
Sunrise View Clayton Georgia
Sunrise mist moved like a tai chi master
May 2022
Blue Ridge Mountains
Sunrise mist moved like a tai chi master
May 2022
But this beautiful area invited us to explore. So we ventured out day 3 to Tallulah Gorge State Park. Multiple waterfalls decorate this park. A short hike along a soft path offers great views at overlooks 2 and 3 along the North Rim trail of this 1000 foot gorge.
That day we made it up the gravel Orchid Trail and made it up and down the dangerously narrow Saddle Gap Road without meeting another vehicle. Miraculous!
Ditch It
Ok, it’s day 4. Time to check out. As we’re walking to our van to leave, we hear a car horn. “Maybe that’s what the neighbors do at blind corners,” I thought. We grind up gravel Orchid Trail, and make the turn onto single lane Saddle Gap. I begin to film, holding my breath. Around a bend, no cars, around another blind curve, no cars. Then in the shadows we see it—a pick up truck is in the ditch! I freaked out, but calmed myself. Checked on the lady in the truck; she was OK. Her neighbor in a car had just gotten past her truck and was going to get her a tow truck from town.
I had to stand in front of the van and tell Keith how to navigate past her twisted tire. At one point, there was less than an inch between her tire and our van tire. The other side had a 4 inch drop into soft, decaying leaves, and I didn’t want the van tire to go into that. “Keith, go right 2 inches. Ok, come straight. Now, go left 1 inch.” Keith inched forward as I examined the van’s sides and all 4 tires to make sure he could stay on the road and not damage our van or her truck. He made it!
I ran back to the lady. “Do you want us to stay with you?” “No,” she calmly replied. “My neighbor drove me off the road. But a tow truck is coming. Just be safe.” Wow! I still marvel at how calm and selfless that lady was. A true brave, strong mountain mamma!
Although the mountain views and misty mornings were spectacular, I doubt we’d venture to this specific vacation home. Saddle Gap was THE scariest and most dangerous paved road we’ve been on in these 4 years of traveling, or maybe all our travel!