Can you spy the yellow daisies just as you are beginning the walk up Arabia Mountain? I wish you could know the fragrance of these in the early morning, light but oh so sweetly fragrant! As you begin this walk, it is a bit of a climb and then it levels off and you are surrounded by many pine trees and at this point, you may ask, "Is this the mountain?". The answer is yes, certainly, but if you look closely you can see that very much of this has been quarried but that nature has taken over beautifully. YOU MUST KEEP GOING. (If for health reasons, you are unable to continue...DO NOT DESPAIR! Look around you at the great natural beauty! I took this photo below of Richard at the very beginning of the walk, just as we came out from under the trees at the entrance.) Now, follow the stone cairns that are there for you, and you will be rewarded by the monadnock of Arabia Mountain rising before you, just around a stand of pines which is about 1/2 mile from where you have parked your car....
There were masses of these gorgeous yellow daisies all over the mountain. Could the sky really be that blue? It was!
Arabia Lake was sparkling in this sun, can you see the blue lake through the trees?
The boardwalk at the base of Arabia Mountain is beside a busy road, Klondike Road which leads you to a shopping mall and busy Interstate 20 which is always packed with traffic. You would never guess that you are only a few miles from this kind of natural beauty... Of course, those of you who read this blog know all about it!
Hoping that yellow flowers will one day mark your way as they do in September on Arabia Mountain. (Please understand that these yellow daisies are in just a very small amount of sandy soil that has collected on solid rock!) Life tries very hard. Never give up, never surrender!
I'm almost there!! I just walked the fields behind the Dekalb Co. Firing Range, the Wilburn Farm, and then the path from Murphy Candler to N. Goddard Road. The link below goes to a map of all the trails I've walked (paved and otherwise) in Rockdale Co.. And this doesn't include Henry or Newton Co. (I've finished all the trails at Factory Shoals, and the Eastside Trail from the Library to Eastside High School.) Google Earth has quite a lot of my pictures on their site. It's amazing the beauty that is in our own back yards. http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q226/albooinkruse/map_zps6dee9102.jpg
ReplyDeletePLEASE get yourself to Arabia Mountain RIGHT NOW. All the trails are nice, I am sure, but Arabia Mountain is truly unique in its beauty. Look at Richard's photos if you don't believe me! If you enjoy ticking off trails on a list, if it gives you joy...but don't miss out on Arabia's beauty!
DeleteEvery time I see your pictures and read your descriptions of walks on and around Arabia Mountain, my wish to walk there myself increases.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course you know how much I love the combination of yellow daisies and blue sky - my idea of a perfect picture :-)
You would be surprised at the beauty of it, how very different it looks from everything around it. All that is growing is from what has collected on that solid rock, it's an incredible spot and a place that I love so very much!
DeleteI knew you would love the blue & yellow!!! ;-)
Gorgious photos. I've got to find Arabia Mountain on Google Earth. It looks fabulous.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, lots of people drive right past it on Klondike Road and they never realize it's beauty. It is fabulous if you have the eyes to see it.
Deletewow what a fabulous place and breathtaking views xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, so happy to see your mushroom house here!
DeleteIt is a wonderful place and one that you will see a lot of on this blog!!
Almost too beautiful for words.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, I just need to have Richard's photos on here, that's all I need!!
DeleteThis must be the month for yellow, because another blogger posted photos of sunflowers!
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of yellow flowers in Georgia, but these yellow daisies only bloom on or just around these monadnocks...they are very special!
DeleteYour pictures are beautiful and very inviting too. I could just feel myself walking along with you enjoying it all. It's amazing how the flowers can grow in just little segments of soil. Happy Fall!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! It IS amazing to realize the uniquenes of these flowers. Happy Fall to you too! xx
DeleteWhat a beautiful place you have to walk, I love seeing how the seasons change there. We're always a bit behind you.
ReplyDeleteYes, you might be a bit behind but you are closer to the beach! :-)
DeleteGorgeous posts! The yellow daisies and that beautiful deep blue sky! Thank you, thank you for sharing these Kay! Take care!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I am so glad that you like these photos. I think that Richard captures the beauty perfectly.
DeleteBy Grabthar's hammer, by the sons of Worvan, you have shared some beautiful scenery with us. What a lovely place this is.
ReplyDeleteHA! Yes, I am not above stealing quotes from my favorite movies!! If you go back, you will see I did a post about Alan Rickman! I love him and I love Galaxy Quest too!
Delete"Life tries very hard. Never give up, never surrender" That's a good motto for life Kay.
ReplyDeleteI totally stole those quotes from movies but I truly love them and thought they fit here, and yes, I think they might be pretty good mottoes as well!! :-)
DeleteOh, I love that, Kay. Really. Life does try very hard. I can't wait to see those daisies in person one day!!!
ReplyDeleteRichard and I are always saying "Life tries very hard" when we see a plant that is growing that looks so impossible for it to do so!! (That quote comes from Jurassic Park, believe it or not!)
DeleteSomeday I must see your beautiful mountains....My brother lives in Alpharetta, a suburb of Atlanta. How far away is that, Kay?
ReplyDeleteOh! Alpharetta isn't that far away! You MUST climb Stone Mountain the next time you visit him! Let me know and I will climb with you!
Delete(My brother lives in Cumming and he works in Alpharetta!)
I love to see sheets of yellow flowers best of all, followed by sheets of blue (like bluebells). I adore the way yellow shows up from quite a long way away, or if the display of flowers is behind trees or bushes. Lovely photos, Kay.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite exciting to see (and smell!) those yellow daisies from underneath the trees, just at the very beginning of the Arabia Mountain Trail!
DeleteGuess you know that I love bluebells too! :-)
So beautiful! Usually you see flowers in spring and summer..how nice to anticipate seeing and smelling these beauties at summer's end! Thanks for taking us with you up your mountain!
ReplyDeleteYes, we really have anticipation for these lovely yellow daisies! Glad you enjoyed going up the mountain with us! :-)
DeleteOh my gosh! That is so breath-taking! I needed this since we've been so busy over here, it's hard to find time to get to visit you all.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kay! I know just what you mean, life gets crazy sometimes, doesn't it?
DeleteHope you are doing well. (I still think of your photo where you are holding the sunshine in your hands, it makes me smile when I think of it.)
A lovely use of an old quarry!
ReplyDeleteIt's truly a shame that Stone Mountain and Arabia Mountain were quarried to begin with, they are both very special. Still, as you can see, nature has been reclaiming it if you have the eyes to see it!
Delete