STONE MOUNTAIN EXPEDITION, version 2.0!

I recently had an opportunity to return to Stone Mountain Park, while on a group tour with Making Memories Tours (www.MakingMemoriesTours.com) and this time, I had the opportunity to ride the cable car to the summit of the mountain.

Even before one arrives at the top, the visitor can enjoy breathtaking scenery in all directions, from this elevation,  as you either stand or sit, inside the window-lined compartment:

 The only problem with taking pictures from inside the cable car, is that you may get reflections from the glass windows.  

After exiting cable car at the top, there is an abundance of amenities for the guests, including placards that help educate a viewer on how the mountain was formed:

I was so thankful to have this opportunity to be "on top of the world", that I lifted my arms in gratitude to our Creator, for the beauty of His creation!

Apparently, I was not the only one happy

to make this journey, as I observed another visitor, with her phone on a tripod, taking a selfie, doing the same gesture!

 

Not surprisingly, there are very few trees on top of the mountain, but this group of visitors found a shady spot under one of them: 

Seeing the aerial tram suspended high above the mountain, may discourage a visitor who is afraid of heights!

The Atlanta skyline is barely visible in the distance: 

One can see some recreational lakes at the base of the mountain:

The markings on the side of the solid rock mountain make for an interesting geology lesson!

I was glad to see the Geodetic Survey Marker, as I explored the top of the mountain.

These three folks, who were part of my Making Memories tour group, seemed to be enjoying taking in the view, as they waited to catch a return tram, back down to the bottom.  

For those who want to walk, instead of taking the aerial cable car, there is a thick white line painted on the rock that shows the way to the trailhead at the top and the trailhead at the bottom.  If one ignores this line, they may get lost, and lead others astray.  I am using this image as a visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says, "Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray."  Proverbs 10:17.

The entry to the aerial cable car facility is impressive, and is called SKYRIDE PLAZA.  It did not look like this when I visited almost a decade ago, so I am thankful for this return visit!

The remainder of this blog, recounts my visit in 2016:

Stone Mountain Park ( stonemountainpark.com )is located just outside Atlanta, Georgia, and has been a popular tourist attraction for decades.  It includes walking paths, picnic areas, museum, and various types of rides.  My friend and I made a stop to this familiar landmark, on our way to attend a Road Scholar ( www.roadscholar.org ) program in Florida.

The centerpiece of the park is the famous rock relief carving on its north face, said to be the largest bas-relief carving in the world. 

The carving covers a surface area of 1.57 acres, and is recessed 42 feet into the mountain.

The carving was started in 1925 by Gutzon Borglum, who went on to become famous for carving the presidential faces on Mount Rushmore, in South Dakota.

This photo of a different side of Stone Mountain, without a carving, can help one understand the immensity of the undertaking, and perhaps one of the reasons that Borglum abandoned the project.  The mountain can look less remarkable when viewed some angles, which may explain why I have no memory of it from my attendance at archery events for the 1996 Olympics, headquartered in Atlanta.  The Stone Mountain area was the location of both the archery and track cycling events for the 1996 Olympics. 

However, after many decades, and a long string of subsequent carvers/supervisors, the project was finally declared as "complete", on March 3, 1972. 

The carving depicts three Civil War figures---General Stonewall Jackson, General Robert E. Lee, and Confederate President Jefferson Davis.  This photo of the carving from a distance shows why it had to reach 400 feet above the ground, in order to be viewed, as one approached the mountain. 

One of the attractions at the park, which is operated by Hershend Family Entertainment Corporation, is the Skyride, shown in the upper left corner of this photo.  The Skyride has Swiss-built cable cars that take visitors to the top and back, and pass by the carving on the way.  (I am very familiar with the Hershend Family businesses, as they were started in Branson, Missouri, just 30 minutes from where I grew up, when they purchased Marvel Cave, and turned it into a tourist attraction)

For those who want to go to the summit, but do not want to take the cable cars, there is a walk-up trail on the west side of the mountain.  Keep in mind that the summit has an elevation of 1,686 feet above sea level, and rises 825 feet above the surrounding ground.  If you would enjoy hiking in the area, but do not want to make the climb, there are several other choices available, since the mountain has a 5 mile circumference at its base. 

In 2015, there was talk of destroying the carvings, because of their reference to the Civil War.  Fortunately, however, the Georgia State Legislature did not authorize their removal, citing the historical significance, and the fact that the same carver who did Mt. Rushmore U.S. Monument, also started this monument. 

When the sun hits the mountain at certain angles, it may sparkle.  That is because of the quartz monzonite that makes up its dome. 

There are several statues around the base of the monument that bring out various significant events in U.S. history.  Since pastor Martin Luther King mentioned Stone Mountain in his 1963 "I Have A Dream" speech in Washington, D.C., one of the remembrances has been a bell ringing.  In the speech, MLK proclaimed, "Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia."

Since I am from Arkansas, I wanted to take a photo of the monument that tells about my home state during the period of 1861-1865.  When thinking about the many Bible verses that have the word "stone" in them, I saw that my Jeremiah Study Bible listed 24 references.  The one that seemed most appropriate to go along with a story about my visit to Stone Mountain was in 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 that says, "You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh,, that is, of the heart." It refers to Paul contrasting the Old Testament covenant of God being written on tablets of stone, i.e., The Ten Commandments.   However, with the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for  my sins, the New Covenant is written on my heart, and seen in my actions.   This is one reason I participate in a healthy living program, called First Place 4 Health ( www.FirstPlace4Health.com )  .  It is a program that constantly reminds me that in order to serve God most effectively, I need as healthy a body as possible!  I want to live in a way that is pleasing to God, because that is the best way to be assured of "MILES OF SMILES"!  Tricia

INTERSTATE 49 EXPEDITION!

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