The purpose of the trip was to go to Atlanta to the Swiss Embassy. But we like to stay at scenic places, so our Tour Organizer got us places at the Stone Mountain Memorial Park. (Thanks, Kat.) This is where an enormous deep relief sculpture of Southern heroes is carved into the face of an outcropping of granite. It is bigger than Mount Rushmore, they say, with full figures on horses. This is one Southern memorial that nobody can take down, but some are doing their best to let it “go back to nature” so it isn’t very visible. But it is still very impressive.
Some of the family (well, all except me, who was not well and slept for 24 hours), climbed the arduous trail (with baby and small people) to the top of the Stone Mountain, and took the Swiss cable car back down.
Finally, TREES. Getting to Georgia.
A park and playground stop on the way.
The pond had a collection of Muscovy and Muscovy-cross ducks, and very large broods of ducklings. This hen had about 16, as near as we could count when they were all together.
Stone Mountain Lodge (a Motel)
Stone Mountain, with a pumpkin pyramid of some enormous pumpkins. It was very quiet, with nothing happening while we were there, but sundry events are held on occasion. Note the carving on the Rock face. And the cable car lines.
Three mounted figures: Jefferson Davis, and Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.
Carved area is 3 acres, 400 feet above the ground, the figures are 90 x 190 feet, recessed 42 feet into the mountain.
It is the biggest deep relief sculpture in the world.
The carving was initially started by the sculptor who later did Mt. Rushmore, but there was a dispute and the small part he had started got blasted away. The original idea was for seven mounted figures and a huge army. The concept started at the beginning of the 1900’s, but it ran into various difficulties, and several people worked on it, until it was finally finished in 1972. For a size comparison, a worker could stand IN a horse’s mouth, if a rain shower came along. It was originally on private property, but now belongs to the state of Georgia.
The carving was initially started by the sculptor who later did Mt. Rushmore, but there was a dispute and the small part he had started got blasted away. The original idea was for seven mounted figures and a huge army. The concept started at the beginning of the 1900’s, but it ran into various difficulties, and several people worked on it, until it was finally finished in 1972. For a size comparison, a worker could stand IN a horse’s mouth, if a rain shower came along. It was originally on private property, but now belongs to the state of Georgia.
At another time, we took a hike to see and hear the Carillon. The park has a number of attractions, not all of which we could visit.
The path to get there. You can sort of see it in the upper middle in the trees.
While we approached, and when we got there, it played “Ode to Joy,” “Edelwiess,” and “Danny Boy,” among similar pieces.
In the trees in a pavilion along the way was an organ that probably is connected to the Carillon, but it hasn’t been used in seemingly a long time.
Next: Atlanta.
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