Mother's Day 2022 Mini-Vacay: Red Clay and Georgia

Well we were going to celebrate Mother's Day a day early by going to Cookeville. And on our way there we decided to go itinerary free. So we changed directions from going North to East.

First unplanned stop? Red Clay State Historic Park. Red Clay was the Cherokee Capitol in Exile while fighting the forced removal from their lands to Oklahoma. The hallowed grounds at Red Clay were utilized as assembly areas for general councils of the Cherokee Nation from 1832 to 1838. Forcible removal to internment camps and then to Oklahoma began in 1838. The Trail of Tears is just a horrible historical legacy of our country -- all in the name of gold and land.

There is a connection here at Red Clay. A grandfather-in-law and a grandmother-in-law were half Cherokee. My wife and children are connected to this hallowed place.

The Eternal Flame of the Cherokee Nation - a very moving sight to stand there and wonder why it happened. 

The beautiful acreage surrounding the Eternal Flame and a pastoral look at the Red Clay Capitol of the Cherokees.

The beautiful Blue Hole Spring that sat on the opposite side of the council seats. It is here the Cherokee Nation designates as the starting point of the Trail of Tears.

There is a large sign by the council area stating the reasons why the Cherokee Nation in Exile said no to forced removal. They said no. They said no despite being surrounded by federal troops. 

If you ever get a chance to visit Red Clay State Historic Park, it is worth the time to wonder and to learn. There is a giftshop inside the park entrance building. Dogs can be on leashes on the walking paths.

We drove the 100 feet from Red Clay park into Georgia and made our way to highway 71 and headed south.  We decided to head to Dalton and then cut back east on 76 to Chatsworth. You can tell you are getting to the higher elevations of the Appalachians near Chatsworth.

Then we decided to go even further east to Ellijay. At Ellijay we found a place to eat lunch. I had purchased several gift cards for G for Mother's Day. We used one of the gift cards for lunch. Then we used another gift card to reserve a hotel room in Canton while we were eating lunch.

We got on the four-lane state highway 515 to head south to Canton, which turns into interstate 535 about halfway there from Ellijay. 535 was built to handle commuter traffic to and from Atlanta. 

We found our hotel - a brand new Holiday Inn built on the outskirts of Canton. 

We picked up dinner from Longhorn and got some snacks at the Publix next door. The next day, we took highway 20 out of Canton and found Interstate 75 to head north back to Chattanooga. On the way there, we stopped at our first Buccees in Calhoun and picked up some delicious fudge!

The Seal of the Cherokee Nation, Red Clay.