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    Anderson County Confederate Monument

    3.0 (1 review)

    Anderson County Confederate Monument Photos

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    6 months ago

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    Trail Creek Trestle - A unique and lovely structure.

    Trail Creek Trestle

    5.0(1 review)
    55.7 mi

    Today I was driving through Athens, Georgia when I can across a strange but beautiful sight. It was…read morean old wooden railroad trestle that seemed to suddenly and abruptly stop in a field along Poplar Street. Being the curious soul that I am, I stopped to take a few pictures and marked my location on my GPS so I could use it to create a yelp page later if I found the trestle to be of any historic significance. My hunch was right, it is indeed significant. I discovered this trestle was once part of the CSX railroad system that connected Athens to Atlanta and the world. CSX offered the old decaying rail system to the city, but city officials declined and in the year 2000, CSX began demolition of the old trestle. However, the mayor underestimated just how important this piece of history was not only to Athens, but the music world as well. You see, the 1980's band R.E.M. used this particular trestle as the cover photo for their 1983 album titled Murmur. It was Rolling Stones "Album of the Year". The band was from Athens, GA and the album cover as well as the trestle itself had become iconic to the bands fans around the world. Protests over the demolition of the trestle broke out and forced the city to negotiate with CSX to halt demolition of the structure. Unfortunately much of the trestle had already been destroyed, but thankfully a major portion of it was saved. I hear the city has plans to use it as a tourist attraction, but in the meantime it stands untouched since demolition halted. Still, it is a gorgeous site that presents unique and rustic photo opportunities. You can still see the concrete base for the trestle that once went over Poplar Street. Use the entrance to the North Oconee River Greenway Trail just behind Mama's Boy restaurant (on the corner of Oak and Poplar) to view the remaining concrete pillars where the railroad continued across the Oconee River. R.E.M album cover (front) - http://sleevage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/5561106c734c1008ba3262ce25a4d915.jpg R.E.M album cover (rear) - http://www.caratulas.com/caratulas/R/rem/rem-murmur-Trasera.jpg R.E.M full album - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8FbkyyuqG0 FINAL THOUGHTS I had a good feeling this structure had to be of some significance and I'm so glad I stopped to investigate. If you are fond of old bridges like I am, Athens has a treasure trove of 1800's covered bridges within a 30 minute drive of this location. It would make a great lazy Sunday afternoon drive! Be sure to bring your camera :-) Covered Bridges within 1/2 hour to 45 minute drive: Elder's Mill Watson Mill Bridge Cromer's Mill Covered Bridge Howard's Covered Bridge Enjoy!

    Photos
    Trail Creek Trestle - Trail Creek

    Trail Creek

    Trail Creek Trestle - Trail Creek

    Trail Creek

    Trail Creek Trestle - I had to stop when I saw this!

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    I had to stop when I saw this!

    Maxie Duke Falls

    Maxie Duke Falls

    5.0(1 review)
    40.2 mi

    Maxie Lee Wright Duke was an avid waterfall hunter and good friend to Sidney Holmes Ballenger, Jr.,…read morea man who loved waterfalls so much that he literally wrote the pioneering book on finding them in Oconee County, South Carolina. When he died @ age 73, Maxie wanted to honor him by petitioning the U. S. Department of the Interior in hopes of naming an UNNAMED local waterfall in his honor. While her 1993 petition was denied, the effort didn't end. In late 2014, Renee Hattenstein reapplied to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to have the falls officially named Sid's Falls and in April of 2016, the name Sid's Falls was accepted by the board. Sadly I found an online obituary stating Maxie Lee Wright Duke passed away in December of 2020. But Oconee County residence wanted to honor her by unofficially naming a waterfall after her in close proximity to Sid's Falls. As a matter of fact, Maxie Duke Falls shares most of the same trail and parking that you would use to visit Sid's Falls. [ THE EXPERIENCE ] I WANT TO GIVE FAIR WARNING right up front that while 95% of this trail is super easy, the final leg of the trail to the base of the falls is NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART or anyone not capable of using BOTH HANDS during the descent. You will absolutely need to posses basic skills in climbing and some upper body and leg strength. The trail to the bottom at minimum fits the CLASS 3 hike rating and the breakoff trail to Maxie Duke is practically CLASS 4 as ropes are available to assist climbers on the steep, steep terrain. PARK at the small area off Damascus Church Road between Damascus Baptist Church and Cool Springs Road (State Route S-37-797). Walk around the gate and enjoy approx. 1.4 miles of easy hiking on a wide old road that passes two open grassy fields along the way. The grade varies, but typically stays within a 5% differential. However, once the trail enters into the woods and narrows, it becomes steeper. You will reach a point where the trail forks right or left. RIGHT is to Sid's Falls and LEFT is to Maxie Duke Falls. Here is where either trail gets noticeable difficult as the grade to Sid's can exceed -34% (according to AllTrails). Maxie Duke's trail is even steeper and may require the assistance of a preinstalled rope for most of the descent. Once you reach the creek you will need to wet cross over to the right side in order to achieve the best view of the falls. I ducked under a large fallen tree and discovered a dry trail leading to the base of the falls. I walked right out onto the stone ledge of the falls through the water and did not find the stones to be particularly slippery. In fact, I had good grip but I still remained very cautious. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] When returning, you could also continue your adventure and follow the trail right of the split to Sid's Falls. But again, BE FOREWARNED the trail to Sid's is only slightly less steep, and you will absolutely need both hands and a lower center of gravity to remain balanced! Plan on getting your feet wet @ both falls to attain the best vantage for photos. Proceed with caution, respect the power of nature and know your own ability. It took us about 2 hours 20 minutes to hike from parking to both falls and back, which included rests and about 25 minutes of picture taking. ~ Round trip length to both: 3.3 miles ~ Elevation Gain: UNKNOWN (but probably 600+ feet) OVERALL this is a wonderful hike that will fool you into thinking it's easy for its majority... But do not choose to visit this trail casually! You're gonna get dirty, you're gonna be very tired, but the payoff is well worth the effort to see these two 50 foot beauties! NOT RECOMMENDED for young children, dogs, anyone with balance issues or solo hikers because it is not a popular trail (yet) and injuring yourself would make the return ascent very difficult. 2022 / 73

    Photos
    Maxie Duke Falls
    Maxie Duke Falls
    Maxie Duke Falls

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    Anderson County Confederate Monument - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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