As I step outside and glance up, I see a blanket of mares tails and high, thin cirrus clouds floating overhead. With that, I grab my camera and jump in my car for the 3 minute trip towards my go-to sunset watching spot. The aptly named Sunset Drive is located on the campus of the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega and is one of the most underrated, barely known spots for sunset watching in Northeast Georgia. In a region filled with south and eastward facing slopes and vistas, this spot just outside of downtown Dahlonega offers a stunning view westwards toward the ridgelines around Amicalola. This spot is easily accessible year-round due to it’s location and, on any given day, you can go watch the red sun sink behind the mountains that line the landscape miles in the distance.
This night, I arrive a few minutes before official sunset and am greeted by colors no painter has in his palette: The sun is just starting to dip below the ridgeline.
The stream of cars traveling below seem oblivious to the beauty around them. This high point separates me from the evening rush hour and I am able to enjoy the end of another day in peace with only the occasional click of a camera shutter breaking the silence.
A lonesome, tiny cumulus cloud joins the party and stands out deep purple against the orange background.
The sky appears to imitate a stellar nebula as the highest clouds light up a brilliant shade of red.
But soon, the light fades and Venus comes out, soon followed by Jupiter, Sirius and eventually the dimmer stars, planets, galaxies and nebulae. I walk back to my car and I am reminded of all the other sunsets I’ve seen. There was the one at 4,874 feet above sea level atop Brasstown Bald:
…or the one taken behind a supercell thunderstorm in June of 2013:
Regardless of when or where they were taken, they all have one thing in common – the beauty of God’s handiwork. One of the first things to ever occur on Earth was a sunset, and they continue to be one of the most beautiful things we can witness from our tiny little towns here on our giant rock.
In my new Now Habersham series “Roads Less Traveled” I’ll take you on awe-inspiring journeys through the mountains of Northeast Georgia. Beauty surrounds us, we just have to stop, look, listen. It’s there. From stunning vistas to cascading waterfalls to blooming flowers, I will take you along on my trips over the rivers and through the woods, offering up photos of the most fantastic places in the region. I will give directions to each of these spots, some within easy reach, others hidden behind miles of trail and steep slopes. Together we’ll follow the “Roads Less Traveled.” Come share the journey with me!
If you have somewhere special you would like highlighted over the coming weeks, let me know in the comments below and I’ll be sure check it out.
See you on the road ~Tyler
