Mr. and Mrs. Hostetter go to the Mountain

On Saturday I stood 1,683 feet above sea level. Xon and I went to the Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta. It is an annual festival at the park where crafty people from all over the country come to show off their goods. I bought some broccoli soup mix, which tasted absolutely DISGUSTING when I made it, we got some lunch from Moe's and then--of course--a funnel cake. We then tried to get back to our car by going down a back road but ended up having to walk up a ridiculously steep hill, so that didn't really make the trip any shorter. Xon had to put his hand on my back and push me up the rest of the way.

Once we were completely drenched with sweat, we made it back to the car, and there--of course--was the shuttle waiting to take people down to the festival. Excellent timing, as usual...

Well, I had never been to Stone Mountain, so I asked Xon if we could stop by and see the carving in the mountain--even though we had to get back so he could go to the UGA/SC game. The park is HUMONGOUS--over 3,300 acres. There are tons of things to do. There's even a Home School Day, which I think Xon would appreciate. :-) And there is Miss Katie's Sideboard Restaurant, which I hope to take over one day.

Anyway, back to the mountain part. Stone Mountain is the largest piece of exposed granite in the world. It is 825 feet tall and covers 583 acres. They think it also goes about 7 miles underground, though more of it is being exposed all the time as errosion occurs.

Helen Plane's husband fought with Robert E. Lee during the War Between the States/Civil War. After he died at Gettysburg, Plane wanted to preserve the memory of the Confederacy and the veterans who served in the war. So she asked for a carving on Stone Mountain.

The carving's history is very long and controversial. It would take too long to sum it all up, so here is a link where you can read the details:

Stone Mountain Carving

Basically, the project began around 1909. Numerous carvers worked on the project, including Gutzon Borglum, who later worked on Mount Rushmore. Some people died while working on it, and there were numerous political arguments over the project. The carving depicts General Robert E. Lee in front, Confederate President Jefferson Davis on the left, and Lt. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson on the right. The carving is three acres, larger than a football field. The carving of the three men towers 400 feet above the ground, measures 90 by 190 feet, and is recessed 42 feet into the mountain. The deepest point of the carving is at Lee's elbow, which is 12 feet to the mountain's surface. Our tour guide said you could put two school buses on top of Lee's horse and still have room left over. In 1972, the carving was declared complete.

Today, you can ride the Skylift up to the top of the mountain and walk around. You can see the Atlanta skyline through the fog. There is a fence all the way around the edge, and the police chief hired a helicopter to fly around the mountain during the day to make sure no one tries to get over the fence. There is also an officer on duty on the mountain, as well as a gift shop, refreshments and restrooms.

Here are pictures from our big day! It was very windy up there!