Beautiful, fall day

This beautiful fall weather made for a great trip to the North Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay, Georgia. My date and I took my car (Nissan SUV), which provided room for his wheelchair in the trunk and a spacious area for him to sit. Traffic was so backed up that we had to park almost a half-mile away from the festival and travel on the side of the street to get to the festival. There were no sidewalks to accommodate his needs.

            When we finally arrived, there was no trouble entering the festival except for a slight hill before the entrance. As we traveled around the festival, we realized there were several other people who were also in wheelchairs. The aisles were wide enough to fit at least two chairs, side by side, but the crowds made this almost impossible. Even as a person able to walk by foot, it was difficult to squeeze through the sea of people.

            Of course, the sensation of the various festival foods began to appeal to us. As we searched for snacks, we realized there were food vendors with areas of tables and chairs and even hay bells to rest on, but these spots were few and far between as well as crowded (like the rest of the festival). Finally, we found a spot away from the festival and my date remained in his chair to have his snack as I stood beside him.

            After a few hours, we both had enough of the festival and decided to move on with our day. Exiting the festival was the same as entering. There was the same small hill to conquer and the traffic on the streets was worse than when we entered. As we were leaving, we noticed a bus transporting many people (those with and without wheelchairs).

 
Next time, a bus may be a better option to fit my date’s needs. When we left, we drove to an apple orchard about fifteen minutes away. As we arrived, we quickly realized the same crowd that was at the festival must have followed up to the apple orchard. The orchard was on a gravel road, which made the ride to and from the car not so comfortable for my date, but luckily, there were no other problems with entering and exiting. Once we were at the orchard, we found ourselves fighting crowds yet again. Children running around, parents chasing after them, and noise so loud it was hard to hear myself speak. We went up and down the aisles of apple trees for a bit, enjoying the peace within these aisles and the scenery surrounding us. Afterwards, we tried to go into the apple house to purchase some apple butter and bread, but there was no room to move.

 Instead, we bought some food at the food stand and returned near our car, under a tree to have a quiet picnic alone. The picnic was the first place we both experienced real comfort, even though it was a struggle to get him out of his chair.

            

We left the apple house and went onto Amicalola Falls State Park. We were able to drive to the top of the mountain and watch the sunset. To find a spot away from the inevitable crowds, we had to travel a few minutes off track on a gravel road. Once we found our spot, we both sat on the side of the mountain and watched the sun set. This made for a peaceful end to a chaotic day. All in all, I would never choose these attractions as a date spot for someone who is disabled, but it opened my eyes to the many obstacles one has to overcome just to enjoy the simple pleasures I take for granted.