We've got Georgia on our minds (Featuring Kaity Howard)

Prepare for an adventure as we, Joshua and Craig, uncover the hidden gems and unique charm of towns throughout the United States in this episode of Treasures of Our Town. Joined by our special guest, Geocaching Katie from Georgia, we discover the wonders of North Georgia, the beauty of Atlanta's Stone Mountain, and the captivating Atlanta skyline at sunset. From the picturesque Appalachian Mountains to the stunning trails of the East Side Beltline, Katie introduces us to the delight of boiled peanuts, the allure of Waffle Houses, and the thrill of visiting Babyland General Hospital.

Join us on this exploration, and be prepared to be entertained by our light-hearted banter about everything from smashing pennies to watching a cabbagepatch doll birthing. Katie's adventurous tales of hiking the Appalachian Trail and her exploits in geocaching will leave you inspired and awestruck. So buckle up and immerse yourself in this thrilling journey as we uncover the treasures of our town. It's an adventure you won't want to miss!

Social Media Links
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Youtube 

Links from the show

Kaity Youtube Channel
Craig Instagram Channel
Smashing Pennies - code - Treasuresofourtown for 10% off all orders
Appalachian Trail
Pacific Crest Trail
Georgia Mountain Coaster
Tallulah Gorge State Park (sliding rock!)
Kaity’s Video
Stone Mountain at sunset
East Side Beltline in Atlanta
Piedmont Park
Columbus, GA River Walk
Waffle House
Cloudland Canyon
BabyLand General Hospital

Transcript

Treasures of Our Town

Kaity 0:00

And she said that you know all the terms like from, like a birth. She was using she's like the. You know the tree is dilated, four leaves apart. What, and?

Joshua 0:23

Do you love the outdoors? Do you love to travel? Do you love finding hidden treasures in towns all over the USA?

Craig 0:29

Hi, I'm Joshua and I'm Craig, and welcome to Treasures of Our Town, the podcast that takes you on a journey to explore the unique and charming towns scattered throughout the United States.

Joshua 0:38

Join us as we venture into some of the country's most intriguing destinations, uncovering hidden gems and local secrets along the way.

Craig 0:45

On today's episode, Josh, we have a very special guest from the Geocaching community. You know her well and, like this podcast, Geocaching has actually guided her travels.

Joshua 0:56

And you know what else has guided her travel the Appalachian Trail.

Craig 1:00

Oh, it has, it has, it has. So we'll get to her very shortly, very, very shortly. She's on the back burner, josh, she's on the back burner. Yes, she is, because I need to talk about what we've done first this last couple of weeks we've been busy with both of us.

Joshua 1:11

Oh my gosh, I haven't talked to you for a while. You've been busy with other podcasts.

Craig 1:16

You've been cheating on this podcast. This is podcast infidelity. It really it's.

Joshua 1:23

I'm sorry, josh, but yes, there's enough of me to share around We'll just say that I guess, I guess, and I have been enjoying the infidelity actually.

Craig 1:32

Thank you, oh really, wow, that sounds next level. So if you don't know, guys, I've actually been hosting another podcast. It's the official Munzi podcast, and Munzi Josh is just another geolocation game like Geocaching, but it's more points based. You said it in one of our previous vlogs or previous videos or videos. What are you called Podcasts? I'm getting confused. Already. You said like if Pokemon Go and Geocaching had a child it would be Munzi.

Joshua 2:01

Yeah, it kind of be like Munzi. Munzi is whimsical. You captured unicorns and cyclops and yeah, it's very similar. It's a lot of fun. It is it's point-based. It's point-based.

Craig 2:13

Now, if those people don't know, Josh, you know I am one of your referrals Cause, so you get points for actually referring people as well it's very different to geocaching. Can you imagine if geocaching was point-based, josh? Your points would be like triple what you've got now.

Joshua 2:27

Yeah, I have no idea how many people I've referred to geocaching. No, no exactly, but they don't have those records.

Craig 2:33

No, but Munzi does. So, josh, just just to let you know. You don't know this either, but I've been creeping up on you and Munzi too. I'm less than 900,000 away from you now.

Joshua 2:43

I know I better step it up. I better step it up and now you're on the podcast.

Craig 2:48

Yeah, yeah, with Rob, the official president of Munzi. So that's pretty cool, guys, if you're into Munzi, go and have a look at the official Munzi podcast as well, with Rob and myself. So, josh, what about you? Did you like get another year older?

Joshua 3:03

It was my birthday. It was my birthday, that's all that's happened.

Craig 3:07

That's all that's happened. 40, 45?

Joshua 3:08

Was it or 40 something, something like I'm 40 or something. Oh dude, I cut it. Oh dude, I cut it. Did I cut out?

Craig 3:17

Yeah, you did. You cut it out. I'll edit that out, so don't worry about that.

Joshua 3:22

Yes, it was my birthday Congratulations. Happy birthday, Josh. Thank you, it was. You know, it was kind of low key, you know my birthday happened on a weekend and my wife works on the weekend, so I did some fun things. I did all the fun things I like to do. People asked me what are you going to do with your birthday? And I said anything I want, and that's what.

Craig 3:40

I did, and that involved Goliath. I take it.

Joshua 3:43

Actually he no.

Craig 3:44

I didn't because?

Joshua 3:45

no, because I went to the mall and I got a massage. Oh really, I got a mall massage. Did you get the mall of America? No, it wasn't the mall of America, it was a different mall. But I've never had a massage at the mall before. It was a unique experience. I wanted to experience something new.

Craig 4:02

So that's what.

Kaity 4:03

I did.

Joshua 4:03

There you go and then I found a geocache. I always find a geocache on my birthday.

Craig 4:08

Well, that's, you have to. You have to. It's a given thing, it's a good thing. So what else have I been up to? Let's see my bird photography. I bet back into that again. That's got a new. I've got a new lens, josh, a new lens.

Joshua 4:20

Seriously, this lens is, is huge, huge lens and you just walk around taking pictures of birds.

Craig 4:27

Wildlife and, but not just birds. Nowadays, I'm actually into different types of photography, such as ready for this, josh, ready for this, I'm going to get all fancy. Sure Texture photography Wow. That's fancy Nature's texture, like the bark of trees or the the fungus so long on branch, or you know that sort of thing. So nature's texture.

Joshua 4:47

Josh, not just beauty and everything I love that Exactly.

Craig 4:50

That's why I'm friends with you. I see the beauty in you as well.

Joshua 4:55

I bet you, katie has seen some pretty cool birds in her day.

Craig 4:58

Absolutely, absolutely. She's from. She's from Georgia too. Josh Katie is from Georgia.

Joshua 5:04

What's that?

Craig 5:05

Georgian birds yeah, yeah. Didn't you get a gift or something from Georgia? Did I get a gift? Yeah, oh yeah.

Joshua 5:12

I got a gift, yeah. I mean it was. I guess it was a gift. It was just kind of like surprise mail.

Craig 5:18

It's in the show notes. You should know it's in the show notes. I know I got okay, I got a package.

Joshua 5:24

People just sometimes send me packages and the funny thing is this package got sent to my work. Oh really, how cool is it?

Craig 5:30

Somebody hunted me down and yeah, I wonder where I work. Don't you work address as your, as your package place? I get, yes, yes, I get better at the people know where I work. What did you get? What did you get?

Joshua 5:42

I got a bag filled with smashed pennies Smashed, smashed pennies. Have you ever seen smashed pennies, like pennies that are smashed? There's a, there's a, literally smashed.

Craig 5:53

I know this. I see machines out there Like I was in Niagara Falls a couple of months ago now, and there was like this machine there where you can put a I think it's like a, you know, a dollar or two dollars in a year Exactly. You put the wheel down and get spits out this penny. You can actually bend them as well, the pennies, Like they're bent and squashed.

Joshua 6:11

Yes, they do. That's the ones. So it was filled with smashed pennies and they had like the geocaching. Someone had the geocaching logo on them, some had like the mountain scene that said not all who wander or lost, and all this stuff. And then I turned to some of them over and she burned into the back of it. Like the smooth side of it, she burned the geocaching vlogger logo. What it was so cool. You get all the good stuff. I know you get all the good stuff. It was cool and so I just want to give a shout out.

Joshua 6:40

So this podcast is not sponsored. Nope, we are only sponsored by our patrons. We want Texas Roadhouse to sponsor us, miller Highlife I'm wearing that All the things we like. We want them to sponsor us, but they won't. That's okay. So this isn't like a sponsored thing. But I thought since smashing penniesnet gave me a whole bag of smashing pennies and I thought it was connected to kind of travel, because when my kids were little, every time we went to a different place they're like, dad, do you have two quarters and a penny? So they could smash it and get like Niagara Falls or Mount Rushmore on a penny, and they actually had a little book.

Craig 7:22

Oh wow, that's cool.

Joshua 7:23

Yeah, they had a book filled with like, and it was just like a little thing for them to remember their travels.

Craig 7:29

That's really cool. Well, I researched this a little bit, josh, because in Australia, and probably here as well, it's actually illegal for someone to disintegrate or tear apart notes, coin, currency that sort of thing. But there's a loophole. Not a loophole, but there's a law in your constitutional whatever that smashed pennies can actually. They're actually legal tender, so you can physically smash a penny and not get in trouble.

Joshua 7:55

So I know it's legit and maybe that's part of our national debt problem. We're just destroying our money Exactly. I'm curious. I'm not going to be like Katie in right now. Katie, do you collect smashed pennies, or have you ever collected smashed pennies in your life?

Kaity 8:13

Yes, I have, but you know I don't carry quarters, I don't carry cash or anything anymore, so I have to like go exchange. But yeah, I have, I actually done one like pretty recently.

Joshua 8:24

Really, where was it?

Kaity 8:26

It was at? Where was it? Like somewhere in North Georgia, I think it was Delanaga, maybe, yeah. So there's like a general store and there's a machine inside. You can just do the roll the thing, smash them out.

Joshua 8:41

It's really fun to smash them.

Craig 8:43

Yeah, I was going to say Josh, before you go on. Before you go on, josh, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I'd like to welcome you. Yes, welcome to Katie Howard from the Geocaching Katie YouTube channel. Yes, you've been on and off the YouTube channel for a while now, which is pretty cool. I see you've been along the Appalachian Trail, etc. They're going to dive deep into what you've been up to your travels and, of course, you're from Georgia, because that's where the link to Georgia was as well. So I'm actually officially now welcome you to the podcast, so welcome.

Pennies and Hiking the Appalachian Trail

Kaity 9:13

Thank y'all. Thank you, I'm happy to be here. Can we get back to smashing pennies?

Joshua 9:18

I know this whole podcast isn't about it, but I think that's the funnest part of the whole. Collecting the smashing pennies is to smash it, because you're actually, as you turn that crank, you're actually smashing it.

Kaity 9:31

Yeah.

Joshua 9:32

Like I thought when I was a kid I thought it was just a gimmick, right, you put a penny in and then they like already had some smash pennies in there, and then they just like fell out no, you're actually smashing them.

Kaity 9:42

Have you ever put pennies on like the railroad track?

Joshua 9:46

Yes, have you ever done that? Yeah, yeah, it's weird because they don't come out with really cool designs that way for some reason yeah, I don't know why Just smashed.

Joshua 9:55

But you're right, katie, that is a problem because last time I saw a smash penny machine I was like I want to do the smash penny machine but I don't carry like quarters with me, like sometimes I might have a penny. So like they need, you know what they should do. This is a great idea. I'm going to give people the smashing penned penny. Whoever does it, they should have like you know how they have like card readers, like you should be able to do a card reader.

Kaity 10:18

They actually. I've seen one of those before.

Craig 10:21

What yeah Is this?

Kaity 10:23

Yeah, and I actually accidentally like because it was a tap too, like I didn't have to swipe the card, I tapped it. Wow, I had a single design that was available and it charged me like 10 bucks, so I had like a pile of. I had like a pile of smashed pennies.

Joshua 10:41

I think that sounds like it was worth it.

Craig 10:43

It was you sound like your childhood, just very destructive.

Joshua 10:47

I know, I know. Anyway, to wrap this up, if you'd like to check out smashing penniesnet, go to smashing penniesnet and you can get a bunch of smashed pennies. And for geocachers and let's be honest, a lot of people listen to this podcast are geocachers. It's great, it's a great swag. If you see something like that, a unique design on it, it would be a cool thing to trade out.

Craig 11:09

So that's all I have to say about that. I've seen people I've seen people Josh as well use them with their. They attach them to their sticks, their hiking sticks, like their, their timbers wood sticks, yeah.

Joshua 11:17

And I've seen that food.

Craig 11:18

So that's pretty cool. That's pretty cool.

Joshua 11:20

Speaking of hiking stick.

Craig 11:21

Exactly Right, did you like that? That was a lady. Nice.

Joshua 11:27

I think maybe the only person I know in real life that has through hikes the Appalachian Trail all the way from Georgia, which we're going to be talking about later, all the way to Maine. Yeah, and the last time I talked to you, katie was on geocache talk about a year ago.

Kaity 11:43

Yeah.

Joshua 11:44

And I would love to hear a life update. How have you been since then? I know I haven't uploaded anything.

Kaity 11:51

I haven't been off.

Joshua 11:52

You haven't oh.

Kaity 11:53

Like not on YouTube. It's been a transition back into, like we used to call it like, the matrix, you know, like getting back into like working full time again and like I don't know, but it's really great, like staying in contact with all the friends I've made. That's cool. Yeah, that's like like the best thing that happened from the trail is friends. Yeah.

Joshua 12:14

Yeah, any of the friends that hiked the trail did they like? After they finished were like I'm giving up hiking for life. I'm done, I'm burnt out.

Kaity 12:22

I'm like nobody that I know. Everyone was kind of like when can I do it again?

Joshua 12:27

Okay. Yeah so they cut the bug.

Craig 12:29

Yeah, Can you give me a little bit of a rundown, Katie, Because obviously I'm not from America, obviously by the accent Appalachian trail, like how long is it? How many days did it take you to actually walk and you started? I'm being right there. You started from the very start of it in Georgia. Yeah, you walk all the way through.

Kaity 12:45

Yeah, so it starts in North Georgia, like I did the approach trail too. So it started at Amacalola Falls and then you go all the way up the eastern side of the United States to Maine. It's like 20, it's about 2200. Like they keep changing it, they like rerouted every year in some sections. So it's about 2200 miles and it took about six months to do Wow, wow.

Craig 13:15

Yeah, that's dedication, josh. It's all dedication that I have.

Joshua 13:20

Right, Totally. And the cool thing is you documented your whole trip on YouTube, which was really impressive. It's like one thing, like to spend a whole day hiking, but then, when you're done, like okay, now I'm going to edit my what just happened.

Kaity 13:35

Yeah, I know. Yeah, that was hard. That was really hard to keep up with it, but it was worth it. So now I can like look back.

Craig 13:43

So, katie, you said it's six months, but is it six months straight, like day after day after day walking?

Kaity 13:46

Yeah yeah. And then we took breaks yeah yeah, we definitely took lots of breaks, every like towards the end, every town we would. I love small towns, like just anywhere in the United States. I love them, they're so charming, and so any town I came to I was like we have to stop, I have to check it out.

Joshua 14:04

Well, that's why we wanted you having on this show, because I don't think I know also know another person who's probably visited as many small towns.

Kaity 14:13

Yeah.

Joshua 14:14

Then you have and you know that's what this podcast is all about is finding some of those like hidden gems that people don't always think of, and we're going to talk about some of those hidden gems in Georgia, but I would love to hear maybe one or two of the towns that was just really surprising to you that some of your favorite towns and why were they some of your favorite towns on the AT Trail?

Kaity 14:36

Let's see Hot Springs, north Carolina, that the trail goes straight through the town. So like the sidewalk has like the AT symbol on it and you just that's part of the trail. And there's just a really awesome hostel called Laughing Heart and so that was and it's just super charming. There's like a, like a bar and a restaurant and like the post office and a dollar general and that's pretty much it. And like the, there's like a creek that goes through and we actually they have natural hot springs, but we didn't get a chance to like do that at all and it snowed when we were there, so we stayed inside a lot of the time. But it's a, it's a cute town and I just remember having a lot of fun just running around it. It's very hiker friendly too.

Joshua 15:24

Yeah, and is it one of those towns where, like, the population is severely increases because of just the amount of foot traffic through the town?

Kaity 15:33

Yeah, yeah, and it's still pretty. It's still pretty early on, so like there's still a lot of people on trail, because it does kind of thin out once you get later on further north. So yeah, yeah, yeah.

Joshua 15:46

Are there any other towns that just really come to your mind? I mean, I know you spent six months. I'm sure it's all just like wow.

Kaity 15:52

And they kind of blur together like some of them. I don't remember the names, but there was one town where we stayed, the VFW the in town they let us sleep in our tents on their yard and across the street was like the grocery store and everything was like within walking distance and it was super cool.

Craig 16:18

Yeah, wow, that's insane. So therefore, then, obviously you take your food like not your food, but your cooking equipment with you.

Kaity 16:25

Yeah.

Craig 16:26

You take your tents, you're hiking you're literally physically hiking with everything on your back. Yeah, but you can stop at these stores to actually grab supplies as such.

Kaity 16:35

Yeah, yeah.

Craig 16:35

That's what's cool. What sort of weight were you carrying on your backpack for that whole time?

Kaity 16:40

I, you know, out of the group I was hiking with, I think I had the heaviest pack, just based on some of like my equipment was a little heavier and then I think 33 pounds, 34 pounds was about as heavy as it got, but that was usually like carrying like six days of food was like a lot, so I think that was as heavy as it got. 34 pounds.

Joshua 17:04

Wow yeah, that's like carrying a like a large toddler on your back.

Craig 17:08

Yeah, the whole right For six months, six months straight. No, thank you, I know yeah.

Joshua 17:13

So after the trail, do you have any like effects, health effects on your body for that, or have you fully recovered?

Kaity 17:20

I think like there's some lingering like joint things that like I think I have now that I didn't have before. Like mostly it's like a foot, like my foot. There's some weird issues, but like other than that, I feel like well, and then just like going from like having to eat like 2000 plus 3000 calories a day almost to like maintain like all the calories we were burning, and then to go from that to not, was kind of drastic, so it did.

Joshua 17:49

It like.

Kaity 17:49

The health effects are definitely like I'm sure they were, and we were eating great like food. We were eating like little ramen noodles, a lot of sodium, right, so so yeah, I'm sure there's a study on.

Craig 18:01

There needs to be a study on through hikers after they're done, because it can't be good, it can't be good, and if you don't know Katie herself and you haven't seen her videos, they're all on YouTube and we'll talk about in a second. But she is a young lady, josh. She's not like an old person like you and I. You know. She's a young lady. So, katie, you obviously recommend, if you're going to do the appellation trial, to do it when you're younger, when you're more fit, when you have less ailments. That can happen, that right.

Kaity 18:29

I mean you'd be surprised, like the people like I hiked with a woman who's in her sixties and she and she finished. And I mean she was, she was staying with us and sometimes she'd come in later at night, but she was. There was a lot of age ranges out there, but usually it was like young people coming out of college or like in between high school and college and then there was like kind of a gap and then it was like retired people or people coming up in the military and stuff. So there was some like middle age gaps for sure, just cause that makes sense working and life or raising, raising children.

Kaity 19:06

Yeah, exactly yeah.

Joshua 19:08

I don't think I asked you this last time. I'm really curious about this. Do people through hike with their like dogs? Are there dog through hikers? Yes, Really.

Kaity 19:18

There's. So you can't hike with a dog through the Smoky Mountains and and then, like at the end in Maine, you can't hike backs or state park with your dog either. So a lot of people will like you can like board your dog while you go through those sections. But yeah, I, we were around a bunch of really cute dogs and they were super well behaved and but they had to carry like the dogs themselves would carry some of their food, like in their little backpacks, cause they also had little backpacks. Yeah, it was cute. But yeah, I mean, I had a lot of respect for those people cause there's just like extras, like a whole, nother thing to worry about.

Craig 19:57

Josh is just thinking about like walking with the life. You know he, you have a hard time, you just go and finding, finding a geocache with him and keeping his attention span just finding a geocache, like squirrel squirrel squirrel. Imagine walking the trail.

Joshua 20:12

I go around the block and sometimes halfway he just gives up.

Craig 20:15

He won't walk anymore, cause he's like I'm done Carry me. Oh, he's the cutest dog. I've met him in person now and I can say he's one of. He was one of my favorite moments of actually going to Josh's place and meeting Josh. I met his wife and met his kids the whole lot. No, sorry, goliath, you're my favorite buddy, you're my favorite mate Meeting you.

Joshua 20:36

All right, we're going to. Let's put a pin in the in the Appalachian trail cause. We have a. We want to really focus this episode about Georgia and I'll be honest with you, I don't know much about Georgia. But I have one last question for you around hiking Katie, and maybe I should ask you this at the end. But I'm just really curious what's your next adventure as it relates to Katie? I know last time we talked we were talking about the Pacific Crest Trail. Do you have any plans or is there anything in in sight? As you were still a young person and you could, you could just walk across the earth. Do you have any plans coming up near the next few years? What are you thinking?

Kaity 21:14

You know, the PCT is still in the works, that's we're saving a lot right now trying to get ready for that. So that's as soon as we can get that done. Yeah, that's fantastic.

Craig 21:28

And PCT. Is that the Pacific Coast Trail? That was cool Cause I'll put. I'll put a link. As always, josh, I'll put links to everything in the show notes. So all these the Appalachian trail, the Pacific Coast trial I'll put links in the show notes as well, obviously, katie's YouTube channel and everything as well too.

Joshua 21:42

So have you ever seen? Have you ever seen the movie Wild?

Craig 21:45

Yes.

Kaity 21:47

With, with, yeah, that's the yeah.

Joshua 21:50

With what's the actress.

Kaity 21:51

Why is it Reese Witherspoon yeah?

Joshua 21:54

yeah.

Craig 21:56

That wasn't in the show.

Joshua 21:57

now she can tell it's my daughter's name. I can't believe I didn't remember, but yeah that's based on the Pacific.

Craig 22:03

Crest Right right Now. I get it Now, I get it. Fair enough, Josh, are we going to get to Georgia?

Joshua 22:10

Oh, you know what Georgia's on my mind, and I don't know much about Georgia. I'm just going to tell you. I'll just, I'm just going to spit out the three things I know about Georgia. You ready? Yeah, yeah, coca-cola.

Kaity 22:21

Number one, really.

Joshua 22:23

Yep, no Coca-Cola.

Kaity 22:24

Number two I have. I have strong opinions about that too.

Joshua 22:27

I know you love your Coca-Cola. I well, we will. Yeah, Coca-Cola.

Craig 22:32

Number two you ready.

Kaity 22:33

Number two yeah.

Joshua 22:34

Yeah, the Walking Dead, yeah, oh of course, yes, yes, yes. I want to ask Katie about that, because I know she's been to some of the shooting locations of the Walking Dead.

Craig 22:44

And that should be finished by now, but it's not. But anyway, that's my opinion Number three.

Joshua 22:48

Number three Rome, georgia, which is home of going cashing.

Kaity 22:51

Oh yeah.

Craig 22:52

I'm thinking Cute little guy.

Joshua 22:54

Those are. Those are my three. And there's you know there's peaches, lots of peaches.

Craig 22:57

I've heard so yeah but actually more peanuts than peaches, really yeah.

Joshua 23:03

There you go. Do you guys do those like boiled peanuts or something?

Kaity 23:06

Yes, and you know what, if you're driving through Georgia and you see a sign that says boiled and then the peanut is spelled like P dash nut, that's when you know they're gonna be good. Like it can't be spelled correctly, it has to be like on the side of a road and like the thing that they make it in, has to look like about 150 years old and you know they're gonna be good.

Joshua 23:30

It just looks like like a trashy thing.

Kaity 23:32

Yeah, yeah, oh.

Joshua 23:34

Wow, okay, what is a boiled peanut like? What is it like? How is it different than a regular peanut?

Kaity 23:38

Oh, it's so good have you had them, have you like?

Joshua 23:41

never. I've never had a boiled peanut.

Kaity 23:42

Okay, you can get them in cans, but that's like Don't don't. The best ones are, like I said, roadside. It's like you just put them in a thing of full of Water and salt and they boil them and they're like smushy.

Joshua 23:57

You.

Kaity 23:58

I know it doesn't sound like and they're hot when they come out right as they're like it's, it's so good, but I know they're salty.

Joshua 24:06

They're very salty yeah okay that that sounds decent, yeah, and some of them are like Cajun flavored better.

Kaity 24:13

Like have a little spice to them, but I like the regular boiled peanuts.

Craig 24:18

I'm just looking. I'm just looking at the moment right now, online, of course. Yes, the boiled peanuts, yeah, they look absolutely delicious. And you know what? On my Tik Tok account I'm talking, probably about a month ago now I went through an algorithm of boiled peanuts of, because I was impressed with this guy boiling peanuts and he shows you how he does it. I'm yeah, I think that was, I want to yeah, like a big, a big wooden like yeah, like like a kettle in the witch, yeah, like a big witch with a.

Kaity 24:45

I'm saying it has to look really old. That's when they're good.

Craig 24:48

Yeah, yeah, they call it a crock pot, josh, they call it a crock pot. There you go, and I'm looking online as well about this. There's southern living, southern living it has a Boiled peanuts crock pot recipe online so you can actually boil your own. Yeah, and really the only ingredients in here it says is the raw peanuts in the shell. They're gonna be in the shell, oh yeah, and it's kosher salt, mm-hmm. So that's the only actually ingredients it actually says. I thought, I thought for sure, and have some sort of Cajun Sort of spices and sometimes.

Kaity 25:17

Sometimes it does, but the classic ones just just salt. Classic.

Joshua 25:23

Classic. So, katie, were you born in Georgia.

Kaity 25:27

No, so my dad is military, so I didn't move to Georgia until fourth grade.

Joshua 25:32

Oh, man, maybe we should end the podcast.

Kaity 25:35

I know I'm not a true look, when I, when I first moved here, I was like I don't know where I'm from, I don't know who I am.

Joshua 25:43

But let's, let's be real. The accent is very convincing that you're from Georgia.

Kaity 25:48

Yeah, I am from Georgia. I claim it 100%.

Joshua 25:52

So over, we got your top 10 list here. We're gonna go through, yeah, katie's top 10 favorite places in Georgia and we asked her to like Think about some of, like more of the hidden gems. Yeah, I don't know like oh, these look great, these look great.

Craig 26:09

You know what you know what one thing that's not on? There is Atlanta.

Kaity 26:13

Places in there. Yeah, okay, there is, there is because I've been to Atlanta.

Craig 26:17

I'm just saying I've been to land.

Joshua 26:18

Is that where you are right now, katie, or you in Atlanta area? Um?

Kaity 26:21

so actually I am not. I am moving soon, um, but that's more to come on that. But yeah, no, I'm not. I'm, I'm not my parents. Currently they live in Columbus, georgia.

Joshua 26:32

So and where's Columbus?

Kaity 26:34

Columbus is south of Atlanta, so it's about and it's on the Alabama Georgia border. Have you all heard of the song by Alan Jackson Chattahoochee.

Joshua 26:49

Moving on down by the chat Hoochie is that how it goes?

Kaity 26:55

that yeah.

Craig 26:59

I.

Joshua 27:07

Don't know well, but I kind of, yeah, it's, it's in there somewhere.

Kaity 27:10

Yeah, that's where I'm going.

Joshua 27:12

Do you live in the?

Craig 27:13

Chattahoochee.

Kaity 27:14

Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee, we know we know she's from.

Craig 27:17

She's not from Georgia. She goes y'all. Y'all Love that accent. I know you love it. I love the southern accent for me is is like you know, when people listen to me they go oh, I love an accent.

Kaity 27:29

Yeah, I'm the same with Southern. Yeah, I love an.

Joshua 27:31

Australian accent. Why does nobody care about the Minnesota accent up here north, you know?

Craig 27:36

Because you're not Canadian, josh, you're Minnesota, it's very different oh. Let's get to this again. Let's get to the top 10, top 10.

Joshua 27:46

No, are these in any certain order?

Kaity 27:48

No I want to make sure it's in no particular order.

Joshua 27:51

Okay.

Kaity 27:53

Yeah, I had a like I felt a lot of pressure making this list.

Joshua 27:56

I it's a lot of places in Georgia, so I'm not, I just well, yeah it's a big yeah, it's a big state, yeah, and you, you have been to all of it, because that was another reason I wanted to have you on because you completed the Georgia County challenge correct.

Kaity 28:11

Yes.

Joshua 28:11

So, greg, she's been to every county in Georgia, which is like a lot.

Kaity 28:16

It's like 159. Yeah.

Craig 28:19

I haven't even done the counties in New Jersey and there's like five or so that's really insane.

Joshua 28:25

That's that's amazing, and that's documented on your YouTube channel as well. Yeah, so that's I. So there's the reason. That's why we had to have you on. I mean, katie, you've been around, yes you know, you might not have been born there, but you've been probably more places in Georgia than most Georgians.

Kaity 28:41

Yeah, I think so.

Craig 28:44

Josh, I'll start with number one and ask the Katie. You say Helen in Georgia during October fest.

Kaity 28:50

Yes.

Craig 28:51

Why is October so in Helen?

Kaity 28:53

Helen, georgia is in North Georgia. It's kind of like in the middle in North Georgia and it looks like Kind of a barbaric, like what do you call it? Bavaria?

Joshua 29:04

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've actually been to Bavaria, yeah, it looks?

Kaity 29:08

it looks like a miniature version of that, all the like. Even the you know chain restaurants like their buildings, look like that in Helen, georgia, and so in during October and like the beginning, the end of September, they have October fest and they've got just like. It's so much fun. I've been up there, I've like worn the dress and it's it's like the spot to be and the food is good. They have like the band, the polka band, and stuff. It's just so fun.

Joshua 29:36

October fest celebrations are legit. Yes, yeah like I got to experience my very first October Fest in Germany.

Kaity 29:45

Yeah, so I gosh.

Joshua 29:48

It's just like it's just people your age. Yeah, it's just a party and they're all just singing American songs, like I was singing to the top my lungs, holding a giant beer stein in a tent on a table. Don't stop believing. Yeah, I was just living my best life. It's so funny because in America it's like it's mostly just like polka, music and stuff, but in Germany everybody's wearing like the German garb, so you think it's old, but no, it's like it's party time. Yeah, that's so fun.

Craig 30:16

Yeah, I'm looking up Josh as well in regards to this. It looks a beautiful and stunning. And, josh, one thing I actually see. It comes up. One of the first thing you Comes up on Google is the Georgia Mountain Coaster.

Kaity 30:28

I've done that, yes, what.

Joshua 30:32

In Helen. Yeah, helen, it's, there's a roller coaster.

Kaity 30:36

Yeah, it's like a mountain coaster, that like where you get like a little thing and they like take you up and Gravity takes you down and yes, yeah, I seen stuff like that.

Joshua 30:47

It's like it's cool because you kind of feel like you could die. Yeah, it does feel like that, yeah, like it's not like it's not quite safe, like going to like six flags, no, it's like.

Kaity 31:00

It's kind of like charge of your brakes too, like if the right, yes, you have two people. The person in the front has to pull the brakes and I'm gone with someone who was like I'm not gonna do that. I'm like, yes, you are.

Craig 31:15

And so then it depends, and, josh, it's not a, it's not a short thing either. This can go for a bit between anywhere between seven to ten minutes length.

Exploring North Georgia's Nature Spots

Joshua 31:23

That's awesome. I want to do that so bad. That's really fun. Yeah, where is Helen again? Where is it? You said north?

Kaity 31:29

It's in north Georgia, kind of like right in the middle, so like it's probably like two hours, an hour and a half from Atlanta. Yeah, if you just go show that.

Joshua 31:38

Is it really up north? The geography Is it? Is it just a lot hillier like the start? I mean yeah. Appalachian mountains is it like? Because I know you, there's so many videos I've seen Of you and we'll get to it going up a mountain. Yeah, it's like you live up in this mountain.

Kaity 31:55

Yeah, yeah, north Georgia definitely gets like there's a lot of waterfalls and like it's kind of the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, so it's definitely mountainous and hilly.

Craig 32:04

It's cool, yeah, so that's. That's Helen Georgia.

Joshua 32:07

Yeah, I'm gonna do number all right, helen, that sounds, that sounds great. Yeah your list is already great that was only one. Yeah, all right, the next one you. The only reason you want me to do this next one is because you're afraid to pronounce it.

Craig 32:20

No, I'm looking at down the list. I'm gonna pronounce another one down the list, so oh okay, uh, to Lula yeah right, yeah, that's it.

Joshua 32:27

To Lula George. Oh, I have to say it like you, sorry to Lula. To Lula George, george to Lula. Gorge State Park.

Kaity 32:40

Yep.

Joshua 32:41

How's that? And in particular the sliding rock I've been hey, I've been to some sliding rock in my day.

Kaity 32:50

I love a good video.

Joshua 32:51

Yeah, you saw that that was in North Carolina. I love a good sliding rock. Tell us about it.

Kaity 32:57

Yeah, so this, this kind of was like escaped me for so long, because it's a permit system and they give a hundred out a day and If it rains you can't go Even a little bit of rain, because you have to hike down into this gorge. There's like a ton of steps. You get down to the gorge floor and then you have to keep hiking along the little river and and so by the time we finally did it, like it was just amazing. I mean, you, you get down and then you walk a little bit and the rock it's I think it's actually called bridal veil, bridal veil falls, but they just call it the sliding rock, and and you slide down and it's like it.

Kaity 33:39

It's like a perfect amount of moss where it doesn't hurt at all.

Joshua 33:43

Yeah, you just slide it in.

Kaity 33:44

Yeah, it's awesome.

Joshua 33:46

So I did. You had a video about this didn't you.

Kaity 33:50

Yeah, I did yeah.

Joshua 33:52

And that will be in the show notes. Craig will find it.

Kaity 33:54

You'll put it there, absolutely to see what it's like.

Joshua 33:56

But you said it's kind of mossy so it doesn't hurt. Yeah, yeah, the rocks mossy Does that. Does the moss slow you down?

Kaity 34:03

No, it's fast. I mean, I think, it's fast. Yeah, I think the one that you did like based on what I saw, I think it looked like it was longer this one is like. I feel like is Is like steep enough, but it's not super long. I don't know, it's it just it still plunges you in that water pretty fast.

Joshua 34:20

Okay, but it drops you. It drops you into like a pool of water. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the one I did photos, josh.

Craig 34:26

Looking at the photos, it is looks. It looks super smooth, like the rock face itself looks. The whole face looks super smooth.

Joshua 34:33

Yeah, that's kind of like the one I did and it, like it dropped you into a pool and that pool was like it was like 15 feet deep, yeah.

Kaity 34:40

Yeah, well what? And after like doing it so long, you have like a rope that you have to like pull yourself up out of the water, and then my other body started getting really sore, and then it's super slippery too when you get out, and I just kept slipping constantly, wow but it's fun Wow so so that's so.

Joshua 34:58

You get a hundred. They give a hundred passes a day. Yeah, is there? That sounds like a lot of pressure, like if you were to go. How do you ensure that you get? You know, get the one of the hundred. You have to just go really early.

Kaity 35:10

Yeah, so we one time we were like 101 and 102 in line and we didn't get them, like we were the next two people and already and I was like this is the worst Because the first time it had rained and we were there on time.

Kaity 35:25

and then the second time we were like, just just missed it, but a lot of people will line up in their cars before the gates even open and to to get in there, and then so I finally figured out that if you camp at the at the state park, you can walk over there, um, to the like office where they give them the, the permits out, and you can. I mean, I think we were there like 6 30 and we just hung out, wow.

Craig 35:50

Yeah, so there you go, josh. We always, we always talk, katie, about giving people tips and tricks.

Joshua 35:56

There it is, there it is.

Craig 35:57

Yeah, there's the biggest tip. The biggest tip so far, I think, of this whole thing is if you want to actually go to Tallulah Gorge state park. Yeah, you got to camp there overnight first. That's pretty cool. Can we move on to number three? I like number three.

Joshua 36:09

Oh, I've seen 20. I've seen number three so many times on katie's channel. I don't know how many videos you have of this spot. Oh yeah, it was back in the day I mean we're talking, maybe five years ago. It's like, well, she's back there again.

Craig 36:25

This is your happy place. It is.

Joshua 36:26

It seems to me like this is if you, if there was, this is dark, but if this is a place that you would like, you don't want to spend your last hour Is? It seems like it might be here, mm-hmm.

Craig 36:35

And where we're talking about because people still don't know, because I don't have access to the notes josh, is the stone mountain at sunset. Yes, the stone mountain at sunset. And I'm looking at the images right now and, oh my goodness, wow. Do you sit up top of this stone mountain and just gauge, over the sun, the amount of people I see with their feet and the sunset on the top of the mountain is just insane. Yeah, it's.

Kaity 36:55

You know it is. It's not a Um, a quiet place. It's very crowded normally, um, but it's. It was pretty close. Drive for me and you get up to the top. It's like a mile up up a rock pretty much. And you get to the top and you can see the Atlanta skyline and the distance and the sunset's always usually pretty good I mean the stone mountain itself like there's some some negative history with it, just to put that out there but, um, it's really. I think it's a really great spot to Look out and see everything.

Craig 37:31

And looking at the photos, josh too, it's one of those things you know like Instagram versus reality. Like Instagram, you see literally just one person's feet Right. They look like they're the sole person on top of the actual or the rocket itself looking over this gorgeous sunset, but in reality, there's a million people doing the same thing in the same oh yeah.

Joshua 37:49

Right. So how close is that to Atlanta? You said it was pretty close.

Kaity 37:52

Yeah, I think probably like 30 minutes tops. Well, it depends because on where, like based on where you are. Like I used to live in Decatur, which is still kind of Atlanta, and that was like 30 minutes, sometimes less. So yeah it just depends.

Joshua 38:13

And I remember many of the videos. I mean there's geocaches on the way up to so yeah, they're everywhere in there, yeah. Yeah, that's cool, and you said the hike is a. Is the hike, is that Rocky or is it is a trail up there?

Kaity 38:27

Yeah, there's. So over the years I've learned there's a couple like there's more remote ways to get up. There's like the main trail, it's like called the walk up trail. It is just a rock face pretty much. There's railings in some places, like once you get closer to the top, where you can like kind of help yourself up because it does get pretty steep. But yeah, it's kind of it's just rock and like roots and trees that you have to jump over. But then there's like some side trails that are like more wooded, that are more private.

Joshua 38:57

Gotcha.

Craig 38:59

And there is a safety road going up one side to yes.

Kaity 39:02

I have seen a pickup truck drive up the side of that mountain. And yeah, I don't know why they were up there, but it was kind of strange to see, because it's it's pretty steep to get like up towards the top, and so I just was confused.

Joshua 39:19

And I know strenuous hikes are. That's just kind of relative to you, because you like now you've compared everything to the 80. Yeah, is it a tough hike, or?

Kaity 39:27

is it?

Joshua 39:28

like how long does it take?

Kaity 39:29

It's short, it's like it's just one mile up and then one mile back down.

Joshua 39:34

But it is steep. It is very steep yeah yeah, so it'll get your heart pumping if you're like, maybe, craig and my age.

Craig 39:43

Oh, definitely and definitely my size at the moment too, like when, when you took me to that little waterfall place there in. Where was that in?

Joshua 39:53

Not Wisconsin Willow River. Yeah, yeah, that was paved. It was paved. No, thank you. All right, I'm going to go with the next one. It says here oh, back in the hiking world, the entire Georgia section of the 80. I couldn't pick what makes the Georgia section so special.

Kaity 40:19

Well, you know it's my home state but I just I couldn't pick. You know I can pinpoint a couple things along the Georgia section that are pretty cool. There's a waterfall and if you park at the three forks parking lot they you can go north on the trail on the 80 and there's a waterfall and it's pretty nice.

Joshua 40:41

Oh, cool yeah, nice yeah.

Kaity 40:43

And then Amacalola Falls is beautiful too.

Craig 40:47

So this nice waterfalls again, josh, I'm looking at the Appalachian Trail in Georgia on on the map. Yeah, what sort of length do you think, katie, is that just for the Appalachian Trail, that component itself, just in Georgia?

Kaity 40:58

I think it's like 70, 70, some miles, if I remember correctly. Yeah, yeah.

Joshua 41:06

So it took you like four days to get through it, or like three days.

Kaity 41:09

I think in the beginning it that probably took me like a week because I was taking it really slow yeah it took me the first section. I was like this is hard so it took me longer.

Joshua 41:23

Hey, I never asked you this before. As it relates to the Appalachian Trail, I know most people they hike from Georgia to Maine. Do people hike from Maine to Georgia?

Kaity 41:32

They do. Yeah, it's called like so I did the trail northbound and so I was called like a northbound or a nobo. But people do it. There's acronyms for everything. And then people who go from Maine to Georgia they're southbounders and they usually start like in the summertime and so a lot of them are actually probably finishing right now in Georgia, so you kind of follow the weather that way instead.

Joshua 41:59

Yeah, that makes sense.

Craig 42:00

Yeah, sounds good. We're going to stick on trails, josh, as well. We're going to talk about the East Side Beltline in Atlanta. Yes, now this is. I've just looked online again, of course, as well, and this is another trail, but it's one of those more urban type trails yes. So it looks pretty cool.

Kaity 42:16

East Side Beltline, yeah, so I guess this isn't like a off the beaten path kind of thing, but I, you know I like to run and this has been since, like when I first moved to Atlanta this wasn't a thing, the Beltline, but it's basically they've like moved all these or like made these railroad tracks or abandoned railroad tracks into trail for people to run on, and the East Side Beltline is like probably the most popular section of the Beltline. It's. There's a lot of people around and it's great for people watching, like I will. There's people like skating and skateboarding and like there's always something somebody with like music playing. It's just a good spot, and there's like parks along the way too.

Craig 43:06

So and Josh, I'm just looking as well. It kind of like starts or finishes. Depends on which way you're going at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Oh that's where it kind of like starts there and then literally just get. It goes through like a bit of an industrial area industrial look. I look at some photos and there's some like monuments and some other like artwork as well, in the trail too, which is pretty cool.

Kaity 43:27

Yeah, there's a lot of murals and, yeah, all kinds of artwork along the way. The plan is for it to be like a full circle and, like all of the sections, connect Atlanta, the different neighborhoods.

Craig 43:40

I like the actual end, josh, to down south. Where it ends Is that the shake shack. So you're going to get your little yeah.

Kaity 43:45

Yeah.

Joshua 43:48

Katie, where's your now that we're kind of still talking about Atlanta here Where's your favorite place? You know local place to eat like non chain favorite place to dine in the Atlanta area. If somebody's visiting, you're like, oh gosh, you got to stop there.

Kaity 44:02

Yeah.

Joshua 44:02

Like when Craig was here. I mean, I mean, stop at Matt's bar so you could get an original juicy Lucy. Ooh, what's the? It was juicy.

Kaity 44:11

What's the.

Joshua 44:11

Thing.

Kaity 44:13

You know that's like Atlanta. One of the things they're known for is hot like chicken wings, right, and there's a place called the local and it I think I need to double check because there's this development happening. It's actually by the belt line and they were bought out and but I think that they something happened and the plan fell through, so they're still there for the time being. It's called the local. It's actually called the local, but they have the best chicken wings, like lemon pepper is the way to go, nice With some french fries, and you have to go because sometimes they run out because they're so popular, like so you have to go and be like hey, they'll have a sign that says like there's no more chicken wings, sorry, yeah it's sold out.

Joshua 44:59

It's like the. It's like the morning donut shops Right.

Kaity 45:02

Yeah, exactly yeah, but yeah it's a good spot yeah.

Craig 45:06

And you always know it's a good spot. Josh, too, we always say this is the biggest chip we have, as always as well is when you see a lineup of locals at a place, that's when you know it's good, that's when you know it's quality. Yeah, exactly.

Joshua 45:18

All right, is it my turn? Yeah, so it's still in Atlanta, piedmont Park.

Kaity 45:23

Yes, it still is. I figured I'd sprinkle because I've lived in Atlanta for a while, so right.

Kaity 45:28

Piedmont Park is also kind of connected to the Belt Line too, but it's like smack in the middle of Midtown Atlanta and it's like night. That's. One of the things I love about Atlanta is the amount of trees and green space that it has, and so that's, it's a. It's a good park to run in. There's like a lot of festivals that happen there and it's just like it's kind of hilly too and there's some good spots to see the, the skyline and stuff, so it's nice.

Craig 45:58

Would you class that? Would you class that, katie, as the like the Central Park?

Kaity 46:02

Yeah, definitely yeah definitely.

Joshua 46:04

Oh, wow. So, it's very pretty large.

Kaity 46:07

Oh yeah, it's pretty. Yeah, there's like a little pond, like I guess it's a lake. There's a little lake in there and there's like a public pool and there's like a they call it the act of oval, and they do like a lot of adult leagues. Like I played kickball. I had an adult kickball league that I played there and it was. That was a lot of fun.

Craig 46:27

That's really cool. Yeah, that's really cool, Katie, if you're a local to that area, you know you should do, don't you? You should get the inspiration from Central Park, New York, and Josh has done this as well. There's a multi in Central Park, New York and it takes a full day called the bridges and archers multi cash.

Kaity 46:43

I saw him do that.

Joshua 46:45

You would know that's right. We did it together.

Craig 46:47

Craig.

Joshua 46:49

Very briefly yeah she did do the whole.

Kaity 46:54

Thing but she's part of it with us.

Craig 46:56

You need to recreate that Katie for your local area and put it in that park. That would really really cool. Yeah, the coins and stuff. Oh, still, that was cool.

Joshua 47:05

Yeah, that was really cool that we got to do part of that together.

Kaity 47:09

That was just happened to happen.

Joshua 47:11

Yeah, Katie was in town and she just shows up at the geocaching event. Hey y'all, that was really cool, hey y'all.

Craig 47:19

See there's an accent I love Surprise hey y'all. Next up, Josh, we have the Columbus in Georgia and the Riverwalk. Yes, hometown.

Kaity 47:28

Yeah, my hometown, yeah, yeah, and I got to talk about you know, there's this big lore around. They just moved it. We have a cow, a cow statue by the Riverwalk and her name is Katie the cow. So our best buy was at a dairy like the best buy building used to be a dairy farm or dairy factory, and so there was a cow in front of the best buy and so now she lives downtown at the Riverwalk, which I just love because there's, you know, there's a little one too, and I got stolen and there was a lot of talk on Facebook about like who stole Katie's daughter, like the little cow. So you know, one of our like just pride and joy is our cow statue.

Joshua 48:23

And it's named.

Kaity 48:24

Katie? Yeah, it is. It's not spelled the same way, but it is Katie the cat.

Craig 48:29

Josh, I'm looking at photos of this place and people listening to this. If you went to Owensboro, for instance, in Kentucky, where you and I were that time and we did that talk up there itself as well, it's very similar, josh, to that Owensboro walk along the Riverwalk there. Oh yeah, it kind of looks very similar to that, like very picturesque, a lot of photos to be had. There's some nice greenery area, but then you got the river on one side. It looks like a really nice place to literally do a daily walk run job.

Kaity 48:57

Yeah, it's awesome spot and they have the whitewater course and a lot of people there's like competitions, world competitions for kayaking right there at the end. Yeah, it's a really cool spot and it's like grown so much like in the last 10 years or so, so it's nice.

Craig 49:14

That's really cool.

Kaity 49:15

Yeah so what river is there, katie? Yeah, I mean, it's indeed Hucci've.

Joshua 49:20

Yeah, is that what it is, how it sounds? Is that what it's like?

Kaity 49:29

Yeah, it's close yeah.

Joshua 49:31

Yeah, thank you, thank you. Oh, my gosh number eight cracks me up. I know right and I'm ashamed to say I can't believe I've driven by so many and have I ever visited one.

Craig 49:43

Oh, my gosh, I don't know. I've been the one, josh, maybe one.

Joshua 49:46

I've been to one maybe once you see you have to understand. We don't have these in the north. We don't have them. He's number eight is any waffle house.

Craig 50:02

Any of them, not one in particular, any of them at all. Any of them at all. It's Katie so what's about the waffle house experience for those people who haven't like Josh, who haven't been to a waffle house or other Overseas new listeners? What would you describe a waffle house being like?

Kaity 50:17

Well, so it's. I guess it's like a diner, but but with some flavor, I guess I don't know, like some spice, and you never know what you're gonna get when you walk in there. Yeah it's, you know, you've got your like the counter and you can go in pretty much sit down and they cook behind the counter. You can see everything that's going on, but you might not want to watch because it just might be too much.

Joshua 50:40

Yeah, you know yeah, the guy like rubs his nose.

Craig 50:44

Yeah, yeah, I like to put it, josh. I like to put it because I went. I went to one, I went to one. Where was I? I was in. I was in the middle of the country somewhere at the time and I went to a random one because my wife at the time she had to have a phone call with her work. So she said, get out of the car and to do her phone call. And I said, well, park me somewhere so I can get breakfast. So I got breakfast at this waffle house.

Craig 51:04

Now I walked into this waffle house, josh, and to say I was out of place is just something like 100% out of place, and let alone before even spoke. And then I spoke I said good day, guys. Hey, yeah, yeah. And they're like they're all their jaws drop, yeah, they stop cooking. And everyone turned around. I felt like I was glad to me a waffle house is like a New Jersey diner, but a Walmart version of New Jersey. Yeah, and I got so much for free. They give me so many things for free because I was from Australia in the middle of America at a waffle house, I think I just ordered like a bacon and egg sort of breakfast, the breakfast and they gave me the coffee as well, and, and then they gave me a free coffee to go. And then I said I hadn't even tried grits yet, so they gave me a bowl of grits to try the grits.

Kaity 51:51

Did you like the first?

Craig 51:53

Yeah, it's like a porridge. Yeah me the grits. Oh yeah, I was like oh, this is very similar porridge I said. In Australia we have we have something similar to this called oats and the porridge and we have it with either maple syrup and brown sugar through it as well.

Kaity 52:04

So you know what is a big debate with southerners Is if you do you put salt or do you put sugar in your grits.

Craig 52:12

It's a major major debate.

Kaity 52:16

For you a salt person, I put your salt and butter in my grits, and when you go to A waffle house, you can get your hash browns and you can get them smothered or covered, or you know like, you get all your toppings. That's the lingo.

Joshua 52:31

So what's really clear about grits because I've had them once is that you have to put something on them. Because I tasted them I was like this is nothing. I just ate nothing. Yeah, like nothing. It's like a rice. That isn't a rice. That tastes like nothing. It's a grit, it's not a rice.

Craig 52:50

That's right. It's great. I don't even know what it is. Ladies and gentlemen, if you want to know more about waffle house, just Google. Just Google waffle house. Yes, I'm not gonna put a link about waffle house. Just Google waffle house and have a look at the photo, or have a look at videos and go from there.

Joshua 53:05

Or just drive around for five minutes in the south and you'll find one. Yeah, there's a street.

Kaity 53:10

There's a waffle house right next to each other on the same road, like really across, like they're right next to each other, yeah.

Craig 53:19

Josh, there's been waffle house fights. I've seen chairs being thrown. I believe it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and that's. And that's not from the the customers, that's from the stuff.

Kaity 53:26

Yeah, it's a little bit of both. Yeah, it's definitely as a reputation, like if you go out to the bars, like it's a, it's a place you would go after being out.

Joshua 53:34

Yeah, it can get wild. Yes, it can get wild.

Kaity 53:36

They're open, you know I open all the time, they never close.

Joshua 53:39

Right. So, wow right.

Craig 53:42

Wow.

Joshua 53:43

You know I, when people down in the south got so excited about Bucky's, I Didn't really like know why it was so great until I visited one. Yeah, then I was like, oh, mm-hmm, I get it, it's an institution.

Craig 53:56

Yeah, cool, it's cool. So, Katie, I'm proud to say that I was with Josh at the time when he experienced his first Bucky's. He's first brisket on the board, a brisket on the ball? Yeah, everyone bows down to the briskon. And now he knows why. Now we know why.

Joshua 54:11

Katie, do you like Bucky's? Do you like Bucky's?

Kaity 54:13

Yeah, like when I pass, when I stop.

Joshua 54:16

Yes, because there's two, I think there's two in Atlanta now or in Georgia.

Craig 54:20

Really.

Kaity 54:21

Yeah, there's one Wow north, and then there's one in Macon.

Craig 54:25

That's right. That's right. Next up, josh, number nine we have because we're gonna get moving along. We're almost out of time. Oh yeah, land Canyon, cloudland that sounds really cool.

Kaity 54:36

Yeah, it's a cool spot. It's in northwest Georgia, kind of right on the Tennessee line, so, like Chattanooga, it's pretty close to Chattanooga, tennessee, and it's it's different. It's a canyon. There's like a really really cool waterfall, it's kind of like a. There's a lot of really cool waterfalls, but I think the one in Cloudland Canyon is one of my favorites and it's really nice hike in the fall, in the fall and there's yeah, it's just beautiful. It's beautiful up there. It's one of my favorites.

Craig 55:06

I'm looking, josh, at the maps and there's there is. There's a lot of hiking trails, but there's also a state park disc golf area.

Kaity 55:12

Yes, it is. Yeah, I've done that one before, yeah.

Joshua 55:17

You know the pictures I've seen when I've driven through Georgia, the videos that you make, katie. It seems like Georgia has a lot to offer, and it is. It's just a beautiful state, yeah, really beautiful.

Kaity 55:30

Well, it's cool because you have, like, the mountains and then, and then you have the coast over by Savannah, so you have the beaches and then there's like literally wild horses on Cumberland Island. Yeah, and and I've never actually experienced that before. It's like maybe one day I'll go, but and then you have like the middle of Georgia and there's like farms, like everywhere, like yeah peanuts for miles.

Joshua 55:56

Boiled peanuts. All you can eat. Yes, all you can eat all day.

Craig 56:01

And if you're gonna buy them, by the sounds of it, josh, you have to buy them from the side of the road.

Kaity 56:04

Yeah, go into the stores From a grungy kettle.

Joshua 56:07

Yeah, grungy kettle, grungy in the back oh. Katie. Okay, number 10. This is. This cracks me up that this is on the list, because I saw the photos on your Instagram and. I saw this and I'm like what the heck, yeah, is this place and it's baby land general hospital? Is this the place where, like cabbage patch, dolls are born?

Kaity 56:32

Yes, yes, it is.

Craig 56:35

It's not an actual hospital per se.

Joshua 56:45

Okay, please describe this because here's the thing that. The reason it caught my attention is I'm a child of the 80s and so I'm not ashamed to admit it. You know what? In 1985, 84? I was like Six or seven years old. Yeah, and I had a cabbage patch doll. Yeah, I had one. Yeah, and when you get a cabbage patch doll it comes in a box and you have a little adoption forum and you sign the adoption for it. It's your baby. But the lore is that they're raised like they're born in an actual cabbage patch every single one I think you found it.

Joshua 57:17

Yes, I think you found it and it's in Georgia. Is that what this is?

Kaity 57:20

Yes, okay, so you're driving it's in North Georgia and you drive up and it's like this massive White, like colonial style building Matt, like huge, and you've got these like really strange like white sculptures on the outside of like Cabbage is, with like the baby heads coming out. So funny. You go inside and it's just, it feels like it hasn't changed since the 80s. It like the, all the, the design and like the, just the marketing materials and the signs and everything. It hasn't changed one bit, and so I don't even know how to describe what I saw.

Joshua 58:07

Like there was like a hospital room.

Kaity 58:08

Yes, so they have like. They have like adoption rooms where you sign the paperwork and there's this big beautiful tree and it, and around the tree are these cabbages and the baby, the cabbage patch kid head, is on the cabbages around this tree.

Joshua 58:29

Yeah, and like popping out popping out.

Kaity 58:31

Yeah, and you can also buy like clothes and you can like. There's little stations where you can like dress them and give them a bath and and Josh, I'm looking at photos.

Craig 58:45

He and you know Katie's going off her memory and her memory is absolutely spot. Yeah, okay, can.

Joshua 58:50

I do. You know, katie, is this connected to the actual Official cabbage patch toy, or is it just some janky place where somebody's like I'm gonna be, I'm gonna make a buck off this and I'm gonna make a cabbage patch world, but like it doesn't seem legal? Yeah, I know it is like they can. They can be sued. It is fully.

Kaity 59:07

It's fully connected where, like it is not where they sew the like, because I think I Think they've changed like there might be a factory somewhere else or something. But this is actually connected to the cabbage patch kid. They have like a wall of like the vintage ones that were originally made because, like the newer ones, have like plastic heads Now oh, yeah, but the original ones were like full fat, like kind of scary in my opinion.

Joshua 59:35

Yeah right.

Kaity 59:38

And so what happens is like every 45 minutes they have a birthing ceremony. What and Everyone? Oh, and, by the way, everyone is dressed like nurses, like some of them look like wait, do they make you?

Joshua 59:55

Do they make you dress like a nurse? No, no, no, no, no, no, no just oh. Just the people that work there let work there.

Kaity 1:00:01

And so you have the nurse that comes out and she announces to everybody that a birth is about to happen and okay, and the, and she, she, um, there's like this tube of medicine, that and they call it a magisilin, and she said that you know all the terms, like from, like Birth she was using. She's like the, you know, the tree is dilated, four leaves apart, what, and she reaches down into the cabbage and she tells every, I'm not kidding, I'm not kidding when I say, oh, and she did a sonogram and it showed in the tree like the heat, the heartbeat, and like If it was a boy or a girl, and she announced the gender of the baby. And then she reaches down in the cabbage and she pulls out the cabbage patch and and the, and it's born. And then she takes it to the nursery when they have to recover and and so you wait, and so you can buy the exact Cabbage doll, that was, that was, that was you, could you?

Craig 1:01:13

saw the birth. Yes, and Josh, I'm looking at what photos and Katie says the nursery. It is like an old-school nursery where there's a big like plexi window, whatever else as well but Josh, there's the babies in there in their cribs and stuff or whatever, but there's a big, there's a big stalk in there, josh, there's a big stalk and they're looking after the cabbage pastels.

Joshua 1:01:33

Oh my gosh.

Kaity 1:01:34

I mean, it really is. Craig kind of it just is like a fever dream. I like I was like what just happened when I left. I was with my friend Amelia and I just looked at her. I was like what do we just experience?

Joshua 1:01:47

Do you have to pay to get in, is it?

Kaity 1:01:49

you just can go in yeah, and, and they've got a wall of celebrity pictures that are signed, and I don't know if it's like people that have been there, or if it's just like signed.

Joshua 1:02:05

Okay, okay, first of all, Craig, we got to go here.

Craig 1:02:08

Yeah, we have to like I can't believe.

Joshua 1:02:10

I've never even seen a tiktok video this place and it sounds like a thousand times cooler than Bill DeBair Like yes like they've got something, like they've really got. They're onto something here. How long have they had this place going? Since the 80s.

Kaity 1:02:25

I think so, yeah, well, maybe I. You know, I didn't look because we felt like kind of weird in there, like there was like a. It looks like it was an old Like house, like an old estate or something.

Joshua 1:02:37

So I don't know, katie, are you sure that you didn't visit like some weird strange cult and this wasn't actually Anything like that? It sounds really weird and I was it.

Kaity 1:02:49

I know that's. That's the sole reason I was like If anything, I want to visit this.

Craig 1:02:58

Josh, oh, baby land general hospital opened in 1978. What 1978, this thing? So, yes, I mean, and it's in the exact same place.

Kaity 1:03:11

Has it moved is 90s.

Joshua 1:03:14

I can't. Yeah, it sounds 70s. I can't believe that it still exists, cuz like I don't think cabbage patch dolls are still popular, like Like I don't know any kid. That was like a farmer Christmas. Mommy, I want a cabbage patch doll really.

Craig 1:03:28

Josh, let's be honest. This this is this is there because of our age group. You know what I mean.

Joshua 1:03:32

Like the I see, I see this is the style job. This is the style job. That's what they're there. Okay, wait, katie, who is there?

Kaity 1:03:39

like I had a people, yeah, so there was a mixture of Little like families with younger kids, and then I feel like there was also a group of people that, like me, my friend and I were there because you're just kind of fascinated by it, and there's like another group of like college aged kids that were just like giggling the whole time and Then I saw like a family, like like three separate generations. They all were holding their Cabbage patch, kid, doll and the youngest, the daughter, like the youngest generation, she was getting her first doll, and so, like the grandma, the mom and then the little girl, they were all there and it was like kind of like a I mean, it seems like a tradition, I guess ritual you say tradition, I said ritual.

Kaity 1:04:33

But yeah, it was a joke next to people.

Craig 1:04:36

I do think, josh, we've left the best to last. Katie, you did a good. This was number one.

Joshua 1:04:40

You know, you said it wasn't in any particular order, but I'm thinking this one it's number one baby treasures of our town, the baby land general hospital. You heard it here first.

Craig 1:04:52

Exactly go there as I said before, all the links are gonna be in the show notes itself, including Katie's YouTube channel, except. Well, thank you so much, katie, for joining us. It is. We have to wrap it up because getting later we could talk forever and ever and ever, especially about this baby land.

Joshua 1:05:09

You know what. You know what, though? Before we're done talking about Georgia, I just want to say one thing about it. One more thing. Okay listening to Katie and listening to all the things that she's experienced in Georgia, it is very clear that she's proud of her state. Yes, she's, she's so proud of it that you know, craig, that's a rare thing these days.

Craig 1:05:28

I've heard Josh ever, katie, if you hadn't listened to our podcast. He always has to get that in some time during the podcast. Yes, always. Some people listen to the podcast, up until the point where he says that. So I'm happy you'd last this time, not first.

Joshua 1:05:40

Do you know what movie? You know movie that's from Katie I don't know no she was just too young. No, she should. Her parents should have shown her this movie. It's from trains, planes and automobiles. When they're where they're in Wichita and they're, they're in the cab and they take him a long way around. He's like what's the middle of the night and then John candy goes. He's proud of his town. It's a rare thing these days.

Craig 1:06:07

That's Josh's tagline.

Joshua 1:06:08

I love it yeah that's the tagline of this podcast we're making shirts. I think we make it.

Craig 1:06:14

Yeah, exactly Miller high life, but anyway we don't have them just yet. But we don't have any sponsors, Josh, but we do have patrons and we have a brand new patron, as we're well, gary, nice.

Joshua 1:06:26

Genius, genius he is. I believe he's a super fan of Gilby. Oh, and that was their last episode.

Craig 1:06:34

So it was too. It was too so. That's why love that.

Joshua 1:06:37

Thanks, jerry, appreciate you. So if you have been enjoying our, enjoying our podcast, we really appreciate your support. By supporting us, you're helping us to create even better content and keep it free for everyone. So please, conjoin, consider, consider, joining our patreon at patreoncom backslash Treasures of our town. Wow, I struggled this week.

Craig 1:06:59

That's okay. Josh, it's okay, you've had a busy week working.

Joshua 1:07:02

It has been busy. I've used many words this week.

Craig 1:07:04

But those people, though, who think themselves I might join patreon, I might, but you know, I want to give it a try first, josh, now they can. There's a free. We have a free tea. What a membership. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've created a free team membership, so so they can come. They can get some of the golden nuggets, not all the gold nugs. Not all the nugs, not all the nugs, but they can get some free.

Joshua 1:07:26

First yeah, and then I'll get the yeah. Look at the sweet sour sauce.

Craig 1:07:30

No, no, no, no they don't even get salt, they just get the salt like Katie.

Joshua 1:07:34

Yeah, yeah, that's all they.

Jeff Wag's Unique Travel Plans

Craig 1:07:37

Exactly so, josh. On our next episode, we actually chat with a fellow podcaster and traveler. His name is Jeff wag and he has unique travel plans in his van. How can people? How can people contact us with Josh if they need to, though?

Joshua 1:07:51

Feel free to reach out at us. Reach out, reach out and Tell us what you think we want to hear. We want this to be a two-way conversation at treasures of our town podcast at gmailcom, or follow us on Facebook, instagram, twitter and YouTube.

Craig 1:08:06

So that's it for a show today, and thank you so much, katie, for joining us as well. Please subscribe, rate and review on your favorite podcasting app and, as always, josh.

Joshua 1:08:14

Mayor, travels always lead you in the most unexpected and amazing hidden gems around the world, like the Babyland General Hospital.

Craig 1:08:23

And until next time we've got a like Katie, say this Katie, you're gonna say yeah tagline by say oh, oh, oh, this my turn.

Kaity 1:08:30

Okay, Bye, yes, yes, yes, bye, bye.