Cloudland Canyon: Dade county, GA
Located in the northwest corner of Georgia in the Cumberland Plateau/Ridge and Valley, Cloudland Canyon is certainly worth the trek, despite the variation in elevation at 800-1,800'. For those less hale and hearty, scenic views of the gorge and the eastern views of Lookout Mountain can be painted from atop the gorge near the parking area. However, you will miss some of the most awe inspiring, paintable sights. The 'Cherokee Falls' waterfall is the closest from the rim, and the descent down the numerous steps affords the artist many wonderful sights. Calcareous cliffs (steep vertical cliffs of high levels of calcium) line the descent to the bottom of the gorge. Numerous rock houses (shallow caves) can also be seen. Cross your fingers for luck as you pass eerily under a huge, grand boulder. At the trail end, a waterfall cascades down a huge semicircular cliff wall of shale and limestone, and empties into a semicircular pool of blue green water. When I visit sights like this, I can't help but wonder how long have people visited here, and how different their experience might have been.
We painted the area around the 'Cherokee Falls'. However, 'Hemlock Falls' is also a dramatic waterfall. Dade county has numerous, extensive caves; Case Cavern being one near Cherokee Falls. Turbulent water coursing around, and cascading over the large boulders can be seen from many different vistas, including a pedestrian bridge that traverses Sitton Gulch, Couldland Canyon's former name. Scour zones which are unusual sights in Georgia can also be seen. These are areas where periods of heavy drought are interspersed with intense flooding. Erosion, resistant sandstone rock is exposed as a result of the vegetation being prevented from taking a foot hold. A hike to the opposite side, shows remnants of the infrastructure for a tightrope walk across the gorge.
THE PAINTING EXPERIENCE, 2015.1.20
This was a two and half hour car ride to the park. We packed light because we knew this would be a difficult journey back to the top of the gorge. I think we impressed ourselves with our stamina. It was about 15 degrees colder at the bottom than at the rim. Packing a lunch was also a necessity. Junko Ono Rothwell, Kendall Portis, Peter Ho, and myself, Nancy Hunter, were the artists painting that day.
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| Nancy Hunter, 'Cloudland Canyon; The Cherokee Falls', 8 x 16", Oil/Canvas |
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| Junko Ono Rothwell |
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| Junko Ono Rothwell, 'Waterfall at Cloudland Canyon', 14 x 11", Oil/Canvas |
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| Junko Ono Rothwell, 'Cloudland Canyon', 12 x 9", Oil/Canvas |
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| Kendall Portis |
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| Kendall Portis, Oil/Canvas |
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| Peter Ho |
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| Peter Ho, Oil/Canvas |
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| Peter Ho, Oil/Canvas |
