Walk Around the Place

Campfires are an important part of the End of the Pavement experience. It's a big job to keep plenty of firewood and kindling, but someone gets it done. Thank God, there's lots of carpenters in the neighborhood. The ashes rarely get cool before another fire is built. In the winter the flames give out warming heat. People crowd around to warm their hands and backsides. In the summer its a place to roast a hotdog or marshmallow. The smoke helps keep away bugs. Most of all, it encourages good conversation between people that stop by to sit a spell.

What would any gathering place be without water? The End of the Pavement has a clean, mountain creek. It cools the whole area. When everything else is quiet, the sounds of the running water is peaceful and serene. When there's a crowd and lots of noise, the creek still calls. The children splash and play and so do a few adults now and then.

Gomer's birdhouses and feeders attract lots of wildlife. Gomer (Roger Garrett) is the resident gamekeeper. He has had, at one time or another, goats, pigs, dogs, chickens, rattlesnakes, and even an emu.

These lilies were planted at The End of the Pavement in the fall of 1995 or 96. They were originally brought to Blairsville from Canton, Georgia when Irene Watkins Boling gave some to her daughter, Janice. Janice has shared them with lots of people.This flowerbed has more history - when Frank Rogers had a memorial service at The End of the Pavement, some of his ashes were scattered here by his family. There are rumors that other people's ashes have since been added.(Gomer has laid out some boards to keep the dogs out. The little Christmas tree has it's own story.)

This is Gomer's Cookie Wagon. It is decorated with red salvia and a couple of charcoal lighter fluid cans. This old camper has been all over the place. It went to California and back in it's early days, and lately it's made many trips to Sea Creek. When running wide open, it gets up to 45 miles an hour! The Cookie Wagon is getting a new home soon. Good-bye old Chevy.