That was quite the hurricane for us! Most hurricanes that originate in the Gulf seem to go either east or west of us. This one decided to head straight in our direction. As it came ashore, it veered a little west, giving us the full brunt of its winds.
The winds came from east to west, traveling right off the lake, up our cleared piece of land, and straight toward the house. You could actually feel some of those gusts, topping 80 mph, coming underneath the deck and funneling through the narrow opening in front of the house. At times, the whole place just shook and rattled. About halfway through the storm, we lost power, and it would be another three days before it came back.
By morning, things had pretty much calmed down, so we headed outside to survey the damage. We had sections of our fence blown over and about eight trees down. One tree, about 12 inches in circumference, had fallen directly across our driveway, completely blocking us in.
Since I don’t own a chainsaw (at least not yet), out came the ax! I chopped the tree in half, cleared one side of the driveway, then hooked a strap to the remaining section, attached it to my truck, and pulled it up the driveway and out of the way. The next order of business was ordering a chainsaw. Within two days it was delivered, and the rest of the tree problem was taken care of.
Being without power does have its challenges, but we’re fairly well set up for these situations. I have a generator and solar, so it was just a matter of dragging out all the extension cords. Since we have the lake nearby and a good filtration system, water wasn’t an issue either. With a bunch of snakes (extension cords) running in and around the house, we managed to keep most things going.
Heating and cooking are propane, so we only needed electricity for the refrigerators, TVs, and lighting. We survived all three days without too much trouble. I didn’t even run out of Scotch!
After surviving the only hurricane of 2026, it was time to hit the road again. Our next stop was Helen, Georgia.
If you find yourself wandering through the mountains of North Georgia, you might do a double take when you roll into Helen. Instead of the usual small Southern mountain town, you’ll find yourself surrounded by Bavarian-style buildings, German restaurants, beer gardens, and plenty of Alpine charm.
Helen wasn’t always this way. Back in the early 1960s, it was a small, struggling lumber town. Local business owners and community leaders came up with an idea to reinvent the town by giving it a Bavarian Alpine look. The transformation began in 1969, and Helen eventually became one of Georgia’s most unusual and popular tourist destinations.
Oktoberfest is a big part of that identity. Helen’s celebration began in 1970, bringing a little German tradition to the North Georgia mountains. What started as a community celebration has grown into one of the longest-running Oktoberfest celebrations in the United States. Today, visitors come from all over to enjoy German food, beer, polka music, dancing, and plenty of good times.
Our son Dallas and the rest of us had rented a house for the week in the mountains, just outside of Helen. The plan was pretty simple: relax, do a little hiking, and drink some German beer while enjoying Oktoberfest.
The property sat on a good-sized lot and had a fire pit in the backyard, a hot tub on the back porch, and a pool table downstairs for the kids. Our grandson Caleb brought along a football buddy, Ethan. Those two had a great time wandering around town, helping with the fire, and playing pool. They’re a couple of really good kids, and surprisingly, they even enjoyed spending time with the old people!
Everyone had ordered some traditional Bavarian attire for the occasion. The girls had their dresses, and the guys had their shirts. Our first day in Helen was pretty warm, and Jess decided the lacy slip that came with her dress was just too much. Off it came!
That gave us an idea. We challenged the boys with $20 to see who would be brave enough to put on the slip and wander around town. Ethan took the challenge! He put on the slip (yes, you read that right), and he and Caleb headed off down Main Street.
We were all dying laughing. But the best part came when they returned. Apparently, the tourists thought it was pretty entertaining too. They had actually been paid by other tourists who wanted their pictures taken with them! Looks like Ethan turned a $20 challenge into a little side business.
We spent the day drinking German beer and listening to music. Back at the house, we cooked up some brats, had a few more beers, enjoyed the hot tub, and spent some time chatting around the fire before finally calling it a night.
It was a fantastic week with family, plenty of laughs, and memories we’ll be talking about for a long time. That’s what it’s all about!
Next up was a family wedding in Texas. Now that was a hoot!
Cheers,
2WANDRRs
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