Introduction – Colorado 2022

Isaac Church — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 13:50:20 +0000

We’re back! Faith and I are taking a last-minute trip (at least by my standards of planning) out to the Centennial State.

We’re going to visit Faith’s brother (Ian), his wife (Abby), and their twin boys (Jesse and Micah). We’ve talked about visiting them for a long time, and it’s never quite happened. However, they’re moving to a different state soon, so it was now or never.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Orientation

I actually met Ian, who’s my age, a while before I met Faith; we attended App State at the same time. Faith and Abby (sometimes Abby Jean to avoid confusion with Faith’s sister of the same name) were good friends in college. Their twins are two years old.

Short of a FaceTime call with Ian and Abby last night, we’re embarking with little-to-no plans, which will be a new experience. Those who know me know that I sufficiently (some might say excessively) plan everything, so maybe a change of pace will be nice. The general hope is to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible, maybe see a national park (or two), eat some good food, and spend time with family. We’re planning to stay about a week.

Garden of the Gods

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

I’ve never been to Colorado before, so it will be nice to check that off my list of states. Faith has visited the area before, but didn’t spend a tremendous amount of time there. Our base of operations will be Colorado Springs; we’ll see if we stay in that area or venture farther out.

We fly out tonight from CLT on a very late flight, so it might be several days before I post again. I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to do a day-by-day blog, or just hit the highlights in some summary posts.

Updates

Before I forget, I’ll provide a quick life update:

Faith and I bought our first home! We signed a purchase contract on a new-construction townhome in Boone in November, and we closed at the end of May. We’d been on a wait list with the builder for over two years, and finally were able to secure a spot. Fortunately, that meant none of the usual Boone real estate nightmares, like bidding wars or overnight purchase decisions. I guess that made the considerable wait time worthwhile.

Since the beginning of the year, we’ve spent most of our free time either making decisions about the house, moving, or preparing to move. We’re very thankful to be in the new place, but there’s still a lot of work remaining!

Framing

Sheet rock finally in

We have carpet!

Dining table

Early on

Sunset from our porch

Faith’s sister Abby got married the weekend before we closed, and I was the wedding photographer – a first for me. Here are a few photos:

Otherwise, life is pretty much normal. Both sides of the family are doing well. We hope to travel quite a bit this fall, in short bursts. For now, it’s off to the Rocky Mountains!

Conclusion

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Stay tuned for more…

– Isaac and Faith

The post Introduction – Colorado 2022 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Atlanta 2021

Isaac Church — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Greetings all! Welcome to a weekend edition of the blog.

This time, we’re taking another three-day trip to Atlanta to catch a baseball game and watch some Mountaineer football at Georgia State. Oh, and by “we”, I mean Cody, Alex (Payne), Trevor, and me. Three of us took this same trip in 2019, complete with an unexpected stop at Cowpens National Battlefield.

Travel // Lunch

Friday morning, Trevor and I left Granite Falls and drove to Shelby to pick up Payne, and Cody, who was coming from east of Charlotte. I didn’t really want to deal with I-85 traffic, so I decided to route us west through the mountains and then turn south, sacrificing a bit of travel time for better views and less crowded roads.

On the way down, we stopped at HenDough in Hendersonville for a quick bite to eat. We got a variety of sandwiches: I got a fried chicken sandwich with caramelized onions, bacon, and maple glaze; Payne got a fried chicken BLT; Trevor got a buffalo chicken sandwich; Cody got “Eggs in a Basket”, which is a breakfast dish with eggs, bacon, fried chicken, and a donut. I also had a side of hash brown tots and a pumpkin white chocolate donut. The food was good, but not phenomenal. It was worth trying once, but I would visit somewhere else the next time I come to town.

HenDough - Hendersonville, NC

Chicken sandwich with maple glaze, bacon, and caramelized onions with a side of hash brown tots

Pumpkin white chocolate donut

Buffalo chicken sandwich and mac & cheese

Table Rock STate Park

Leaving Hendersonville, we drove south through Flat Rock down US-25, crossed the border into South Carolina, and then turned west onto SC-11. Eventually, we came to Table Rock State Park, just NW of Pumpkintown, SC. The park has two beautiful lakes, and a view of Table Rock Mountain (not the one in Linville Gorge). We stopped at a couple overlooks to enjoy the scenery, and then headed on our merry way. Had we more time, we probably would’ve done one of the many hiking trails in the area.

Table Rock State Park - SC

Toccoa Falls

From Table Rock, we took US-123 towards Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa Georgia, and stopped to see the falls. After paying a small entrance fee at the gift shop, it’s a short, flat walk to a 186′ waterfall. It’s taller than Niagara Falls, and in a beautiful cove. We stayed for a while, but time was of the essence, so we got back in the car and took US-23 to 85, sat in traffic on 85 and 285 for way too long, and finally arrived at our VRBO in Marietta.

Toccoa Falls

The Battery // Truist Park

Truist Park

We arrived at our parking lot near Truist Park around 17:15, and walked the footbridge across I-75 to Truist Park. It was still a while before the start of the game, so we decided to walk around The Battery (a collection of restaurants, shops, and activities near the stadium) for a while, and then find some food. For dinner, we got some incredible burgers and shakes at H&F Burger at the stadium, and then found our seats.

H&F Burger

Atlanta, GA

I’ll give the description straight from H&F’s website: “Griddled double cheeseburger, topped with red onion and house-made pickles, served on a freshly baked pan de mie bun with from-scratch ketchup, and mustard on the side. The buns, sized with ideal bun-to-burger ratio in mind, are butter-toasted on the griddle for crispy golden edges. This burger is a direct descendant of the original that debuted at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.” What more could you ask for?

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Once inside the stadium, we explored the Monument Garden inside the park behind home plate. There are some interesting exhibits featuring Braves history and players. Several artifacts from past games are on display.

Monument Garden

Monument Garden jerseys

Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets

Braves vs Mets

First pitch was at 19:20. The Braves had clenched the NL East title the night before, and with it a playoff spot, so this game didn’t really matter. They rested many of their star players, including Swanson, Freeman, and D’Arnaud. Riley and Albies started. Swanson and D’Arnaud pinch-hit later in the game, but it wasn’t enough to rally the home team to victory; the Braves lost to the Mets, 4-3. At least the game was exciting to watch…

Braves vs Mets

Friday Night Fireworks

As per Friday tradition, there were fireworks after the game. It was late and we were tired, but we still stayed to watch the show. Plus, we were only staying a couple miles away from the stadium, so it’s not like we could’ve slept through the noise.

Friday Night Fireworks

College Football Hall of Fame

Saturday Morning, after stopping for some petrol, we drove to downtown Atlanta to visit the College Football Hall of Fame. We only had a couple hours before we needed to head to the football game, but it was nonetheless a great experience. The App State Alumni Association had tickets available for $10 instead of the usual $25, so it was definitely worth the visit, even though abbreviated.

College Football Hall of Fame

Helmet Wall

It was a fascinating museum, with exhibits covering the history of tailgating, uniforms, rules, equipment, coaching, rivalries, championships, and much more. We enjoyed reading about 2/3 of App’s inductees, Jerry Moore and Dexter Coakley. I don’t count Mack Brown. There were interactive exhibits, and as we left, we attempted a field goal and a 25yd pass (both were tough when not loose). I’d highly recommend this to anyone visiting Atlanta, and would like to go back one day.

Jerry Moore

Dexter Coakley

App State - College Football Hall of Fame

College Gameday Simulator

Helmet Wall and Mural

College Football Hall of Fame

Helmet Wall

The Varsity

For lunch, we drove to The Varsity, just off of Georgia Tech’s campus. We got the traditional chili dogs, onion rings, peach pies, and milkshakes. They also serve a “frosted orange”, which is essentially a milkshake made with orange soda flavor. As expected, it was a fantastic lunch – especially the onion rings!

The Varsity

Fun fact: Every day, The Varsity cooks 2 miles of hot dogs, 1 ton of onions, 2,500lb of potatoes, 5,000 fried pies, and 300 gallons of chili.

The Varsity

Atlanta, GA

The Varsity gets a star because it’s such an iconic spot in Atlanta. Everyone needs to go at least once in their lifetime. “What’ll ya have?!”

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

App State at Georgia State

Center Parc Credit Union Stadium

From The Varsity, we drove south to the old Turner Field (now Center Parc Credit Union Stadium) to watch App play football against the Georgia State Panthers. After a slow start in the first half, the Mountaineers pulled it together and thumped the Panthers 45-16, mainly thanks to some big defensive plays.

Center Parc Credit Union Stadium

Wall from Fulton County Stadium

Ponce City Market // Minero

After the game, we ventured to the NE corner of downtown to Ponce City Market in search of food. The market is an old Sears catalogue building that’s been converted into mixed-use property. Two floors of the building have a food hall and shopping, making it a popular place. It took us forever to find a parking spot, but we managed to get inside, add our name to the waiting list of a Mexican restaurant, and then explore the market while we waited for a text saying our table was ready.

Ponce City Market

We ate dinner at Minero, a Mexican restaurant. Payne, Cody, and I each got a catfish, charcoal chicken, and steak taco plate, and Trevor got a steak quesadilla. We also split a sampler of chips and salsas. The food was excellent, and we all agreed it was the best meal we’d had that weekend so far.

Monero - Ponce City Market

Minero

Atlanta, GA

Minero offered some exceptional, well-thought-out tacos. They had a little bit of everything. Portion sizes weren’t the best, but the quality of the food made up for it. Plus, its setting inside Ponce City Market makes it a unique location to visit.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Marietta Square Market

Seeking some dessert, we drove northeast to Marietta Square Market, a smaller food hall a block off of downtown Marietta. We got some ice cream at Four Fat Cows, after waiting in an unnecessarily long line. I got huckleberry cobbler and a double chocolate swirl ice cream. The huckleberry wasn’t nearly as good as what we’d had in Montana, but it was good nonetheless.

Marietta Square Market

Four Fat Cows Ice Cream

Travel Home

After an early start Sunday morning (mostly thanks to the stupid smart light in my room waking me up at 05:20), we arrived back in Shelby around 10:30. Trevor and I got back to Granite shortly thereafter. It was a great weekend, and I look forward to more [football] road trips in the future!

App State at Georgia State

Conclusion

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Our next trip is TBD, but keep a sharp eye and I’ll send out an email when it’s about to happen.

– Isaac, Trevor, Alex, and Cody

The post Atlanta 2021 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Toccoa Falls Archives - Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com

Introduction – Colorado 2022

Orientation

Updates

Conclusion

Atlanta 2021

Travel // Lunch

Table Rock STate Park

Toccoa Falls

The Battery // Truist Park

H&F Burger

Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets

Friday Night Fireworks

College Football Hall of Fame

The Varsity

The Varsity

Atlanta, GA

App State at Georgia State

Ponce City Market // Minero

Minero

Atlanta, GA

Marietta Square Market

Travel Home

Conclusion