Georgia on my mind (part three)

We returned to the hotel and checked into our room. Despite having read reviews stating that the rooms were large, I was still surprised at the dimensions. Even with two beds, a couch, a desk and a TV cabinet; at 600 square feet, there was still room to ballroom dance in the open floor space. With five of us in one room, it was great to have room to move around.

We unpacked quickly and within minutes the girls were in their swimsuits and headed for the outdoor pool. Connie grabbed a book and staked claim to a chair on the balcony which overlooked the inner courtyard and swim area. I attached a sticky note to my forehead stating “do not disturb” and laid down for a nap. Life was good.

Our one plan for the rest of the day was to see the Laser show that the park presents on the north face of the mountain. Using the wall of stone as a giant movie screen, the show is a mix of photos, lasers, fireworks and music that is a rousing tribute to all things southern, heroic and red, white and blue. It had been nearly twenty years since I had seen the show, and I still had vivid memories of sitting on the dark lawn and being mesmerized by the effectiveness of the presentation.

Later that afternoon we drove around the park, enjoying the beautiful lake and visiting the Grist Mill and covered bridge. We were amazed at the fitness trails that surrounded the mountain. In fact, half of the loop road that wound around the base was designated one way so that the other lane could be divided into bike and walking paths. What a beautiful place to enjoy nature and get some exercise.

Around 7:30pm I began hearing thunder off in the distance. Before long, the sky began flashing with strobes of lightning and eventually vivid streaks were jaggedly striking from sky to ground. The laser show was due to start at 9:30pm, and although it is advertised that the show will go despite the rain, they state that they will cancel if there is lightning in the area.

I told the girls that it would likely cancel and we would have to try again on our second night there. I didn’t tell them that the weather was forecasting storms for that second night. We waited, watching as people continued to flow into the area across the road from our hotel which was the prime viewing point for the show.

The expansive lawn behind the visitor center and its natural slope was a perfect place for the thousands of spectators who bring their lawn chairs and spread blankets each night to watch the show. Some folks arrive early, claiming a prime spot, but soon the entire hillside is thick with humanity. Fortunately for them all, there is not a bad view.

We had been informed upon check-in at the hotel that the two Marriott facilities on-site had a designated viewing area on the lawn for guests only. That gave us the option of waiting until closer to show time to make our way across and still having a central location.

At 9pm lightning was still visible on the horizon and some strikes seemed to me to be very close to the top of the mountain. I was fairly amazed as I watched families, moms and dads pushing strollers and pulling along toddlers, continuing to stream toward the lawn. I know that I’m more cautious than most people (I am my mother’s son), but taking my children into a big open field at the base of a huge stone mountain didn’t seem like the safest thing to do in a lightning storm. Besides, the responsible folks in charge of the show were going to cancel at any minute. Of that I had no doubt.

At 9:30pm the pre-show began. We watched from the safe cover of our front balcony along with some other hotel guests who seemed to be aware of basic “death by lighting” statistics. Maybe they had watched the Weather Channel documentary on lightning strikes and seen the herd of cattle lying dead in an open field after the current jumped from one to the other. None of us wanted to be cattle in that open field across the road.

The show was not as effective from a quarter mile away. The music could be heard if no one on the balcony spoke or shuffled their feet and we all kept our breathing shallow. It was disappointing to come so far and not experience the show in its proper form, but I felt we had made the mature, responsible choice.

By the mid-point of the show, the sky was clearing and the storm had moved on without spitting out a single drop of moisture. Too late to venture over and try to find a patch of unattended ground, we settled for the unique experience of being able to stand just outside our bedroom door and watch not only the Stone Mountain Laser Show, but also the spectacular full moon that had presented itself amidst the parting clouds.

That night, I drifted off with visions of cascading waterfalls, tall Georgia pine trees and giant stone carvings. And with the exception of one short dream in which I was pelted with fresh, hot, oven baked dinner rolls, I slept better than I had slept in months.

To be continued in Part 4 (burning through Atlanta!)