Twenty minutes outside of Atlanta there’s a perplexing site, one that isn’t quite sure what it’s supposed to be. Is it a national monument? Is it a natural wonder? A historical faux-pas? Or, perhaps a carnival?
One thing’s for sure: Stone Mountain is a strange place to hike. Which is exactly what we were doing there at 8am on a Tuesday.
The history behind the large rock is tarnished to say the least. At one point it was a favorite meeting place for the Klu Klux Klan. There’s no mention of this anywhere on the mountain, but you can read about it online. I thought about it a lot as we hiked up the mountain.
Many call Stone Mountain the “Mount Rushmore of the South” due to the enormous Confederate memorial sculpted into one side of the giant rock. I’m not sure how many still come here to honor the fallen Confederacy… they’d have to pay homage next to a popcorn stand and a snow tubing arena, because the bottom of the mountain is a mini-theme park.
What a bizarre, confused place. I thought. But the stone itself is beautiful.
Let me throw another identity for Stone Mountain out there: Earth’s protruding tumor or bald spot. I like to think of the Earth as a giant noggin,’ and I am but a flea tiptoeing all over it. Mother Nature sure does have a lumpy head.
We arrived in Atlanta later that afternoon to park in the driveway of Ashley Denise Johnson, a good samaritan who reached out on our website and offered us parking. Thank you Ashley! She also showed us around town and gave us a bunch of wonderful suggestions for things to do in Atlanta. One brilliant suggestion she had was to visit SCADpad.
SCADpad is a parking lot on the Savannah College of the Art and Design campus in Atlanta that has been repurposed as a micro-housing community. Created by students, for students, three tiny homes were constructed to be no bigger than a parking space. Inside each you’ll find a sleeping space, kitchenette and small bathroom. As we toured through these pads, I couldn’t help but be thoroughly impressed with the innovative designs, detailed craftsmanship and the overall concept.
First us, we have SCADpad North America. My favorite part of this tiny home: the floors!
Next, SCADpad Europe. Can you imagine living in one of these as a college student? Can you say: DORM ROOM UPGRADE??
Last but not least: SCADpad Asia, as well as the community garden / sitting area. I applaud them for recycling their grey water on the edible garden. This can easily be achieve when you use the right mix of biodegradable products.
We had our own open house in Atlanta at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. We had a great turn out and it was a bright sunny day! Check out the Art Center if you’re in the area, there are a lot of thought provoking exhibitions.
Dan Louche from Tiny Home Builders came out to our open house, and afterwards we all went out for pizza at Antico – supposedly one of the best pizzas in America. Remember we had the “BEST pizza in America” in New Haven at Frank Pepe’s. I preferred the pie at Antico, but Guillaume argued the white clam pizza at Pepe’s was more unique. Whatever, nothing beats the pizza slice I had in New York.
All I know is that at the end of this year long trip, even if nobody read this blog, and nobody viewed our photos, I can say we had some great pizza.
Num num num..
Next up: Salies goes swimming with the Alligators …
-Jenna
I love that good pizza is motivation enough for you, a woman after my own heart! 🙂
Geologically speaking there are only 2 places in the United States where you will see a granite dome that has surfaced. Stone Mountain in Georgia and Enchanted Rock in Texas outside of Llano. You might want to stop there if you pass through and camp with your Tiny House! In the world there is only one other in Australia!