A Road Less Traveled: Lions and Tigers and Bears....oh my!

October 21, 2015

With only one overnight in Georgia, we would be in Florida the next day. Our stop over was High Falls State Park as we traveled down from Chattanooga. The park is named for tumbling cascades on the Towaliga River. Our campground was spacious and we sat apart from other campers for a very quiet night. Sitka and I had a peaceful morning hike to the falls before we hit the back roads. We're ready for Florida!

Not a lot of time on the road today. We made a beeline down I-75 to Noah's Ark Animal sanctuary in Locust Grove, Georgia. I swear I promised I'd stay off the interstate, but we had two visiting stops to make and needed to make some time. We have come to realize it is best to only travel three to four hours on days we visit places. Otherwise, we feel like we are road weary and scrambling to set up camp at night.

Noah's Ark Sanctuary

The first stop was both fabulous and extremely sad all at the same time. Those of you who are familiar with CBS's correspondent, David Hartman might know this story. He reported on a bear, lion and tiger (BLT) who all live, love and play together and I knew if I ever passed through Georgia I wanted to stop. The sanctuary is a 250 acre space with large enclosures for abused, unwanted and neglected animals. There are more than 1500 exotic, wildlife and domestic animals who have found their home at Noah's Ark. Among them are more than 100 different species of animals. Most of the animals have been rescued from failed small zoos, circuses and confiscated from folks who had them as illegal pets. There are thirteen exotic cats, eight bears, a host of primates, wolves and fox, (read their stories by clicking on links) and many more animals you can explore on their website.

Shere Khan, Leo and Baloo

How I learned about the sanctuary is of course BLT, Baloo the black bear, Leo the African lion and Shere Khan the Bengal tiger. They came to the sanctuary in 2001 after they were discovered in an Atlanta home during a drug raid. At only a few months old, all three cubs were frightened and malnourished and infested with parasites. The sanctuary saw their unlikely bond and they are kept in the same enclosure to eat, sleep and play together. They even seek out grooming and affection from one another, head rubbing and licking each other. Their terrifying early months of life bonded the three and they are truly inseparable despite their obvious differences.

BLT

It costs $33,000 dollars a year to feed and care for all the animals. There is no entrance fee, they rely solely on donations!

I wonder what it cost to build the facility. The enclosures are massive next to what you've seen at zoos.

Whistle Stop Cafe

Thirty more minutes down county roads is Juliette, Georgia–bout 20 minutes north of Macon, Georgia. Juliette was a once bustling railroad community in the early 1900s. Over time the railroad industry declined and Juliette was all but forgotten until movie producers rebuilt the existing structures into the fictional town of Whistle Stop and filmed the movie Fried Green Tomatoes.

The iconic Whistle Stop Cafe hosts daily diners from 11am to 4pm. I wanted to try everything, but settled for the fried green tomato sandwich right where Idgie sat.