My cousin Michael, whom I've not seen in about nine or ten
years, is coming through Gadsden with his family this weekend. I have not met his family before, and am very
much looking forward to this visit.
Now, Michael's youngest daughter Alyssa has been assigned a
Flat Stanley project at school, and we were lucky enough to get to help her
with her project. About a week ago, my
parents received an envelope at their house with not only Flat Stanley, but his
female traveling companion Flat Paige. I
picked the Flat kids up and took them home with me, planning an excursion that,
when Alyssa reported back to her school mates, would appeal to both girls and
boys.
Here is an account of that excursion:
Flat Stanley & Flat Paige at Noccalula Falls, Gadsden, AL
Although it was cold and rainy, Stanley and Paige decided to visit the beautiful Noccalula Falls Park, located in Gadsden, AL. They played on the playground (and got very wet!), fed the ducks at the foot bridge (they sure were hungry!), walked through the botanical gardens (which are coming into bloom from the warm spring weather the days before our visit!), and stopped at the statue of Noccalula.Noccalula Falls Park takes its name from the local legend of the Cherokee Indian maiden Noccalula, who, when commanded by her father to marry an Indian warrior from a neighboring tribe whom she didn’t love, chose to jump from the Falls to her death on the day of her wedding. A statue of the beautiful maiden Noccalula was erected in the late 1960s in her honor. The bronze used for the 9 foot-tall statue reportedly came from pennies donated by local children.The park itself is rather large, comprised of 250 acres of wooded area, campgrounds, and walking trails. For a fee of $4 per child, $6 per adult, visitors may enter the park proper which will allow access to many attractions such as a petting zoo, a pioneer village, the gorge trail (which takes visitors down to the bottom of the falls), and a covered bridge. Visitors may also hop on the replica train to see the park from a different perspective! And if you enjoy overnight trips, for an additional cost you may stay the night at Noccalula Falls in one of their beautiful cabins, or at their campsite!For extreme sports fans: In November of 2011, three kayakers took on the rain-swollen waters of the Black Creek and managed the monstrous 90-foot descent in their kayaks. All three kayakers survived the drop. As far as we know, it was the first time ever that a kayaker successfully made the descent. A videographer captured everything on camera. Police were waiting for the three drenched athletes when they arrived back at their vehicles. Luckily, no one was arrested, but only because there were no signs posted at the park prohibiting kayaking over the Falls. Since this incident, the City of Gadsden has passed an ordinance against such activities.
Resources:
Some general information about Noccalula Falls, should you ever want to visit (hours and seasons).
As ill luck would have it, the day that Eric and I took Flat
Stanley and Flat Paige to Noccalula Falls (just yesterday) proved to be pretty dreary with rain
and wind. Not spring-like at all. While posing at the statue of Noccalula, the
wind and spray from the falls was so intense, it almost whipped my constructed
friends from my hands. Luckily, I was
able to keep a hold on Stanley and Paige, who came dangerously close to meeting
the same fate as the Indian maiden...
After our photo shoot, we put Stanley and Paige to rest in
their traveling envelope and went across the street from the Falls to warm up
and dine at one of our favorite restaurants, Kati Thai. Kati Thai is one of the
few restaurants in town that is relatively safe for an individual like me, with
lots of choices that are naturally free of gluten. From my Thai dining experience in cities such
as NY, Denver, and elsewhere, it holds its own with authentic Thai
cuisine. Eric and I shared an order of
Thai Basil Rolls and then each had a plate of the Drunken Noodles.
