ALABAMA'S HIGHEST POINT: CHEAHA STATE PARK (With a side order of Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles)

Bob and I had plans to climb to the highest point in Alabama, and we knew we needed to fuel up before leaving Atlanta, so we stopped for lunch at Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles Restaurant: 

I like Gladys Knight a lot, and I like her even more now that I've seen the rules she has posted in the window of her restaurant:

I've never thought to combine chicken and waffles on the same plate, and I can't say that I plan on doing it for our next dinner party, but it was pretty fun to try it in Atlanta. In fact, it's a common combination all over the South.

Bob's Southern-fried chicken

My waffle--moist and soft with a slight sweetness

Our sides were the best part of the meal: corn, cheese and grits,
black-eyed peas, and collard greens

After our fine meal at Gladys's, we crossed the border into Alabama and started our ascent of Mt. Cheaha. At such high elevations, the weather is quite cold:

We continued our drive until we finally reached the summit:

Yep, you read that right. It's a whopping 2,407 feet above sea level. The park website says this is "the pinnacle of natural beauty and awe in Alabama." Mt. Cheaha is actually a foothill of the Appalachians. The building on the site, known as Bunker Tower, was built by the CCC in 1934.

We climbed the stairs to the top observation deck, only to discover we weren't the first explorers to reach this high point. However, I'm not sure if our predecessors were actually an intelligent life form:

Intrepid summiters:

Making our way back down to ground level:

The view from another lofty vantage point:

I've been to other high points in other states, and honestly, they were quite a bit more spectacular:

Mt. Whitney summit, 2006: 14,505 feet

Mt. Elbert Summit, 2009: 14,440 ft.

However, I like to appreciate all the high points in life. Not every day can be a Mt. Whitney or a Mt. Elbert day. Some days are just Mt. Cheaha days, and they have their own reward.