Where do all the sparkles come from in Helen GA.

[woodchuckie]

Anybody here from North Georgia.

I just got back from Alpine Helen in north Georgia. We took three of our Granddaughters to Cleveland to watch their babies being born at the Cabbage Patch Hospital there. (They each had twins.) We went on up to Helen to spend a couple of days in the mountains. We walked up to the Brass Balls lookout tower. Walked to Ruby falls and drove to Hiawassee and ate Mexican. At all these places there was this shiny flaky stuff in the dirt, in the road building material, in the sidewalks and in the rocks. After all the walking it was even on my shoes. I asked the horse & buggy driver in Helen what it was but he didn't know that or what kind of tree that grows there that has the balls on it that look like sweet gum from a distance but it's not like what we have in central Alabama.
So, we had a great time and the area reminds me of Gatlinburg but I still want to know what kind of tree that is and Where do all the sparkles come from in Helen GA.

 

[Chuck52]

The shiny flaky mineral is mica. In some areas around there it was once mined and used as insulating material in electrical equipment components.

Chuck

 

[Larry Jones]

Sycamore will have balls hanging from the limbs, maybe an inch and a half in diameter.

 

[ToadHill]

As Larry said Sycamore has little balls for fruit as does London Plain Tree.

 

[DieselPower]

Sounds like Mica to me to. Years ago when I was stationed at Ft. Gordon, GA for AIT training in the Army I noticed a lot of mica in the soil along with the Army required sand. Maybe they should change their state slogan to "The Glitter State".

 

[SimS]

WC;

"We walked up to the Brass Balls lookout tower...".

It's called Brasstown Bald, the highest elevation in Georgia. Very pretty spot.

BTW "Brass Balls" are something we use to describe cold weather. I'm glad you had a good time.

SimS

 

[woodchuckie]

Yes, after doing some reading about mica I see that's what it is. I recently bought some type of old heater at a thrift store and I thought it was glass in the door but I now think it's mica as it's not as clear as glass but you can see light through it and it seems flexible. Mica can be peeled into layers so thin you can see through it and it's an excellent insulating material that doesn't expand with heat.
Thanks for the responses and information. I knew it wasn't brass balls but I couldn't find it on the map I had and couldn't remember the name.

 

[DennisArrow]

If the little ball type seed pods that hang on about a 3 to 5 inch stem have kind of stickery looking things then they are definately sweet gum. The sycamores look the same; but if you inspect the pod they are segmented and break about in fibrous sections.........

And thanks for the Brasstown Bald correction..............Dennis

 

[SCOOBY14B]

Anybody here from North Georgia.

I just got back from Alpine Helen in north Georgia. We took three of our Granddaughters to Cleveland to watch their babies being born at the Cabbage Patch Hospital there. (They each had twins.) We went on up to Helen to spend a couple of days in the mountains. We walked up to the Brass Balls lookout tower. Walked to Ruby falls and drove to Hiawassee and ate Mexican. At all these places there was this shiny flaky stuff in the dirt, in the road building material, in the sidewalks and in the rocks. After all the walking it was even on my shoes. I asked the horse & buggy driver in Helen what it was but he didn't know that or what kind of tree that grows there that has the balls on it that look like sweet gum from a distance but it's not like what we have in central Alabama.
So, we had a great time and the area reminds me of Gatlinburg but I still want to know what kind of tree that is and Where do all the sparkles come from in Helen GA.

Hope you had fun up here. Did you eat at the Mexican place in Hiawassee that is on the left across from McDonalds? That's about the best one I've ever eaten at.

I personally HATE Helen, but that's just me. I live just south of Cleveland, and have a daughter and visit Babyland too often.