Life in Big Canoe, Real Estate in the Mountains

This Sunday I had my first hint of winter in the north Georgia Mountains. This is great because after Thanksgiving I’m ready to hide behind some clothes! I have been working with a couple from Duluth, Ga for a while and I met them Sunday afternoon with a coat, hat, scarf and mittens (I sure hope Mom is reading this!). It was colder than I care to say, and the wind didn’t help but the flurries sure stirred up the imaginations. They were very excited about their big adventure and loved every home. When we went up Deer Run Ridge to the top of Sanderlin the roofs and decks were all dusted with snow and many chimneys were puffing smoke. Their 13 year old son even scooped what he could find into a snowball!!! They asked me about how often it snows, how much ice we get, and basically what do we do when we’re “snowed in”  for a weekend. Truth be known we get our fair share of flurries and about 3 good snows. Last year we had close to 5 inches half way up the mountain. It ices from time to time but as long as you stock your pantry with the basic ingredients for chili and of course have on hand a few bottles of value priced wine, you are in good shape!  

A few things that I find helpful in Big Canoe may put any “snow-phobia” at ease. Big Canoe maintenance has salt trucks and snow plows ready at any sign of heavy snow. The main roads are addressed immediatly. Ninety-Nine percent of the homes up here have fireplaces which will keep you warm even if the power goes out (which it rarely does because all of our power lines are buried). Many homes have generators which is a nice luxury if you can afford it. My home came with a huge generator and a 1,000 gallon propane tank - enough to power our entire house for over a month. I thought it was a very nice feature, and now I recommend it to everyone. We have lost power about 3 times in 2 years but believe it or not the time I appreciated it most was in July at about 100 degrees! It rarely gets this hot but last July it was a scorcher. It was nice to have in the winter as well but I always have the fireplace and my family to snuggle with when Jack Frost nips at my nose.

So to end tonight’s blog I say; Let it snow, let it snow, let it SNOW!!!

Karin