After a few days on the Gulf of Mexico, I received the long-awaited message: my definitive papers arrived!
 
So I left the ocean for heading up to Atlanta, not without taking small roads with few detours. I then wiped the cold wave that made twenty deaths in North America, with till -52°F in the East.
 
 
1. A march next to the road.
 

 
 
2. A bird seen while a quick stop to eat something. To resist to the temp of 16°, she puffed its feathers…
 

 
 
Driving through Alabama, I made a detour to the extreme western Georgia to visit Providence Canyon, a small Bryce Canyon… I got there at 14:30 and it was 14°, the maximum of the day.
 
 
3. The trail strewn with ice flowers. To give the scale, ice rods are approx. inches high..!
 

 
 
4. At the bottom of this pretty little canyon, unfortunately with difficult light (panoramic of three vertical images).
 

 
 
5. I told you: it looks a little like the famous Bryce Canyon (panoramic of two vertical images).
 

 
 
6. View from the top (panoramic of four vertical images).
 

 
 
Since I came out around 16:30, I left the tarmac to get a place for the night. I followed a dirt road and came across an old fire watchtower. Usually, the base is surrounded by barbed wire fence that prohibit access to, which wasn’t the case of this one. So I took the opportunity to climb on it, taking precautions for the wooden steps which were well rotten, even some missing…
 
 
7. VivaLaVida from an unusual angle…
 

 
 
8. View on the forest around…
 

 
 
I then continued the small dirt roads and after about thirty mile, I found a place to sleep next to a pond, who booked me a nice surprise. While I was out photographing VLV in a pretty sunset, I heard an unusual noise. I have been listening… Yes, it was the sound of an animal gnawing something. Night falling, I spun seek binoculars and tried to locate it for ten minutes without success. Then I heard a “splash”, still without reaching to locate it… Finally, I discover a beaver swimming in the pond, pulling the small tree he had just cutted! It was so dark that I could picture of him to show you. But I saw him come near the entrance of her hut and dive to enter. Then I heard him shake to drain and move the small tree to his companion, exchanging small pretty cries. He then came pout again and swim away across the pond, disappearing into the darkness… I heard him later continuing to gnaw in the dark night. It was a great emotion to see my first wild beaver..! 😉 It made ​​me forget the cold (10° then) and I haven’t regretted the numb I had back in VLV. That night, VLV’s thermometer got down to -2°F, my coldest night in VLV so far.
 
 
9. The picture that got me this beautiful surprise…
 

 
 
I joined Atlanta the next day and found my driving license as well as the Title, the ultimate Sesame for my real start. Unable to invite Colin’s family partly sick to share a last dinner, I took my real flight the next day, already with some unexpected on the first night. To discover soon… 😀