The Journey is an Adventure; I am an Alien: A Dream Realized

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

A Dream Realized

I had a dream, a bucket list item, since I was a kid. It's an odd one, but it meant something to me. My grandfather "Papa" (Harry Guyton DeLoach) was Georgia State Forester back in the day. I heard stories of him going to Cuba to check out the pine trees and moving the Forestry Commission to Macon, GA. All my growing up life I wanted to go to the Georgia Forestry Commission in Macon. Why? Probably to connect with Papa.

Yesterday, that dream was realized.

What I didn't know is that the Georgia Forestry Commission is locked down behind fences with gates and a guard box. The guard told me one needed an appointment to get it. Oops. I had no idea what the place was like. I didn't know. We found a place to park out of the way and started calling. I called and got dispatch. I was transferred, but the call dropped and I didn't write down the number because I didn't have a writing utensil. I didn't give up though. I called back. I got someone else in dispatch and she was on site, as I was. Harper was an angel! I explained what I wanted and shared the dream of a granddaughter to visit the place that my Papa brought here from elsewhere in Georgia. She understood. She put me on hold and started calling different people. None were in their offices. Then she started on cell phones. She finally got Shanya who said she was available to escort us in. Woo hoo!

Shanya came to the gate by the guard house. I signed in with the guard and in we went. We went to the museum. I had hopes that I would find something connected to my Papa. I did. I found the dedication brochure for the Georgia Forestry Commission in 1952. His name was on that "Director Guyton DeLoach".

There were some old pictures and some of the old forestry magazines, but I don't think I saw him.

The museum was a log cabin with TONS of cool stuff inside. It was named after Director Howard E. Bennett. It had a life-size Smokey Bear, some cool hands-on educational stations and then different sections about trees, pine cones, fires and fire protection, equipment, etc. The history, the information, all of it was interesting. Then there were some old machinery in a pole barn next door. They were cool too.

The pine trees on the property near the museum were tall and majestic. There was one old pine on the ground. It had a sign near it, but I couldn't read it all. I saw some cool 'shrooms too.

Shanya told us that the property was Camp Wheeler back in the day. They occasionally find old artifacts from those days. I had seen something about Camp Wheeler in the museum, but didn't read all about it.

Papa inspired me to love nature. His home was surrounded by pine trees. He told me stories of the forestry days. He went back to being a farmer when he stopped the forestry world.

There are a few more things on my Papa dream list to accomplish. Cuba has been on my bucket list since he told me about flying there to check out the pine trees. I also want to go see him on the wall at the Georgia Forestry Hall of Fame in Athens, GA. I hope to one day accomplish both of these.

Below you will find information about the museum, the Georgia Forestry Commission, and my Papa (Harry Guyton DeLoach).