Tuesday, June 24 - We left a little later than usual, about 10:20 AM and 68 deg. and arrived at Cloudland Canyon S.P. at 11:38 AM and 77 deg. after driving 41.6 miles. This was a short very easy trip with little traffic and nice scenery. The last part included some mountain driving. This is a very nice park with two main camping areas (east and west) and large well separated sites, especially on the west loop. We chose the west loop and set up on site 22. After setting up and dinner, we took a short hike on the west loop trail. It is very rugged with large rocks and steep drop-offs.
Wednesday, June 25 - Today we drove up across the Lookout Mountain Scenic Highway into Chattanooga to go to the Aquarium and check out some of the river walk. The drive was beautiful, with many twists and turns and high overlooks into the valley below. We really enjoyed the Aquarium which had two buildings. One was mostly the ocean and the other focused on rivers, from their source to the deltas and ocean. After we left the Aquarium, we went to River Bend Grill for lunch. Joan said it was the best hamburger she has had for a long time. We then hiked along the river and crossed on the Walnut Street pedestrian bridge over the Tennessee River. We stopped at Coolidge Park and watched the kids play in the water. It was a great day for it with temps in the mid 90s. We returned to the Aquarium area and decided to cool of by watching the I-Max theater presentation on dolphins and whales. We really enjoyed the show and felt we could reach out and touch them. On the way back to the campground we stopped at the Canyon Grill for dinner. Joan had pork roast and John had Walleye that they fly in overnight from Canada. The food was excellent and we called it John's birthday celebration, even though it was a few days early. We got back to camp and collapsed into our recliners on our site. If you want to see pictures of the Aquarium, click: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/Chattanooga
Thursday, June 26 - The wind really came up during the night and we could hear it blowing in the upper canopy of forest, but thankfully very little at ground level. We thought a storm was rolling in, but it fizzled. We took our coffee around the campground loop and had breakfast. Today we stuck close to camp and got some things done. John cleaned the kayaks, car, and bikes, while Joan cleaned the camper. There were t. stormes in the area all day with some light rain added. However, nothing was very heavy. We met a nice couple from Temple Terrace, Fl, who were interested in our set-up, especially the tarp. They now tent camp with two teenagers and are looking to upgrade.
Friday, June 27 - We enjoyed hearing the barred owl in the night. He has become a regular for us here. We got in the truck and took our coffee over to the east rim overlook and enjoyed the view. We ordinarily do not drive to places in the park where we camp, but the other area is 3.2 very hilly miles away, so hiking or biking were not good options for a morning coffee walk. The view is wonderful and easy to see why this is called the Grand Canyon of the east. Of course we have not seen the other one yet, so comparisons are not possible. Many people pulled out today so the campground is fairly empty. I'm sure we will not be lonely by the weekend, however. Next weekend will be even busier.
Saturday, June 28 - We got up and had breakfast before taking our coffee on a hike on the West Rim Trail. This is the same trail we went on earlier, but we decided to take it farther this morning. We packed up our safety gear, extra water, and snack bars. The scenery is simply fantastic. After lunch, we drove to an area that is on the trout stream map we got of northern Ga. to see if we could find the streams and assess their condition for fishing. What we found was less than inspiring. Because the water levels have been so low, there is virtually no flow to Rock Creek or Chattanooga Creek. We gave up and headed back and on the way stopped to see if anyone was hang-gliding at a launching place on Lookout Mountain. It was too gusty, so we just enjoyed the beautiful scenery overlooking the valley. After supper we stopped and visited with a nice couple we met on the trail this morning. They live in Chattanooga, have camped in the area for a long time, and were very willing to share their experiences. We made it back to the camper from their site just in time to avoid getting drenched by a downpour that moved through the area. It really poured and gave the tarp and truck a much needed cleaning.
Sunday, June 29 - This morning we enjoyed a patriotic celebration at the Trenton United Methodist Church. The people there were very inviting and friendly and the service was excellent, with a small but quality choir and school-age kids who could really sing. The service included a recognition of those who have served in the armed forces and a slide presentation showing pictures of many who had or are serving. After church we went to Larry's BBQ buffet and had an ample quantity of his excellent food. It was all very fresh, hot, and well prepared.
Rain is still in the forcast for today, so we will hang low and stay close to the camper.
Monday, June 30 - Happy Birthday John. This morning we packed our hiking gear and set out for the Falls Trail. We drove over to the East Loop where the trail starts and after drinking our coffee while enjoying the East Rim Overlook, we headed down the trail. The mornings temperature was perfect, with a nice breeze. The front that brought us some needed rain also dropped the humidity and temp. This is a beautiful trail into the canyon, with hugh granite outcroppings and enormous trees. They have recently redone the trail and replaced the more gradual switchbacks with stairs that go more directly down. It was also great that there were very few people using the trail today. By the weekend, the crowds will increase. Sadly, some folks are not too careful about where they deposit their trash and butts. However, this is the most awesome scenery we have seen so far on this trip. We have many pictures to sort through and decide which ones to post. We met some really neat people on the trail and enjoyed chatting with them.
Tuesday, July 1 - Both of us needed to have blood work done, so we headed into LaFayette, Ga (Pronounced laFAYet) because according to their web page, there is a Lab Corps there. It turns out that it is a doctor's office and we would have to have an appointment with the doctor first. We were able to get our hair cut, the oil changed in the truck, and have a very nice lunch. We ate at Ivy Cottage which is on Main street in an old house. The meal portions were about the right size for what we should be eating, but the desserts were huge. Joan had strawberry shortcake and John had vanilla bean cheese cake. Yum! We also drove down to the town's boat launch and fishing area, but it was rather disappointing. They really need a clean-up day there as garbage was strewn all around.
Wednesday, July 2 - We got up (not too early), had breakfast, and hiked the west rim trail from our campground over to the east ridge. According to the gps it was about 3/4 of a mile each way, mostly up or down. It was a very good and interesting trail with some scenic views and a small cave. We saw more people hiking today than we have since we got here.
Thursday, July 3 - We found a Lab Corp in Chattanooga, so we decided to go get our blood-work done and spend the day in the city. We found the office without too much trouble and got that taken care of. We then drove over and parked in the same lot we used when we went to the aquarium. We found out that there was an I-Max showing of Grand Canyon at 11am, so we walked down to the river until time to go. It was wonderful, with great action and beautiful scenery. We really had the feeling of being there. We've decided that we like the lushness of the east better than the bareness of the west. After the show we returned to the Big River Grill for lunch and repeated their awesome "Prime Burger." Yum! To help it settle we took a nice walk near the river. They have done a great job restoring this area and made it into a great resource for tourists and residents to use. We passed many who were biking, walking, or jogging. For dessert we headed over to a great ice cream shop where they mix up your choice with fresh ingredients. To die for! We decided to take the scenic route home and see if anyone was hang-gliding. We were treated to a young lady who was making her first jump. They undergo involved training before they can do this. After getting some last minute tips, she took her glider and ran off the edge of the mountain. She had a nice, but short, flight to the landing area at the bottom. You can view pictures of our day at: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/Chattanooga
Friday, July 4 - We got up a little earlier this morning, had some coffee and breakfast, then headed out on the West Rim Loop Trail. This is a beautiful, two mile hike along the rim and then into the woods to return. We only saw a few people on the trail during the earlier portion, then many more during the latter. We got a great workout and really enjoyed the hike. We have now done all the main trails here in the park with the exception of the Backcountry Trail that has campsites for backpackers. We came back to camp and kicked back for awhile.
(Update) - We were invited by the hosts (there are two couples on this loop) to come to their site for a cookout. We enjoyed the conversation and the outstanding food. The chicken was done with an old family recipe, for which we hope to get the recipe. Even though the campground was full, it was exceptionally quiet for a holiday weekend. Amazingly, there were no fireworks set off in the campground. We went to bed at around 10pm and were not disturbed all night. Aren't we the exciting ones.
Saturday, July 5 - This morning we got up and took our coffee around the loops a few times. After breakfast we drove over to the East Ridge and just sat and enjoyed the view. About lunch time we drove down to New Salem just outside the park entrance and enjoyed a B.B.Q. that was put on by the Fire Department and the New Salem United Methodist Church. It was excellent.
(Update) - We decided to go into New Salem for their fireworks instead of watching them from an overlook at the campground. They also had musical groups performing, but the sound system was not up to the task and they were hard to hear. We really enjoyed the fireworks and a young family that was next to us. They had two young boys and a little girl who were really enjoying the light sticks and other toys the received from local election candidates. Even though we had gotten their fairly early, they parked us on the last row, meaning we were one of the last to be able to leave when it was all over. We just waited until everyone else was out, then took our turn. It was still a nice evening with only a very little sprinkle to keep things cool and pleasant.
Sunday, July 6 - We had to get up early and have breakfast to make the early service at New Salem U.M.C. It was a very good service and the folks there were very inviting. Their youth leader is also their pianist and was excellent. He introduced a new song, "I Want to Know You," which was one we sang at Trinity. Today was Communion Sunday, and we were glad to receive it. The pastor's message was on submitting to those in authority over us like our governments. He said we were first to submit to God, and that He establishes governments to maintain order.
(Update) - This evening we had a visitor. We were sitting under our awning on the camping pad when John happened to look over beyond the picnic table and see a copperhead. He said, "Whoa" and Joan asked "What?" He answered, "You might not want to know." Being the brave one, John got his campfire pokey stick and tried to shoo it away. It would have nothing of that and actually began to slowly move closer to John and the camper. John was ready to climb on the picnic table and asked Joan to walk down to the host's camper and call the ranger to come and take care of this thing. After a few minutes and the snake moving within a couple of feet from the camping pad, he arrived and asked if we wanted him to kill it. John said that if the snake were to move away, we would not have a problem with letting it go. But because it is so aggressive, it should not be allowed to remain a threat to us or other campers. The ranger tried to kill it with a shovel, but was not successful. He tried to kill it with his 22 cal. rifle, but was also unsuccessful. That's when our host got a 12 gauge shotgun he inherited from his grandfather and took the snake out. The snake was a little less than 3 feet long, but not as big as one they had dealt with near the restroom a couple of weeks ago.
Monday, July 7 - We took a coffee walk around the loops before breakfast, then did some early cleaning up and putting away in preparation for leaving tomorrow.
See pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/CloudlandCanyonStateParkLookoutMtGaJune24July08
James H. "Sloppy" Floyd State Park near Summerville, Ga (June 17 - 24, 2008)
Tuesday, June 17 - We left this morning at 9:25 AM & 78 degrees and arrived at 12:19 & 84 degrees after driving 128 miles. It was a good trip up, with some traffic, but we made good time. We also got set up in fairly good time. The lake here is beautiful and the campsites very nice, spacious and private. We do not have a view of the lake, but will adjust. This is a well stocked lake and word has it that we may even catch some fish. It is much hillier here, with thick woods. We have no cell phone access, poor tv reception, but great internet signal. Figure!
Wednesday, June 18 - We had to pull the cover over us in the night as the temperature went down to the upper 50s. We discovered that something had taken one of Joan's sandals during the night and are not sure what took it. There are many raccoons here and maybe one of those bandits did it. We got up and took our coffee walk down by the lake following the path. It was a nice cool walk down and made us wish we had brought the fishing rods. After breakfast we returned with the rods, but John only managed one slightly undersized bass caught around the fishing deck. This is a wonderful area and even though our site is not on the lake we are really enjoying the view of the woods. It makes for a nice change. After dinner we hiked back to the lake, fishing rods in hand. Many people were around the lake fishing as there is easy access to almost every area on the lake. There was little action, however, and none for us.
Thursday, June 19 - We got up, made coffee, packed breakfast bars and headed for a hike to Marble Mine about a mile nearly straight up. It is a beautiful maple forest, so it was quite dense and cool. At the end was a cave (blocked off) and pond with a boardwalk. On the way back we took the trail to the lake and fished from the bank. We both hooked two fish each, but were only able to land one each. I guess if we were professional baseball players that would mean that we were batting .333 each. Most players would take that any day. All in all it was a very enjoyable, although demanding morning. The bodies seem to complain a bit more these days. We are really enjoying being here. The weekend is coming, so things might not be quite as quiet as they have been.
Friday, June 20 - We got up, but not early enough to beat the rush to the best fishing spots. However, we discovered that there is an area on the far side of the lake where there are no places to sit down to fish. Since we don't sit down to fish anyway (except in the kayaks) this works in our favor. Joan hooked the first one, but it got off just before she got it to shore. John followed shortly casting close to shore with a June-bug colored lizzard and hooked a very nice catfish. He fought real well and weighed out at just under four pounds. He graciously agreed to join us for dinner. We are taking it easy during the warmest part of the day.
Friday, June 20 - Continued - Update on catfish. He was very muddy tasting. What a disappointment! Bruce, the park host said that he caught one about the same size and it was muddy tasting as well. We returned to fish in the evening and John caught two bass. One was just under keeper size and one was just over. He released both of them. Joan had three on and lost all of them.
Saturday, June 21 - We got up fairly early, made coffee, and headed down for more fishing. John lost one and caught one and Joan came up empty. It was very nice out on the water and we were able to keep away from the crowds by going to the more undeveloped side of the lake. Thunder came around in the evening so we decided not to venture out. Instead we put a movie (Hoosiers) on and had a theater night.
Sunday, June 22 - We got up early and headed to Trion United Methodist for their 8:45 Contemporary Service. It was quite nice and we got acquainted with many very friendly people there. We stopped at Jim's restaurant in Summerville and had a nice breakfast afterwards. We fished again in the evening, but were limited to one bream that John caught on the flyrod using a red popper.
Monday, June 23 - Today is clean camper day. We also got some things put away and ready to leave tomorrow. We were online for a long time trying to figure out future campsites, especially when John's daughter and our grandkids join us in July. We are experiencing some thunderstorms in the area, so probably will not stray far from camp.
Birds sighted:
red-headed woodpecker
brown thrasher
crows
mourning doves
great blue heron
Canada geese
wild turkeys
Carolina wren
red-shouldered hawk
Animals sighted:
white-tailed deer
fox squirrel
ground squirrel
American box turtle
View pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/JamesHSloppyFloydStateParkNearSummervilleGaJune17242008
Wednesday, June 18 - We had to pull the cover over us in the night as the temperature went down to the upper 50s. We discovered that something had taken one of Joan's sandals during the night and are not sure what took it. There are many raccoons here and maybe one of those bandits did it. We got up and took our coffee walk down by the lake following the path. It was a nice cool walk down and made us wish we had brought the fishing rods. After breakfast we returned with the rods, but John only managed one slightly undersized bass caught around the fishing deck. This is a wonderful area and even though our site is not on the lake we are really enjoying the view of the woods. It makes for a nice change. After dinner we hiked back to the lake, fishing rods in hand. Many people were around the lake fishing as there is easy access to almost every area on the lake. There was little action, however, and none for us.
Thursday, June 19 - We got up, made coffee, packed breakfast bars and headed for a hike to Marble Mine about a mile nearly straight up. It is a beautiful maple forest, so it was quite dense and cool. At the end was a cave (blocked off) and pond with a boardwalk. On the way back we took the trail to the lake and fished from the bank. We both hooked two fish each, but were only able to land one each. I guess if we were professional baseball players that would mean that we were batting .333 each. Most players would take that any day. All in all it was a very enjoyable, although demanding morning. The bodies seem to complain a bit more these days. We are really enjoying being here. The weekend is coming, so things might not be quite as quiet as they have been.
Friday, June 20 - We got up, but not early enough to beat the rush to the best fishing spots. However, we discovered that there is an area on the far side of the lake where there are no places to sit down to fish. Since we don't sit down to fish anyway (except in the kayaks) this works in our favor. Joan hooked the first one, but it got off just before she got it to shore. John followed shortly casting close to shore with a June-bug colored lizzard and hooked a very nice catfish. He fought real well and weighed out at just under four pounds. He graciously agreed to join us for dinner. We are taking it easy during the warmest part of the day.
Friday, June 20 - Continued - Update on catfish. He was very muddy tasting. What a disappointment! Bruce, the park host said that he caught one about the same size and it was muddy tasting as well. We returned to fish in the evening and John caught two bass. One was just under keeper size and one was just over. He released both of them. Joan had three on and lost all of them.
Saturday, June 21 - We got up fairly early, made coffee, and headed down for more fishing. John lost one and caught one and Joan came up empty. It was very nice out on the water and we were able to keep away from the crowds by going to the more undeveloped side of the lake. Thunder came around in the evening so we decided not to venture out. Instead we put a movie (Hoosiers) on and had a theater night.
Sunday, June 22 - We got up early and headed to Trion United Methodist for their 8:45 Contemporary Service. It was quite nice and we got acquainted with many very friendly people there. We stopped at Jim's restaurant in Summerville and had a nice breakfast afterwards. We fished again in the evening, but were limited to one bream that John caught on the flyrod using a red popper.
Monday, June 23 - Today is clean camper day. We also got some things put away and ready to leave tomorrow. We were online for a long time trying to figure out future campsites, especially when John's daughter and our grandkids join us in July. We are experiencing some thunderstorms in the area, so probably will not stray far from camp.
Birds sighted:
red-headed woodpecker
brown thrasher
crows
mourning doves
great blue heron
Canada geese
wild turkeys
Carolina wren
red-shouldered hawk
Animals sighted:
white-tailed deer
fox squirrel
ground squirrel
American box turtle
View pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/JamesHSloppyFloydStateParkNearSummervilleGaJune17242008
Whitetail Ridge COE Campground Lagrange, Ga (June 10 - 17, 2008)
Tuesday, June 10 - We left Cotton Hill at 9:15 AM and 77 degrees and arrived at Whitetail Ridge at 11:58 and 85 degrees after driving 138 miles. It was a nice drive with little traffic. The site is awesome. We have a wonderful view of the lake and can launch the kayaks directly from the site. We took a swim after setting up, which was very refreshing. The water is quite warm, however. We had dinner, then walked the loops. This is something we could not do because of the intense heat down at cotton hill. The ten degree difference in temperature is very welcome. This campground is going to be completely full this weekend, due to Father's Day.
Wednesday, June 11 - We got up early (not too early) this morning and had coffee before launching the kayaks for a little fishing. John had the only action with a catfish on, but he got away. After breakfast we headed into LaGrange for some grocery shopping and lunch at Applebees. Some storms are brewing, so we battened down the hatches when we got back. It looks like most of the action thankfully missed us again.
Thursday, June 12 - We got up and took our coffee down by the lake and enjoyed our view. After breakfast we took a bike ride around the loops. It is quite a workout here due to the hills. In order to cool off a bit, we took one kayak and completely emptied it and took it into the lake. We wanted to see if we could get back in if we got dumped out. The answer is no, we would have to swim them to shore and get back in there. That should not be a major problem since we are never that far from shore anyway. Later we took the kayaks out around the islands near our site and fished for awhile, but all we caught were little bream. Storms missed us again. Joan cooked up some chicken in the crock pot while John grilled enough for three meals. We bought a 10 pound bag of chicken at Walmart for $5.
Friday, June 13 - We took a coffee walk around the loops and Joan wrote down sites we could reserve when we come again next year. We had sausage and pancake breakfast then took the kayaks out and fished. John caught one small bass. Help Jason!!!! This time the storm didn't pass us and we got chased off the lake. We had a nice rain without any damaging winds.
Saturday, June 14 - We took another long coffee walk this morning and took the kayaks out in the afternoon. Still no fish, but the weather has been much better even with the rain. John put a small fan in the refrigerator compartment outside to help vent the hot air on the 95 degree days. The campground is quite full, but because it is so spread out, not real noisey. It looks like more rain is coming in this evening.
Sunday, June 15 - We attended a very nice contemporary service at LaGrange First United Methodist. The folks there were very friendly, a very appropriate Father's Day message, and excellent music. On the way home we checked out Holiday COE campground about two miles up the road. It is much larger than this one, but we noticed that the sites were not laid out as nicely as where we are. We swam in the afternoon and tried out our snorkeling equipment. They worked great, but the lake is not clear enough to allow much visability.
Monday, June 16 - We got up fairly early and took our coffee over to where the washer and dryer are and did a load of wash. While we were waiting, we were treated to a parent brown thrasher feeding a young one on the ground very near us. They did not seem too concerned about our presence. We wade fished with fly rods for awhile and John caught a few small bream. We both got some good practice, anyway. We have begun getting things ready to leave in the morning to head for "Sloppy" Floyd State Park.
View pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/WhitetailRidgeCOECampgroundLagrangeGaJune10172008
Wednesday, June 11 - We got up early (not too early) this morning and had coffee before launching the kayaks for a little fishing. John had the only action with a catfish on, but he got away. After breakfast we headed into LaGrange for some grocery shopping and lunch at Applebees. Some storms are brewing, so we battened down the hatches when we got back. It looks like most of the action thankfully missed us again.
Thursday, June 12 - We got up and took our coffee down by the lake and enjoyed our view. After breakfast we took a bike ride around the loops. It is quite a workout here due to the hills. In order to cool off a bit, we took one kayak and completely emptied it and took it into the lake. We wanted to see if we could get back in if we got dumped out. The answer is no, we would have to swim them to shore and get back in there. That should not be a major problem since we are never that far from shore anyway. Later we took the kayaks out around the islands near our site and fished for awhile, but all we caught were little bream. Storms missed us again. Joan cooked up some chicken in the crock pot while John grilled enough for three meals. We bought a 10 pound bag of chicken at Walmart for $5.
Friday, June 13 - We took a coffee walk around the loops and Joan wrote down sites we could reserve when we come again next year. We had sausage and pancake breakfast then took the kayaks out and fished. John caught one small bass. Help Jason!!!! This time the storm didn't pass us and we got chased off the lake. We had a nice rain without any damaging winds.
Saturday, June 14 - We took another long coffee walk this morning and took the kayaks out in the afternoon. Still no fish, but the weather has been much better even with the rain. John put a small fan in the refrigerator compartment outside to help vent the hot air on the 95 degree days. The campground is quite full, but because it is so spread out, not real noisey. It looks like more rain is coming in this evening.
Sunday, June 15 - We attended a very nice contemporary service at LaGrange First United Methodist. The folks there were very friendly, a very appropriate Father's Day message, and excellent music. On the way home we checked out Holiday COE campground about two miles up the road. It is much larger than this one, but we noticed that the sites were not laid out as nicely as where we are. We swam in the afternoon and tried out our snorkeling equipment. They worked great, but the lake is not clear enough to allow much visability.
Monday, June 16 - We got up fairly early and took our coffee over to where the washer and dryer are and did a load of wash. While we were waiting, we were treated to a parent brown thrasher feeding a young one on the ground very near us. They did not seem too concerned about our presence. We wade fished with fly rods for awhile and John caught a few small bream. We both got some good practice, anyway. We have begun getting things ready to leave in the morning to head for "Sloppy" Floyd State Park.
View pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/WhitetailRidgeCOECampgroundLagrangeGaJune10172008
Cotton Hill Corps of Engineers Campground Ft. Gaines, Ga (June 5-10, 2008)
Thursday, June 5 -We got up around 7AM, packed up, said goodbye to James and Carmen and left Falling Waters about 9:45. After driving about 98 miles, we arrived at Cotton Hill at 11:48 AM. We set up on campsite #3, which is a wonderful site. We have a great view of the lake and easy access for the kayaks. We got set up then drove back into Ft. Gaines to get our fishing licenses. After doing a load of laundry and hanging it out to dry, we put the kayaks in and fished for awhile. John had a bass on, but it took him into the weeds and got away. The fishing is totally different than last year because the water is up about six feet. It is still quite warm, but at least there has been a nice breeze most of the afternoon. The campground is on Lake Walter F. George, and is run by the Corps of Engineers.
Friday, June 6 - It was still about 85 deg. when we went to bed at about 11 PM so we decided to leave the air on all night. We got up fairly early and did laundry. It is nice to have facilities on site, but planning ahead is important. We did a lot of sitting and drinking water today and enjoying the nice view. In the evening we took the kayaks out and were greeted by fairly rough water from a strong breeze that came up. We decided to stay close to shore and work the islands. John had rigged up a rod with a small twister tail and after giving up on bass, tried it in the open weed areas and connected with a couple of very nice sized bream (pronounced brim). They fought really well. When it started getting dark, we paddled back, went inside, and turned on the ac. The wind did nothing to cool things off and again it was about 85 at 11 PM.
Saturday, June 7 - We got up early hoping to beat the heat and get a couple hours of fishing in. We were also hoping to pick up where we left off last night, but it was not to be. We each got one hit and nothing more. Today will be another day of non-exertion and heavy water drinking.
Sunday, June 8 - We arose, made coffee, then headed over to the pavillion for a very nice worship service put on by the Ft. Gaines Baptist Church. These were the same men who did it last year. We were not sure if they were still doing the service, but got a notice on our picnic table yesterday. It still very hot, but looks like it will begin to cool slightly the next few days.
Monday, June 9 - We got up fairly early and took advantage of the cooler morning by getting some things put away like the kayaks and grills in preparation for leaving tomorrow. It is still hot, but promises to get back to more normal temps by mid week. It is some consolation knowing that being further north would not have been much help. They are setting records in most of the eastern states. John took his flyrod around the shoreline this morning, but only got a few small hits. He did not last too long as the heat put a damper on things.
View pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/CottonHillCorpsOfEngineersCampgroundJune5102008
Friday, June 6 - It was still about 85 deg. when we went to bed at about 11 PM so we decided to leave the air on all night. We got up fairly early and did laundry. It is nice to have facilities on site, but planning ahead is important. We did a lot of sitting and drinking water today and enjoying the nice view. In the evening we took the kayaks out and were greeted by fairly rough water from a strong breeze that came up. We decided to stay close to shore and work the islands. John had rigged up a rod with a small twister tail and after giving up on bass, tried it in the open weed areas and connected with a couple of very nice sized bream (pronounced brim). They fought really well. When it started getting dark, we paddled back, went inside, and turned on the ac. The wind did nothing to cool things off and again it was about 85 at 11 PM.
Saturday, June 7 - We got up early hoping to beat the heat and get a couple hours of fishing in. We were also hoping to pick up where we left off last night, but it was not to be. We each got one hit and nothing more. Today will be another day of non-exertion and heavy water drinking.
Sunday, June 8 - We arose, made coffee, then headed over to the pavillion for a very nice worship service put on by the Ft. Gaines Baptist Church. These were the same men who did it last year. We were not sure if they were still doing the service, but got a notice on our picnic table yesterday. It still very hot, but looks like it will begin to cool slightly the next few days.
Monday, June 9 - We got up fairly early and took advantage of the cooler morning by getting some things put away like the kayaks and grills in preparation for leaving tomorrow. It is still hot, but promises to get back to more normal temps by mid week. It is some consolation knowing that being further north would not have been much help. They are setting records in most of the eastern states. John took his flyrod around the shoreline this morning, but only got a few small hits. He did not last too long as the heat put a damper on things.
View pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/CottonHillCorpsOfEngineersCampgroundJune5102008
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