Cloudland Canyon State Park - Lookout Mt. Ga. (June 29 - July 6)

Monday, June 29 - We are on another getaway with our pop-up about 140 miles northwest of Trackrock. We are in the corner of Georgia in a very unique area, with deep canyons and very scenic views. We camped here last year and made friends with the hosts here, Jean and Gary. They also hosted at Hillsboro S.P. near our house in Zephyrhills. We had a nice ride over and got here about 12:30. It is cooler than it has been for the last couple of weeks. We are going to do some hiking and go into Chattanooga during the day to take in some of the local activities.

Tuesday, June 30 - Happy Birthday John. We celebrated by hiking the West Rim Trail and enjoying God's wonderful creation of vast canyons and breathtaking overlooks. A bald eagle honored John with an impressive fly-by. A black vulture also flew over, but the effect was not nearly the same. We met a man on the trail who was walking a beautiful collie and talked to him for some time. He came by our campsite to check out our set up and make notes for his future travels. Our hosts also stopped by with a much appreciated card and half a watermellon. That will taste real good on a hot afternoon. We were sitting with them in our campsite when not 50 feet away, we saw a doe who was grazing and not paying much attention to us. We really enjoyed watching her for several minutes. It was warm today, but a breeze made it quite pleasant.

Wednesday, July 1 - We got an early start and drove down off the mountain into Chattanooga. First on our agenda was to get blood tests out of the way at Labcorps. We then walked around a bit and checked the times for the I-Max shows, then sat in the shade and watched people for awhile. We walked down to the river and took the lunch cruise on the Southern Belle Riverboat. It was very nice and we enjoyed the view up and down the river. Next, we really enjoyed the I-Max theater showing of "Under the Sea." It really gives the feeling of being there. John got to return to the Barrier Reef in Australia that he got to visit a few years ago. At dinner time, we went to the Big River Restaurant and expected to be able to enjoy their prime burger like we did last year, but they had discontinued it. Very Disappointing!!! Joan had a regular hamburger that did not match up and John had cajun shrimp tacos that were outstanding. We returned to camp after picking up a few things at the grocery store including Moose Tracks ice cream. We invited our friends Don (who we met on this trip), Jean, & Gary over to share with us.

Thursday, July 2 - After talking to our friend Don for awhile, we hiked the trail from the west rim to the east rim and down to the waterfalls. We met Doug and Debbie, friends who we met here last year on the trail. They had done the long loop that joins the trail that we did. We enjoyed our hike and felt nicely tired when we finished.

Saturday, July 4 - The park here had a catfish rodeo for families. We decided to try to catch them on a fly. It took some experimenting before finding the right combination of a wooley bugger tipped with a piece of Gulp strip. The kids there and we had an absolute blast. Others were throwing their catches in our cooler, so we ended up having to fillet 19 of them for tomorrow's fish fry at our hosts Jean and Gary's. For lunch, we went down to New Salem for their annual BBQ lunch. For $6 you can get a plate of pulled pork, beef, or chicken with two sides and a drink. John got the pulled pork and Joan got the chicken, which was a half-chicken. We were so stuffed, we didn't need to eat supper. It is supposed to storm in the night and tomorrow, so many of the folks here left, including our friends Doug and Debbie. We are headed up to the tennis courts to watch fireworks this evening. We have met some really neat families here this weekend and are enjoying them.

Sunday, July 5 - We had some storms in the night, but no damage and we stayed dry. We stayed close to the camper during the day and had catfish dinner at our host's place (Jean & Gary) with Dick & Pat and Ronnie & Gail. We met Ronnie & Gail at the fishing rodeo and they provided many of the fish. The food was great and the fellowship even better. It looks like more rain coming in the night, so we have decided to stay another day so we can put away dry.

Check out pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/CloudlandCanyonSP#

Check out last years pictures here at: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/CloudlandCanyonStateParkLookoutMtGaJune24July08#

Trackrock Campground (June 2009)

Monday, June 15 - On our way back to Trackrock from our trip to Chicago, we explored Lake Santeetla in North Carolina in the Nantahala National Forest. It is a wonderful area and right in our back yard in northern Georgia. We plan on returning soon and often.

Tuesday - Thursday, June 16-18 - It has become summer here. We had a doozy of a storm Tuesday night and hot and humid days. It is cooler here in the elevation, but still quite toasty.

Friday, June 19 - We drove over to Vogel State Park about 8 miles from Trackrock and fishing most of the afternoon. There was a nice breeze and we were able to stay in the shade most of the time. We caught several bream even though most people fishing were catching nothing. Fly fishing is often a real advantage.

Sunday, June 21 - We helped set up and take down at Trackrock Chapel here at the campground, then went to the service at Hiawassee UMC. Afterwards, we enjoyed a pot-luck lunch there. In the evening, we took our flyrods tied with larger hoppers that John tied, down to our lake. Joan started things off with a nice bream, then hooked into a very nice largemouth bass that she landed. Soon, she hooked another large bass, but didn't get a good hookset, so it got off.

Monday, June 22 - We drove over to Blue Ridge, which is about 20 miles from here to check out a couple of areas to fish the Toccoa River. We started at Tammon Park which is run by the county. We forgot our hiking poles which help us wade on the slippery rocks, so we stuck close to the areas around the parking lots. We saw fish caught about 50-100 yards upstream here and also at the next area farther downstream, so our strategy will change next time to get away from the heavily fished areas by the parking lots and venture farther up or downstream. This is a beautiful river that we hope to fish often in the future.

Tuesday, June 23 - We picked up Irene and Bob, our friends from Hiawassee, and headed to the fairgrounds there for a benifit food tasting called "A Taste of the Southern Highlands." Several local restaurants provided samples of their offerings for participants to sample. This was so much fun which gave us ideas for places to eat in the future. The proceeds went to help Towns County Family Connections.

View pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/TrackrockJune2009#

Chicago Trip - (June 7 - 15)

Sunday, June 7 - We left Trackrock Sunday morning after attending worship at the campground chapel. We stopped at Barkley Lake State Resort Park in Kentucky for the night. We took a nice hike on a trail through the woods near the water, and had a nice dinner at the park lodge. We stayed in the lodge overnight. It was quite nice. We each found a tick on us, but were fairly sure we picked them up in the woods.

Monday, June 8 - We left Barkley about 7 AM and arrived at the kids about 3:30 in the afternoon. It was a nice drive with some rain on the way. The roads on I-57 in Illinois need some work. It was great to see Margaret, Jeff, Jacob, Joshua, and Rosie. We all faded about 10 PM and hit the sack.

Tuesday, June 9 - We did some errands this afternoon while Jake and Josh were in their last full session of school. We enjoyed Gyros for lunch, had Margaret's van washed, then picked up the kids. Jake had a baseball practice, which we enjoyed. It cooled off quite a lot, so sweatshirts were helpful. Jake is doing well playing and enjoys it. One of the boys had to leave, so Josh even had a chance to cover 3rd base. We can almost see Rosie grow. She is still all puppy, but is learning how to behave. Her very sharp puppy teeth continue to be a problem.

Wednesday, June 10 - Josh had his game this evening which we enjoyed a lot. Watching 5 y/o kids throw & catch is quite entertaining. Josh did a great job fielding and got 3 hits.

Thursday, June 11 - We decided we need to have birthdays early, since we will not be able to be around when they actually turn 6 & 9. We got the boys Rocket Fishing Rods that they have been wanting. We took them over to local ponds, but need to make some modifications to enable some actual catching. They have mastered the workings of the rods, however, and enjoyed them.

Friday, June 12 - We went to the Morton Arboretum today. They have added a lot of things to keep kids occupied with hands on activities. It was a great outing. Josh had a game this evening and the weather was perfect. He did a great job again.

Saturday, June 13 - Rain, rain, go away. Jakes game was rained out this morning, so we have not been able to see him play, only practice. We may stay another day so we can see a game.

View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/ChicagoTrip#

Trackrock Campground - Blairsville, Ga (May 2009 Continued)

Sunday, May 17 - Even though we had intermittant rain all weekend, we had a great time with our friends Julie and Barry. We went to dinner at the Rib Barn in Blairsville, then had ice cream next door in a little parlor. We went to Alexander's store and over to Vogel State park. We even fished in the pond here, but only John caught anything (three small bluegill.) We went out to breakfast at our favorite spot in Hiawassee, said goodbye, then went over to Church for a great Spirit filled service, then the monthly Fellowship Luncheon. At 6:45 PM it is still raining. 

Friday, May 22 - We got our haircuts today. John got a summer cut and now can wash his hair with a washcloth. We then drove over to Unicoi State Park near Helen, Ga and fished both the lake and Smith Creek. We caught a few bream and Joan caught a nice bass. John had a trout on fishing the creek, but couldn't keep it hooked. We had a beautiful day, despite forcasts for rain. We finished up the day with a buffet dinner at the State Park Lodge, which was excellent. When we got back to the campground, which was nearly empty when we left, was nearly full of new friends. 

Saturday, May 23 - We went to the Art Festival in Blueridge with our neighbors Sara and Chris. It was very nice with many booths with a wide variety of artwork. We bought some fish greeting cards. Afterwards, we had dinner at Mikes Seafoodin Blairsville, which was excellent. Finally, we enjoyed talking with Chris and Sara at their camper, under their large awning while the rain increased. 

Wednesday, May 27 - We drove over to Vogel State Park for a little hiking and fishing. John caught two nice bream and Joan lost two. It rained lightly off and on, so we took the raingear in a backpack when we hiked around the lake. We also walked down by the falls below the dam, but the batteries went dead in the camera, so Joan didn't get pictures. We'll get them soon.

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/TrackrockCampgroundMay2009

Smoky Mountain National Park (May 11 - 15)

Monday May 11 - We left Trackrock Campground at 9:00 AM and arrived at Deep Creek Campground in Smoky Mountain National Park at 10:45 AM after driving 76 miles. It is cloudy and has been most of the day with a few sprinkles. We got set up and took the fly rods down to the creek, which is running quite fast. We threw in for awhile, but no catches. John got a couple of good hits, though. It feels good to be back in the pop-up again. This is a beautiful place. It got quite cool in the night, around 47 degrees. 

Tuesday, May 12 - We had breakfast, then drove to Tsali National Recreation Area, on Fontana Lake. This lake is in the middle of Cherokee National Forest and is not highly developed. We put in the kayaks and fished, but again no catches. We need to rig to get deeper here, or so the locals say. If we are going to use the fly rods here, we will need to get sinking line to get the flys down to where the small mouth bass live. We also checked out another boat launch and the campground here, which are very nice. The weather today is perfect. It feels great to have the sun shine all day.

Wednesday, May 13 - Wow, another mostly sunny day without rain. We took advantage and hiked a couple of the falls trails and fished a little on the way. We saw Indian Creek, Tom Branch and Juney Whank Falls. They are quite impressive with the abundance of water this spring. Pictures will have to wait, since John forgot to pack the cables to the cameras. John finally got to feel a trout at the end of his line. He caught a nice wild rainbow trout that was hiding behind a large rock. We also enjoyed watching some teens tubing down the river. It gave them quite a ride, a cold one at that. 

Thursday, May 14 - Fished the river for a while and caught nothing. Went out to lunch in town and had a nice Italian meal of lasagna and manacoti. Sat by a fire in the evening.

Friday, May 15 - Just enough rain in the night to make it more difficult to pack up. Friends are coming into Trackrock, so we headed back to get to spend some time with them. They will be staying two nights, so we can catch up and enjoy some sites around the area. 

View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/SmokyMountainNationalParkMay1115#

Trackrock Campground - Blairsville, Ga (May 2009)

Friday, May 1 - We needed to make a trip to the grocery store, so we drove to Blairsville and stopped at Bi-Lo, a vegetable market, and Ingles. It rained a few times during the night and day, with a few thunderstorms in the evening. Thankfully, nothing severe here. John tied a few flys during the day and we fished awhile down at the pond. John caught a few medium sized bluegill on a topwater fly, and Joan lost a few. 

Saturday, May 2 - Rain, rain, rain....

Sunday, May 3 - Another great worship time, then lunch at Daniel's in Hiawassee. Wonderful!!! More rain in the afternoon and evening. Our summer neighbors, Chris and Sara, that we met last year showed up this evening and Tim brought their trailer up to their site, two up from us, and got it set up. Their two cats were very glad to be out of the car and able to explore around. 

(Pictures Added)

Monday, May 4 - It rained most of the day, so we read, watched tv, and tied flies. Nice and cozy in the 5th wheel.

Tuesday, May 5 - Finally, we got a break in the weather, so we headed over to Vogel State Park to do some fishing. There were still threatening clouds around, so we stayed close to the truck. We started by fishing on the main road side of the lake, but nothing. We drove over to the main parking lot and fished the creek (Wolf) that flows into the lake. John had a trout hit his fly, but didn't get hooked. We then walked over to the lake and Joan caught a few bluegill and had a couple of trout on, but they got off. John finally got in the action and caught a couple of trout. We ended up with two trout and three bluegill, which added to the crappie we had in the freezer, made a meal. John cooked them in two small cast iron skillets on the electric smoker/grill and Joan fixed potatoes and cabbage. Dinner was delicious. 

(Pictures Added)

Wednesday, May 6 - Rain, rain, rain...We read, tied flys, watched tv, and in between took walks. We are under a tornado watch, so we are keeping an ear to the tv, computer, and cell phone for warnings. We will head for the washrooms if necessary.  (Update) We  got a temporary break in the weather, so we went down to the lake here to fish for awhile. Joan quickly caught an 11 inch largemouth bass on a beaded pheasant-tail nymph fly. John caught some small bluegill on the same pattern. More rain this evening. Yippee!!!

Thursday, May 7 - Thankfully, the sun shined most of the day, so we could dry out our storage area that sprung a leak. It was not from the rain, but a connector on the hot water heater bypass valve that had a small crack in it. We were able to get a part for a temporary fix from the local RV parts supplier to hold it until we get a new valve from Heartland. Meanwhile, we will have to heat water on the stove or microwave for dishes. We also had a leak under the kitchen sink that was due to a loose sink trap gasket. John tightened it and several other loose connections there and in the basement area adjacent to the storage. The factory could do a better job in this area. We are going out for pizza with neighbors (John & Jan and Chris & Sara) this evening in Blairsville. 

Friday, May 8 - We were experiencing another break in the weather after morning storms, so we drove over to Lake Winfield Scott for a little fishing. We hoped we could launch the kayaks, but the weather looked too unpredictable, so we settled for fishing the banks. John started things out by catching a small perch, then Joan topped that with a nice trout, which we released. Later, John caught a nice bass next to shore with a small topwater fly, followed by several bream in various spots. In between, we had lunch on a bench by the shore. This is a beautiful lake in the Chattahoochee National Forest, and is only about 15 miles from our campsite. 

View Pictures:  http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/TrackrockCampgroundMay2009#

Trackrock Campground - Blairsville, Ga (April 2009)

Wednesday, April 08 - We packed up this morning in the cold (38 deg) and were on the road at 9:30 AM. We avoided going through Atlanta which added a few miles, but had a beautiful drive through Rome, Elijay, and Blue Ridge, Ga. The drive was 221.4 miles and we arrived at Trackrock about 2:40 PM. The temperature was about 60 degrees which was nice for all the moving of stuff we had to do. While we were setting up, John & Jan, who are the hosts here that we became friends with last fall, came over and greeted us. We gave them the grand tour. We got everything set up and had a nice dinner at our dining table for the first time. We will post some pictures soon. The site is very nice, with a good view of the lake from our patio.

Thursday, April 09 - Today we woke up to quite cool temps, but it warmed up nicely and allowed us to finish transferring things from the pop-up, get the 5th wheel organized the way we want it, and clean, clean, clean. It was nice to be able to take a break and go out for pizza with John & Jan at Downtown Pizza in Blairsville. We are getting to know where everything is in the 5th wheel and are enjoying it greatly. (Pictures Added)

Friday, April 10 - There were severe thunderstorm warnings for the area today, but nothing severe has happened, thankfully. We got some nice rain and a little thunder. We went down to the office and got our mail, and took a nice walk around the campground. The hills step up the level of exercise benefit to our walks. The road up to the Hilltop Circle is particularly challenging. We have gotten most of the major work done to getting settled in, so we are taking it more easy today. (More pictures added)

Saturday, April 11 - Considerable severe weather passed through the area late yesterday, which kept us glued to the weather reports, but thankfully most of it missed us. All is quiet this morning, and the sun promises to come out. 

(Evening) - We got about 1 minute of sunshine today, but at least the worst of the weather is gone. We drove into Blairsville and stocked up with groceries and a few other necessities. That pretty much finished off the afternoon. 

Sunday, April 12 - We pray that you all have a joyous Resurrection Day. He is risen!  He is alive!!! We went to Meeks Park outside Blairsville for a sunrise service that was jointly hosted by the local Lutheran and Presbyterian churches. Even though the temperature was about 32 deg., we had a great time, and didn't get too cold. After breakfast, we went to the "Hole in the Wall" restaurant in downtown Blairsville for an excellent breakfast and to thaw out. 

Monday, April 13 - Wow! We were awakened early this morning to very strong winds. We had just put up the screen room that we have and the wind destroyed it. Thankfully, we did not experience any other damage. There were a couple of trees down in the campground, and a couple of folks lost awnings. All is calm now. When we went to bed, nothing was forcast on the weather channel for this area. It has been rainy most of the day, so we took the opportunity to do a couple of projects on the inside. It is amazing how dirty a brand new camper can be. (Pictures Added)

Tuesday, April 14 - We drove into the neat little town of Blue Ridge today. They have many shops that cater to folks looking to furnish their cabins. We found a wool blanket to put on the livingroom floor that really brightens up the room. We also bought a covering for the bed and matching pillows. Actually, the covering is really a fabric shower curtain, but it works perfect. The pillows were in another store and amazingly, are the identical pattern. The weather is supposed to improve this week, and we might actually see the sun. We are sure enjoying being in the mountains, and the drive over to Blue Ridge was beautiful. 

Wednesday, April 15 - Hope your taxes are done. It is a beautiful day here, with temps in the low 60s and clear skies. Today was laundry day, and Joan did most of the work. John made up for it later by digging up an area around a tree on our site for a garden. We also did some cleaning up around our site, clearing away leaves and sticks and putting some of the rock back on the driveway. (Pictures Added)

Thursday, April 16 - We drove up to Murphy, NC today, which is only about 23 miles north of here and stopped at Lowes and WalMart. We picked up some gardening things, and armed ourselves with cleaning stuff for the 5th wheel. It is quite dirty from the weather it has faced lately. We started a little garden around a tree on the side of our site. It looks quite nice. The ride there and back was beautiful. We also stopped at a campground that we had considered for a site for us to stay, but concluded that we are better off where we are here. The weather has been really beautiful, with some rain expected on Sunday. 

Friday, April 17 - A good night and a beautiful morning. Today was clean the outside of the 5th wheel day. John got up on the roof and got that cleaned, along with the trim area along the roof line. We put gutter extenders (a short piece of plastic) on the gutters to direct the water away from the sides of the camper. This helps to not get black streaks down the sides. We are going to finish washing the sides next week. It really looks better already. 

(Pictures Added)

Saturday, April 18 - We got up early this morning and headed over to Vogel State Park, about 9.5 miles from the campground, for their anual volunteer clean-up day. After breakfast, we were given the job to clean all the plaques on the nature trail. After that we helped spread mulch. We had lunch, then spread dirt around the beach area. At about 3pm, we took our weary bodies home to rest for awhile. This evening, we will go back for a banquet dinner. 

(Pictures Added)

Sunday, April 19 - We went out for breakfast at the Mountain Cafe in Hiawassee, then went to Sunday School and Worship at Hiawassee U.M.C., where we have been several times before when we have been in the area. It was nice to be welcomed back by many friends we have made there. After a great Sunday school class led by Van, we totally appreciated a wonderful blended worship service. The music, led by our friend Hope, was awesome as usual, and the message challenging and inspiring. We were invited to stay for the fellowship luncheon even though we didn't know to bring a dish to pass. We were able to sit with Irene and Bob and renue our friendship and catch up with news. We feel very much at home here as we do with the entire area. What a blessing, indeed. 

Monday, April 20 - There was considerable hazardous weather in the area last night, but all was quiet here with just rain. Something got into the garbage cans near our campsite during the night that was large enough to get the can out of its holder, but we never heard anything, and we couldn't find any tracks. There are bear in the area. 

Tuesday, April 21 - A major advantage of having a 5th wheel for our northern home is being able to have friends over for dinner and have plenty of room if the weather doesn't cooperate. Because of the wind that was forecast, we thought we would have to eat inside, but thankfully, it was very pleasant at the picnic table. Irene and Bob, our friends from Hiawassee U.M.C. graciously agreed to come out and visit us, take a hike around the campground, and join us for dinner. We had a wonderful time getting to know them better and sharing the day.  

Wednesday, April 22 - Today we went on an explore of Cooper's Creek National Recreation Area, which is part of Chatahoochee National Forest. We were mostly looking for areas where we could access creeks for fly fishing. We found some good ones and fished them a little, but didn't catch anything. We really enjoyed the beauty of this area, which is only about 20 miles from Trackrock. We hiked a short trail that was full of spring wild flowers. Some were familiar, such as trillium, mayflower, wild geranium, and Solomon's Seal, others not. 

Friday, April 24 - We drove through Blairsville and fished at Meeks Park on the Nottley River. We saw many very large fish that John thought were carp. Just for fun, he threw a white wooly bugger fly and let it sit on the bottom in a deep hole and low and behold one of them took it and proceeded to give John about a 15 minute battle. He finally landed it and got its picture.

(Picture added) 

Saturday, April 25 - Today, we went to a local winery (Crane Creek) that was hosting a benefit wine tasting for several local charities and organizations. We decided they didn't have anything better than the box wines, but enjoyed talking to folks there, especially those at Trout Unlimited who were giving fly tying and fly casting demonstrations. We plan on going to their next meeting and deciding if we will join. It would be a way to learn local streams and techniques as well as meeting people with common interests. 

Sunday, April 26 - We really enjoyed the worship service at HUMC (Hiawassee United Methodist Church) today and felt the Lord's presence very strongly. We went out to lunch afterwards with a group of about 20 to Young Harris College, where we enjoyed an excellent buffet. We heard about a biking/hiking trail near Jackrabbit National Recreation Area Campground about 10 miles north of Hiawassee on GA 75 that we wanted to check out, so we headed there after we ate. We decided to hike the trail first and make sure it was negotiable by a couple of old fogies on our mountain bikes. It looks like it will provide a challenge, but should be doable. We hiked the middle loop that was a little over 3 miles long. We met several bikers, including kids, on the trail. It was a beautiful day today and we are feeling very grateful for the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful part of the country. 

(Pictures Added)

Monday, April 27 - We drove over to Duke's Creek Falls trail today and hiked the 1.1 miles down and back. This is an extremely beautiful falls, one of the best we have seen. It was especially nice, of course, to have some water in it, which is something we have not had for some time. While we were down at the falls, we fly fished the pools it created and both caught fish. Joan caught a nice 6" rainbow, and John caught the same and a 9" rainbow. We then drove down to Raven Cliff Wilderness Area and fished Duke's Creek there. Joan caught another nice 6" rainbow. On the way home, we checked out a couple other areas, but did not fish them. We were about 17 miles from Trackrock. The road we took there (Hwy 348) passes over the Appallachian Trail at about 3400 ft. The views from overlooks on the way were incredible. 

(Pictures Added)

Tuesday, April 28 - Today was a get caught up day and chill day. We (Joan) did laundry and we (both of us) fished the local pond here. Joan caught a small bluegill and John caught its grandfather. He was the biggest bluegill John has ever seen in person. He succumbed to a green/red wooly bugger that was given to us by the folks at Trout Unlimited booth at Crane Creek Winery on Saturday. John also caught the fish yesterday on this same fly. I guess they know what they a doing there at TU. 

(Picture Added)

Wednesday, April 29 - We drove into Young Harris and Hiawassee and stopped at Mountain RV and picked up a couple of items we needed at their fairly complete supply store. We then went to Towns County Beach Park and fished from shore. We both caught a few bluegills and Joan lost a nice bass. We were both using the red/green wooly bugger, which continues to be very effective. The leaves here continue to fill in the campground and make our site more and more cozy. The weather forecast was for possible showers today, but we didn't get any. 

Thursday, April 30 - This was an exploring day around Blue Ridge. John needed some fly tying supplies that we could get at Unicoi Outfitters there, so we combined the trip. We stopped at a few recreation areas on the lake, the first one being Morganton NRA. They had a nice campground there, and a boat launch where we could launch the kayaks. We then headed over to the dam and fished the tailwaters for awhile. They were generating, so there was considerable flow. John caught a small rainbow on a topwater caddis with a yellow foam indicator. We headed into town and had a hamburger at Sue's. The burger and fries were very good, but the cole slaw was not. After finishing our meal, we stopped at the outfitters, where the lady remembered that we were the couple who last year had won the raffle for the free half day on their trophy waters. The young man was very helpful getting John what he needed. Finally, we drove down a gravel road that took us to the headwaters where there was a delayed harvest. That means that it is single hook only, no live bait, and catch and release. This is a very beautiful river, that will be great for wade fishing. We talked to a fisherman named Steve, who was very helpful and even gave John a few flies to try. He also goes to Florida in the winter. 

(Pictures added)

View Pictures:http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/TrackrockCampgroundApril2009#