Disney With the Grandkids (December 2009)
Monday, December 21, 2009 - We drove to Disney and met the kids and grandkids at Wilderness Lodge where they were staying. We did two parks with them: Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. At Animal Kingdom we spent time at Bones, did the Kilimanjaro Safari, and saw Lion King and Nemo. After a nice dinner, we took the boat to Magic Kingdom andwatched the parade and the fireworks, which were spectacular.
Back Home
Thursday, December 18 - We came home a day early so we didn't have to pack up in the rain that is forecast for tonight and tomorrow. We started packing at 6:30 and had pancake breakfast with the park volunteers at the nature center. We left at 9:47 and arrived home at 11:30 after driving 93.4 miles.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Oscar Scherer State Park (December 13-18, 2009)
Sunday, December 13 - We had to bring the camper back to the house and pack it this morning, but we were not in a big hurry. We got it all ready and were on the road by 10:24. It was 71 deg and foggy. We arrived at the campground at 12:33 and 82 degrees after driving 107.4 miles. We set up camp and droved over to Blackburn Point and wade fished for awhile. Nothing. We went to KFC and had dinner. This is a great site.
Monday, December 14 - After oatmeal for breakfast, we drove to North Jetty Park and fished from the jetty, the beach, and the shoreline by the channel, but still caught nothing. We did not see anything caught while we were there, and many people were fishing. We had delicious pork chops on the grill and veggies in foil for supper.
Tuesday, December 15 - Our explores for the day began at Venice Pier. We've concluded that we could not put up with the language and smoking that go on there. We'll stick to kayak fishing as soon as we are able. We then drove down to Casperson Beach Park, which is really beautiful. We fished for awhile from the bridge, then the beach without success. Next we drove to Shamrock Park which was also very nice, and finally Lemon Bay Park, where we will definitely do a kayak trip next time we are here. We met a nice couple who were putting their kayaks in at the launch and going to do some fishing. The gave us good reports on the redfish and trout fishing there.
Wednesday, December 16 - We drove north towards Sarasota and checked out Siesta Key and Turtle Beach. This is a good place to launch, but is much busier than the places we were yesterday. We had lunch at an open air restaurant and enjoyed the meal. In the evening we returned to Casey Key and had an ice cream cone before going back to North Jetty to watch the sunset. We have decided to leave a day early to avoid having to break camp in the rain. We don't mind camping in the rain, but don't like putting things up wet and having to open up again to dry out when we get back home.
Rodman Dam (Oct 29 - Nov 2)
Thursday, October 29 - Left Country Oaks Campground at 10:04 @ 74 deg. and arrived at Rodman Dam Campground at 12:45 @ 87 deg after a stop at Walmart in Palatka. We set up camp and road bikes around the area checking things out. We fished from around the boat launch and John caught a couple of bream.
Friday, October 30 - It rained in the early morning. After breakfast we drove to the dam and fished. Late morning we drove to Walaka RV Park and visited our friends Chris and Sara who are our neighbors at Trackrock. We had lunch at a local dinery and afterwards put our kayaks in for them to try on the St. Johns River, while we fished from shore. John caught a bream. We sat on their dock and watched the sunset over the river. The view from there was wonderful.
Saturday, October 31 - We put the kayaks in to the lake and fished along shore from the campground to the dam and caught a small bass each. John put the new rod holders on the kayaks and we watched a football game in the evening. We fished around the mouth of the channel in the evening and Joan caught a very nice bream.
Sunday, November 1 - We took the bikes to the dam and fished by the dam, but caught nothing. In the afternoon, we got things ready to leave in the morning.
Monday, November 2 - We left Rodman at 8:03 am @ 63 deg., stopped in Bela Vista, FL for breakfast, and arrived home at 11:22 @ 75 deg. The house was in good shape, but needed cleaning.
We were gone for seven months and put on about 10,000 miles total. We will keep this blog updated with local trips this winter, so stay tuned.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/RodmanDam2009#
Country Oaks RV Park - Kingland, Ga (Oct 26 - 29)
Monday, October 26 - We got out of bed at 7AM and were on the road by 9:30. We stopped for gas once and again at Cracker Barrel for lunch. When we were about 30 miles from our final destination the left tire blew on the camper. This is the second tire to blow. The first was when the tire had less than 20 miles on it back in January. Thankfully, we were on a stretch of highway that was under construction and had cones set up on our right. John was able to cut in between the cones and had a nice big, flat area well away from traffic to change the tire. This time we had a floor jack and tire wrenches in the trailer storage area and were able to change the tire in about 20 minutes. We called Lonnie at Country Oaks and got a recommendation on where to take the camper to get new tires. He went to school with "Mike" who owns Kingsbay Tires. We took the camper there and got both tires replaced in less than an hour. We finally arrived at the campground about 5:30 after driving 267 miles, and got set up. They were having a pot luck for Halloween at the clubhouse and we were invited to partake. It was very good and we enjoyed talking with Lonnie and Steph, the campground owners, and her parents.
Tuesday, October 27 - Today we drove over to Ft. Clinch State Park in Florida where we will be camping in February. While we were there, we visited our friends, Jean and Gary, who are hosts there. They showed us around the park and we went into Fernandina Beach and had lunch at a nice restaurant that overlooked the beach. After we left them, we went to an area where we could fish from the rocks. The only fish we landed was a lizzard fish that Joan caught.
Wednesday, October 28 - We drove over to Crooked River State Park and checked out both the campground and the boat launch. There were some nice sites, but we didn't care for the area around the boat launch. It looked like there had been a recent oil spill, and not at all pretty. We then drove into St. Marys and checked out the Cumberland Island National Seashore Information Center and got information. Next, we stopped at a kayak outfitter and talked to Julie, the owner about opportunities in the area. We ended our outing with lunch at a restaurant that overlooked St. Marys River. When we got back to the campground, we fished in the local pond. Joan caught two very nice bream, but John lost everything he hooked. We are getting ready to leave in the morning for Rodman Dam campground.
Petersburg Corp of Engineers Campground (Oct 19 - 26, 2009)
Monday, October 19 - It took some time to get packed up this morning, but finally got underway at about 10:44 AM with a temp of 41 deg. We drove 202.5 miles and arrived at the campground at 3:45 pm and 60 deg. This campground is on the J. Strom Thurmond Lake near the S. Carolina border and near Appling, Ga. It is really beautiful here as you can see from the pictures. There is not much development and the sites are very spacious and spread out. Our closest neighbor is about 100 yards away.
Tuesday, October 20 - We took two long walks, the first one with our coffee, and checked out most of the campground and noted sites we would want to camp on in the future. However, this site (#44), which Joan picked out just from the map is one of about a dozen we would choose to camp in again. It was cool last night, about 45 deg., but warmer than it was at Trackrock the night before we left. It dropped into the upper 20s there. With the help of a small electric heater and our microfiber blankets, we were quite warm and comfortable both nights.
Saturday, October 24 - We got rain in the night, but right now at about 1PM, it is beautiful, with a fairly strong breeze. We have given up on the lake fishing, but may try the small pond again, where Joan caught three bream. The campground is quite busy, but because the sites are so spread out, it is very peaceful here. We have had the bikes out and yesterday traveled out on nearly every loop. This place is huge, and even with 93 sites, they are mostly very private. We are sitting on our site looking out over the water and enjoying watching a flock of Canada Geese swim around our little bay. The Bartram Trail passes through here, and they allow bikes, but we will have to get orange blaze vests to wear before we can ride it. It is hunting season and anyone using the trail must wear vests.
Sunday, October 25- We went into Evans this morning to the Wesley UMC for their contemporary service which was very nice. It is a huge church with 4 services on Sunday mornings. After the service we went to breakfast then had to make a stop at Wal-Mart to get us blaze orange so we could do the Bartram Trail this afternoon. We were hoping to ride to the Spring Lake area which is about 5 1/2 miles but Joan pooped out after 3 so we did 6 miles total. The trail is pretty demanding so it is not like riding on pavement. Came back to camp and started preparing for departure in the morning. Shhh-------John is watching the BEARS get their butts beaten, not a happy camper!!
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/PetersburgCOEOct1926#
Trackrock Campground (October 2009)
Tuesday, October 13 - It rained most of the day yesterday and is overcast today. Tomorrow we are forecast to get heavier rains. We are trying to get packed up and prepare the fifth wheel to leave next Monday. It has been cool and wet for about a week, since we returned from Tallulah Gorge. The leaves are beginning to turn, but many have already fallen to the ground. It doesn't seem as pretty as last year, but perhaps some sunshine would help. We are feeling sad to leave here, but also are looking forward to seeing our Florida friends and enjoying fishing saltwater and the lakes there. We have several camping trips planned for the winter and have reservations for six weeks so far. We'll be glad to e-mail a schedule to anyone who would like to join us.
Wednesday, October 14 -
We got a break from the rain yesterday and the sun actually came out. It's back to rain today and quite windy. The fall colors are just beginning, but many leaves are already on the ground. It looks like the weekend will be clear and cool for our final steps getting ready to leave here
Tallulah Gorge State Park - September 28-October 5
Monday, September 28 - We got all packed up, hitched up the pop-up and headed for Highlands, NC to Van Hook Glade Campground. One problem. It was closed for renovation until next spring. We had reservations at Tallulah Gorge State Park south of Clayton, Ga, so we decided to come early and take our chances getting a spot. We had no problem, and were set up by about 2:00 PM, including lunch. We took a nice hike on the North Rim Trail and to the interpretive center to confirm our reservations for the Saturday moonlight kayaking and Sunday moonlight hike. It is very beautiful here and reminds us of Cloudland Canyon, but has better waterfalls and river views. The weather is awesome, quite windy, but nice.
Tuesday, September 29 - We slept late, then took our coffee down to the lake and enjoyed the view while sipping. John fished for a while, but there was absolutely no action. We never even saw anything. Later, we did some exploring along the river and fished there too. John managed a couple small fish, but there doesn't seem to be any trout there. It is still quite cool and windy, but at least the sun is shining. We enjoyed pork chops and veggies on the grill for supper.
Wednesday, September 30 - We took our coffee back to our spot, but it was a little cool sitting there so we decided to hike the South Rim Trail. The views were spectacular, especially this time of the morning. This is a fairly easy hike. We were reminded of Cloudland Canyon, but we agreed that this was even more impressive, because of the river in the gorge and the very large waterfalls. In the afternoon, we drove along the Tallulah River and passed by Lake Rabun, Seed Lake, and Lake Burton, over to Moccasin Creek State Park. We fished from shore there and caught several bream. We also fished the special trout stream there, but came up empty. We ran into our friends we met there last year, John and Susan and their daughter Gretchen, who just happened to be there for the day.
Thursday, October 1 - Wow, October already. We enjoyed ourselves over at Moccasin Creek yesterday, we decided to go there again today. We fished awhile around the docks and piers and caught several bream. One was quite large, that John caught on a black gnat fly. We also drove a few miles from there and checked out Wildcat Creek. We tried fishing it, but it was difficult to fly cast, and the few pools that gave us a little room did not give us any fish. We stopped on the way home for pizza and a Wal-Mart stop in Clayton. Before calling it quits for the night, we stopped at the beach/picnic area and threw in for a while. John was surprised by a nice sized pickerel. He got it to shore, but it chewed the 3X tippet while trying to lift it on the bank. This explains why there are no bream around. These guys are voracious eaters and would not give smaller fish a chance.
Friday, October 2 - After an oatmeal breakfast, we went exploring, trying to find Lake Tugalo. We ended up finding the next lake in the chain, Yonah. It was a semi-passable gravel road down to the lake, so it took a long time. The lake was quite nice, and we were the only ones on it. We put in the kayaks and each caught bream, but even though there were some great looking spots, no bass. This lake is not as clear as others we have been on.
Saturday, October 3 - We enjoyed a great night's sleep on our new 2 1/2 inch memory foam mattress topper we got at Walmart. Today was a kick back and not do too much day, due to Joan not feeling very well. John cleaned the awning, but otherwise we just visited with new friends and stayed close to camp. We did do the moonlight kayak outing with a fairly large group of folks on the Tallulah Lake. It was very nice and we enjoyed it very much. We would do it again.
Trackrock Campground (September 2009)
Tuesday, September 1 - Today we drove over Blood Mountain to the Chestatee Wildlife Management Area and fished near where we worked on Saturday. This is such a beautiful area with large rocks and cascading pools. John caught the only larger trout, but we both had numerous follows and misses. There are other areas here to fish, but they will have to wait for another time.
Thursday, September 3 - We put the kayaks up on the truck the night before and headed over to Clay County Park in North Carolina which is only 13.5 miles from Trackrock. We launched and fished structure around the shoreline. Joan started things off with a nice bream. The action was good with several good sized bream each to the boat and a few small bass as well. Most fish were caught on a small elk hare fly with a foam indicator on its back. John also got some nice action on a larger foam beetle.
View Pictures:http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/LakeChatuge#
Thursday, September 17 - It seems like it has been raining for weeks now. We decided to go on an explore into some outstanding areas in the Nantahala National Forest between Murphy and Franklin, North Carolina. One spot we have wanted to check out is Standing Indian Recreation Area. There is a campground there by the same name, and it has the headwaters of the Nantahala River passing through it. This river is on the Trout Unlimited top 100 rivers in the country. We talked to the couple who were hosting at the campground and running the little store there. They answered our questions about the area and easily convinced us that we need to put this on the top of our list for places to camp next year when we take out the pop-up. We checked out the river, but had gotten too hungry to take the time to fish it. Besides, we had not put our wading boots in the truck. We went on to Franklin for pizza before heading back to Trackrock.
Friday, September 25 - Our kayak outing this time was on the Lake Hiwassee in North Carolina. We put in at the boat launch and put on about six miles. This lake is the most beautiful one we have been on yet. There is virtually no development and the shoreline is mostly very rocky. We will be back soon to try fishing it. We have no pictures since John forgot the camera.
Saturday, September 26 - After breakfast in Blairsville, we drove to Blue Ridge to the Chamber of Commerce and met other members of TU Blairsville, plus TU Blue Ridge to help several scouts do the necessary activities to earn their Fly Fishing Merit Badge. John helped with fly tying and Joan helped them learn about other equipment.
Trackrock Campground (August 2009)
Wednesday, August 5 - We got up fairly early this morning and with kayaks on top of the truck, headed to Jackrabbit National Recreation Area about 17 miles away for some fishing from the kayaks. We put in at the boat launch there and fished all morning. We caught a few bluegill, a couple fairly nice size, but not enough for a meal. The action was quite slow, but the water was calm and the area beautiful. The photographer forgot the camera, however.
Thursday, August 6 - We drove with some friends past Vogel State Park to Desoto Falls in the Chattahoochee National Forest. There are two falls (lower and upper), so we started out hiking the 3/4 miles to the upper falls. The trail there is beautiful as was the falls. We returned, had lunch, then headed to the lower falls, which oddly was more uphill, although it was only 1/4 miles. There was not a great amount of water, but beautiful anyway. We had a great outing.
View pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/DesotoFallsAugust6#
Friday, August 7 - There is an archaeological area not far from the campground that has petroglyphs of unknown origin. We rode with our friend Ron and hiked the short distance to the site. After viewing it, we went over to the other side of the road and hiked the Arkaquah Trail that ends up at Brasstown Bald. We lasted about 15 minutes when it got too hot. We are going to do this trail from the top down. It is 5.5 miles down.
For more information:
Monday, August 10 - We headed out with Fred & Judy to explore a few areas not too far from here. We turned on Mulky Gap Road towards the Cooper's Creek National Recreation Area in the Chattahoochee National Forest, and traveled mostly on gravel Forest Service fire roads that were in fairly good shape. We checked out Mulky Creek, which is too shallow to do much fishing now, and Cooper's Creek, which is much deeper. We ended up at Deep Hole Recreation Area, and stopped for a snack and we wade-fished it while Fred and Judy hiked around in the area. John caught one Rock Bass. This is a beautiful area with a nice rustic camp ground. We were going to visit the hatchery which is close by, but ran out of time. It will have to wait until next time.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/CoopersCreek#
Tuesday, August 11 - Today, the group took off to Fires Creek National Recreation Area, near Hayesville, NC. There is a beautiful picnic/family area here that has areas to fish, hike, and swim/tube. It can get fairly crouded, and did while we were there, but the fish don't seem to mind the tubers or swimmers very much and Joan managed to catch five trout. One was about 9" and another 6" and the others smaller. John caught a couple of the smaller variety and lost several larger ones. We found black ant flies that John had tied worked best.
View pictures at:
Thursday, August 13 - We went into Blairsville and attended the Trout Unlimited meeting. They tied flies from 5-7 that John especially enjoyed watching and getting tips and the regular meeting followed.
Friday, August 14 - We drove about 35 miles to Horseshoe Bend County Park on the Toccoa River and wade fished. John caught two nice Rainbow Trout on a foam caddis fly. One really smacked the fly on the surface.
Saturday, August 15 - We went on an outing with 8 other members of the Trout Unlimited group to a private stretch of water on the Hiwassee River near Hayesville, NC. One of the men caught two nice size trout and two small ones. Joan and John caught the only other fish, but all (Joan's 5 and John's 2) were very small, native rainbows. This just shows that when they aren't biting, they aren't biting.
Tuesday, August 18 - We wanted to check out the dam on Lake Chatuge, so we took off after we got our haircuts and explored the northern portion of the lake. We found a couple of beautiful picnic/launching/fishing areas near the dam that are run by the TVA. We each caught some nice sized bream and enjoyed the scenery.
Thursday, August 20 - Today's outing was a trip around Notely Lake looking for places to launch the kayaks and fish. We found a few nice ones and caught some bream (mostly small ones) in the process. This is also a very beautiful lake that is not far from Trackrock.
Friday, August 21 - We kayaked with a group of nine on the Hiwassee River in North Carolina. This is a nice stretch of the river and enjoyed the company of these folks. The couple who organized this (Gene and Lynda) live in a house on the hill here at Trackrock. We plan on more outings in the future.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/KayakingAugust212009#
Saturday, August 22 - Here is an article from the Trout Unlimited Forum about this activity we participated in today:
"
| Hogsed |
This event gives kids (about 1000) the chance to be introduced to hunting/fishing experiences for free. Many companies support this day.
View pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/HogsedEducationDay#
Wednesday, August 26 - Grocery shopping in the morning and helping our friends Fred & Judy with their 5th wheel that developed a short that fried the breakaway brake switch and locked up their wheels before they left. We drove them to the rv store to get a replacement, had lunch on the way back, and replaced the switch. After they left, we explored the Notley River not too far from here and wet-waded (just water boots and shorts with no waders) about a half mile stretch of the river. We both caught creek chubs (small) and a few bream, but no trout. The water was quite warm, which is not the best trout water. The highlight was a buck deer that crashed through some brush and ended up about 30 feet away from us. Not sure who was the most surprised to see the other. By the time John got the camera out of its case and got it ready to shoot, the deer crashed back up the bank and disappeared.
Saturday, August 29 - Today we helped with a work day on Waters Creek in the Chestatee Wildlife Management Area doing creek bank maintenance. We went with N. Georgia Trout Unlimited Blairsville 692 Chapter. The purpose is to redirect water more to the center of the stream in areas that get a lot of bank erosion. We dug trenches to put large trees diagonally in the stream and moved a lot of river stones. Thankfully, there were about 30 people there to help. We had to drive about 2 miles back to this area down a remote road. After the work was done, we had a nice hamburger/hot dog lunch.
Trackrock Campground (July 2009)
Friday, July 10 - We drove to Blue Ridge to fish the Toccoa River and started at a location we had not been before called Horseshoe Park. This turned out to be a beautiful park and will be on our list for the future, but because it is so far from the dam and has many tributaries entering into the river before it gets here, the recent rain has made it very muddy and essentially unfishable. We checked out another park in McCaysville for future use, because it is near to this one, and expectedly was also muddy. We decided to go to an area that is about 1/2 mile down from the dam, called Tammon Park. We had fished here before without any luck. We started with John using a white wooly bugger and Joan using a red/green version of the same. John got a fish on quickly, but lost it. We each lost other fish, but John managed to land a nice rainbow, which was caught on a Parachute Adams fly. This area is heavily fished, but folks were quite good at staying out of each other's way and allowing room to fish. Most fishermen were also releasing their catches. One change that we made that seemed to have a difference was changing from a 3x to a 5x tippet, which is much thinner. These are heavily pressured fish and the water is extremely clear.
Sunday, July 12 - The service at Trackrock Campground Chapel drew 60 people this morning. John was asked to lead the singing. The service was very nice and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We then went to Hiawassee to attend the service there. The music was great as was the message from Pastor Jim. We stopped at Young Harris College for their lunch buffet on the way back to camp and enjoyed a great meal.
Friday, July 17 - We drove to Dockery Lake south of Suches, about 20 miles from here and fished at a few spots around the lake. Joan missed a trout and John caught a nice one on a fly he made from a black rubber band. We then went to Dahlonega and had Chinese buffet for lunch. On the way back, we stopped at Vogel State Park and fished again. Joan caught a nice bass and a couple of bream. John was skunked.
Sunday, July 19 - We attended a dedication service for the chapel here at Trackrock and helped set up. John led the singing. There were about 90 people in attendance.
Tuesday, July 20 - We drove over to Vogel State Park in the evening to fish. We both got skunked.
Wednesday, July 21 - Today was haircut day, so we drove into Hiawassee. Afterwards, we drove up to Jackrabbit National Recreation Area on Lake Chatuge and fished. We each caught several bream. Some were quite large and most were very colorful. We then got groceries, then returned to Trackrock.
Friday, July 23 - We drove to Sandy Bottom Canoe Access Area, which is on the headwaters of the Toccoa River south of Blue Ridge. This area is used a lot by tubers going down the river, but we fished anyway. John had tried five different flies before findin one that worked. He ended up catching two. They were near shore in the shaddows and near cover. Don't blame them considering how much activity was on the river. We will try this area again, but probably after school starts. It was a beautiful day on the water anyway and this area is in the Chattahoochee NF, so even the drive there was wonderful.
Saturday, July 24 - We had dinner with friends here. Ron and Debbie brought venison and Jan and John (mostly Jan) made stroganoff out of it. We brought Charlie Bread and made Blackberry Crisp on our cast iron Dutch Oven while we were there. Debbie (Trackrock owner) and Kaylee (a young friend who is staying with them) also joined us. It was a great dinner as well as fellowship.
Monday, July 26 - We joined several friends here at Trackrock and hiked the six mile Wagon Train Trail from the top of Brasstown Bald mountain to Young Harris College. The decent is about 3,000 feet. This is a wonderful hike, which our host here at Trackrock, who is a certified naturalist led for us. He pointed out interesting facts about the flaura and fauna on the way down. We will certainly do this again.
Thursday, July 30 - Despite intermittant rain, we took our friends from Florida, Fred and Judy, to Helen, Unicoi State Park, Anna Ruby Falls, and to the top of Brasstown Bald today. We let them visit the shops in Helen and we fished the Chattahoochee that runs through town. We battled the mass of tubers who were floating down the river, but were unable to catch any trout. It was fun watching the families enjoying their floating, though. We then went to Unicoi and had lunch at a picnic area, then went to the camp store. The hike to Anna Ruby Falls was spectacular. The falls are breathtaking. Next we enjoyed a buffet dinner at the Lodge at Unicoi, which was excellent. On the way home, we drove to the top of Brasstown Bald and enjoyed the view, although pretty hazy.
View pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/HelenUnicoiAnnaRubyFalls#
Friday, July 31 - It has been rainy all day, so we are enjoying a down day, watching videos and reading.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
Whitetail Ridge COE Campground - LaGrange, Ga (3/30 - 4/6/09)
Monday, March 30 - We got up about 7 AM, packed up, and were on the road headed to LaGrange, Ga at 10:10 AM. It was a beautiful drive with many flowering trees in bloom including dogwoods and azaleas. We tried to stop for lunch at a truck stop in Alabama, but it was far too smoky. They showed us the non-smoking area, but it was just as smoky as the main room, so we left. We had a sandwich on the road and arrived at the campground at 3:40 PM after driving 251.9 miles. There are not many campers here now, but it is supposed to be full by the weekend. The lake, however, is very full of water. We had dinner, showered, and setteled in for a quiet evening. We have decided that we will not try to drive so far again, because it is very tiring to break camp, drive nearly 5 hours, and set up again. This happened this time because we could not get into Cottonhill Campground near Ft. Gaines, Ga.
Tuesday, March 31 - It rained off and on all day today, but we were able to get in a nice walk and fish from the boat dock and shoreline. We caught a few bream, but none of them big enough to keep, especially two that John caught that were only about 1 1/2 inches long. It was fun anyway. The weather people are calling for some more rain in the night that is supposed to stop about noon tomorrow. The pollen is really thick here. There is a coating over everything which got stirred up when the mowers came around with their blowers cleaning off the streets. So far we have not had any problems except for some sneezing.
Wednesday, April 1 - We got the forcasted rain in the night which was fairly heavy, but no wind and little lightning with it. We finally were able to get the kayaks out, which we were able to launch from our shoreline. We fished the bay that is closest to our campsite and managed some small bream and one nice bluegill that John caught. A few more of these would have made a nice dinner. We went out again in the evening after dinner without success. John had one on that slipped away. We have new neighbors who went out for crappie, but only managed a couple. We are expecting more storms tomorrow evening that are predicted to be strong. We will have to keep a close ear on the the tv, cell phone, and weather radio.
Thursday, April 2 - Another storm rolled through during the night and woke us. Even though there was little wind, the rain was tremendous, and there were a couple of really good lightning strikes. Thankfully, they missed. It rained most of the morning and got quite windy early in the afternoon. We had to tighten some of the lines from our tarp and lower the awning. There are some substantial storms headed this way for our evening entertainment. We would really love for them to go north of here. (Some pictures added)
Friday, April 3 - Yet another storm in the night. This time it was brief, but contained a powerful wind gust. Again, thankfully, everything stayed in place. This morning the sun is shining once again and promises to warm us some. There is a washing machine and dryer in the restroom building and Joan is going back and forth doing a couple of loads. We were quite tired from the previous nights antics, so we decided to not take the kayaks out and fished from the boat ramp and dock instead. John caught a very nice crappie (see pictures) and lost another one. We brought it back to camp and John filleted it. We sat in our recliners in the evening and enjoyed the view of the lake from our front yard.
Saturday, April 4 - Finally, a quiet night. We slept like rocks and woke up to the sound of many, many boats on the water. With the weather cooperating and being the weekend, all the crappie fishermen in the area are here to try to fill their live wells. It is a little cool this am, getting us ready for the predicted 30's on Tues. & Wed. mornings. We did our morning walk after breakfast, delivering our trash to the dumpster and then hiking the other loops.
Taking advantage of the nice day, we headed out in the kayaks for a little fishing. The lake was a little rough, as there was a bass tournament going on, and the the fishermen were zooming from one spot to another with one of those spots being a cove very near to our campsite. The best is yet to come with an overnight tournament that consists of fishing for carp from AIRBOATS!!! For those that don't know, airboats are the loudest and most obnoxious craft there is, and to think we will be able to hear them all night.
Sunday, April 5 - Our worst fears were realized with airboats racing around the lake near the campground. We were not able to sleep much past 3AM. On the way to church, we complained to the host who wasn't able to sleep much either. He said he would be talking to the ranger to see if anything can be done to prevent future tournaments like this one. The worship service was nice and they have a new pastor. The music was familiar, but nice and the pastor's message was very personal and relevant. It began raining when we left, and promises to rain all day and night. We were planning on moving to Sweetwater Creek COE Campground on Altoona Lake tomorrow, but will most likely delay our departure for at least a day.
Monday, April 6 - We had a quiet night except for the wind coming up. It has cooled off significantly and the wind continues. There is talk of snow fluries tomorrow. We extended our stay here until Wednesday when we will leave for Trackrock Campground near Blairsville, Ga. Meanwhile, we will be getting things ready to leave. Joan has been looking up things to do this summer while we're in the Blairsville area.
See picture at:
Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park - Niceville, FL (March 23-30, 2009)
Monday, March 23 - We got nearly everything packed on Sunday, readied the house to leave, and were on the road by 7:40 AM. The truck and camper are crammed tight. We drove 368 miles and arrived at the park at 3:15 EDT. We got everything set up and finished dinner just in time to take a walk before it got dark. This is a very pretty park with large sites and nice access to the water for our kayaks. Every site is filled with hopefully considerate people. We met a nice couple with two kids (David, Diane, Taylor and Savannah) from Illinois who are here enjoying the warmer weather for spring break.
Tuesday, March 24 - We had a nice quiet night's sleep and woke up to a beautiful, but breezy morning. We took a walk down by the boat launch and met and visited with a nice couple (John & Wendy) from Canada. We enjoyed trading favorite spots with them. We came back to camp and had pancakes & sausage for breakfast. Because it was so breezy, we opted to leave the kayaks on the truck and put on waders instead. We were somewhat protected near shore and really enjoyed fishing this way. Sadly, we only managed one pinfish that John caught on a glass minnow fly. These fish are commonly used for bait. We took a break in the afternoon and dozed in front of the tv. After spaghetti dinner, we took our flyrods down to the boat docks, but jeven though we enjoyed the beautiful evening on the water, we came back empty.
Wednesday, March 25 - After breakfast we went on a hike on the Rocky Bayou Trail, one of the trails here in the park, and another along Puddin' Head Lake. We fished a little, but came up empty. The weather is changing with considerable wind and clouds. We are expecting several inches of rain over the next couple of days. It was just too windy to get the kayaks out yesterday or today. Today is John's son Corey's birthday. Happy Birthday Corey! After dinner, we went for a walk around the campground and stopped to talk to our neighbors who are here in a large family motorcycle group. The couple we were talking to have a campground in Georgia near the Florida border near exit #1 off I-95. We found out they used to camp at Trackrock for about 35 years and know the Alexander family very well. We wished them well and headed over to John & Wendy's and shared their fire and had a nice time visiting.
Thursday, March 26 - We heard wind high in the tree canopy and some rain in the night. John received a couple of weather warnings on his cell phone of sever thunderstorms and a tornado warning. We got dressed and walked around the campground to make sure that folks had all gotten the warnings. Several had not including our new friends John & Wendy and David, Diane, Taylor, and Savannah. Many campers met at the restroom building to watch it pass by. There was heavy rain and lightning, but thankfully not much wind. This weather is forcast to continue for the next couple of days. We sure wish they could get some of this in Tampa where it is severe drought conditions. We took it easy in the afternoon and it rained nearly all day. We drove into Valpariso and had dinner at the Boat House Restaurant. We got the early bird specials, which were sirloin tips and rice. It was excellent. After dinner we went over to Lincoln Park and tried to fish but it was way too windy and chilly. It looks like there is more severe weather on the way. We will keep a close ear on the weather radio and watch the weather channel.
Friday, March 27 - There were tornado warnings, heavy rain, and lightning early this morning and rain and lightning all day today. We watched dvd's that John had recorded from cable earlier. The rain finally let up enough to take a walk around the campground late this afternoon. Most of the sites are occupied by Airstreams that are apparently here for a club outing (nice choice of dates.) We will be staying close to the weather alarms on John's cell phone and the weather radio tonight for a repeat performance. We will head down to the restrooms again if there is treatening reports. We will be very happy to see an end to this rain.
Saturday, March 28 - There were no tornado warnings during the night, but we were under a watch and John received many, many messages from weather.com on his phone. Finally, about 2PM the storms passed and the sun came out. We took a nice walk and a hike on one of the paths near the boat ramp. It was great to be able to get out without the unbrellas. Wendee and John joined us to watch "It's me or the dog" on Animal Planet tonight. We think they picked up some ideas on handling their dog, Slider.
Sunday, March 29 - We stopped at the "Coffee House" in Niceville for a very nice breakfast, then went to the First U.M. Church for a contemporary service. It was truly an outstanding worship experience. They have three contemporary and two traditional services as well as a wide variety of other ministries each week. We will surely return there when we can. We stopped at Wal-Mart in Fort Walton to pick up necessities and did some packing today. A couple who are campers here informed us of flooding on Walter F. George lake near Fort Gaines, and the closing of one loop at Cottonhill Campground, causing the other loops to fill with campers. We have decided to jump up to Whitetail Ridge in LaGrange, Ga tomorrow.
Wekiwa Springs State Park - February 16 - 23, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009 - We got all packed up and headed out this morning at 11:28 AM. Our Garmin directed us to take State 471 up to 50. We got about 15 miles from hwy 50 when our right trailer tire blew out. John managed to get it over onto the shoulder safely, so we unpacked enough stuff to get the jack out and began changing the tire. A nice couple stopped and assisted with this effort. Our thanks to them and to God for sending them. John was struggling with getting the car jack to lift the wheel high enough, and the man who stopped had a trick that worked perfectly. We got the tire changed and decided not to try to continue without a spare. We called the tire place where we had just purchased new tires for the camper a little over a month ago and he said to bring it over and they would fix us up. Sadly, when we got there, they said they do not have these in stock and would not have them until tomorrow. So our trip has been put on hold until tomorrow. Bummer!!!!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 - Finally, we got underway. We went over to the tire place and picked up the replacement for the one that exploded yesterday. After they put the new one on, we headed out at 10:53 AM at 62 deg. and arrived at here at Wekiwa at 1:02 PM at 70 deg. We got set up and drove to Tavares for dinner with Joan's Vermont classmates at Angelo's Italian Restaurant. We had a great time and an excellent dinner with Julie, Barry, Judy, and Laurel. Our campsite here is very spacious and nice. Pictures coming tomorrow.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - After a good nights sleep, we started the day by taking our coffee and tea on a walk down to the springs. They are about a mile from our campsite along a nice trail. We were also able to check out the kayak launch and make plans for taking them out later in the day. On the way back we spotted a doe and her fawn and Joan managed a few pictures. We had oatmeal for breakfast, then drove over to the launch, put the wheels on the kayaks and walked them down about 200 yards to the water. The area is among the most beautiful we have seen in Florida. The water is crystal clear and the bottom is full of rocks, submerged logs, and vegetation. We saw some fish action, but were unable to catch anything. John thinks most of the fish were tilapia, which do not take artificial baits much. Fishing was also made quite difficult because of the high number of canoes passing by us. We talked to a couple, Dan and Jackie, who were celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary by canoeing like they did when they first met. Many more you two.
Thursday, February 19, 2009 - This morning, after our morning walk, we watched the weather channel radar to follow the line of rain that was proceeding the most recent cold front. The rain did not last long, so we went down to sand lake with the fly rods to see if we could catch a fish. There was only a few places where we could access the lake and struggled casting in the strong wind. We spotted a pair of bass which were spawning on their bed and John managed to put a fly on the bed and had the female on for awhile, but she only had hold of the hairs on the fly and let go. When we came back to camp, the couple (Pat & Dick) were here that we met at Cloudland Canyon State park last July. We will be having breakfast and joining them for a pot luck with a camping group they belong to.
Friday, February 20, 2009 - Today was a nice, cool hiking day. We first hiked down to the campground entrance to get a picture of the entrance sign. On the way back we stopped by the ranger station to see if there are fishing areas on Prevatt Lake in the park. The ranger did not know. While we were there we met a couple (Joan & Joe) who were getting an extention of their stay by moving to a site where there was a cancelation. We headed back to camp and were stopped by a photo op. of a pileated woodpecker doing a serious number on a pine tree alongside the road. While Joan was taking its picture, Joan & Joe walked up and we talked some more. They are here in Florida for three months escaping Wisconsin winter. After breakfast we hiked the 1.1 miles to Prevatt Lake, but although we enjoyed the view of the lake, there were no areas open enough to fish. We hiked .9 miles to Sand Lake and fished there for awhile, but only got a few hits and no fish. Finally, we hiked the 1 mile back to the campsite and had dinner. After dinner we joined the R-Vision group around their fire and met some nice folks.
Saturday, February 21, 2009 - We made it through and stayed warm during a very chilly night in the low 30's. It was still quite cool when we went over to join the group at Dick & Pat's site for breakfast. The food and conversation were excellent, and by the time we were finished, it had warmed up considerably. It is supposed to be near 70 today and for next week. We returned in the evening to Dick & Pat's for a potluck dinner with the R-Vision group. Again, the food and conversation were excellent and we had a great time.
Sunday, February 22, 2009 - We took a coffee walk, had and oatmeal breakfast, then hiked over to Sand Lake again to do a little fishing. This time we brought a spinning outfit to see if we could change our luck. John managed to catch the bass that was on the bed, but nothing else. We came back to the campsite, had dinner, packed up a few things, then sat by the fire for awhile.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/WekiwaSpringsStatePark
New Big Horn Fifth Wheel
In our attempt to help the economy, we went to the Tampa RV show this week and purchased a 2009 Heartland Big Horn 3385 RL fifth wheel. We do not have a truck to pull it, but instead will have it delivered to the northern GA or western NC mountains to serve as our northern home in the summer. We have kept our pop-up camper to use for camping here in Florida or in the area around where the fifth wheel will be, such as Smokey Mountain National Park. We have not had an opportunity to take any pictures yet, and the unit will be stored at the dealer until it is shipped, but here is a web site from the manufacturer so you can see pictures of it.
We can't wait to begin to use it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
