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.




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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. 

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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. 



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