After a quick stop at Starbucks we headed east on I-75 and soon turned off in Cleveland, TN. This suburb of Chattanooga is somewhat of a sprawling area. Because of our late start, we hadn't eaten lunch yet so we ordered some early afternoon food from Aubrey's and soon parked Vansen in the shade at a local park to enjoy another great local meal. We found another outfitter store (less local and more corporate to walk around to work off lunch...ha!) and then headed east. We were soon driving along the Ocoee River alongside whitewater rafting company buses full of either dry or very wet customers. We soon came upon a pullout along side a TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) generating station with a walkway bridge overlooking Hell Hole Rapids. A group of kayakers was taking advantage of this fast moving water to dart in, out, spin around, and sometimes flip. Soon a flotilla of rafters arrived from upstream and the familiar calls of the raft captains/river rats could see be heard. Impressively none of the rafters fell out, although all got thoroughly soaked. Once COVID passes, we'll for sure return here for some fun with the kids!
A bit further along the road we came to the Ocoee Whitewater Center which was the venue for the canoe slalom event during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The river was narrowed and boulders were cemented in place to create a somewhat natural environment for the event. During the weekends, water is released at a higher rate at this area becomes more "rapidy," but while we visited today, it was more of a fast moving stream that allowed the kids a chance to burn off some energy, cool off, and have some fun on this warm summer day. As our time here ended, Sylvia realized her watch was no longer on her wrist. We scoured the riverbed and surprisingly Lena found it upside down, submerged, and partially under a rock. Tears turned into a happy smile as Sylvia was reunited with her favorite watch.
After crossing into Georgia, we drove through McCaysville which was crawling with people. I haven't seen that many people together since before the pandemic. We still can't figure out why they were all there, but every restaurant was packed and folks were out enjoying themselves. Arriving in Blairsville, we grabbed some light dinner and soon turned onto the Richard Russell Scenic Highway. After a bit of beautiful countryside, we began ascending a mountain and finally reached a turnout with a vista overlooking Hog Pen Gap at about 3,500 ft. The air today was very hazy (maybe from the wildfires out west) and the sunset provided a colorful backdrop. On the east side of a the road, a thunderstorm had blown up with the top getting lit from the sun, which made for a powerful image over Vansen. This is also where the Appalachian Trail cuts through the gap; we even saw a family coming off the trail with their backpacks and loading up for a drive to a hotel or home. A short time later we arrived in Helen, GA for the night. We'll get to walk around tomorrow to get a better sense of this "alpine" village.
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