From This site: “The Ocoee River in Tennessee has become the most popular whitewater rafting adventure in America with over twenty continuous rapids and many play spots for miles of endless fun and adventure. Located in the Cherokee National Forest, the Ocoee River flows through a beautiful gorge surrounded by scenic wildlife, yet it is within several hours of many major cities in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina“

We were invited along on a couple’s trip for Shannon’s first white water rafting adventure and my first in at least 20 years after only having been a handful of times prior. Shannon’s good friend Jason found the Rolling Thunder River Company, one of many in the area, but we happen to think they’re the absolute best. From their site: “Rolling Thunder River Company has been entertaining families and thrill seekers for 40+ years on the Nantahala, Ocoee and Toccoa rivers. Join the ONE MILLION, and counting, who have EXPERIENCED the most memorable river rafting trips possible.“

For this trip, we chose to float the “middle” section of the Ocoee, over the upper “Olympic” section. The middle section is said to be the less challenging of the 2 and we had a few folks who were nervous about this activity. The Middle section of the Ocoee River is often referred to the Lower or the Traditional. Most visitors who come to Tennessee for white water action choose the Middle Ocoee. With continuous rapids throughout, it’s sure to not only get you wet but leave you with a lifetime of rafting stories.

Our guide Tristan, in back, was quite the entertainer. He told jokes during the whole float and although he’s not yet a father, they could be classified as “dad jokes” Here are a few examples:

1. What do you call a cow with no legs? – ground beef!
2. What do you call a cow with two legs? Lean beef!
3. What do you call a cow in a tornado? Milkshake!
4. What do you call a cow on a barbed wire fence? Udder destruction!

As it happened, Tristan was planning to propose to his girlfriend of many years the following weekend, and he nervously gave us the rundown of his plans, which was fun. (We found out later that she accepted! Congratulations to the happy couple!)

We had a fantastic time white water rafting on the Ocoee! As it had been raining all week prior, the water was up pretty high. As it was very late in the season, it wasn’t as crowded as it had been in previous weeks, and we were able to take our time. Tristan said he’d like to take us “surfing”, which you’ll see in the video below.

The Rolling Thunder river company is located in McCaysville, Georgia, which shares a downtown with Copperhill, TN. The guides on the shuttle joked about the bus driver’s “ankle bracelet alarm going off once we hit Tennessee”. They’re great little mountain river towns, where the Toccoa river runs straight through, and there’s a monument just over the bridge in the downtown area where you can step one foot in each city/state. We had a late lunch at The Copper Grill (menu linked) for burgers and wings which is just what we wanted when we came off the river. There are lots of great shops here, and a Folk Collaborative on the Copperhill, TN side of the street that is worth checking out for the bakery alone.

Shannon and I enjoy camping on many if not most of our adventures, and we love it. This trip was the exact polar opposite of camping. We were guests of the group, who had rented the Miracle Creek Cabin (linked), and it was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever stayed. Inside of this rustic and gorgeous cabin, is a stunning master suite with the largest shower I have ever seen, 2 beautiful guest rooms, and a bunk room. A state of the art kitchen, and also an outdoor kitchen in a beautiful outdoor living space. A game room in the basement with pool and foosball, fireplaces and outdoor firepits, a hot tub, and beautiful views of Fightingtown Creek just behind. You can also hear the rushing of the creek when you’re outdoors which is sublime. It’s impossible to name all of it’s qualities, so please go to the link above if you want to know more!

When Shannon and I first arrived at the cabin, it was night time and we kept hearing an animal making a sound that I didn’t recognize. Shannon said, “that’s a screech owl”. We eventually found it in the trees just beyond the deck where we sat.

Shannon used his cell phone to play the sounds of another screech owl to bring this one in closer and it worked! Here’s a video of it coming closer and screeching back at us.

The following day, we set out to explore more of Blue Ridge, Georgia. Known for it’s beautiful mountain views, there are also hiking trails, waterfalls, wineries, craft breweries, and the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway We didn’t opt to ride the train, but we saw it come and go from McCaysville and Blue Ridge and were told that the views from it are spectactular.

Our first stop was the Bear Claw Vineyard. We enjoyed our wine and wine slushies in a beautiful outdoor setting , surrounded by a lush vineyard while we enjoyed some live music.

From here, we carried on to the Grumpy Old Men Brewing Company I mean who can even resist that name!! We enjoyed sitting on the outdoor patio and sampling the Moon Over Blue Ridge, the Choco Blanco, the Acoustic Blonde, and the Clouded Judgement to name a few. They’re currently under construction with an expansion next door to better accommodate their food and music venues.

Downtown Blue Ridge is flush with cute shops, restaurants, breweries, and outfitters. We walked the main street and stopped in many of the shops for everything from T-shirts to candles to old Vinyl records. The best meal of the trip was without question at Harvest on Main. I had the rainbow trout and it was outstanding, as was every morsel we ate.

We left our mark in downtown Blue Ridge! If you’re ever there and you find it, let us know!

We had so much fun on this trip, and especially with the white water rafting, that we couldn’t wait to go back and do it again. So we did! The very next weekend! I’ll tell you about that next!