I mentioned in a previous post that we’ve spent a good bit of time with Shannon’s aunt and uncle, Keith and Darlee this summer in our campers at the lake. Several times when we’ve been reviewing things we’d all like to do, Darlee has mentioned that white water rafting on the Ocoee was on her bucket list. The weekend before when Shannon and I had been invited to go with friends we couldn’t stop thinking about this, and agreed that we’d bring her the very next weekend. So that’s exactly what we did!!!

Having had a great experience with the Rolling Thunder River company the week prior, we returned to them again. Darlee had expressed a desire to do the “lower section” for her first run, as it is said to be a little more novice friendly than the upper “Olympic section”

• Side note – there is a photographer for the Rolling Thunder River company, and the other rafting companies that come through here, in the same spot. The guides know very well where it is, and are sure to let you know where it is and where to look at the camera. There’s a split second to wave before hitting a big rapid . Once you finish up your rafting trip and get back to the outfitter, the photos are visible on computer screens labeled by guide name. It’s a lot of fun to get back and check out your photos – the wilder the better! If you decide to purchase yours, you do it right on the spot and they email the entire file of about 15-20 photos strait to you – and you can add as many emails to receive the file as you want. Totally worth it !

Please enjoy this progression of photos through the next rapids….. and I’ll invite you to turn your attention to Darlee in each shot, in front in the bright green shirt

Shannon was excited to wear the GoPro to capture Darlee’s giggles and he has about 3 hours of footage. This video below (only visible on the website and not in email) is one of our favorites

I don’t know which was more fun for us; getting to run the rapids for the 2nd time or watching Darlee. We had a great time, and we’re pretty sure Darlee and Keith, Lee, and Ashley did too!!

As soon as we got off of the river it was lunchtime, and we headed back into McKaysville, Georgia for some Pizza at the Twisted Tomato, which came highly recommended by the River Guides.

The Twisted Tomato sits in an area called the Riverwalk City Block (linked) in the twin towns that occupy the state line between McCaysville, Georgia and Copperhill, Tennessee. Here you can eat and shop with river views at places like Happy Bear Ice Cream and Treats, and Burra Burra on the River. One street over, on the main street through town, there are a couple of Mexican restaurants, and a few that serve burgers and wings.

Having gotten finished with our excursion by early afternoon, Shannon, and his cousin Lee and I decided to check out the Expedition Bigfoot museum. Whether or not you believe in the existence of a Sasquatch, this is a fun and fascinating place.

For a whopping $8 you can spend as much or as little time as you like walking through all of the exhibits. There are maps with pushpins and post it notes showing where and when people claim to have seen or experienced Bigfoot. There are recordings of explorers telling stories of their encounters that you can listen to with headphones, and there’s also a documentary that plays in a small theater room.

I learned many things that I’d never heard before, including that many different native american tribes have their own names for the creature they describe as sasquatch-like. You see above in the photos that there are costumes and art created by native Americans, depicting similar features, between tribes who never communicated. The people who have had the experiences are completely convinced and it’s hard to dispute their claims when you hear them.

We spent a good hour or more taking in all the sasquatch info and shopping in the gift shop, and we still had a little more time to play. We decided to head right across the parking lot from the Expedition Bigfoot museum, to the Georgia Pinball museum

For $10 per person, you are invited to play as much pinball on as many machines as your heart desires between the hours of 11am and 6pm. There are games from the 1930’s through the 1990’s and a couple of vintage electromechanical games as well.

We played pinball for another hour or so before the long and exciting day started to catch up with us, and we headed home.

SUCH a fun day!!! We have not stopped talking about it yet, and Shannon and I agree wholeheartedly that white water rafting is for us. We are looking at rafts to purchase, and have started talking about all of the places we want to eventually go to raft like the Salmon River in Idaho. But first, we decide that we should see how we do on our own piloting a raft without a guide in a beginner level river. That’s up next!