This morning we went to the playground and were able to play the games the KOA had to offer that we missed out on because of the bee sting. We played putt-putt, went down a crazy bumpy slide, and saw ducks while packing up. We rolled out around 10:30 am and took our time because we thought we had a time change that would put us arriving too early when in fact it was the opposite. So, we planned to stop at Sugarloaf Mountain Park at the edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest.
Once we realized our mistake, the girls were excited about this stop so we kept it but just stayed a little less time. Which felt right because between the snake sighting and the sirens this picturesque and wonderful landscape seemingly could kill you at any second.
It was a windy and beautiful drive again as we headed into the mountains of southern Tennessee/Northern Georgia. Somewhere along the way we also crossed into North Carolina. We have just been traversing the borders this last couple days, so the GPS is basically telling us we are changing states every 30 minutes. Turns out the Chattahoochee National Forest is home to the Ocoee River which is an Olympic rafting river from 1996! As always: Make sure you wait for the photos and captions to load below! If the photos are too small and you want to zoom in don’t forget you can Cmd+/- on a Mac or Cntl+/- on a PC to zoom in/out your browser!
Our morning: The girls woke up and started reading their new book immediately—they stayed in bed reading for about 10 minutes before they finally came down; Anna gets ready for the playground
The playground and KOA grounds: ducks!!; the sandpit/swings and putting course; putting; Goat Dog sees more ducks on our walk around the pond; crazy bumpy slide and Anna at the swing; Elsa showing ‘um how it’s done—see where that ball is going right—just like her mom
On the road: Again I’m surprised that mountains are rising into view as we move even more East and a little South and a special treat of a train passing on a train bridge over our heads!!!!! So exciting.
Picnicking at Sugarloaf Mountain Park: lunch; Goat Dog; Ocoee River; Ocoee River again and the sign that says sirens go off when the water rises rapidly from the hydroelectric dam; the *I think* King snake that was about 3 feet from my path I was about to walk until I noticed him heading for that tree; distance tree for scale—BIG SNAKE!; more of the park—it really was beautiful but after the King snake we then heard the sirens and were like “OK, maybe we’ve had enough of Sugarloaf Mt (isn’t their song about it?); the sign; the playground with Sugarloaf Mt in the background; Anna sitting on the slide (if you look close); OLD train bridge!; Ocoee #1 (this big river has 3 dams)
Back on the road: Ocoee Lake; trees growing out of Ocoee lake; close up of trees growing out of Ocoee lake; Ocoee River; Rapids!; Mountains!: Mountains in the distance!; our route; more mountains in the distance (obsessed again because I just didn’t think the Appalachians were real mountains—I think everyone just puts them down so much but they are real and beautiful people!!; farms in the mountains <3
Our site! The map!; Anna having a snack during set up; The previous guests left three piles of shit right outside our camper door (from one dog owner to another F#(@ Y#%—this is why they don’t let dogs in places…it’s not the dogs fault (we meaning Keith shoveled that away and we covered it with rocks); our site 1 & 2; swimming 1, 2, 3; pre-dinner; we got Buggables (citronella bracelets) playing in the river right out our door <3—they were adamant about getting to the big rock and came up with the idea of using “staffs” to help!
5 thoughts on “Day 42 – Leaving Manchester via Sugarloaf Mountain Park, TN and heading to River Falls at the Gorge Campground in Lakemont, GA near Rabun Lake”
Wow –what a campsite! Opa would love climbing on the rocks with Elsa and Anna–what an adventure. Now you know about the contrast between the Appalachians and the Rockies–each beautiful in different ways.
Thanks so much for taking the time to write about your adventures. It means a lot to be able to follow along–not to mention the availability of all the pictures.
Alright! Next camping trip with Oma and Opa—climbing some rocks!! Thanks for reading and being interested in our adventures. Its fun to share and hear with you think.
Wow –what a campsite! Opa would love climbing on the rocks with Elsa and Anna–what an adventure. Now you know about the contrast between the Appalachians and the Rockies–each beautiful in different ways.
Thanks so much for taking the time to write about your adventures. It means a lot to be able to follow along–not to mention the availability of all the pictures.
Yes, it was definitely special in the right ways. 🙂 Very exciting all around.
Alright! Next camping trip with Oma and Opa—climbing some rocks!! Thanks for reading and being interested in our adventures. Its fun to share and hear with you think.
Love to
The river scene is amazing, but THAT SNAKE. OMG.