Unicoi State Park and Helen, GA

(Note:  we don't have WiFi unless we go to the Lodge, so blogging will be limited.  We're planning on leaving here Friday, staying somewhere near Tifton Friday night, and getting back home on Saturday.  We will be posting additional entries even after we get back home, so watch for those, too.)

We arrived at Unicoi on Sunday, and managed to get our favorite campsite: Little Brook loop, # 15.  This site backs up to the mountain, so we have "Eric's personal mountain" right here with us.

Mike met us here, and started timing our set-up.  Ray was shouting orders (even though we all knew what to do), since the clock was ticking.  "Ready for water!  Electric!  Canopy!"  Eight minutes, and all done. 

Mike had stopped at Fred's Famous Peanuts on the way up the mountain, and we all enjoyed some yummy boiled peanuts after our set-up.  Then, we got into our swimsuits and water shoes, and headed into town for some tubing down the Chatahoochee River.  Two and a half hours of fun.

This was probably the most fun trip down the river I've ever had.  The water was high, which makes navigating the rocks and rapids much easier.  We're pros when it comes to tubing here, since we all know just about every rock and shoot, which spots to avoid, and which routes to take.  "To the right, along the bank, then immediately to the left and around those rocks!"  Combine our experience with the high water, and we barley needed our push sticks.

Mike, of course, had to add some comical detail.  He wore his green Army helmet, which made it easy to spot him as he bobbed down the river.   It was probably the 1st time someone ever wore an Army helmet while tubing down this river, and it actually came in handy.  He got stuck on a rock, facing backward, and while trying to get unstuck, he flipped backward, with the tube flying up and over him.  He felt the helmet hit a rock as he tipped, then the helmet went down river toward Ray, while the tube floated away and got stuck on another rock.  Mike had a hard time going down river for a while without his tube until he caught up with it, but at least he was unscathed, and his helmet was saved.

Later, I was telling Mike that he needed to get over to the left side to avoid some rocks, and that this was the only way to get through that part of the river.  Just as I was giving my expert advice, I flipped completely over, head over heels.  I was laughing so hard, as the water was rushing over me, knocking me down again, I thought I would drown if I couldn't stop laughing.  I somehow managed to grab my tube and my push stick (amazing that I didn't lose either one), and sat back down in the shallow river, just holding on and laughing.  The rest of the group saw the whole thing, and later told me that they were glad to see me laughing because they knew they didn't have to worry, and they continued on down the river, turning back and watching me until I was too far back. 

The way that I was situated in the river would have made it easy for me to stand up and jump back up onto the tube, except for one thing:  the force of the water, rushing against my back as I sat there, had pushed my swimsuit bottoms a little too low.  I could not stand up without mooning the tubers behind me.   Giggling at my predicament, I scooted along the big rocks until I got to a spot that was a little deeper, transferred the push stick to the hand holding the tube, and with my other hand, pulled up my bottoms.  I stood up and jumped in, still laughing at myself.  That was better than a ride at any water park!

All was good until I realized I had lost my hat.  My Cool River Tubing hat!  I bought that 10 years ago, the 1st time we went tubing.  It's the yellow hat that I'm wearing in the picture that Cool River Tubing Company put on their website a few years ago, and is still their banner picture. 

The idea of losing that hat got me so bummed, I intentionally got myself stuck on a rock, and sat there hoping to see the hat popping up from where I had flipped, and start to float toward me.  I finally resigned myself to the fact that I would never see that old hat again, and pushed off.  Ray had been waiting for me, and I told him the sad story of my hat.  He said, "Eric has your hat!  I thought you knew he grabbed it!"  To which I replied, "How would I know Eric had it?  I was under water!"