In the Pines

Yesterday, we moved from Chattanooga to Vogel State Park in the north Georgia mountains. This is a relatively small (233 acre) park, the second oldest in the Georgia parks system. But it is extremely well kept and has a devoted league of helpers and volunteers to keep things in good shape. It was built tin 1934 by the CCC and is very proud of that heritage. It has a CCC museum open during the summer. It has a 22 acre lake with paddle boats and a swimming area. The park is open all year long, even in the winter when it snows. They have cabins for rent as well.
They have had several bear sightings in the campground, so we were warned not to leave any food or coolers out. That has Diane concerned but I don't think there's any real danger for us as long as we don't do something stupid.
We had a really nice drive yesterday along route 64 from Cleveland, TN over into NC. It ran along Ocowee Lake and river for miles. With the clear sky and the remaining fall colors around the lake, it was beautiful. I had thought that we would be facing a tougher mountain climb but the river valley goes almost all the way and is an excellent way to get from SW North Carolina to Tennessee and back. Very scenic and there' lots of river activity. White water rafting and float trips. The site of of 1996 Olympic White Water competition is here. I'd like to come back to explore the area some time.
We're here today and tonight and will most likely leave tomorrow to make the next hop on the way back home. At this point, the next destination is Lake Hartwell Recreation Area in South Carolina.