Sorry about not keeping up with the blog-a-day promise. I forget that blogging is reliant on good internet connection, which our latest campground does not have. We are down in a canyon surrounded by North Carolina hills in the Tsali Recreation Area. If you are an avid mountain biker you should come here, there are 40 miles of single track trails running through the hills and alongside Fontana Lake. We are only 10 miles from the Nantahala Outdoor Center, which is paddling mecca for the Eastern United States. We stopped and checked out the scene, which consisted of many good looking hippie chicks. I made the comment "maybe I should get in shape and become a raft guide and I could have a mid-life crisis with one of these paddling chicks!" Kim said "do you really think you could do that?" I said "well, of course you have to consider how much money you would lose in the divorce and if it really would be worth it, but anything can happen." Kim replied "I meant being a raft guide!" "Oh, oh, yeah, uh sure." I said. Luckily Kim decided to take my piggish comment in stride as usual.

We biked all but one of the trails with our road bikes. I busted the right brake handle on my bike and Kim got a flat tire, so we decided to back off a little. It is hard enough to slow my bulk down with two brakes, let alone one. I paddled the Nantahala River while Kim waited for me by the falls to watch me run it. I was the only one on the river and when I approached the falls I could see Kim and a few others waiting to see me run them. Of course I flipped over at the bottom. As I was going over I could only think, "please let me get my roll. Lord don't make me swim in front of my wife and her fellow onlookers!" Luckily I hit the first roll of the season perfectly and avoided an embarrassing swim to shore. We returned to camp to find that we were not the only ones in the camp ground anymore and that the new campers decided that of all the 40 some odd sites that the one right next to us was the most perfect. It didn't take long to find out why the man had occupied the neighbouring site, he was the neighboring kind. "Howdy folks! You been here long? My son and I just hiked the Appalachian Trail for a couple of days." It was a conversational barrage for the next 3 hours or three days for that matter. Scott and little John Paul were very nice though and they epitomized a good father, son relationship.

Well, that is all the mega-exciting news for now. I will hopefully get back to you with some pictures of the Chattooga River soon.

Pictures.

1. you can tell Kim is thrilled about holding up another critter for photography.

2. Kayaker getting munched int "the Thing" on Oceana falls.

3. Kim at Black Rock Mountain State Park in Georgia.

4.Tallulah Gorge in the sunlight.

5. North Carolina hills in the morning