blue berry cake

1 box duncan hines golden butter cake mix
3 eggs
3/4 cup crisco oil
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sugar

Mix all ingredients together and beat for 2 minutes
bake in 3 layers (greased and floured) pans
375 degrees for 15 minutes

frosting
1 8oz cream cheese softened
1 cup sugar
1 stick margarine softened
2 tsp vanilla
1 8 oz coolwhip
1 can blueberry pie filling

beat cream cheese, sugar and margarine until smooth and creamy.
Add vanilla and coolwhip and beat well

On cool layers use 1/3 frosting on each layer
adding 1/3 can of blue berry pie filling to top of each layer and
repeat for each layer

cake must be kept in refrigerator, gets better every day.

Kayaking the Upper Toccoa River

Second trip onto the Toccoa, this time in the Aska Adventure area where the Toccoa river runs into Lake Blue Ridge. Dam release times will have no affect on a trip on this portion of the river, only the natural precipitation that will change the river-scape.

Again, finding information on drop-ins and take-outs is difficult, especially if you do not have two cars and need to find a convenient trip possible with one car and biking between locations. After a bit of investigating and scouting, we found a great trip that we believe that we can still improve upon now that we have a better idea of the area.

Expect more info and map here soon of drop in and out locations.

In summary, we put in a Sandy Bottoms and took out near Tilly Bend. What this equates to is a 6 mile paddle with only an easy 2 mile distance between the put ins and take outs.

Sandy Bottoms is a Forestry Service maintained park that is actually the official end of the 13 mile Toccoa Canoe Trail. It has a $3 parking fee. We dropped the kayaks and gear at this location, and then drove back to Tilly Bend. Here, we parked on a pull-off on the road, then road our bikes back to Sandy Bottoms. There was some uphill sections at the start, all on dirt roads, but was a fairly easy 2 mile ride back. In this general area, we believe we might have used the wrong location to take out, so there might still be a better location that we hope to discover soon.

Immediately from Sandy Bottoms, you will hit class I rapids and shoals for the majority of the trip. The water flow is brisk and we passed many people simply floating down in tubes. We did scrape bottom a few times on the shoals and rapids, but the river level is generally deeper than the lower Toccoa when it is not running dam water. The 6 mile river as it winds through the hills with the blooming wild flowers is also beautiful. You pass few houses till you reach the end and closer to the lake.

There were three notable rapids. The first was a series of shallow water falls that look more intimidating than they really were. The second, which we later found out was a class II+ was a lot of fun, and probably the limit of what our kayaks could do. My first attempt and I was quickly thrown out into a deep washing machine (note - it would have been nice to have been wearing the PFD that was tied to the back of the kayak...). When I finally got to the surface I was lucky to be able to quickly grab the kayak as I was tossed over the second drop over some rocks. The water was moving pretty fast here so it took a while to paddle to the side and get back into the kayak.

Apart from losing my sunglasses, I was no worse for wear. Traci on the other hand looked like a pro and had no issues going down the rapid. We both climbed back up the rocks and did it again. This time we both tipped and I lost my water bottle and Traci lost her sunglasses and hat.

Found hat and water bottle down the river, but sunglasses forever gone.

The last rapid called BFH (you'll know why when you see it) was fun and fast and emptied into the lake. Here we had around a 1 hour lake paddle back to the take-in point. This was OK and afforded us some much needed exercise, but after the fun of the river, I would like a shorter lake paddle - will investigate a closer take out to shorten the lake paddle.

Kayaking the Lower Toccoa River

We finally scouted out out first paddle trip on the new kayaks. There are many resources on kayaking the Toccoa, unfortunately, its very difficult to find and usually only one part of the story. The Toccoa exists before and after Lake Blue Ridge Dam. The Upper Toccoa which releases into Lake Blue Ridge is not dam controlled waters, while the Lower Toccoa that releases from Blue Ridge Dam is dam controlled. There are a few things to consider before planning a trip:

1. Dam release times and how and where that will affect you.
2. Put in and take out locations.
3. Transportation from those locations.

First, dam release times are critical depending on the type of trip you wish to take. If the waters have not been released from the dam into the Toccoa, you will have a much slower trip, the river will be very shallow in parts meaning that you will scrap the bottom every now and again, plus you will need to paddle to reach your destination.

Our first trip down the river from Curtis Switch was without any flow waters. The first mile probably contained some of the most shallow sections, and we both found ourselves stuck on rocks several times. You really need to navigate around the shallows, but there is no avoiding hitting bottom. That said, we had heard it would be a terrible trip without the water flowing to its maximum, but minus a few frustrating moments, it was a very enjoyable trip and a nice learning experience. I would to it again.

To do a Dam Release trip you will need the release information from the TVA, an understanding when this flow will reach your put in, and when the flow will reach your take out.

The TVA published dam releases with around 24 hour notice. To find the release information for the Toccoa:

1. Visit www.tva.org
2. Select Reservoir Info on the left hand side of the page
3. On the Choose a Reservoir drop down, select Blue Ridge
4. Select View Info

Under Releases you'll see the release dates and times. It is only being released for a particular date and time if the generator is set to 1.

For a trip leaving Curtis Switch, you need to wait 3 hours after the release times before putting in. It takes 2 hours for the flow water to reach Curtis Switch, then you want to wait a little bit to ensure they get in front of your kayak, else you'll paddle faster than the release and hit bottom.

With release waters, it took us about one and half hours to reach Horseshoe Bend Park. This was a little bit more than half hour than without the flow waters. The trip is faster, and you wouldn't have to paddle if you didn't wish, but unfortunately, there were very little rapids or excitement. I would prefer to paddle the upper Toccoa in the Aska Adventure area, but still a pleasant trip with nice sights.

Running in Birmingham

While travelling in Birmingham, I have found a great running trail, between two different Marriott branded hotels I have stayed at. The running trail is along the Shades Creek Greenway in Homewood.

The trail has two main entrances, near an exit from Highway 31, and Interstate 65. The trail winds along Lakeshore Drive (it changes name I believe) and a creek, between a soccer part and a shopping center. I've seen people continue running, so I assume it continues somewhere.

Map to Area

Pats Kountry Kitchen

After our afternoon muddy mountain bike ride, Traci and I had built up an appetite. We wanted to go back to Good Fellas, but they were closed, which made for a good opportunity to check out Pats Kountry Kitchen. Southern Food. Filling and how can you go wrong? Well, misspelling country should have been our first sign.

Its was a large diner, but much of it was roped off due to its new Sunday hours and really only being partially open. Another warning sign. Traci ordered Chicken 'n' dumplings, and I ordered some country fried steak. Again, easy southern food and we were not concerned at this point.

The meal quickly went down hill as soon as it arrived. My 'steak' looked and taste like a frozen meat patty with generic breading and a horrible gravy sauce. The veggies were out of a can, and the fried okra was also from the frozen isle. Traci's Chicken and Dumplings were actually good, but the veggies were also out of a can, and the fried squash was also from the packet.

Google Map

Very disappointing, with the only 'highlights' being the biscuits and the Chicken and Dumplings. We should probably give the place another chance one day, but why bother when we love Good Fellas that is even closer. Sorry Pat, learn to spell Country. Its not cool to be Kountry.

Mountain Bike Ride - Tanasi Trails

We were about to head back down to Atlanta, when Dusty called us late Sunday afternoon and asked if we wanted to go for a mountain bike ride. We headed down to Brush Creek trail towards Boydd Gap. We had just done it recently on our Hybrids, but this time we got a chance to borrow some real mountain bikes from Dusty at Raft One.

Since it had been raining all weekend, the trail was covered with puddles and mud, making some of the turns a little dicey. Neither of us could keep up with Dusty and Brent has they screamed in front of us. Instead of doing the 7 mile trail directly to Boydd Gap, the brothers took us along a side track that took us closer to the lake but was still a 7 mile loop. It was an excellent introduction to Mountain Bike riding.

This is the general area

If you are ever in the area and want to rent some bikes and get some advice on which trails are best for your skill level, the guys at Raft One have great information on mountain biking on the Tanasi Trails as well as whitewater rafting on the ocoee.

Banana Oatmeal Raisin Waffles

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup quick-cooking (rolled) oats
• 1 very ripe medium-size banana
• 1 1/2 cups soy milk (NOTE: I didn't have soy milk so I used what I had, fat free milk)
  
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup raisins
• Extra sliced bananas for the top

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s directions.
2. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the oats and toss together.
3. In a separate bowl, mash the banana very well. Add the soy milk, maple syrup, and vegetable oil. You can use a handheld blender to blend everything together; if you don’t have one, mix vigorously with a strong fork until there are very few clumps of banana left.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Fold in the raisins.
5. Let the batter sit for 2 minutes before making the waffles; this allows the oatmeal to get moist and blend with the rest of the batter.
6. Prepare the waffles according to the manufacturer’s directions. Serve with margarine, maple syrup, and sliced bananas on top.

Goodfellas Breakfast

Because of the gloomy weather and uninteresting food options in the cabin, Traci and I trekked down to Good Fellas, maybe a mile or two down the road. We had only been there once before for a late lunch and were impressed. Country dining, but not too country, in fact kinda cool for North Georgia.

I decided on the Hwy 5 omelet. Spinach, mushrooms and feta cheese. Amazing. Side of toast and hash browns completed the meal. Traci had more traditional fare of scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy with hash browns. She was trying for a smaller portion but what arrived was a massive plate of eggs and fried potatoes with another large biscuit and a cup of gravy.

Maybe not healthy, but the breakfast was delicious. Highly recommend the place.

Google Map

April Weekend Cabin Retreat

We finally had the Alpharetta group up to the cabin. I kinda had the day off, but I spent the morning waiting for a call from a customer as I was trying to finish off a project. Did not make for a fun Friday morning. Decided to have a beer at lunch and forget work. Finally the customer called and I was in the all clear.

Gina, Paul, Beka and Charlie arrived during the afternoon. First order of business was for us guys to ride to a nearby school and find my first Geocache. It was a fun short ride and now I am addicted to geocaching. We met the girls at Horseshoe Bend Park for a picnic and some beers and champas. Too buzzed/tired to ride back up the monster hill, so we all went back to Patricks and some pitchers of beer. The girls came back and picked us up and we put the bikes on the hitch.

Relaxing in Horseshoe Bend Park

Riding Bikes in McCaysville

The night concluded with some more drinks, hot tub and table tennis.

On Saturday we tried to have a picnic at Ocoee Whitewater Rafting Center, but there was a race on and we couldn't park (and nearly got lost in the Bermuda Triangle of car parks). We ended up a Mac Beach, further towards the lake. Was a excellent day in the sun. On the way back we found another Geocache in MacCaysville.

Enjoying the sandy beach at MacPoint Park

Geocaching in McCaysville

We met Kat and Vince back at the Cabin. Some more good food and drinks with some table tennis challenges. The night did contain the first ever high dive bean bag dive. Concluded the night in the hot tub where we did find the perfect temp even for hot summer days (around 98F).

On Sunday we all went for an Ocoee whitewater rafting trip with Dusty from Raft One. It was an excellent day that included some rock/raft sliding into the cold river waters. Lots of fun even if the cold waters took your breath away, and then you still had to fight the currents to swim back to the rock. Repeat.

Rafting on the Middle Ocoee River

We ended the tiring weekend by chilling in the sun and shade. Excellent company, excellent weekend.

Ocoee White Water Rafting

Second Weekend of April. Spring is here. Last weekend was 75 degrees and beautiful. Last Tuesday it dropped below freezing and snowed. Today we went white water rafting anyway.

We have had our cabin now almost 4 months and have really been looking foward to doing some white water rafting. Last weekend we saw rafters and decided that it was time to try it out. I found some websites and started doing research because I always like being well prepared.

We found a company http://www.raft1.com/ and spoke to Dusty. He was so nice and helpful. He assured us that we would not be cold. Last night there were some crazy storms, tornado warnings and power outages. I was afriad it was going to rain out our trip. This morning we got up, had breakfast, and saw the clouds and wind. We were beginning to get worried and Dusty emailed us and told us if we still wanted to go we would have a great time because the water was higher than normal. We chose to go. We knew we would be cold, but figured we could just come back to the cabin and jump in the hot tub to warm up.

We headed up, geared up, and jumped in the van for the short ride to the put in point.

The trip was so amazing. Dusty did great to keep us entertained, educated us on the river, the rocks, the area (He even told us a great place to go one morning and see some deer and BEAR. Yes I said BEAR! I think Rod is going to make me get up at the break of dawn to try it)

I never got cold. I mean if I had fell off the raft and tried to swim, I would have probably been really cold, but just the water that was spilling into the raft was fine. We were using enough energy and adrenalin that we were never cold. I didnt have a watch, but we were on the water a long time. We even stopped and took a hike up a waterfall. It was beautiful.

I look forward to doing it again in weeks to come when the weather is warmer and we can wear our swimsuites. Jumping off the raft to cool off will be great.