Personally, I can’t think of a better way to spend a hot summer afternoon than going tubing down the Toccoa River.  It cools you right off and you get the added benefit of enjoying the blissful sights and sounds as you float.  The Toccoa is shallow for the most part, but there are some deep areas.  You will encounter some small rapids and rocks along the way, but tubing is quite suitable for anyone who can swim.  When tubing in the Blue Ridge area you have two basic choices–floating on the Upper Toccoa (above Lake Blue Ridge and the dam) or floating on the Lower Toccoa (below the dam).  The Upper Toccoa’s water level and speed is dependent on the rain in the summer months.  The Lower Toccoa is controlled by the dam’s water releases.  All tubing companies will provide your tube, a life vest and shuttle service.   Reservations are not necessary unless you have a large group.

Shallowford Bridge Tubing claims to be “the best float on the river.”  I don’t know if that’s true, but it’s the only place we’ve tried and our family had a ball.  It is open 7 days a week seasonally from 11-6 and your float costs $9.00.  The trip takes about 1 1/2 hours.  Small children may ride in the same tube as their parents.  Shallowford Bridge Tubing is located right out Aska Road, just across the Shallowford Bridge.  They have new red tubes with yellow trim, handles and a cup holder.  (706) 632-2462.

The Toccoa Valley Campground also rents tubes on the Upper Toccoa.  Open Monday through Saturday, launch hours are between 10AM and 3PM.  The float trip costs $10.  Changing rooms and restrooms are available on site.  All tubes are hot pink and commercially equipped with a bottom and handles.  No coolers are allowed on the Toccoa  Valley floats and children must be 30 lbs or 5 years old to ride.  Children may not ride in their parents’ tubes.  The 6-mile trip takes about 1 1/2 hours when the water is up.  Gina runs the campground and has been in busines for many years.  The TVC is a very family friendly operation.  They have tent and RV hookups; hot showers and clean restrooms; river & creek frontage sites and even a special fishing hole for campers 12 and under and the handicapped.  No alcohol is allowed on the property.  Call Gina at the Toccoa Valley Campground & Tubing Company at (706) 838-4317 for camping information.   Directions:  From the McDonald’s in Blue Ridge, go NE on Hwy 515 to Windy Ridge Rd and turn right.  At the stop light turn left and go past the Ace Hardware to Aska Road.  Turn right onto Aska and travel 11 1/2 miles.  The Toccoa Valley Campground & Tubing Co. will be on your left.

Tubing the Lower Toccoa

As I mentioned earlier, the Lower Toccoa River is a dam-controlled river and the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) releases water as they deem necessary–sometimes daily.  Water levels and speed can change significantly after water is released.  Now, it all depends on what kind of ride you want and who is in your party.  Do you want a lazy river float or do you want a wild swift ride??  Both can be lots of fun.  Before the water is released, the river is shallower and slower.  The tubing companies have no idea when water will be released, so it is a little riskier to tube on the lower end for longer floats, especially if you have young children.

Blue Ridge Mountain Kayaking gives you 4 choices as to the length of your trip down the river.  It all depends on your “put-in” location.  They rent both tubes and kayaks for your enjoyment.  The 1 hour trip is $6; the 2 hr trip is $8 and the 1/2 day trip is $16.  If you have young children, the 1 hour float is ideal.  Blue Ridge Mountain has tiny lifevests for the young ones 3 and up.  They allow children to ride double with their parents.  Coolers are allowed on your ride as long as you don’t bring any glass objects.  We want to keep our river safe and pristine.  BRMK is known to have “Cadillac” tubes–blue and white super comfy, with a mesh bottom and 2 cup holders!  Call the Flanagans at (706) 258-2411 for more information.  Their physical address is 227 W. Tennessee Avenue, Copperhill, TN.  But, don’t worry, it’s only a 15 minute drive from Blue Ridge.  Copperhill, TN and McCaysville, GA are sister cities and the state line running through the grocery store parking lot is the only thing separating the two towns.  Directions:  From the McDonald’s, go north on Hwy 5 for 10.2 miles and turn left at the first stoplight in McCaysville.  That will be Tennessee Ave.

Toccoa River Adventures offers $6 tube floats.  The trip mainly runs by Horseshoe Bend Park.  If you’re lucky, you will see the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway train  pass by and you can wave to all the passengers.  You can get 2 float trips for $10 if you want to go twice.  Tubes for coolers are $6.  Children get tubes with bottoms.  You can rent a double tube, a “Honeymoon Tube” for $12.  Toccoa River Adventures also rents canoes, kayaks, rafts and 1 & 2 man Funyaks.  They eaopen at 10 AM every day during the season and close whenever the last person floats in.  They are located at 340 Toccoa Avenue in McCaysville.  All major credit cards are accepted.  (706) 492-5280

Rolling Thunder River Company, which has been in business since 1977, is located right on the river in downtown McCaysville.  They offer 1.5 mile tube rides for $7.  Snuggle Tubes are $14.  Children must be 5 years of age to float.  If the river is running fast and you want more than a 20 minute float trip, their 3 mile float is perfect.  However, if the river is running stronger than normal, children must be ast least 10 years old to take the 3 mile ride.  Safety first!  Rolling Thunder also rents Funyaks (inflatable kayaks), sit-on-top kayaks and canoes.  They are best known for their white water rafting adventures on the Ocoee and the Nantahala Rivers.  Check out their website at www.RollingThunderCo.com or call (800) 408-7238.

Tips For Tubing

• Wear water shoes, or at least shoes that fit securely to your feet–no flip-flops.
• Take a Zip-lock bag along for valuables.
• A small paddle or just a stick can be handy when pushing away from rocks.
• Wear lots of sunscreen & a hat.
• You may want to bring some rope to tie your tubes together so tht no one gets caught in the brush & left behind.  There are no brakes on these tubes and a strong current can carry you away very quickly.  If you cross under a bridge (like Curtis Switch), be sure to pass thru single file, if tied together.
• Children must keep their life vests on at all times.  Adults should, at the very least, tie their vest to the tube’s handle so it can be grabbed if necessary.
• If you have young children in your party, take the shorter float trips to see how they like it.
• Expect to get wet.  You will probably need to get off your tube & walk it over rocks if the water level is down.  That’s why the shoes are important.
• Expect a strong current.
• Don’t try to go thru the rapids at the big boulders at the bend on Aska Road if you are tubing on your own.  They can be very dangerous, depending on the water level and current.  You can no longer take-out at the boulders.  They are on private property and the owner is very serious about tht.
• Don’t litter.  Keep our rivers clean.
• If you are staying at a Rainbow Cabin, read the Welcome Book and the Guest Book for advice.  All of our cabins are located on either the Toccoa or on Fightingtown Creek and come with tubes and/or kayaks.  The books in the cabins will tell you where to drop off your party so it can float back to the cabin.
• HAVE FUN! 

We discovered a place in Blue Ridge that we will visit every time we go to the North Georgia Mountains.  It’s called Brown’s Feed & Seed.   It is right in the downtown area at 55 Mountain Lane, close to the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway tracks.  Ever since we lost our Irish setter, Molly, we have sort of adopted all the wildlife that comes to our yard.  We live on a heavily wooded lot right on a lake.  I’ve always fed the birds, but recently we’ve had 5 deer and 3 families of Canada Geese.  They are so much fun to watch.  The goslings are about 2 weeks old now and we’re expecting fawns any day now.  At any rate, to make a long story short, we were vacationing in Blue Ridge and decided to search out some cheaper food for all our critters.  We came across Brown’s and were totally amazed.  It is a step back in time for me, as my father used to take me to a very similar store 50 years ago.  Brown’s is an old-fashioned pet store–filled from floor to ceiling in every nook and cranny with every kind of animal you could imagine (except for dogs & cats, that is.)  Of course they sell pet supplies and garden seeds and supplies, but it was the vast array of exotic animals and barnyard fowl that truly fascinated a city girl like me.

         A four foot iguana sits outside the front door to greet everyone.  There are also hens, roosters, chicks, baby turkeys, crested ducks and even a sleek black “Daffy” duck.  I’ve never seen such a variety of colors, sizes,and breeds.  Then there are the hamsters, guinea pigs, lop eared bunnies, ferrets, rats (some hairless-yuk!) and mice.  There is a whole wall of aquariums filled with exotic fish and graceful fantail goldfish.  They have beautiful fighting betas in reds, blues and purples.  We wandered around and met Sunny, the big yellow talking parrot.  A trained rooster was walking around the checkout desk, pecking at a box of feed.  There were parakeets of every color, lovebirds, cockatiels and other rare birds.  Then, Shadow, the old store dog, showed us the snakes–boas, pythons and even baby rattlesnakes.  There is a huge emperor scorpion, turtles, chameleons, skinks, lizards–all the kinds of things that appeal to kids–and to grownups, too.  The variety of hens and roosters was most impressive.  I’ve heard of Rhode Island Reds, but they also had silky white ones, fluffy ones, black & white ones, as well as the traditional red hens we all know.  You name it, Brown’s has it–or they know where to get it for you.

The animals were all well cared for and loved.  It must take a huge staff to clean and feed all of them every day.  The place is pleasantly noisy with the sounds of roosters crowing and baby chicks peeping.  It smells like a barnyard, but that’s to be expected.  We’re just happy that we stumbled upon Brown’s Feed & Seed.  We were guided straight to exactly what we needed for our critters back home.  I promise you, if you have kids or grandkids, you need to take them to Brown’s.  Just make sure they know not to touch any of the animals and don’t let them talk you into buying a bunch of new pets!

John and I spent 4 days at Rainbow Cabins’ WhiteWater this past weekend.  Our daughter and her 8 yr-old son, Ryan, came up for the day on Saturday.  He’s a great kid and just loves going up to Blue Ridge whenever we go.  This time since he was the only grandkid there, I wanted to concentrate on activities he would particularly enjoy.  The weather was clear, with cool nights and warm days–really nice after the tornado scare we had Wednesday night with the raging storms that swept across Alabama and Georgia.

Ryan loved the Hydro Thunder speedboat arcade game at the cabin and he loved exploring Fightingtown Creek, climbing on the big boulders and wading in the icy cold rushing water.  As it was way too cold to go swimming or tubing yet, we hit the road and went on an adventure.  In my research for articles, I had run across a place called The Trout Pond.  It is in nearby Morganton, just up Hwy 515 towards Blairsville.  Ryan, having the attention span of a gnat, is usually not patient enough for normal fishing.  But, at the Trout Pond he got the perfect fishing experience.  It is a Mom & Pop type place.  Howard and Janet have run the business fo 20 years and were so friendly and helpful.  The pond itself is good sized, about 15-25 feet deep and extremely well-stocked with trout.  When we threw in a handful of pellet food, the fish swarmed to the top.  Most are 1 -1/2 to 2 lbs, but we saw some much bigger fish in there.  Ryan actually caught 5 nice ones in about 30 minutes.  He was thrilled.  This place is designed for everyone to have fun and catch fish.  It’s ideal for amateur anglers because The Trout Pond has everything you need right there.  They rent out poles, bait, buckets and pliers.  No license is required.  Their Superbait is neon pink and green and looks like Play Doh.  You must keep and buy all the fish you catch, but they clean them for you for free.  We had a tasty trout dinner that night.  And Ryan had a great story for Show & Tell at school on Monday!

The Trout Pond is only open during the cooler months–October thru May.  Trout are cold water fish and don’t do well in the summer heat in a “still” pond setting.  I’m so sorry we never discovered this place before.  But, we’ll definitely be going back with all the grandkids next fall.  If you have kids, I highly recommend it.  The elderly would also enjoy this excursion.

To reach the Trout Pond, take Hwy 515 north/east past Hwy 60 and keep going until you see Mile Marker 13.  Get in the left lane and start looking for Maple Grove Road.  It’s the first left turn after MM13.  Turn and go to the first gravel road on your right which is Wildlife Trail.  You’ll see the bright yellow sign for The Trout Pond.  They’re open every day during the cool seasons.  Tell them that Rainbow Cabins sent you.

Between Thunderstruck Mountain and Buzzard Roost Ridge, in the shadow of Brasstown Bald, lies a mysterious place known as Track Rock Gap.  Once covered by a great ocean, the gap is now dry land, containing six large soapstone boulders that are covered with over a hundred ancient symbols.  These petroglyphs resemble animal and bird tracks, crosses, circles and human hand and footprints.

No one knows for sure who first made the carvings.  It has been speculated that they could be at least 3,600 years old.  Others believe they were most likely carved during the Woodland Indian era, 1000 BC to 1000 AD.   Jannie Loubser, an expert archaeologist hired by the US Forest Service in 2009, believes that most of the symbols we  see today were carved in the last 1,000 years.  One thing all the historians agree upon is that the carvings were made by Native Americans during repeated visits over a long period of time.  These beautiful, albeit worn, examples of pre-historic Indian occupation are a record of lives lived many years ago, probably by different ethnic groups.

The Cherokee have a number of stories relating to Track Rock and it appears to have been a very important place to them.  They called the gap Datsu’nalsagun’yi, which translates to “where the tracks are” in their language.  It is likely that the Cherokee created at least some of the petroglyphs.  The carvings were made to symbolize both events that occurred in the past and events that would occur in the future.  It is also quite likely that ritual activities occurred here and that Track Rock Gap was a place of power on sacred ground.

The particular type of soft soapstone that the boulders are made of is common to the North Georgia Mountains.  It is soft yet durable.  This makes it easier to carve and efficient to use.  The earliest evidence of the carvings was the result of Native Americans removing pieces of the rock to make bowls.  Soapstone is particularly well suited to cooking, as it holds and radiates heat without breaking up.  Even though soapstone is considered a “soft” rock, it is still rather hard to carve.  It took a lot of time and effort to create these figures and symbols that have endured all these years.

Track Rock Gap Archaeological Area is a 52-acre park listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  You might have driven by it on your way to Brasstown Bald, not even knowing it existed.  This awesome exhibit is very close to the road, open to the public and free of charge.  The site has been totally redesigned and reopened as of January, 2011.  Track Rock is one of the most significant rock art sites in the Southeastern United State.  When planning your trip, try to go in the early morning or in the late afternoon, as the carvings are more easily seen when not viewed with the sun directly overhead.

To reach Track Rock Gap from Blue Ridge, GA, drive east on Hwy 515/76 to nearby Blairsville.  Stay on US 76 east from Blairsville for about 5 miles.  Turn right onto Track Rock Gap Road and go 2 miles.  The site will be on your right.  Park in the gravel lot a short walk away.  This is just one of many day trips that can easily be taken from  our Rainbow Cabins.  Look for future blogs and articles to give you more ideas for interesting family outings.  We want you to get the most fun out of your stay in the North Georgia Mountains.