We just got back from our vacation to Georgia. We went to Petit Crest Villas in Big Canoe GA. We went there in the summer of 2009 with our friends (the Johnson family) and we decided for a repeat this year. We left on Friday which happened to be Alyssa's 6th birthday and Brian and Amy's 11th anniversary. We celebrated that night at Fuego's Mexican restaurant which is right outside the gates of Big Canoe. Saturday we started the day with getting a pass to the waterpark area and it gave us access to the canoes, paddleboats, pools, and rock slides. All 4 kids love the rock slide which is an overflow area from the lake there in the community. We did the rock slide thing Saturday and Sunday because that was the only time that lifeguards were there since there schools had already started back and it is officially off season there.
Monday we went up to Tennessee near Lookout Mountain and then we drove up to See Rock City and Ruby Falls where Abigail took over the binoculars and loved looking around at what they did for her! We got lots of cute pictures in the rock garden and the caves leading to Ruby Falls. We got a late start and didn't get back to the cabin till around midnight. When we got back we saw a raccoon running off from the trash can and a bunch of our chicken wings were laid out on the railing where he had stripped what meat had been left on the bone. We had to clean up the trash and put the lids back on the cans. We thought about when in 2009 the crows tore through our ziplocs and stole our leftovers we had left at the picnic table. Animals seem to always be after our food around there!
Tuesday we went to a nearby river and let the kids play in the river. Jordan walked up on a water snake and it took them a little while to get back in after the thought of being in the water with snakes crossed their minds. They played for several hours and then we made a grocery store run before we went back to the cabin to grill some supper. We went to the park area and grilled zucchini and porkchops. The kids played ball in the park and we had our laid back picnic.
Wednesday we went to Helen GA and went tubing down the Chattahoochee River. What we didn't know was that the water level was really low and we had to walk the Chattahoochee at lots of places. Brian lost his wedding band while he was pushing his tube across a shallow area and by crazy luck Amy was able to find it resting on the bottom of the river. You could say that Amy saved the marriage! HaHa! Then we had dinner on the river at "The Troll Tavern" and we headed back to the cabin. When we got there something had tore out the trash again and there was one trash bag that had been half pulled through the banister of the walkway. Trash was everywhere and Brandon and Brian picked up all the trash and put it back in the can. What was weird was whatever it was did not like watermelon-they left that laying.
Thursday morning the neighbors told us they watched as 2 bears went through our trash the night before and drug off what they wanted. We were upset we hadn't been there to witness that! We didn't do much of anything on Thursday because a day trip would have been a bit much driving because of the anticipation of following day driving home. We did go out for a 3-4 hour hike around the lake that day and hung around the cabin to watch a movie. Late that evening we went to the park to grill our leftovers and let the kids play in the park. When it was almost dark a little old lady was doing her daily exercise when she asked Brandon and Brian to hang around till she was finished walking because there had been a bear sighting the night before. The guys had to tell her about our trash and they were at our cabin.
Friday we headed home around 10 am. While we were packing the cars our neighbors told us the bears had been back the night before and someone from the villas had picked up our trash already. While we were making trips back and forth to the cars (all the while with the cabin door wide open) we heard Brian calling "Come here! Come here!" in a low, distressed voice. Brandon ran out to find out what was going on and a bear had just ran under the cabin and Brian saw it fleeing. I ran back through the house and hollered something's outside! and the kids followed me to the front deck and we were able to see the bear below the deck out from the cabin. One of the kids squealed and the bear ran a little further and stopped and someone squealed again and it ran on off into the woods. We were all so excited to have the bear for company. We have seen bears off the side of the road in the Gatlinburg area, but we had never had one visit our home! On the way home we stopped in Commerce GA at some outlet mall to pick up a quick gift for a friends' little girl. We ended up finding some awesome end of the season sales and we shopped for several hours. We didn't get home till 6:30 and I didn't get everything unpacked and put up till 8:30.
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| Our little villa 611 |
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| Outside Fuego's on Alyssa's birthday |
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| Abigail preparing for rock slide |
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| Abigail preparing for landing at bottom of slide |
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| Emily and Jordan waiting there turn at rock slide |
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| Everyone but Alyssa meditating |
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| See Rock City Girls! |
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| Me and Abigail posing for picture in Rock City |
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| Outside of Ruby Falls |
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| Walking back up for another turn on the rock slide |
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| Abigail and Alyssa in the Rock Garden path |
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| Girls at the Mushroom Rock |
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| See Rock City BABY! |
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| Rock City Flower Princesses |
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| Swinging Bridge across Rock City |
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| Sitting on the porch of souvenir shop |
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| 3 of our little birdies! |
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| Fat Man Squeeze-Yes we were able to walk through there! |
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| Me and Brandon near Lover's Leap |
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| Emily and Jordan outside Fairyland |
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| Ruby Falls |
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| From here you could see Seven States |
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| Me and Brandon posing in Helen GA |
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| Abi in Helen GA |
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| Abigail resting after an afternoon of playing in the Amicalola River |
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| Amicalola River Explorers |
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| Me and Amy and our 2 little mermaids |
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| Helen GA |
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| Helen GA |
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| Abigails flowers of interest |
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Girls posing in Rock City      |
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