Tennessee Camping

Kennedy, Hooper and I went on a camping trip with my sisters church this past week. Carter, Maggie and Jada were all away at camp. We started the morning off with a train ride in Blue Ridge, GA. The train took us to the town of McCaysville, GA for several hours. We ate lunch, went shopping and went scavenger hunt for Magic Mining Doors (part of the train experience). We had the best time!

Kennedy waiting for the train to depart.

Watching out the window.

The Toccoa River

Corn 

Hooper looking at the scenery

Sweet babies!

We had tickets for an inside car, but were free to move about the whole train ride, so we spent some time on the outside train car.

We made our way to the snack store onboard. 

We got peanut butter crackers and Kennedy sat in the chairs and ate them.

Train selfies!

Crossing the train bridge over the Tocoaa River

This is a Magic Mining Door. Several stores on the map of McCayseville have a special little mining door with a surprise inside if you are the first child of the day to find it! Kennedy found and opened several doors on our trip. She loved this!

Her free Canoli from the Pizza restaurant mining  door!

She got to mine a free bucket of gems at one store.

Feeding the geese off the bridge that separates Georgia and Tennessee.

Coffee break!

Loading back up to head to Blue Ridge

Posing with the train one last time.

Before we headed to our campsite, we stopped by the Whitewater Rafting Center. The damn had been released so the water was just at a trickle. Kennedy had such a great time playing in the Ocoee!

The site of the Olympic Rafting Course on the Toccoa River. It looks very different full of water!

She loves to pose for pictures!

We finally made it to our campsite Sunday night about 7. We got our tent up and settled in for bed. Hooper loves the tent. This is our morning tent selfie! We camped right on the Hiawassee River. The river is beautiful and freezing cold! It is also damn controlled, so in the morning the river would be low and the kids would play. Then by the afternoon the water was up too high and moving too fast for Kennedy to enjoy. So she played in a nearby creek also at our campground. 

Overlooking Lake Ocoee and the Ocoee River. Such a beautiful spot!

Hiking to the waterfall!

Beautiful Benton Falls in the Cherokee National Forest in Reliance, TN

Kennedy played under the falls for hours!

Lunch at the falls with our friends from Journey Church

Looking down from the top of the falls. There is a tiny little red spot at the bottom ( a person) , which will give you an idea how high up we were!

Top of Benton Falls

Hooper holding the hiking stick with me. He was about to fall asleep!

 We headed back the Rafting Center after our waterfall hike so the kids could swim. We swam in some of the blue holes above the center. I didn't get any pics there, the rocks were very slippery and I could barely hold Hooper, much less a phone to take pictures! I did manage one pic from the trail headed back out. The deep blue holes were awesome to swim in. Some of the shallow holes were filled with little rocks- smooth and round from being tumbled over and over by the raging water. It was so awesome to see God's creation here. It blows my mind. I am in awe by His awesomeness when I am at this river. 

The train bridge that goes over and through our camp site. The train only runs on Saturdays though.

The creek near our campsite.

Little cutie I woke up to in the morning!

He tried a chocolate chip cookie for the first time!

The beautiful Hiawassee River