Good morning world, Ian's journey from his room at 05.45 this morning.

We met at Cherokee Rafting & after a safety briefing from Lance , the expedition leader ( touch of the Oliver Reeds) we set off on a 40 minute bus ride to our put in point.

The Ocoee is split into several sections , today we will be travelling the upper & middle sections.

The weather began overcast , but blossomed into full sun by noon.

We were in a group with another couple " Lyle & Carly " who had rafted this river several times before

Our guide gave the impression that this river was going to be a serious challenge. The water is dam controlled & therefore fairly constant..Unlike most rivers which suffer from high & low water. The rapids offered plenty of face fulls of water, but at no point did we feel we were in serious danger of taking a tumble, unlike Carly who fell in twice & Lyle who tumbled out trying to save her one time.

We were lucky enough to be with Lance , the elder statesman of the company , having joined initially part time, in 1985 when he was a senior at college.
Lances unorthodox approach gave us much amusement , he was a great fan of hitting large boulders head on & ricocheting the raft into the flow, this resulted in us being in the right place on the river with far less rowing.
Carly & Lyle at the front got to see a lot of rocks in close up !

The middle section boasts the "Olympic course " built for the 1996 Summer games. Intended to put Canoes & Kayaks through their paces, the section is a favourite with the rafting companies.
Here was also the place we stopped for an early lunch , plenty of time to watch the other companies negotiate the rapids.

Time for a relaxing dip and float in the cool waters.

Errr hang on a minute ..Where is the guide ?
Lance decided to take a dip himself & leave me in charge of the raft !!!

The water babies enjoyed their float.

Back on terra firma , its time for a trip to the gift shop & back to our cabin for some dry clothes.

Ian & Hollie make fire, this is a highly scientific process..Not just any idiot can do it !

Success !!
I prepared some food to burn on our BBQ, burgers & sausages tonight.

Dr Doolittle feeds the camp chickens with some left over bun.

Well folks a fab day , we are exhausted.

So goodnight one and all with much love xxxxx