WHITE WATER RAFTING WITH THE FAMILY (PART 1)

Navigator packed and begging to go, destination…Bryson City, North Carolina.

The plan…my wife’s sister's family was driving up from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to meet up with us for the long drive to Bryson City. After meeting up with the family at a local store and a transfer of their two kids to our car, we were off.

Sure they look sweet and innocent now…but you try putting four kids in YOUR car and drive for 8 hours. Ha-ha

We had only been on the road for a few minutes when I looked up and saw a bird flying right at the windshield of my car…

funny part it never veered off course and crashed right into our windshield…what a start…no damage to the windshield, can’t say the same for the bird (R.I.P.)

Once we got on interstate 59, we came across this guy on a bike loaded down with gear.

We ended up following him for sixty miles are so before he turned off, one of the things that make this biker unique was he was missing a leg we never got to see him stop, but I guess as long as he kept his weight shifted to his good leg, he seemed good to go…ride on. (Something tells me this guy has a great story to tell) sorry not a better photo of him, I have to blame the wife on the photo quality…I was driving. Ha-ha.

A quick stop at the Cracker Barrel…Mmm breakfast GOOD!!!


Once we reached Chattanooga Tennessee…traffic…traffic.

Then a quick turn onto a small highway

that snakes its way along the river all the way to Bryson City. (Here are a few photos along the way)

Just in case you’re wondering…we are not stalking the blue Lincoln car in the photos above…its Nancy’s (my wife's sisters) Baby Lincoln, her hubby Jimmy told me if Nancy is a good girl, he will buy her a grown up car next year…Ha-ha. Just kidding Nancy!! truth is Jimmy had just installed a GPS in her car, so i gladly gave them the lead through the mountains.

After about an hour and half of mountain driving we made it to our room at The Relax Inn

in Bryson City.

Here is a little background about the Relax Inn, we were looking for a room on-line in Bryson City (this is where you get on the train that starts your rafting journey)

you have a choice between the Sleep Inn at 110.00 dollars a night and the Relax Inn at 44.00 dollars a night. (Did I mention Bryson is a very small town in the middle of no where?) Hmmm guess which one we picked…you guessed it the wife booked the Relax Inn.

27 rooms total, pool and A/C what more could a person want…

hmmm maybe a pool that did not look like a sess pool,

a A/C that worked

, walls that looked like they had not been repainted in the last 20 years

or maybe little things like a shower only bathroom with the controls hidden behind the shower door

which forced you to stand into the spray of water while you wait the fifteen minutes for the water to get hot..Oh but when it did… it became fireball water…OUCH!!!!! I took many photos of the place but have to admit it does not look to bad in the photos…but trust me this place was bad, not the worse I’ve stayed in but not the best by far, I have to say the lack of AC was the deal breaker for me…we ended up staying one night and checking out the next day, moving down the road to the Sleep Inn the next night.

That night we road around the town a little and ended up taking the kids to eat at Yummi Buffet,

while Nancy and Jimmy went somewhere else to eat (I think it was a barbeque place) great place to eat if you like Chinese food, my family loves it.

Then the kids rejoiced over the meal they had just eaten (flashing their gang signs) before they high tailed it back to the car…

for a fine night sleep at the Relax Inn (hot very hot)

PART TWO COMMING SOON!!!

Big Al