Down By The River...Feat. Emily

So, I decided that I would take big sister Emily on a weekend tour of 2 of my favorite rivers in the South East...The Nantahala and The Ocoee.

After work Friday we loaded up the car and headed out...while acutely aware that I need a bigger car! We hopped on 68 and headed toward 64 to drive into the gorge around twilight. We got the key to our hostel...it was Emily's first time in a hostel and she did quite well! Then we went to Relia's Garden and had dinner with Scotty. Well, kind of. We ate, while Scotty worked. Scott is my big step brother. We had delicious food, and the flowers on our table were beautiful!

After dinner we waited on Scott to finish up his shift and we just set up camp on an isolated picnic table right next to the river. With a cooler full of beer and the iPod speaker, we really tied one on. It was such a great night! I ended it by giving Scott by copy of the new Dave CD.

The next morning we met Scott for breakfast at the Rivers End restaurant. You've got to check these places out if you've never been there. At Rivers End, every table has a river view. It's awesome! After breakfast, we cruised through the outfitters store and then hit the road into Copperhill. We went to few picture spots, and when the rain rolled in we headed to the other end of the river with my friend, Jessica. I took Emily shopping at Miss B's Purple Bus and then we had lunch.

We took Emily to dinner at El Rio, and then just sat around a fire and had some beers. On Sunday, we spent the entire day on the Toccoa. I got a horrible sunburn! I had a waterproof camera, but still need to get it developed!

Here are some pictures from our adventure:

This is a retreat center on Highway 68. They have a few llamas out there. Emily wanted me to take her picture with them...

Me, Scotty, and Emily.
Scotty..excited to have a cell phone again.
Me and Emily.
I'm not really sure what I'm doing with my arm here. It's part cheerleader and part plus-size model. Nonetheless, this is us on the bridge over the Nanty. It is also a part of the AT.
If you've never been, you should check it out:

www.noc.com

www.rollingthunderriverco.com