Well,  not every Video goes as you want it to!  Not every trip is sunshine and 70deg.  Not everyone you meet voted for the person you did.  But all things come down to how you want them to be.  I really believe most things are either good or bad depending on how you want to look at them.  

I work with 2000 employees working their butts off building Freightliner Over the road Tractor Trailer trucks.  Class 8-Sleeper cab monster diesel trucks.  From 2 steel beams they piece together axles, brakes, airlines, fuel lines, fuel tanks and Driver cabs and sleepers.  It takes every one of them to do this incredible dance to make it all happen.  Some are proud, some are happy, some are miserable and constant complainers.  They are all paid well above the going rate, and they have opportunity for additional through overtime or even advancement in the company almost every month.

But the difference between the miserable ones and the happy ones is……   They just look at life differently.  In talking with the miserable ones,  nothing in their life is right. They never have enough – Time, Money, Help, heat, A/C. Their co-workers are more problem than help, but they don’t have enough of them to make the job easy.    The happy ones are glad to know they have a vacation day set in the coming weeks.  They love the folks that work with them and share in the work. They are saving money for an early retirement, and are looking forward to this weekends OT paycheck with all that over time money.  Everything about them is the same, except attitude and outlook.

But I try to deal with all of them equally, work with their issues and keep them all safe. (I am the Safety guy).  But It definitely makes me feel sorry for a person who can’t find happiness in just the fact they are alive and have choices.  If I can brighten their day just a little, I give it a try.  If I can get them to smile or chuckle, I have won the lottery!  It is the best kind of day.

Traveling and camping and exploring can be much the same.  We traveled down in to Alabama to check out the  “Unclaimed Baggage Store”

and it was a real bust.  The store was just like any other thrift store except about two to three times the size. And the Prices were two to three times as high.  Nevertheless, I had Akela with me, and we stopped along the way and watched boats and barges along the Tennessee river. Observed a bunch of birds and ducks and egrets or herons.  We even explored an old cemetery.  So the trip was not a waste. We always enjoy the exploration as much as the final destination and the finding of treasure or trash.  My only regret is I did not do any video clips of all these things we did or places we stopped along the way. But I was over psyched about the hype I’d seen about the store.  Therefore, we saved the camera batteries for that!  Oh Well, we’ll look forward to the next trip.

But we went to that store because it was close to our chosen campground at Cloudland Canyon State park in Dade County Georgia. And, I mention Dade County because there is some interesting history about the county. Apparently, it was the first county to succeed from the union during the confederate succession. And it wasn’t until 1945 that they again flew the Stars and Stripes over the County seat courthouse in Trenton, Ga.  So President Harry S. Truman sent a letter to the county welcoming them back into the union. Now with that all in the past, as State Quarters were being minted, the Georgia Quarter has an imprint of the state outline on the back of the quarter.  The Problem is that the Upper Northwest Corner of Georgia, which is Dade County, is cut off the outline of the state.  Maybe there are still some hard feelings about the delayed re-joining of the union.

But Cloudland Canyon was great! There are some fantastic hiking trails around the rim of the canyon with awesome views down into the canyon and waterfalls and great scenery.  If you want to get down into the canyon and right up close to the waterfalls there are great stairways down into those areas.  There are caves to explore if you are experienced and equipped to do free exploring of the caves.  You do need a permit and they are restricted by time as of this writing.  There are many options for camping at Cloudland Canyon: Yurts, Cabins, Primitive (Group), Walk-in (Tent Only), or 2 different RV camp grounds. One is spacious, the other is more parking lot, but better located near the trailheads and interpretive center.

The other great thing about Cloudland Canyon is it is so close to Lockout Mountain, Chattanooga, TN and Rock City.  So it’s a fun place even in the rain.  I had wanted to go to Chattanooga and do a video of that city and its attractions.  So I may have to go back.  The only down side of Cloudland Canyon is it is a little pricey compared to other states and National Forest Campgrounds.  Nevertheless, it seems to be worth it for the great accommodations and features.  I will be back, I’m pretty Sure.

So that’s all for this week, Thanks for stopping by, We hope to see you on the road!

Rick & Akela!