Ok..I know it was a 2 day delay, but I got home from my solo trip to the Nantahala River in NC on Wed. and let me say..
I HAD A BLAST!!!

We met up at the school to drop Brad off. When they announced that they were loading up, I suited up and hopped on the bike
and headed off. The first 30 minutes or so were great..until I saw storm clouds on the horizon.
It rained in one form or another for the entire 4 hr ride there. 20 miles away from the Nantahala Outdoor Center, the bike
died on me. A nice, cute cop stopped to help me and after standing and scratching our heads for 10 minutes, she fired right
back up and I was off again. 2 miles later, she quit again. I coasted into a driveway and tried calling Mark...no signal.
So I started thinking logically...If I rested for 10 minutes and she started up, then if I waited it out about 20 minutes or
more, then maybe I could make it to my destination. So I waited. To test my theory, about 5 minutes into waiting I tried to
crank and she fired up, so I turned her off and let her sit. It worked. 20 minutes later I fired her right up and made it the
rest of the way without incident. Of course within 1 mile of the Outdoor Center, the rain stopped, and it didn't rain again for
the rest of my time there.

Day 1 Sunday, they ate lunch and immediately 1/2 went down to the tower..a climbing obstacle course 40 feet high. They had fun
and it was great watching them learn to trust each other. The other 1/2 (Brad's group) went rafting on the rapids.

Day 2 Monday, up at 530 and they did PT, and written tests, ate breakfast (lovingly prepared by my crew and I) and were off to a
full day of work. 1/2 (Brad's group) went to the ropes course. Brad took the 20 ft course which consisted of..up the cargo net
and the slanted logs to the first platform, from the first platform was the rope bridge to the second platform. From the second
platform, it was across the tight rope to the third platform then the rope ladder to the 40 ft tower. They climbed up the tower
to the last platform. They left the course by way of a swing attached to their waist harnesses. They had a blast. Brad loved the
swing. After dinner and cleaning were done, I had time for a short hour ride over into Cherokee. It was exactly what I needed
to cool off after all that cooking and cleaning. Back by 8:00 to direct the cadets who were assigned Cleaning and lunch preparation
for failing to do well on their inspections and tests.

Day 3 Tuesday, Up at 530 again and the same routine. This time Brad's group was off to a 8 mile hike down the Appalachain trail, and
the other group was on the ropes. I decided this was prime time for a bike ride. I took off through Cherokee up 19 into the Great
Smokey Mountains. I saw a sign to the side that said "Great Smokey Mountain Park" so I turned off. I stopped to observe a breathtaking
view at Plott's Ballast. It was beautiful. A little further up I stopped at yet another beautiful overlook. At this point I decided to
go back down into Cherokee because I was already showing over 100 miles since my last fill up and I didn't know how much further it was to
the other side. I stopped in Cherokee to fuel up and this time I went past Nantahala on towards Fontana where I found a beautiful lake
nestled in the middle of the mountains. After a little more sightseeing, I headed back to camp to cook dinner (catfish, steak, and potatos).

Day 4 Up early again, and again same routine. Brad's group is at the towers so I head down to watch and get some great pics of them on
the tower and the swing. Finally around 245 they were given closing lectures and instructions and comments, and the bus loaded up.
I put my stuff with my co-parent/cook to carry home, and I loaded Brad on the back of the bike and home we headed. We stopped once
in Murphy for gas and to slather up with sunblock and made it home with no incident, much dryer and much quicker than the trip up.
My first 4 day, so far away solo ride and I think I covered myself well. I handled all situations with a clear and well thought out
plan and made it through none the worse for the wear and a little more confident than before.