Cheaha (SP) 9/26/22 - 9/30/22 (#14) - Part 1

This is part 1 of our 14th camping trip. We had reservations at 4 different parks (AL, TN, MS, AL) for a total of 14 days camping. Our longest trip yet. Unfortunately our best friend, Nelly got sick a couple of weeks before the trip. As we watched her decline we thought we would be able to make it to at least this 1st stop w/her & then planned on cancelling the remaining 3 parks, go home & spend the time with her that she had left. But, she lost ground VERY fast & knew she wasn't in any shape to enjoy the trip. We made the hard decision to not have her suffer. We had her put down on Monday, September 19th, 2022. 

We begrudgingly decided to go ahead with the trip. Needless to say, it was not as enjoyable as we wanted it to be but thought that going 'on' with life was the best decision for us.

Cheaha SP in Delta, AL had been on our list for quite a while. Finally got reservations at a FHU site #33 for 4 nights. It was about 5 hours from the farm.

The site was a pull through in the Upper (less crowded) CG which backed up to a wooded area. 

This park is at Alabama's highest peak (2400'). Very cool temps at night but warmed up to the upper 70s/low 80s during the day. Beautiful weather, actually. It was very windy all 4 days, which made it feel a bit cool all day. It calmed down enough at night to have a campfire but that was about it. 

We had neighbors come in the 2nd day. A group of 5 or 6 guys that were obviously going to be going to Talladega Motor Speedway for a race the upcoming weekend. They brought enough firewood, food & beer to last a few weeks. They kept a fire going all . day . & . all . night . long. They weren't that obnoxious but did get a little loud as the evenings progressed. You can only imagine why. They probably had to make an extra beer run during their stay. Their ages spanned from about 25 - 60 so their taste in music varied but wasn't bad or very loud.

Before we left, we had been watching what direction hurricane Ian was headed. It looked like it was going to hit S FL & skirt the coast of Jax but we still wanted to keep up with what it was doing. But, we had NO local TV or cell service at the campsite. We had to drive down to the park office (about 1.5 miles) to check emails or make calls to see if everyone was ok from the hurricane. Everything & everyone was safe which eased our anxiety.

Here are a couple of pics of the campsite:

Notice the new addition:

We had burned a lot of fuel on the way there & was down to a 1/4 tank. Our custom is to ride around the area but didn't feel comfortable doing that w/o a full tank. So, we drove into Oxford (20 mi) to refuel & drove the area for some pretty scenery. We also took one small hike (1.5m) to Bald Rock lookout. My small camera ran out of memory so no pics but it was a beautiful view. We just weren't up to hiking & exploring as much w/o Nell.

We went to the lookout tower & walked the stairs to the top. No pics from there since the windows were grainy.

Statue of CCC worker

The last night we drove down to the Vista Cliffside (used to be a restaurant but only open for special events now) to watch the beautiful sunset.

So did a lot of other people. Some were from the CG, others from the hotel on site & others there for day use.

We missed Nelly terribly but both of us agreed that this wouldn't have been one of her favorite campsites. We did meet a very nice couple from Clearwater, FL (Don & Kim) with 2 very sweet pups - Lady & Bruno, both rescues.

Meeting pups kind of became the theme of this trip.....

RIP Nelly - A Tribute to the Sweetest Dog on Earth

She came into our lives when we didn't know we needed her. But, I believe with all my heart that she knew we did. She wondered up to our GA house in 2016, on a cold Jan. afternoon barely able to walk & weighed under 2 lbs. You can read about the start of our lives together here: Nelly finding us. 

She was a good companion in every way, a great guard dog & protected me every time she felt I might be in trouble. A very serious pup & only acted silly or showed excitement for a few things:

Eating, going for farm dog rides in the Kawasaki Mule, walking w/me, getting really excited when Dad came home, rides in the car/truck, camping, grandma feeding her cheerios & most of all following me around (my shadow).

Things she didn't like:

Strangers coming in the house, the doorbell, anyone working outside w/power equipment (especially blowers on the patio).

She was fed twice a day. In the mornings she was given wet food, usually after our walk & dry food in the evenings at cocktail hour. She always got very excited at meal times but especially the evening meal. Once I opened the freezer & she heard the ice drop in the glass she would hop around & whine & have this funny grunt until I placed the bowl in front of her.

She also loved treats from Greg. He always, always kept a bite or 2 of his meal to give her after we finished eating. She knew it & would wait patiently for him to finish & then do that hopping & grunting until he gave it to her. He is still doing that & with a sigh, throws the bits of food away.

When I first brought her home my In-laws lived up the street from us & we would stop by their house on the way home from our morning walk. They were usually eating breakfast & my MIL would give her a few cheerios.  She came to love Grandma & was the only person she never barked at, once she realized who it was.

She also loved to strip a stick, eat the bark & the occasional goose poop. We attributed both of these to her survival before she found us.

Riding in the Mule was one of her absolute favorite things to do. She would hear Greg crank it up, get very excited & run to the back door. I would put her in the front seat with us & off we would go to ride the property, the dirt roads, the commercial fields of produce, etc.

She was a great traveller, whether it be in the backseat of Greg's truck or the front seat of my car. She always wore her travel vest & was seat belted. A few of her favorite places.

We would go to quilt retreats (she was the official mascot). Here she is being held by me & a few of my quilting friends:

Our house in GA:

And, of course camping. 

She also loved her Dad & he loved her. A quote from Greg ... "That little girl stole my heart!"

She loved it all. Of course, I think she was happy as long as she was with me.

She had many names & would answer to any of them: Nelly, Nelly Girl, Nell, Nell Mell, Melly, Melly Girl, Sweet Pete, Pete, The Nell, Baby Girl, Sweety Girl & probably a few more. 

I have had many pets over my life but I have never felt the love like I did w/Nell. She would look endearlingly at me & always wanted to be right by my side. If I left the room, she would get up & follow me to where ever I was .... the sewing room, the bathroom, the shower etc. If I lay down on the sofa for a nap she would beg to be picked up & laid behind my knees while I napped. Some pics of the 'look':

I was only away from her twice. The last time was the longest (5 days), just a few weeks before she passed. When I came home she didn't jump up & down, instead she looked up from the couch where Greg had put her & her ears went back & she started wagging her tail. I picked her up & I don't think her tail stopped wagging for an hour.

A few weeks ago I noticed that she had gained a bit of weight. I attributed it to us not going on our walks as often. We went for a walk the next morning & I noticed she was having trouble pooing & didn't seem to enjoy the walk as much as before. That went on for a couple of days. She had been in for a checkup in May & all was well at that time. I made her a vet appointment for Friday, thinking that she might have some kind of blockage. When I picked her up they said she had a mass, most likely on her spleen & it was probably pressing on her other organs which was cauing the constipation. She would need an Ultrasound to confirm whether it had spread or was just a mass that could be removed. I vigorously prayed that it was a benign mass & made the appt. for that for the following Monday. She acted normal all weekend but became very lethargic. Still following around me but moving much slower.

On Monday I took her in for the Ultrasound. The Dr. delivered the bad news that it was a very large fast growing cancer & it had already spread to her liver & would start affecting other organs as well. Operating was not an option. He told us that she only had, at the most, a few weeks left, if that long.

Each day after that we noticed a decline in her health. She was still happy to eat (in very small amounts) & follow me around but without as much gusto as was her custom. 

The Wednesday after her diagnosis was my last full 'normal' day with her. She jumped around for meals, got excited when Dad came home & followed me around all day. This pic was taken that night:

The next day she didn't follow me when I left the room. 

We thought that she might not have much time left & decided to head to GA so she could go for a last Mule ride. We took her over to my MIL to say goodbye, just in case. We got to GA & in the late afternoon we took her for a last ride. She didn't enjoy it as much as in the past. We had to put her bed in the seat because by this time we could tell she was uncomfortable. 

That night she had a very very restless night like she couldn't get comfortable in the bed. She finally fell asleep & slept hard, not hardly even waking up when I laid down beside her several times, the next morning.

The Dr. had told us distress signs to look for (panting being one of them) & that we would know when it was time to let her go. She would get distressed when she excerted too much energy. But recovered quickly after each time. By this time, too much energy was as simple as walking out to go to the bathroom. So I started carrying her outside. We decided to head back to Jax to be closer to the vet, just in case she got worse. 

We didn't want her to suffer. I will admit that I prayed very hard, that if it was her time to go, that she go in her sleep. Of all the animals we've had we never had to have one 'put down'.

We got back to Jax on Friday & when I put her down for a drink of water, she fell & had an 'episode' where she couldn't get back on her feet. I picked her up & held her for a long time & she regained composure. She continued to decline over the weekend. By Sunday night she would just sit in one spot & lean against the chest by her living room bed.

I had read an article about knowing when the time was right to make that horrible decision. It said to list 5 things that she loved the most & 2 things that she hated. When she didn't love the things on the list & when the hated things didn't bother her anymore then decide.

She wouldn't eat Sunday night & wasn't following me around & she didn't enjoy the farm dog ride, didn't want to go for a walk, or anything else for that matter. We decided on Monday, September 19, that it was time ..... IT WAS THE HARDEST DECISION WE HAVE EVER HAD TO MAKE.

She was the best dog I could have ever asked for. The bond we had was so heartfelt & I have never grieved a pet like this. I think it was because she was our first really small dog & the first that lived inside w/us. So unless I went on an errand she was with me (literally by my side) 24/7. I miss her terribly.

I miss the mundane part of our life. The routine & overall responsibility of her are two things that I am having the hardest time dealing with. I still wait to hear the scratch at the back door if I go outside w/o her, or see her peak around the shower door or toilet. Of her being underneath my stool when I'm putting makeup on. Of taking her out to pee one last time at night then coming in & washing her feet before putting her in the bed. Of her being in bed keeping me warm & keeping Greg up.

I just . miss . her. Love you forever my sweetest bestest baby girl. You will always be in my heart. Please wait for us at the gate so we can spend eternity together.

Lancaster, SC & Lake Santeetlah, NC 8/15/22 - 8/20/22 (No camping)

My friend Debbie, invited me to come to SC for a couple of days & then on to NC for the rest of the week. I left Nelly with Greg for the week & headed out on Monday morning.

I arrived at Fox Trot Farm on Monday afternoon, relaxed with a drink (or two) & then dinner. We got up early the next morning to go to a 'Sew Day' she organizes once a month. It's held at The Homeplace Bed & Breakfast which is the same place where the annual Featherweight retreat is held. I didn't feel the need to pack up my sewing room so I just took a small baby quilt that I needed to finish. I saw many old friends from the retreat & met a few new ones as well.

We got up the next morning & drove to Bob & Debbie's lake house on Lake Santeetlah a few miles from Robbinsville, NC. On the way up we had lunch at a fantastic Tavern in Landrum, SC /  The Hare & Hound. Loved the atmosphere & I have to say it was one of the best Reuben sandwiches I've ever had. 

We made a few more stops along the way & got to the lakehouse around 6:00p. 

Her husband Bob was waiting on us & after we got unloaded, we had dinner/drinks & overall, a relaxing evening. This is the view from my suite on the bottom floor which was the original cabin.

The next morning, after a great breakfast, Debbie dropped Bob & I at the marina to get the pontoon boat & she went to town for a few provisions. Here's a pic of the marina building It is timber framed, made with wood beams & timbers from old tobacco barns. It's a beautiful structure.

Here are a couple of shots as we made our way back to the house.

You can read all about the lake in the above link but it is basically a private/pristine lake with very few buildings/homes. The majority of shoreline is surrounded by The Nantahala National Forest. With the exception of a small condo unit at the Marina (where the old lodge once stood), no additional structures will be built on the lake. There is a National Forest Campground, Cheoha, as well as several primitive spots spread around.

The next day we drove around & visited a few sites including a stop at Wherloom Honey Store. I brought home a few cans of mead & a few small jars of honey. We then had a delicious late lunch / early dinner at Tapoco Lodge which is home base to adventure seeking people including canoeing, rafting & the more popular - motorcyle riding. There is a very famous road near there (at least it's famous with adventurous drivers of both bikes & sports cars, but mostly bikes) - The Tail of the Dragon. Here are a couple pics of a tree in Deals Gap that is called the tree of shame. 

As you can see it's a whole bunch of bikes that didn't make it. Here are few more pics from around town.

318 turns in 11 miles!

Looks like it would be a fun town to hang out, as long as you didn't have to drive the road again, after hanging out.

Overall, it was a fabulous getaway & so nice to catch up with my friend.

I left fairly early on Saturday & stopped in GA to drop off the quilt I finished. My original plan was to head to the farm but decided to continue on back to Jax. It was a long 9.5 hour day but so worth it to get home to see Greg & Nelly after five long days. I slept well on Sat. night!

Next trip coming up at the end of September beginning of October......