The West Point Lake Area

Ron checks out West Point Lake

Ron checks out West Point Lake

We picked the wrong campground!  I had originally planned to book a site at R. Schaefer Heard campground, but a friend of Ron’s had highly recommended Whitetail Ridge.

I can’t imagine why!  There is a reason R. Schaefer Heard is so popular.  It has some gorgeous water vistas… and the water is clean!

Roadside fishing area

Roadside area set aside for fishing

Maybe we can switch campgrounds after the weekend campers leave.

We drove across the dam today and discovered some beautiful recreation sites.   One is simply a place to park and fish.  Another is the trailhead area.  And we didn’t even make it to the large day use area.  We’ll check it out tomorrow.

Another view of the roadside fishing area

Another view of the roadside fishing area

We watched several people fishing from the bank.  No one appeared to be catching anything.  Maybe it is because the wind was brisk and the water was choppy again today?  Wish I knew more about those things!  Surely fish have to eat on windy days!  This area has a reputation for excellent bass fishing.

We took a short walk down the Lakeside Trail, but my energy isn’t back to normal yet, so we didn’t go far.  Maybe we can tackle it again in a couple of days.

Lakeside Trail

Lakeside Trail

We were pretty tired when we got back to our campsite.  But my immediate impression when I saw the little Aliner was, “That is the cutest little camper in the world!”  Glad I still feel that way about it.

 

Tennessee Flooding Affecting Georgia Camping

Whitetail Ridge COE campground on West Point Lake, GA

West Point Lake COE campgrounds

We arrived at the Whitetail Ridge COE campground yesterday.  It’s one of a large number of campgrounds on West Point Lake which was creating by damming the Chattahoochee River.  The black arrow points to our campground.

When we arrived, the gate attendant told us that a lot of trash from the Tennessee flooding had washed down into the lake, and as a result the fishing here was poor.

Our site at Whitetail Ridge COE campground

Our site

There was some trash visible when we first arrived at our site, mostly along the edges of the water.  But as soon as we had set up the camper, I headed out to throw a line in.  Ron and I both fished for a while, but Ron realized it was pointless and moved onto more productive endeavors.  I, being stubborn,  continued fishing for about an hour without a single bite.  I tried again in late afternoon, then again right before dark.  Unfortunately, the gate attendant was right.

Checking out the fishing

Checking out the fishing

The full extent of the trash in the water wasn’t apparent while the tide was coming in.  But when it started receding, there was no denying its impact on the lake.

Tennessee flood trash in Georgia lake

Tennessee flood trash in Georgia lake

Ron wanted to walk around and explore, but I was not feeling well, and didn’t have the energy for hiking.

This morning I woke up really sick — diarrhea, chills and a runny nose.  I made the rounds from lawn chair to the bathroom to the bed for a while, then gave up and went to bed.  I slept until 4:00 p.m. this afternoon.  I don’t feel terribly sick now, just tired and too weak to enjoy being active.

This is not how I planned this camping trip!  🙂

We are hoping to get out and explore the area tomorrow.  If I don’t feel up to hiking, we can drive around and see the sights.

flood trash

Heartbreaking evening view of lake

View from the screen room

Earlier view from the screen room

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