Taking Over Cheaha

This Fourth of July, Odom Family Fun (featuring the Smiley-Faced Dragon) took over Cheaha State Park in the Appalachian foothills of Alabama. This was our first extended trip in the pop-up camper, affectionate dubbed the Smiley-Faced Dragon by our children, since purchasing it in November. It was a leap of faith for us. Neither of us had ever been to Cheaha before. All I had to go on when I booked it was a couple of favorable reviews on-line and the park's tagline: Highest Point in Alabama.

We cruised into the park late Friday afternoon. This made Brittany nervous since the campground sites were first-come-first-served. Admittedly, I was a bit nervous, too. The park ranger who checked us in graciously offered a recommendation. Go to the lower campground, he said, it's much better for families like yours. Great, I thought. All I knew about Cheaha was that there are two campgrounds: one on top of the mountain (called the Upper Campground), and another at the lake 1,000 feet below (called . . . wait for it . . . the Lower Campground). I thanked the nice young park ranger man, got back into the car, and we all headed down the mountain to the Lower Campground.

Oh my goodness. We pulled into the Lower Campground and nearly high tailed it back home. We circled it once, to make sure we were in the right spot. During our second circle, a sleeveless fellow sporting an Alabama Shag (look it up on urbandictionary) approached our car:

Hank Billy: What the heck you think you're doin?

Me: Headed for the Lower Campground. A little camping trip. Headed for the Lower Campground.

Hank Billy: Aintry?!

Me: Sure, this road only runs one way, cap'n, haven't you heard?

Hank Billy: You ain't never gonna get down to the Lower Campground.

Brittany: Well, why not?

Hank Billy: Cause, this road don't go to the Lower Campground. You done took a wrong turn. See, uh, this here road don't go nowhere near Aintry.

Me: Where does it go then?

Hank Billy: Boy, you are a lost one, ain't ya?

You get the picture. Naked babies jostling down the middle of the road, bearded fat men with tats, homemade tents made from Katrina tarps and rope, attack dogs, we even heard the relentless sound of a person repeatedly retching somewhere. I called the park ranger back. "Are you sure the Upper Campground isn't better for us?" "No. No. We're all booked up. You'll love it down there. [click]" We unhitched the pop-up and made the decision to drive by the Upper Campground, just to make sure. If not, we were headed home, first thing in the morning.

Surprise, surprise, the Upper Campground was much better. Clean, spacious, level pads, nice RV's, less Kentucky Waterfalls. Much, much better. The above photo was taken from our pad. Note the deer in the background. We went back down the mountain, got our camper, returned and set it up. We ate at the Cheaha Restaurant on the side of the mountain that night. The view was unbeatable. The food? To be honest, I've had better at Dairy Queen. But that night, it tasted great. We were all so beat.

The next morning we explored the campground. We found a neat playground at the very top of the mountain. The park service must have installed it around the same time the park was founded. People had etched their names in the rusted metal sides, some dated to the 70's. This playground was built back when we didn't care about child safety. The slide (seen above) simply ended on the downward slope. There was no horizontally leveling curve to slow you down. You either landed on your feet at 30 mph, or you landed on your buttocks. After the playground, we climbed to the top of a beautiful stone lookout tower. The sign in front of the building stated that this was the highest point in Alabama: 4,207 feet.

The thing I found most beautiful about the park, beside its elevation in relation to the surrounding countryside, were the huge boulders jutting from the mountain everywhere around us. They made for great entertainment for the kids, better than any toy. They loved climbing all over the rocks. As a matter of fact, directly behind our camping pad were a few rocks, no more than four feet high, that the kids spent hours climbing up and down on. Simple pleasures.

After lunch, we headed to a little country theme park (read: tourist trap) called DeSoto Caverns Park near Childersburg, Alabama. As corny as it seemed -- and it was corny -- the kids had the greatest time ever. The caves were only part of the fun. The owners had set up little side attractions everywhere, from the mundane (goofy golf) to the regionally odd (potty racing). We ran through quarter-acre sized mazes, we shot bows and arrows, we rode the trains, we dug for dinosaur bones, we walked through butterfly gardens, and we panned for gold. The highlight, of course, was the hour-long tour of the caverns. The caves themselves were not too spectacular, but the history behind them was. The cave played an important role for the native Americans, for the civil war, and for the days of prohibition. The kids loved it, and the tour was just short enough that they didn't get cranky.

That night we cooked smores and caught fire flies. The children ran around and laughed and laughed. We had the best of times.

The next day, we hiked out to Bald Rock, which provided another amazing view of the countryside. It was only a half mile, but we made it seem like five. Instead of taking the handicapped accessible boardwalk, we hiked the forest floor below it. The kids made a game of jumping from rock to rock, trying to avoid the ground.

After our hike, we tried swimming in the park pool. The pool was gorgeous, nestled on the very edge of the mountain. Unfortunately, the cool air and the cool water made things unbearable except for the most hearty. The kids swam for about thirty minutes, then we had to go. Below is a picture of the view from the pool. No kidding. That's the Lower Campground down there next to the lake.

After a nap, Hayes and I hiked straight up the mountain through the woods, back to the playground. Britt and Caroline colored while the boys did boy things. We spent the rest of the day at the playground and hanging around the camp site.

Looking back at the 250 plus pictures we took of our weekend, the one aspect that stands out the most is the abject joy in our childrens' faces. Every single one of them, they are laughing, smiling, having the most fun ever. I know now Britt and I are doing something right.

I don't know if we'll go back to Cheaha State Park to camp. The Lower Campground was rough. However, the upper part was beautiful. The weather was unbeatable (63 at night, 85 for a high during the day). Wildlife was everywhere. The kids were so happy. The camper did great. We had a great Fourth of July holiday, and I can't wait for our next big adventure.