Spike Goes on an Adventure

For a few years, our adventures had been limited to Red, the Judge and me. Spike never had the opportunity to go with us. Spike is Red’s cousin and a distant cousin of the Judge. This was her first trip with us.

Every day or two Spike asked, “Where are we going?” She had to learn the drill. “It’s a secret.”  It’s called “destination unknown” for a reason. I tell the girls when we’re leaving, an approximate time for return, their portion of the cost, and what to pack on our adventure. I also give a general itinerary laced with a few hints without divulging locations or activities. In order to expand their horizons, there is usually an activity they wouldn’t do otherwise.

This trip KaKa, Maud, and Viv went with us. We loaded up and headed east. My Jeep seems to have a homing device that goes toward the mountains. About 40 minutes into the drive, I turned onto a little road that wound through the hills and farms that dotted the countryside. It seems an unlikely place for a restaurant, but we found it as advertised on the side of the road. We ate, talked and laughed before heading off again. It wasn’t long before we arrived at our destination. The curvy driveway was up a steep hill. We got settled in before going to supper. 

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The next morning after breakfast, we started out for a day of adventure. It seems the girls have an attraction to bears. We hoped we would see a bear on our trip. Well, we were driving down the road, and I caught sight of a little bundle of fur rolling down the steep bank. I slammed on my brakes. It was a baby bear. It scrambled up the bank, but the little guy kept rolling down because it was too steep. Soon it turned and ran across the road to the other side.

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Our first stop was Tallulah Gorge State Park. We hiked down the trail a bit and decided there would be just enough time to walk to the bottom. Boy, that was a mistake! Red and Spike decided not to make the downhill hike. They knew what went down had to come back up. They sat on a bench along the path and waited. The rest of us went down, down, down. We checked the time. Uh-oh, time to go. We went up, up, up. The more we climbed, the slower we got and the more we huffed and puffed. The Judge decided to crawl up the flights of steps.  I wondered if we would have to call the rescue squad to fetch her out of the canyon. We finally made it with the help of KaKa going back to encourage the Judge along. We headed to our next adventure. 

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We had a few minutes to spare so stopped at Old Sautee Store. We had the best cheese, crackers and homemade root beer while we looked at all the old farm implements displayed on the walls and counters in the old country story. A few minutes after leaving the store, I pulled into a parking lot. The sign said, “Winery.” I drove beyond and pulled into a gravel lot, parked and got out of the car. A big sign read, “Zipline.”  The Judge grinned at me. Red and Spike got out of the vehicle they were in, and they both looked at me and shot me with daggers. Spike said, “We’re NOT going to zipline, are we?” My response was, “Yep, you are.” I thought, “She’ll never go on another adventure with us,” and I wasn’t so sure Red would either. The Judge and my other companions thought it was a great idea.

We got our harnesses and equipment on, climbed into a beat-up miniature bus and headed up a rutted red trail. At our first platform we got our instructions and climbed the ladder. There were still some evil looks at me, but no one dared to retreat. By the second zip, Red relaxed a bit and even laid out midway through the flight. Spike still wasn’t too sure about it. After the last platform, we decided we would take the Big Zip Intimidator that’s half a mile long. Red was game, and Spike only consented because she knew Red wouldn’t leave her behind. Well that was it! Spike spread eagle and flew through the air like she had done that all of her life. She was hooked! 

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I’m proud to say that Spike had a great adventure. She has even gone on other adventures with us. Now she wants to know when we’re going ziplining again and asks, “Where are we going next,” to which I respond, “It’s a secret!” 

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