Bears in Blue Ridge | Part 1, Easy Pickens

A Full Decade of SurnameFest

SurnameFest 2023 in Blue Ridge, GA. Photo by Nate via UAS!

How do you stay connected when your family is scattered across the country? Weekly Zoom meetings are an option. A concerted effort to accomplish in-person visits is another. Kristy's family has pursued both approaches, with the latter epitomized by the annual "SurnameFest" gathering (name changed to protect the whimsical). SurnameFest began in 2013 at a rental home in Pigeon Forge, TN and has become a annual, if nomadic, event that has never been never held in the same place twice. (Some suggest that SurnameFest originated years prior in Jackson, MI, but because The Bear and I were not involved, we do not formally recognize this as its inception.) Past gatherings have been held in Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Quebec, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

In 2023, we flew to Blue Ridge, GA to spend a week together in a mountain community. With only three exceptions, Warrior 481 has dutifully carried Kristy, The Bear, and I to our annual convocation. Exceptions were 2013 (Pigeon Forge, TN) when I decided that my brand new instrument rating was not up to the challenge of fatigue and weather conditions, 2016 (Cadillac, MI) when thunderstorms and tornado warnings aborted that flight, and 2020 that simply did not happen because of COVID. In contrast to these examples, the 2023 flight to SurnameFest was pure simplicity.

Cloud Strategy

Date	Aircraft	Route of Flight	Time (hrs)	Total (hrs)
05 Aug 2023	N21481	SDC (Sodus, NY) - I18 (Ravenswood, WV) - JZP (Jasper, GA)	6.2	2696.2

A ragged cloud layer hung low over the Williamson Sodus Airport, but we climbed VFR through sizable gaps over Lake Ontario before turning on course above the clouds and picking up our IFR clearance with Rochester Approach. To some, negotiating the clouds VFR and going IFR in severe clear weather might seem like a backward strategy. However, the clouds north of the airport were truly manageable and did not warrant a phone call to the TRACON for clearance from the ground. Once in cruise, I prefer to be on an instrument plan for multi-state cross countries because it guarantees coordination with air traffic control and simplifies dealing with any clouds encountered along the way.

Level at 8,000 feet, we were treated to a whimsical vista of condensate over New York state.

The Bear providing great fodder for a caption contest.

Do these people look happy? It seems like they do, but I have my eye on the one in the back seat. Maybe she's just annoyed because my other Zulu headset was glitching out at the moment (it has since been repaired and upgraded to a Zulu 3 by Lightspeed) and she had to revert back to the ol' David Clark head clamp.

Flirting with the Ohio River

Owing to a straight-as-an-arrow trajectory southwest, our route crossed the meandering Ohio River multiple times.

"We're in Ohio!"

Minutes later: "We're in West Virginia!"

A few more minutes later: "We're in Ohio again!"

These in-flight announcements were of limited interest to my passengers and, given the striking (if welcome) lack of meowing from Guard Trolls that day, Kristy was left with no one to roll her eyes at but me.

Jackson County Airport (I18) as photographed on 13 August 2023.

We landed at Jackson County Airport (I18) in Ravenswood, West Virginia as a leg-stretching and refueling stop (airport #266). Jackson County's appealing attributes that morning included being halfway to our destination in Georgia, inexpensive self-serve fuel, good instrument approaches in case the weather was poor, and its overall appearance of being a hassle-free facility. We planned for a quick turn.

A large aluminum plant is sited west of runway 04-22 and boasts a substantial stack that must be avoided while flying a left downwind for runway 4. We landed in calm air, rolled to the end of the runway, and parked at the fuel pump. A young woman from the FBO appeared and helped with fueling. We had a quick restroom break in the nicely appointed, lodge-like FBO building before launching from runway 22 to resume our flight to Georgia. Our total time on the ground was less than 30 minutes. Quick turn accomplished!

Legacy of the TVA

Back at 8,000 feet, HAL doggedly toed the magenta line to Georgia while music played on the intercom. I kicked off my shoes and we enjoyed an in-flight lunch of sandwiches and grapes from Wegmans. I still think grapes are the perfect airplane snack: delicious, a modest source of moisture, bite sized, and crumb-free.

Entering Tennessee, we flew over Douglas Lake for the first time. Located east of Knoxville, the massive reservoir was created in the 1940s by the Tennessee Valley Authority and, based on the activity we saw on the water, is obviously a nexus for recreation.

Coincidentally, we flew right over the spot where the SurnameFest tradition really began: Pigeon Forge, TN. Seeing the traffic below revived lingering traffic density PTSD from that experience a decade ago. We have shunned highly populated areas for SurnameFest ever since.

I have often noted that the Great Smoky Mountains, a subset of the so-called Blue Ridge Province, generate their own weather.

That day was no exception as puffs of cumulous coalesced from the air directly over the mountains despite clear skies all around.

We passed the Santeetlah Reservoir in North Carolina, spillways on the dam actively working to adjust water levels. The reservoir is close to Robbinsville, NC where we stayed in 2019.

Closer view of terrifying water slides at the Santeetlah Dam.

Jasper, Georgia

Some thought went into deciding on an airport to base at for the week, though this was partially undone by weather after our arrival (more on that in the next post). Factors considered included proximity to Blue Ridge and ease of use during inclement weather. Initially, I considered Martin Campbell Field (1A3) in Copperhill, TN where we tied-down during the total eclipse of 2017. It is a nice facility, the manager is a great guy, and it is the closest public use airport to Blue Ridge. But it is also surrounded by mountains and rather remote. After being stranded by Enterprise in Plattsburgh, NY and Brunswick, ME in recent years, I wanted to ensure better access to rental cars. Chattanooga has the closest airport with rental cars on the field, but is farther from Blue Ridge than I wanted to park the Warrior. Gilmer County Airport in Ellijay, GA is the next closest to Blue Ridge, but is nonetheless surrounded by higher terrain and has a shorter runway. Pickens County Airport (KJZP), south of Gilmer County, boasted a longer runway, easier approaches with lower terrain, and conversation with airport manager Randy assured a good track record with rental car drop off.

Randy referred me to the local Enterprise office. "Call 'em directly, tell 'em Randy sent ya," he instructed over the phone. 

Pickens County Airport, Jasper, GA.

After clearing the Great Smoky Mountains, we overflew Pickens County Airport (airport # 267) and entered a left downwind for runway 34. The approach end of runway 34 is on a high bluff towering over an apartment complex. As much as living near an airport would absolutely delight me, even I would not have wanted to live in those apartments. I mentally directed a silent apology to the apartment dwellers below the final approach course as our shadow traversed their rooflines.

Once down and stopped at Pickens County (or, as pronounced by the field's AWOS, "Peeeeeekins County"), I realized that it was one of the easiest flights south we had ever managed. All went according to plan, on time, and without any weather to manage. 

Jasper was hot and incredibly humid. Dripping with sweat, I fueled the Warrior, pushed her to a tie-down spot, unloaded the baggage, and wrangled the cover into place. Kristy entered the ramshackle operations building via its long, rocking chair-lined front porch and retrieved the keys to our rental car. Even with Randy's prior assurances about the reliability of the local Enterprise branch, I remained a bit anxious about being stranded until she had keys in hand.

Ta da!

I was surprised by the car: a relatively new and very purple Dodge Charger! The Bear hated it, but it was fun to drive. It handled much like the 1983 Firebird my mother owned while I was learning to drive. Leaving the airport, we made an effort to combat the heat with a stop at the Jasper Culver's for ice cream.

Mountain Abode

Our rental house was in a community just south of Blue Ridge, GA managed by the aptly named Mountain Top Cabin Rentals. Driving north along the highway between Jasper and Blue Ridge, we passed a number of interesting roadside attractions. These included "Expedition Bigfoot: The Sasquatch Museum", the Georgia Pinball Museum, and a billboard for a drugstore that also sold ammunition. "Reload and refill!" proclaimed the latter. At the very least, I thought that the Sasquatch Museum held great potential for kitschy fun, but I was evidently alone in that opinion.

A narrow road twisted and turned precariously up the mountain to our home for the week, evoking comparisons from my family to the Tail of the Dragon. To me, the most challenging part of the drive was the driveway itself. It dropped so abruptly away from the road that it effectively vanished beneath the Charger's ample hood. Over time, I became more comfortable simply aiming between the hillside and the guard rail, trusting that a driveway existed there despite being invisible. It was not unlike flying an instrument approach.

More worrisome was getting the Charger to climb the gravel driveway back to road grade. With trial and error, I discovered that the best way to climb the steep incline was in low gear and with a running start. Without that momentum, the Charger tended to spray gravel everywhere.

The house was a new build and one of the best appointed we have ever rented. The kitchen was outrageously provisioned with plates, bowls, and flatware, enough that it seemed as though we could have gone all week without washing dishes. (We did not attempt that, that would have been crazy.) Each of the five bedrooms had its own bathroom, which was incredibly convenient for everyone.

The Bear was very enthusiastic about the game room. An arcade machine mounted on the wall contained just about every video game from any platform any of us could imagine, even obscure titles like SEGA's Ecco the Dolphin and Adventure from the Atari 2600! It was quite an audiovisual blast from the past.

She looks very comfortable here, but mounting the hammock was a bit touch-and-go.

Perched on the side of the mountain, the house featured four levels of balconies with portions of them screened in and accessed from individual bedrooms. 

I call this, "Two Bears, One with Hat."

Trapped!

Because we were the first to arrive, we ran into Blue Ridge for groceries and pizza for dinner. One of  The Bear's legitimate gripes about the Charger was that the child locks were activated and she had to be released from the car by someone outside.

An impish Bear plans mischief.

SurnameFest Miscellany

Over the years of SurnameFest, I have acquired the role of grill master.

Photo by Stephen.

This year took a bit of an absurdist turn when rain started while I was grilling. I quickly found myself surrounded by umbrellas! The family is nothing if not supportive!

Georgia Menagerie

Loud noises during the night were later revealed to have been a bear ripping open the doors of the wooden garbage can enclosure outside our house. The hungry bear actually dragged the garbage can partway up the mountain before abandoning it. With such a flimsy enclosure, I wondered if our trash was singled out by the bear as easy pickens. Either way, it seemed clear that there were more bears in Blue Ridge than the one we brought with us.

We also encountered some tiny dinosaurs at Cohutta Cove Mini Golf.

"Clever girl."

The Bear and Nate took an opportunity to recreate the Argonath from Lord of the Rings. The only thing lacking was Howard Shore's inspiring score!

Photo by Nate.

Photo by Nate.

Nate captured some drone photos of the group looking perfectly normal and presentable...

Photo by Nate.

...which meant that everything quickly devolved into chaos shortly thereafter.

Overall, we had a great weeklong stay in a very nice house in the beautiful mountains of Blue Ridge, Georgia. During our stay, I was very pleased to complete a book I was reading ("Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" by Giles Milton) and spent minimal time working.

Aeronautical Challenges

Unlike the last two years, I made no side trips with the Warrior during SurnameFest 2023. But that does not mean that the Warrior merely sat at Pickens County Airport for the whole week. When weather conditions took an ugly turn, I managed a little more adventure than I expected.

So much for "easy".