Helen, GA (USA)

I surprised everyone today by taking them to Helen for rafting on the Chattahoochie River. Some friends at work had highly recommended that we visit - and I agree with everything they told me. On the way, we stopped in the town where the Cabbage Patch kids originated (Cleveland, GA) and I bought the kids souvenirs at the Babyland General Hospital (1300).  Once reaching Helen itself, we ate some lunch at a quaint German restaurant (the town has a lot of German stuff) and the kids tried (and liked) Wienerschnitzel. After that, we got our rafts and took a bus up to the headwaters. Mollie and I were tethered together all day - she liked it and kept saying "Chattahoochie." I thought I might lose her once or twice, but we made it okay. The highlight was when Nicky fell off her tube at the end of the day... After the tubing, we changed clothes and walked around the town of Helen, buying souvenirs and enjoying the ambiance. We even took a carriage ride (it went badly, since the horse got spooked - Nicky freaked out...). We were driving home and must have run over a big chunk of metal from something - our tire blew out on the Interstate. Luckily, we have a good roadside assist - they helped me change the tire within inches of the roadway.