Blue Hole Summer 2020 Roadtrip Diary

Here's a final update for my 2020 journeys up to Tennessee and to Blue Hole!

Dates Plans Comments

June 9-10 Tuesday and Wednesday roadtrip made! This was a surprisingly good visit considering the wet forecast, and the water was comfortable at 77-81F. Photos and videos are now posted in this public gallery on Facebook! It was cool to see Jake "the Snake" and some compadres, plus Brian and Hannah on Wednesday, and new faces David, Justin, Heaven and Haley on Tuesday.
My running Youtube playlist for 2020 is now located here!

Friday June 19 One-day Friday visit made! Despite highs at or below 80F (and overnight lows in the lower 50s) in mid-June, this ended up being a really good -- if quick -- visit. Great to see Cage again, and -- for the first time in two years -- David Jennings. Just a few photos of those two gents are here on Facebook.

Tuesday and Wednesday, June 23-24 Went up Tuesday but decided to return home that night This was a better visit weather-wise than the forecast had indicated aside from one downpour. Still, after slipping on the rocks and getting water into my "waterproof" Seawags bag that luckily didn't kill my phone, I decided to head home and not tempt fate for a third "strike."

July 2-3, 2020 "Added" Thursday and Friday roadtrip made! This was a fun trip although the Friday (my defacto holiday) ended up being clousier and rainier than forecasted. Not too many photos since I'd been planning on getting video on Friday and there was not too much sunlight. I've posted my early July gallery on Facebook here.

July 14 and 15, 2020 Tuesday and Wednesday roadtrip made! Awesome weather and nice warm water both days (81-85F) made this a great visit. It was great to see Randy, Noah and family there on Wednesday and made quite a few new friends like Nelson, Caleb, "Skeeter" and others. Photos and videos are now posted in this public Facebook gallery and the videos are also posted in my 2020 Blue Hole playlist on YouTube! Fun times, great weather, great people!

July 21-22, 2020 Tuesday and Wednesday roadtrip made! Despite some intermittent storms this was a good visit, and my friend Jason's first visit up to Blue Hole in two years. One photo and two videos are now posted in a public Facebook gallery here and the videos have been added to my 2020 playlist on YouTube!

August 4-5, 2020 Tuesday and Wednesday roadtrip made! Water was running maybe 6 inches higher than in previous visits and was accordingly somewhat colder, 77.7F on Tuesday and 78.3F on Wednesday, at peak. We also had some rain on Wednesday and lots of cloud cover both days. Still, this was a fun visit and it was great to see "Skeeter" and his extended crew, Abner and family, and Cage and Charles again, and to meet several folks including River, Jackson and Lake on Tuesday and Caleb on Wednesday.
I was trying out my just-received GoPro Hero5 Black camera. A few photos (taken with a Fuji FinePix underwater cam) and five videos -- now in HD or 4K or something -- are now posted in a public Facebook gallery here and the videos have been added to my 2020 playlist on YouTube!

August 18-19, 2020 Tuesday and Wednesday roadtrip made The river was flowing about 5" higher than normal summertime flow and was cool, at around 78F. Still, Tuesday remained sunny and was a good day. Wednesday saw storms move in so I left a bit early.
Videos and photo(s) from Wednesday are located here on Facebook, featuring Chase Ogles, who I'd met up there last year. He was home on leave from the Marine Corps. Semper Fi! I've also added the videos to my 2020 playlist on YouTube. No videos from Tuesday, alas, as both GoPro batteries were dead.

August 25-26, 2020 Tuesday scrapped, one-day Wednesday roadtrip made TVA stated on their website they were testing the sluice gates at Ocoee #3 on Tuesday from 7 am to 4 pm, so I decided not to come up on Tuesday and I just made a rare one-day visit on Wednesday. Water was running even higher than in previous weeks and ranged from 77-80F, a bit cool. There was abundant sunshine, though, and it never rained there although it did rain to the south and west. Great to meet Zack, Chris and Carla and also some Atlanta folks with a lot of friends in common with me: Katrina, Colba and Devon.
I've finally posted photos and videos to Facebook here and also to the 2020 Blue Hole playlist on YouTube.

September 3, 2020 Left and headed home at 6 pm on Thursday since TVA raised the water-level too high while we were there (!) Some photos of the river flow "before" and "after" the extra 500 cubic ft/sec got to the Blue Hole section -- along with some folks who were there -- are posted here on Facebook.

September 7-8, 2020 Unusual Monday and Tuesday visit made! I brought my friend Paul D. from Chicago (by way of Florida, which partially explains his tan) to Blue Hole for his first-ever visit. He really enjoyed it aside from some cool water temps in the morning due to very dry air, and overnight lows in the lower 60s.
I've added the videos (mostly including Paul D.) to my 2020 Blue Hole playlist.
Photos and videos are now posted here on Facebook.

Dates	Plans	Comments
June 9-10	Tuesday and Wednesday roadtrip made!	This was a surprisingly good visit considering the wet forecast, and the water was comfortable at 77-81F. Photos and videos are now posted in this public gallery on Facebook! It was cool to see Jake "the Snake" and some compadres, plus Brian and Hannah on Wednesday, and new faces David, Justin, Heaven and Haley on Tuesday. My running Youtube playlist for 2020 is now located here!
Friday June 19	One-day Friday visit made!	Despite highs at or below 80F (and overnight lows in the lower 50s) in mid-June, this ended up being a really good -- if quick -- visit. Great to see Cage again, and -- for the first time in two years -- David Jennings. Just a few photos of those two gents are here on Facebook.
Tuesday and Wednesday, June 23-24	Went up Tuesday but decided to return home that night	This was a better visit weather-wise than the forecast had indicated aside from one downpour. Still, after slipping on the rocks and getting water into my "waterproof" Seawags bag that luckily didn't kill my phone, I decided to head home and not tempt fate for a third "strike."
July 2-3, 2020	"Added" Thursday and Friday roadtrip made!	This was a fun trip although the Friday (my defacto holiday) ended up being clousier and rainier than forecasted. Not too many photos since I'd been planning on getting video on Friday and there was not too much sunlight. I've posted my early July gallery on Facebook here.
July 14 and 15, 2020	Tuesday and Wednesday roadtrip made!	Awesome weather and nice warm water both days (81-85F) made this a great visit. It was great to see Randy, Noah and family there on Wednesday and made quite a few new friends like Nelson, Caleb, "Skeeter" and others. Photos and videos are now posted in this public Facebook gallery and the videos are also posted in my 2020 Blue Hole playlist on YouTube! Fun times, great weather, great people!
July 21-22, 2020	Tuesday and Wednesday roadtrip made!	Despite some intermittent storms this was a good visit, and my friend Jason's first visit up to Blue Hole in two years. One photo and two videos are now posted in a public Facebook gallery here and the videos have been added to my 2020 playlist on YouTube!
August 4-5, 2020	Tuesday and Wednesday roadtrip made!	Water was running maybe 6 inches higher than in previous visits and was accordingly somewhat colder, 77.7F on Tuesday and 78.3F on Wednesday, at peak. We also had some rain on Wednesday and lots of cloud cover both days. Still, this was a fun visit and it was great to see "Skeeter" and his extended crew, Abner and family, and Cage and Charles again, and to meet several folks including River, Jackson and Lake on Tuesday and Caleb on Wednesday. I was trying out my just-received GoPro Hero5 Black camera. A few photos (taken with a Fuji FinePix underwater cam) and five videos -- now in HD or 4K or something -- are now posted in a public Facebook gallery here and the videos have been added to my 2020 playlist on YouTube!
August 18-19, 2020	Tuesday and Wednesday roadtrip made	The river was flowing about 5" higher than normal summertime flow and was cool, at around 78F. Still, Tuesday remained sunny and was a good day. Wednesday saw storms move in so I left a bit early. Videos and photo(s) from Wednesday are located here on Facebook, featuring Chase Ogles, who I'd met up there last year. He was home on leave from the Marine Corps. Semper Fi! I've also added the videos to my 2020 playlist on YouTube. No videos from Tuesday, alas, as both GoPro batteries were dead.
August 25-26, 2020	Tuesday scrapped, one-day Wednesday roadtrip made	TVA stated on their website they were testing the sluice gates at Ocoee #3 on Tuesday from 7 am to 4 pm, so I decided not to come up on Tuesday and I just made a rare one-day visit on Wednesday. Water was running even higher than in previous weeks and ranged from 77-80F, a bit cool. There was abundant sunshine, though, and it never rained there although it did rain to the south and west. Great to meet Zack, Chris and Carla and also some Atlanta folks with a lot of friends in common with me: Katrina, Colba and Devon. I've finally posted photos and videos to Facebook here and also to the 2020 Blue Hole playlist on YouTube.
September 3, 2020	Left and headed home at 6 pm on Thursday since TVA raised the water-level too high while we were there (!)	Some photos of the river flow "before" and "after" the extra 500 cubic ft/sec got to the Blue Hole section -- along with some folks who were there -- are posted here on Facebook.
September 7-8, 2020	Unusual Monday and Tuesday visit made!	I brought my friend Paul D. from Chicago (by way of Florida, which partially explains his tan) to Blue Hole for his first-ever visit. He really enjoyed it aside from some cool water temps in the morning due to very dry air, and overnight lows in the lower 60s. I've added the videos (mostly including Paul D.) to my 2020 Blue Hole playlist. Photos and videos are now posted here on Facebook.

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