Rafting at U.S. National Whitewater Park near Charlotte, NC

Oops! We Went Swimming Too (photo by Chris Sherman)


Mushroom and Swiss Burger at Cheeseburger in Paradise

We took a road trip to the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC today. It's the biggest manmade whitewater facility in the world.

This was a little different from the whitewater rafting we've been doing up in the moutains. For one thing, we didn't get dirty like usual. It's also a safer way to white water raft. Our guide estimated that the risk was reduced about 80%.

We did manage to take a spill. Some of us did anyway (-: I hung in there as you can see in the photo made by Chris Sherman. If you're wondering if I have legs of steel. Well, no. My foot was stuck. My kid grabbed my hand and pulled me back up after I'd gone completely under and then resurfaced still with the boat.

We thought about grilling after, but everyone was pretty tired and some of us old folks were a tad sore. We swung by Cheeseburger in Paradise (a Jimmy Buffett restaurant) in Huntersville, NC. They cook huge burgers to order. Very yummy.

Buffett - Ultimate Tailgate Experience

We went to the Jimmy Buffett concert last night. Now, that is one heck of an outdoor party. Heck. You could just go for the tailgating and have a great time.

We made our Ultimate Burgers. If you ever try hand patting your ground beef with our secret marinade sauce (not so secret--if you click the Ultimate Burger link), then you'll know what you've been missing. Those little dried up puck burgers from the store will never taste the same again. Trust me. It's not hard to make your own burgers, and you'll really taste the difference.

It did seem fitting to go with burgers, since one of our favorite Buffett songs is "Cheeseburger and Paradise." OK. Everyone sing along. "I like mine with lettuce and tomato. Hines 57 and french fried potatoes. A big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer . . ."

French fries weren't really an option, so we made grilled hashed browns. Eli (that's the youngest) cleaned out the pan. Hash browns on the barbecue are one of his all-time favorites. Caleb is more of a meat guy. He put a hurting on the burgers as you can see.

We arrived three hours before the concert and were some of the late arrivals. Those Buffett fans make a day of it. If you've never been, then it's a real experience. Get those tickets early though. They go fast.