Chattanooga, TN

OK, I admit that most of these photos are going to be "On The Road" photos and there really aren't a lot of photographs of Chattanooga itself.  Riding to Chattanooga is one of my favorite "Day Rides" but I normally just take the back roads there, and then turn around and come back home.  It isn't so much the city of Chattanooga that I enjoy but rather the ride there and back.  Regardless of my reasons though, Chattanooga is a great place and I really enjoy visiting there.

May 28, 2007

I rode to Chattanooga, TN today to visit my friend AGirl and meet her Matriarch.  I've heard a lot about Reecie, and it was certainly a pleasure to meet her and the rest of the family.  I can only hope that when I hit 84 I have 1/2 the enregy and abilities that she does.  It was also great to spend time with Scott and Jill and hear about their profession.  All in all it was a great trip and I had a blast.

I headed out early to try and beat the Memorial Day traffic.  I made a stop at a Waffle House (I know, the damn places are habit forming and now it's hard to eat breakfast anywhere else) in Manchester, TN for breakfast and then ditched I-24 at Monteagle, TN to take US Highway 41 the rest of the way into Chattanooga.  That is a gorgeous area and I wanted to take some pictures of areas I missed when I was down that way on April 21, 2007.  I didn't get photos of some of the roads I wanted to get because there was just plain no place to get off the road to take a photo.  I was reluctant to just stop on the edge of the lane, for obvious reasons, even though there was little traffic in the area.  Coming home I started out on I-24 and it was bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic.  I told myself I was going to get off at Jasper, TN and head up US 41 to Nashville, but I didn't.  Then I said I was going to get off at Monteagle, TN and head up US 41, but I didn't.  Then I said I was going to get off at Manchester, TN and head up US 41, but I didn't.  When I got to Smyrna, TN (about 10 miles from home) I decided I'd just go ahead and stay on I-24 ;)

Most of the photos below were taken around Nickajack Lake, but there are some entitled "Racoon Mountain" as well.  As I got across the lake I happened to see a road with a sign that read "TVA Racoon Mountain Visitor's Center" so I had to see where it went.  This is a beautiful ride along the edge of the Tennessee River and Nickajack Lake.  I didn't stop at the Visitor's Center but the sign indicating that it is a "Pumped Storage Plant" makes it seem like it would be an interesting stop, especially for someone interested in engineering.  For anyone who might be interested in taking a look the GPS coordinates at the turn off from US Highway 41 onto McBrian Lane are N36.03675° W85.41821°.  In fact US Highway 41 from Jasper, TN into Chattanooga, TN is a very scenic road that winds along beside the river.

Another thing that can be seen in most of the photos is the reason that the mountains in this area are named the "Smoky Mountains".  The weather here is quite humid and hazy.  Legend has it that the haze during the summer is how the Smoky Mountains got their name.  Even though it is still only late May the humidity is making itself felt and the haze is easily visible in the photos of the mountains.  It isn't my camera nor is it the photos themselves.  That's the way the air looks in this part of the country for most of the summer.  This Photograph or This One are good examples.  Notice how the foregrounds are relatively clear but the mountains in the background look smoky because of the haze in the air.

March 4, 2007

I left Nashville about 7:45 and met my friend and riding buddy Jim at the Waffle House in Manchester, TN for breakfast.  We were heading to Chattanooga, TN so I could pick up the National Park Passport Stamps at the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Battlefield sites at Lookout Mountain, TN and Ft. Oglethorpe, GA.

Today was an absolutely perfect day for a ride.  A little chilly when I left Nashville (45°) but it warmed up to 84° and I don't think there was a cloud in the sky.  It just doesn't get any better than that!

Jim lives near Manchester and knows the area between there and Chattanooga quite well.  He also seems to hate interstates about as much as I do so we decided to take the back roads instead of beating down I-24.  We went over Monteagle Mountain on the way down and Signal Mountain on the way back.  The scenery in that area is absolutely gorgeous but I was having too much fun riding to stop and take pictures.  Winding mountain roads, Nickajack Lake to the side, just fantastic.  All I can tell you is that if you get over that way ditch the interstate and take the backroads.  It is a beautiful trip.

I do think that Jim and AGirl may have gone to school together.  In fact I asked her whether they did or not.  She is unqestionably the master at finding the long way home, but Jim is catching up quick!  Straight-line distance down I-24 and back is 250 miles.  My total distance today was 312.  Just kidding, Jim.  I enjoyed every minute of it, and you picked a great route both ways.  We do have to go back down there some day so I can get some "Scenic Photos" of the area though.

Take a close look at the first photo in the top row, the one that shows the entrance to Point Park.  Look closely at the gate and you will notice that there is a strip of grass and then all you can see is sky!  We didn't go in (there is an entry fee and we were in enough of a hurry that we didn't have time to see the whole thing), but it is said that seven states can be seen from Lookout Mountain.  Wikipedia has a couple of good photographs taken on Lookout Mountain at This Link.  According to my GPS the elevation at the bottom of the mountain is 672' above sea level, and at the top of the mountain it is 2130' above sea level.  Not a big mountain as mountains go, but pretty good for our part of the country.