2017-28
Chattanooga Tennessee
Alpine Alabama
Campground: Marion County Park (Jasper
TN). $18 with senior discount. 50 amp and water at site. Nice site
backed up to lake. Some highway noise from across the lake, but not
an issue.
Campground: Logan Landing Rv Resort.
PPA discount, $15.00. Full hookups 50 amp. Nice park in the middle
of nowhere. No OTA Tv stations, weak radio stations, weak 4g Verizon
signal.
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| Knoxville, Chattanooga to Talladega Alabama |
Distance Traveled: 153 miles
What a drive. Having to drive on major
highways is never fun. Hwy 40 and the dreaded Hwy 75 were crowded as
usual. Lots of semi-trucks, fortunately going at moderate speeds
with the occasional car going way to fast. There's no chance to
enjoy the scenery while driving on these major highways, but I'm at
my next destination outside of Chattanooga. Those internet apps are
really great for helping me find the next campsite at reasonable
prices. My two favorites are RVPARKY and The Ultimate Public
Campground app. Both have saved me a considerable amount of camping
fees this summer.
I did get my new Michelin truck tires,
$995.00. Not cheap, but the best safety insurance one can buy. With
a guarantee of 50,000 miles, I'll probably end up getting a second
set after about 35k miles, which is what happened with the last set
of tires.
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| the many colors of Ruby Falls |
Ruby Falls
My big tour item in this area is Ruby
Falls. It's advertised along all the roads leading to Chattanooga
and I've avoided it, thinking it was just one of those hoke tourist
traps. Still, I thought it might have something going for it. I
won't keep you in suspense, it is awesome.
After paying my $20 fee, I joined a
tour group ready to take the elevator down to the caverns entrance.
It's been described as one of the top 7 Natural Wonders in the U.S.
Being the nations tallest underground waterfall that is open to the
public. 145 ft high. After a natural cave entrance was blocked due
to a new railroad tunnel being built through the mountain, Leo
Lambert owner of Ruby Falls decided to see if he could find another
entrance into the vast cave labyrinth. An elevator shaft was
proposed to get down to the caverns. Once the first entrance was
discovered 18 inches high and 4 feet wide the low tunnel was explored
for 17 hours into the darkness. Finally, Ruby Falls was discovered.
The tunnels required expansion, but still remain low requiring tall
folks to bend over a bit so as not to hit their heads on the solid
rock ceilings. I had no problem walking upright through most of the
caverns.
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| beginning the tour after descending deep into the mountain via the elevator |
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| the original explorers would have crawled along a space like this to get to the falls |
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| the Castle entrance, built from stones removed during the excavation of the tunnels |
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| many of the stalactites were damages during the depression era |
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| colored lights, some folks like them others prefer not |
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| the passage way open up to high narrow ceilings |
After almost a half mile walk with
striking narrow wedged spaces rising above us bathed in rich colors
of blues, yellows and reds in between the low corridors, we reached
Ruby Falls... named after the explorers wife. History about the cave
is provided as we walked deep into the mountain.... a brief video was
shown along the way, before a few stops to ogle the various
formations. Though many of the formations were damaged by tour
guides during the great depression, selling pieces on the side to
make extra money. The last stop being Ruby Falls. A spectacular
light show accompanies the illumination of the falls inside the tall
cavern so deep inside Lookout mountain. Eventually, the lights go
dim and it's time to return along the half mile of tunnels and a
quick ride back up the elevator.
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| the falls are dark until the light show begins |
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| cell phones are the norm for photography |
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| I took pictures with my cellphone and camera |
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| stunning to see a water falls deep underground in a mountain |
The average daily attendance is around
2,000 with a high of 5,000 on major holidays. At $20 per person,
average, that's between $40,000 to $100,000 in ticket sales each day.
Oh my.... and yes, it is worth the price of admission.
A little known fact is that the
elevator goes even deeper down into the Lookout Mountain Caves which
was the original destination for the elevator shaft. Those cave
tours were also available for years, but Ruby Falls being the star
attraction, they were discontinued. No longer provide tours of the
larger Lookout Mountain Caves.
After the tour, I drove to the top of
Lookout Mountain, overlooking Chattanooga. A wealthy community lives
on top of the mountain, among the trees and winding roads, gracious
homes are nestled where the summer temperatures are much cooler that
down below. A small town with a couple of restaurants, where I'm
able to enjoy a meal sitting outside under bright red umbrellas.
Fresh fall air and dappled sunlight along with good background music.
Couldn't ask for a better way to spend a day.Distance traveled: 141 miles
From my campsite near Chattanooga, I
headed south west passing through the corner of Tennessee, Georgia,
and into Alabama. The direction chosen after finding a sweet deal on
a Passport America campground. The scenery changed quickly as I
entered Alabama, the mountain ranges quickly dropping off and the
land leveling out. The state has the feeling of being very rural,
flat with rivers and lakes dotting the landscape. I'm also avoiding
traveling through Atlanta Georgia which I would never do anyway.
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| Logan's Landing also hs cabins for rent |
Logan Landing is designated a resort in
that they have a nice swimming pool, locked clubhouse, lake fishing
and swimming beach. My trusty GPS got me there as it truly is in the
middle of nowhere, down ever changing country roads. Left here,
right there, next left a few more miles with the rare country store,
Dollar General or a church on a lonely corner sitting forlornly by
itself.
Exploring the area, I've found many Rv
campgrounds and cottages along the many lakes and wooded areas. It
gives the impression that this is today's version of the summer camp
away from the big cities of Birmingham and Montgomery.
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| small docks built for seasonal campers |
I headed into the town of Talladega
today. Next week is the Alabama 500. NASCAR races of course are
popular here as well. I was lucky to get a campsite the week before
the races. Though from what I can see, that's about the only
attraction in the area. The town of Talladega is the most depressing
town I've see so far this summer/fall. The buildings around the town
square and courthouse are all but deserted. This would not be a
regular stop by any means. I did notice a few of the buildings
around the town square that look to be getting renovations, but it
can't be easy when the town itself is so run down.
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| the bones of the town look good, but the stores are all empty |
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| the courthouse in the center of the square |
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| even the sign has sagged during "renovations" |
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| some great architecture, now a small church |
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| another building being renovated, a good sign |
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| used for college productions |
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| large empty stores |
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| a new roof going on |
Distance traveled: 2,000 feet.
Hurricane Nate:
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| I'm right in the center , lots of rain coming down |
I moved to a different
campsite here at Logan Landing, out from under a few huge pine trees
with heavy pine cones waiting to launch a missile attack on my camper
roof and solar panels. I decided not to try and move out of the park
as the traffic along the main routes will surely be congested with
folks coming inland away from the coastal areas which will surely get
damaged. We are expecting winds in the 10-25 mph range, down from 35
to 59 mph gusts. So far so good.
The rains came throughout the evening
and this morning as I finish writing this blog report, the rains are
coming down in buckets, as the remains of the hurricane, now just a
tropical storm have arrived. The path appears to be coming right
over my area here in central Alabama. All is safe at this point.
I'll finish having my cup of coffee and post the report for now.
Life on the road, always an
adventure....
More photos:
Ruby Falls, the tour Chattanooga Tennessee
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