Chattanooga

A magical mermaid horse, giraffes,Tiger_0306 fierce tigers, bunnies, wild boar, elephants and the camel that I rode.  There was even a fish.  The critters on the Densel carousel in Coolidge  Rabbit Comp_0300 Mermaid Horse Comp_0299Park are remarkable.  All they need to do is get the player organ working and the experience will be absolutely magical.

 

 

 

Moon pies.  Nuke those little babies for about 10 seconds and they taste like a fine pastry.  Well sort of.

I can’t recall any city with as much public art. Mellow Mushroom Comp_0340 Modern, “what does this mean to you?” works that make you think and whimsical statues that just make you laugh.  We loved this fellow who advertises for Mellow Mushroom…

An old Mill houses all manner of antique housewares and furniture along with vintage clothes and hats.  Another shop is filled with wonderful eclectic décor pieces created using repurposed stuff .

Birdnest Comp_0427This one just happened on its own though…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

A sadder version of repurposing, Delta Queen Comp_0326the Delta Queen Riverboat.  We last saw her in the great paddle boat races at Derby time in Louisville.  Now she is in Chattanooga; mounted on the river bottom never to sail again and living out her final days as a hotel.  How unromantic an ending.

 

The view from Point Park on Lookout Mountain

Overlooking Chattanooga

high above the city is magnificent.  It is hard to imagine that a Civil war battle was fought on this rugged high ground.

9 pounds of Cast iron

We visited the Lodge outlet store (no factory tour since the cornbread festival is still two weeks away) but it was a fun stop anyway.  I, of course, had to get a campdutch oven.  You know, the one with three feet and a lid with an edge lip so the hot coals won’t fall off.  It is an 8”, puny compared to the monster 16” they make, but just about right for us I think.  All I need to do now is find 9 pounds of stuff to get rid of to maintain equilibrium in our rolling home.  Hmmm.

Stay tuned for updates as I try recipes.  The first will be a cobbler I think.

Hunger must be very motivating!

Over 6,000 years ago ancient peoples in this area hunted with darts thrown with an   AtlAtl.  It’s a shaped stick that lets you get more power and accuracy into the throw.  The Ranger was pretty good with it but me, not so much.  I didn’t stick myself with the dart but I certainly would have been the laughing stock of the village back in the day.

RussellCaveNational   Monument protects a cave has been used by humans since our earliest presence on the continent.  Very cool.

Mentone

This place has fun shops.  Things for the house.  For your closet.  For the yard.  They are just getting fired up for the season but there was still plenty to tempt. It is a must stop for anyone who enjoys a bit of retail therapy.

Odd matchup but great outcome

Good move National Park Service, protecting the Little River of Lookout Mountain. They actually partnered with NASA …strange.  It’s a real life application of the “spaceship earth” concept; what we have here on this earth is all there is, preserve and conserve.  They fly a very cool “blue marble earth” flag.   The Preserve is a long narrow park that protects a beautiful 600 foot deep, shear cliff walled canyon and the river that has carved it.  Trails and a drive give pretty good access.  It is neighbored by DesotoState Park. This is a great corner of Alabama.

A lot of stuff!

More phones, computers, kindles, and cameras than you can image.   Wedding gowns to bathing suits.  Six inch heels to those weird footed shoes.  Pictures.  Rugs.  Suitcases, purses, and backpacks of all types and sizes.  Saddles.  Scuba gear.

We checked out Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro AL.   It isn’t all from baggage, its unclaimed freight and stuff off buses and trains too.  Still, it was pretty amazing.

We bought a couple pieces of pretty nice clothes and a new day pack but the best bargain was a new portable hard drive for about 50 cents on the dollar.

It is just amazing how much stuff there is.

Alabama iron

It was integral to the local economy and key to the Confederate war effort.  They had iron ore, limestone and timber for charcoal all within just miles of one another and near many streams for water power.  Furnaces sprung up all around the Birmingham area.  Most are in ruins now but the Tannehill Ironworks state park preserves several for all to see.   They demo iron working and other period trades and crafts during their high season…just a walk through this time of year but still pretty interesting.  They have moved some 1890s cabins into the park and refurbished them as rentals.  I think that could be a fun way to be a bit more immersed in the experience on one of their pioneer weekends.Ironworks comp_0014

I didn’t realize how big a role this area played in the early American iron and steel industry.  Birmingham is still huge in cast iron pipe production.  Learn something every day.

Alabama, the edge of the Appalachians

We are encountering some pretty rugged country as we wander north in Alabama.  It is rocky and springs pop up all over.  Plus, it is feeling more like Spring.   Everything seems greener by the minute.   A narrow, curvy drive and a bit of rock scrambling into the inner core of Oak Mountain SP revealed a lovely mountain waterfall.  We forded the creek and soaked in the view for a few.  Lovely.

An albino turkey vulture, it is the most unusual resident at the raptor rehab center here in the park.

All things Auburn

It was a great visit with Molly.  Go Tigers!  …I think War Eagles sounds cooler but hey, that’s just me.   It is a beautiful campus even with the sad looking oaks on Toomers Corner.

We checked out Toomer’s Corner Drugstore with its lemonade, ice cream, and more stuff with the Auburn logo than you could imagine.

Bonus, Bob, Lou Ann, Grant and Clark were down to spend the Holiday with Molly so we got to hang out with everyone.  We experienced The Mellow Mushroom pizza joint, Neffers and Maestro 2300.  Plus, all the Easter stuff: Peeps and chocolate nestled in colored grass (plastic and edible), we boiled and colored eggs and ate a delicious lamb dinner. It was a great time.