Today we started our exploration of Chattanooga by driving up Lookout Mountain which looms over the city’s southwest corner. We wound up a skinny and circuitous path from close to the Tennessee River all the way to the ridge where we found Point Park, part of the National Park Service’s Chickamauga and Chattanooga Military Park that has preserved the battlefields where some pivotal battles happened in the Civil War.
Point Park is the only facility within park properties where a fee is collected to enter but we have a geezer pass that allowed us entry without cost. Regardless of cost, the views from this promontory of Chattanooga and the surrounding terrain are spectacular. There is a beautiful monument within the park that has both a Federal and a Confederate soldier at the top. That is enough to keep it from getting removed by some do-gooders. The serpentine Tennessee River can be seen winding through way far below Chattanooga and emerald green countryside. Looking south, we could see into Georgia. The Confederacy had 10 and 12 pound cannons perched on the edges of this promontory and that must have been rough on Federal troops as they approached Chattanooga. The Feds wanted this crucial city because the river and four rail lines converge in what used to be a manufacturing and transit crossroads in 1862. The Feds ultimately prevailed and it was the death knell for the south.
Leaving the park, we drove south down a long road called Scenic Drive into Georgia and their Cloudland Canyon State Park. It was a great drive through magnificent estates with great views and the park is gorgeous but we had a reality moment when we saw some poor bozo’s fifth wheel trailer which he took under a bridge lower than the trailer height. It was a catastrophic error. We have encountered numerous bridges in Tennessee that have clearances in their underpasses substantially less than the US DOT requirement of 13′-6”. Keep your eyes peeled around here if driving vehicles taller than Hobbits.
From above, Chattanooga looked beautiful, almost peaceful. However, once we drove into town reality set in and we were plunged into a confusing maze of streets, none of which went where we wanted to go. Since we are out of out-of-towners, it was more problematic for us to get around than it may be for locals but the streets seem to point in all directions with no ordinary intersections or reason.
We finally decided to head back toward our camping spot at Raccoon Mountain but on the way we spotted another wrecked RV, this time a motor home that was completely demolished above the tires from windshield all the way to the formerly attractive bathroom. Too many low bridges around here for sleepy drivers.
We took a few pictures along the way and you can see them if you click here