Summer 2008 - Ramble 1

Day 7

We headed back to the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park visitor centre with the previous days rain gone but still quite a lot of low cloud. A very interesting hour or so reading about the history of the place. To my surprise having just found out the details about Davy Crocket being real rather then fictional I discovered that Daniel Boone (another potentially fictional character in my mind) was very real and indeed was associated with this area.

The Cumberland Gap is a cutting through this part of the Appalachian Mountains long used by Buffalo, American Indians and then later hunters like Boone to get into Kentucky. In 1775 Boone and about 30 axmen travelled through the gap widening the ancient path to allow the passage of horse and carts to create the Wilderness road. Early settlers flooded along this road to set up home in the Blue grass region of Kentucky. By 1800 it is estimated that 300,000 people had emigrated through the gap ¾ of the then population of Kentucky.

We then drove the 4 miles of steeply climbing hairpin bends of the Skyland Road to Pinnacle Overlook, a vantage point way above the actual Cumberland Gap. Unfortunately we were often surrounded by low cloud and could only intermittently see the wonderful views on offer. On the footpath to the overlook, to our unexpected pleasure we crossed the State Line into Virginia adding another new state to our visited list. The three States of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee all meet somewhere in the Cumberland Gap area and Pinnacle Overlook is obviously close to this place.

We set off for our next destination Oak Ridge Tennessee. Our original plan had been to visit the Lost Sea Caverns after Cumberland Gap but a month or two before we travelled we read that a long run of dry weather had left the water level there some 30 feet below normal and so we re-scheduled to Oak Ridge. I was glad we did.

We visited the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge where the remarkable story of the town of Oak Ridge is told. I already knew Oak Ridge had something to do with the Manhattan Project in WW2 but the details of how this town was created from nothing were remarkable. Out of an array of astounding facts, the stand out one for me was that because of copper shortages, they borrowed millions of dollars of silver ingots from the US treasury and made electrical bus bars from them and then after the war, recast the ingots and gave the silver back.

That night we ate in an Outback restaurant, one of the chains we enjoy using. Blooming Onion and draft Yuengling a great end to a day.


UK

Day 8

Up and away in reasonably good time for the drive to Nashville. Not my favourite sort of driving just chewing up the miles on the interstate with heavy traffic all the way. Once again I would contrast the shear volume of traffic experienced on this trip in the eastern states vs the relatively empty roads out west.

Shortly after lunch we reached our destination the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. This is a staggering place with 3 huge enclosed air-conditioned atria full of plants and water features. It reminded me strongly in terms of scale of ambition of the mega resorts in Las Vegas. However, the absence of the ringing bells and clattering coins of the ubiquitous games machines everywhere in Vegas made it a much more tranquil less frenetic place to be.

We explored the hotel and had a meal in the buffet in the Delta section and finished the evening listening to live Irish folk music and drinking Guinness in the Irish bar.

Day 9

A lazy day idling around the hotel and pools until we got ready for a trip into central Nashville. A couple of the members of our party enjoy line dancing and so we headed off to visit the Wild Horse Saloon that evening. It was an easy drive and the place was easy to find. What I had not figured on was that it might be hard to park the minivan. With it being a 12 seater, it was also tall and too tall for the indoor parking garages located in the area. Finally we found an outdoor parking area with no height restrictions and walked to the Wild Horse Saloon.

We had a meal and drinks and were entertained by the live band and the line dancing sessions. The line dancers in our party line danced and we eventually headed back to the hotel. The walk back to the minivan in downtown Nashville in the dark for our family party with the streets now fairly full of people who had indulged a little in drink, was nerve jangling and just this side of scary. Having said that, it was actually uneventful and I surprised myself a little by navigating back through the city without going wrong anywhere.

UK

Day 10

We checked out of the hotel and drove the short distance to the General Jackson showboat for a lunchtime cruise along the river into central Nashville and back. A very enjoyable couple of hours,
a) being on a riverboat for the first time,
b) seeing Nashville from a different angle and
c) over lunch watching a marvellous display by a Chinese Acrobat troupe.

We then set off in a southerly direction for Tullahoma our destination that evening. Tullahoma had no special attraction save it is very close to Lynchburg the home of the Jack Daniels distillery but far enough away from it to be outside the dry county Lynchburg is in – the forward planning for beer availability did not completely let me down this holiday !

We ate that evening in a local Applebees, they advertise themselves as the local family restaurant and this one was just that, packed full of families giving a really warm friendly atmosphere. We had a very friendly chatty waitress and when talking about how she ‘loved our accents’ I repeated my often used comment on these trips that as English people we did not have an accent (not actually true being from Yorkshire but why spoil a good line with the truth ?) and that it was her as an American who had the accent which we liked to hear. To our amusement this caused her to comment after a moments thought ‘Oh I see I guess you guys speak Anglo Saxon’.

Later on she was telling us about what goes on in the area and she talked about the local large town/city of Manchester. When we told her that we had flown out from Manchester England and that her local town was almost certainly named after our Manchester she was absolutely amazed and had no idea there was another Manchester in the world.

All in all another very good day.

UK

Day 11

We took the short drive to Lynchburg and the Jack Daniels distillery. The tour around the site was informative interesting and free ! To say that Jack Daniels is a world wide brand, the care and detail that goes into its manufacture was impressive. I expected a more impersonal, corporate, cut cost efficiency, but instead found a homely atmosphere and an attention to tradition and quality that was remarkable.

The bizarre thing about the visit is that the distillery sits in a dry county. In all other brewery, vineyard or distilleries I have visited or know about, you get to taste the produce at some stage in the journey. Not in this dry county you don’t. You get a drink of lemonade at the end of the tour and the county has given special dispensation to the distillery to sell commemorative bottle of whisky but no drop of the product must pass your lips in the county.

We drove to the town centre of Lynchburg and wandered around the picturesque town square and all the shops selling Jack Daniels souvenirs. Rather strange that the whole town apparently lives off the back of the distillery but nobody drinks.

We had lunch and then set off to that night’s destination Chattanooga. Another largely uninspiring drive down a very busy interstate just gobbling the miles. I seriously considered having a minor diversion to go into Alabama and add another state to the list but eventually thought better of it and pressed on.

We reached our hotel in pretty good time and checked in. We were staying at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. This is a hotel built on the site of and utilising parts of the old railway station in Chattanooga. The lobby is a magnificent open domed space that was part of the original station and out behind it are restored sleeping cars ‘parked’ along the old station platforms that you can stay in. We had decided to stay in an ordinary hotel room which was situated in a more modern block behind the sleeping cars and when I think back now, that was probably a mistake. We should have gone for it and stayed on a train.

This historic train station hotel is a great concept and when it was newly opened I am sure it was absolutely excellent. However, it is now beginning to show its age around the edges and unless some significant investment on refurbishment is made within 5-10 years (I estimate) it would not be worth staying at. The problem I suspect is lack of customers. It was really quite empty for the time we were there, with some of the restaurants and shops closed. So if you are attracted to a historic railway setting for a stay get there quick. Within the next year or two would be my advice. However, help may be on its way. Downtown Chattanooga has recently had massive investment (more about that in later rambles) and if this successfully pulls more visitors in then the draw of the Chattanooga Choo Choo would take its fair share I am sure and the extra revenue could save it.

I really do hope it gets looked after. It was a unique place to stay.

UK

We've always found that tour at the Jack Daniels distillery to be quite fun as well -- especially when you they let you sniff the vapors coming off the fermenting stacks. Almost a contact high there.

Thanks for the info about the Chattanooga Choo Choo motel as well -- I hope they make it.

Mark

Day 12

The skyline of Chattanooga and the southern side of the Tennessee river valley is dominated by Lookout Mountain, the sharp end of an 80 mile ridge that goes back well into Georgia. Today we were going to explore the mountain. Sides, top and internals !

First up was a trip on the incline railway straight up the side of the mountain to the top. Billed as the steepest inclined railway in the world, this is a one mile trip on a cable car (on rails but pulled up by a cable connected via a drive in the top station to a sister car which descends counterweight style as the car you are in ascends). The views as you ascend and from the station at the top are wonderful. Sadly the day was little hazy preventing you from seeing quite as far as it’s claimed you can. It’s well worth the trip and once at the top you can walk to some of the other attractions (if you are energetic enough, we drove up later on). We stayed in the station, seeing the views, looking round the shop and then came back down.

Next stop was to take a look at the inside of the mountain in Ruby Falls a relatively short drive away from the incline railway station. This was not a good experience and I cannot recommend it. This is a shame because the fault lies not with the cave but with the organisation of the tours (and I guess the greed of the owners of the cave). Let me try to separate out the two different aspects.

First the cave. After paying the entrance fee you catch a lift (elevator) down into the body of the mountain. There is a brief interesting video showing the history of the cave and its discovery, then a walk along a narrow single path through a cave with interesting rock formations until you get to an unexpectedly high chamber with a spectacular waterfall plummeting from the roof into a pool. There is a path around the back of the waterfall so that you can see it from all angles. It’s very good and I’m glad I saw it. You come out the same way you came in.

Now the organisation. Tour parties of perhaps 30 people are gathered at the bottom of the lift (elevator) shaft (3 or 4 loads) and then taken first to be photographed and then to the video presentation. The cave tour than starts. You are told that parties exiting the cave have priority and so when one is coming out you will be asked to stop, do your best to step to one side (its very narrow) and let them through. What they don’t tell you is that they have let far too many tour groups into the cave (greed) and that a walk which takes 10 minutes coming out takes approaching an hour going in because you have to stop every few yards to let yet another group come out.

Because it is a narrow path you are in single file and you cannot hear the guide if you are at the back of the group as we were because 30 people is just too many. When you stop at some interesting point the people at the front get to hear about it, if you are at the back you don’t. It seemed to take forever getting to the falls with the endless stops to let those at the front know something and the more frequent stops to let a group pass on their way out.

If they did not load the cave up to such an excess it would be a much more pleasurable place to visit. If you go there, go when it’s not very busy.

Once back out of the cave we had a snack meal and then set off for the top of the mountain, this time by minivan not incline railway. Lookout Mountain was the site of a major battle in the civil war known as ‘Battle above the clouds’ and on the top there is a park and visitor centre. Fascinating history again and I’ve bought another book for reading all about it later on.

In the evening we ate in the hotel but the restaurant we had hoped to dine in (which had been open the previous night) was closed due to lack of guests. The night was finished off with a drink in large comfortable seats in the bar which was part of the original station and is consequently grand.

Day 13

13, unlucky for some but a good day for us. Today we visited the riverfront in Chattanooga. We initially drove down across the river and back to get a feel for where everything was and then parked close to the Aquariums which dominate the newly renovated riverfront area. This is a very attractive area with a fake earthquake having apparently torn up the paving slabs causing a stream to flow creating a paddling area for kids.

We purchased tickets for the two aquaria and first visited the one devoted to oceans. It was excellent and we spent a couple of hours peering into tanks ranging from small to vast displaying a stunning variety of life. The most amazing exhibit for me was the seahorses. I had no idea that such a wide variety of forms existed.

We had lunch in a nearby TGI Fridays and then visited the 2nd of the two aquaria this time devoted to freshwater life.

This is very cleverly done. You go to the top of the building and apparently see the source of a river and all the life that lives in and around a mountain stream. As you descend down the building you are apparently viewing an increasingly large river and its associated life until you get to the swampy delta area and the life within that. An impressive way to display freshwater life.

Following that we drove into the town to catch a Duck (DUKW). The Chattanooga Ducks are a tour company that use DUKWs (called ducks) which are 2nd world war amphibious vehicles. You get a brief tour around the town complete with commentary and then you drive down a ramp and into the river and have a tour of the water front from the river.

It’s a great fun way to spend and hour and learn a little about Chattanooga and the Tennessee river. There is a link to a video clip of the experience on this page. http://www.chattanoogaducks.com/duckpictures.htm

We then headed back to the hotel to prepare to leave the following day. We had an evening meal in the hotel and drinks in the old station bar before retiring for the night.

Day 14

A leisurely start to our last day on the road as we did not have all that far to drive, we checked out of the Choo Choo hotel and headed down the I75 south into Georgia.

Just over the state line we came off the highway to visit The Georgia Winery which we had read about earlier. The adult members of our party (driver – me – excluded) had an enjoyable time sampling the many and various wines on offer at the free wine tasting. Suitably refreshed we carried on towards Atlanta to complete our round trip journey.

We pulled off the I75 around lunchtime at Adairsville. The reason we chose that turnoff was because it was signposted to Barnsley Gardens (Barnsley for those who don’t know is a town in South Yorkshire UK). Having got off the interstate we found that the golf course at Barnsley Gardens was further away than we wished to travel so we stopped in Adairsville for lunch at a very pleasant small diner owned and staffed by a friendly local woman and her mother. They were amazed to have a group of people from the UK in their diner.

Onwards we drove after lunch with the traffic ever more dense with every mile until we were crawling around the outskirts of Atlanta with nose to tail traffic in all lanes. We made our way west of the city centre taking the I285 down to the I85 until we reached our destination for the evening Union City. This was chosen simply for its proximity to Atlanta Airport for the following days flight.

I went out beer hunting and everybody else set to either swimming in the motel pool or getting some laundry done. In the evening we ate at a local Pizza Hut and retired back to the motel for a night cap.

Hey UK,

I really enjoyed reading your report and there's also lots of useful info there for trippers in the future,
Thanks for sharing.

Dave

Day 15

Up early for the short drive to Atlanta airport where we dropped off our faithful minivan and caught the courtesy bus to the terminal. After some minor sport trying to get boarding passes with the automated check in machines we eventually checked in our luggage, had breakfast and then went to board the plane for the short hop down to Orlando.

At Orlando airport there had apparently been a small fire which had taken out much of the electricity supply. The automated trains from the satellite terminals to the central terminal were out of action as was the air-conditioning. As more and more flights arrived the area by the train stops became increasingly crowded and increasingly hot. Finally after what seemed an age (but was probably less than an hour) the cooling came on and trains began to run.

In this way began our week in Disney, it was good acclimatisation for standing around in intense heat queuing up with hundreds of people ! You can safely assume from that comment that Disney is not my favourite part of these holidays. However, in our family party I am firmly a minority in this view so Disney always gets a look in.

We had a good week with everybody just about getting to see and do everything they wanted and then flew home Orlando – Atlanta – Manchester. All in all another very memorable exploration of a new part of the USA