2007-4 Rock City, Georgia
Hello All,
Wow, it's hard to believe we have been in Tennessee for a month. The redbud trees have reached their peak and the dogwood trees are in full bloom. What a pretty time of year.
This week found us taking a road trip to Lookout Mountain, Georgia and then on to Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. Both villages are located on the mountain overlooking Chattanooga, and the Tennessee River Valley.
Rock City was our Georgia destination. It is an amazing place where you follow stone paths that wind through massive rock formations and boulders. You thread yourself through formations that are so tall they only allow a sliver of sunlight to penetrate. There are swinging bridges and rock bridges; you pass through caves and under a 1000-ton balanced boulder. From one point on the trail you can see seven different states. Another place on the trail is called "Fat Man's Squeeze." We want to tell you it is appropriately named--hence the picture of the week!
We were so impressed with Rock
City that we purchased season tickets and plan many more visits this summer.
Our next stop was Lookout Mountain, TN so that we could see Ruby Falls. What makes this 140-foot waterfall so unique is that it is located 1120 feet below the surface of the earth in Lookout Mountain Caverns. The origin of the water feeding the falls is unknown and likewise it also disappears in cracks and crevices within the caverns. Since Dave is a bit claustrophobic we don't plan on returning real soon.
Having goofed off for a couple of days we decided to do some chores on the boat. An oil change was the first chore on our agenda. It was a beautiful calm day when we drove to the marina. After we turned the truck engine off we heard the strangest noise coming from where the boats are in their slips at the marina. There were metal banging noises and water splashing out from under the boats. When we got down on the docks we saw thousands of fish between 18" and 36" swimming and banging into the boats. They seemed to really like the pontoon boats as the water and noise boiled out from under them. We had never seen or heard anything like this before! We found an old guy that lives in one of the houseboats in the marina and asked him what was going on. He said "Oh that's those dang carp. Every year about this time they come and mate under the boats. They bang on the boats 24 hours a day. It makes it real hard to sleep at night. It will last for a week or so and then they will be gone till next year." Wow, Mother Nature does some strange things!
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Our next stop was Lookout Mountain, TN so that we could see Ruby Falls. What makes this 140-foot waterfall so unique is that it is located 1120 feet below the surface of the earth in Lookout Mountain Caverns. The origin of the water feeding the falls is unknown and likewise it also disappears in cracks and crevices within the caverns. Since Dave is a bit claustrophobic we don't plan on returning real soon.
Having goofed off for a couple of days we decided to do some chores on the boat. An oil change was the first chore on our agenda. It was a beautiful calm day when we drove to the marina. After we turned the truck engine off we heard the strangest noise coming from where the boats are in their slips at the marina. There were metal banging noises and water splashing out from under the boats. When we got down on the docks we saw thousands of fish between 18" and 36" swimming and banging into the boats. They seemed to really like the pontoon boats as the water and noise boiled out from under them. We had never seen or heard anything like this before! We found an old guy that lives in one of the houseboats in the marina and asked him what was going on. He said "Oh that's those dang carp. Every year about this time they come and mate under the boats. They bang on the boats 24 hours a day. It makes it real hard to sleep at night. It will last for a week or so and then they will be gone till next year." Wow, Mother Nature does some strange things!
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns