Skip to main content

Day162-167. 2nd year. November 1-5. Lay days in Chattanooga and Road trip to Atlanta

 After a few chores our neighbor Mary Anna, who lives in Chattanooga 2 months of the year,  came by to pick us up and we drove to the Incline Railway at  Lookout Mountain.  We took the Flanagan shortcut to get there.  That is short hand for Mary Anna getting distracted while driving and having to "recalulate" her route. We are all bundled up as it is quite cold, the morning started out at 35 and the day warmed to maybe 50 degrees. 

The Incline Railway was built in 1895 and is still being used today.  We enjoyed the ride on the .8 mile track up the mountain's 1500 feet.  Was a bit steep in two places and had to hang on because it felt like your might slide out of your seat.  


Once at the top we had great views of Chattanooga and the surrounding mountains.





We also got to see the machine room so we could see the gears and engines that drive the railway.


Leaving the Incline Railway station we walked to Point Park, part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Park and learned all about the battles at Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain.  We were able to stand where two of the canon batteries were deployed, walk through the museum describing the battles and how troops on both side used flags and torches to communicate during battle.  It was hard to imagine how soldiers negotiated this rocky terrain and fought on these mountains.  





We also enjoyed the view from the mountain top as we walked the park.  You could really see the winding Tennessee River that we traveled to get to Chattanooga.




And, of course, Bill climbed on any and every rock he could!






Returning to the Incline Railway, we descended the mountain sitting in the first seats of the car.  We really had to hang on going down.




We had a late lunch at the Chattanooga institution, the Purple Daisy, where we ate pimento cheese and Brunswick stew and barbecue pork, their specialities.   Mary Anna then returned us to the our boat negotiating the closed roads as the city prepares for the crewing competition - the Hooch this weekend.

Some great sunset pictures from the river.



Day 163 Chattanooga

Woke to frost on the dock this morning, but it burned off with the sun by 11:00.  We even had to turn on the heat in the boat as it got down to 32 last night and we woke to 39 degrees.

Spent the morning cleaning up the boat.  At 11:00 Mary Anna, our neighbor on Tierra Verde, came by and brought boater friends who wanted to see our boat.  We had a nice visit and boat tour with Carol and Bruce along with Mary Anna.

After they left, we had lunch, then finished up the last load of laundry and began researching the next leg of our trip the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway.  There are lots of anchorages and few marinas on this section so we have lots of places to choose from for our stops.


Day 164-166   November 3-5.  Road trip to Atlanta to visit family 
We will be renting a car to drive to Atlanta tomorrow to visit Cori and her family and our son, Kyle,  is flying up to join us.  Actually we will be celebrating birthdays - Cori's a bit late and Kyle's a bit early.  Plus we can get our grandkids fix at the same time.   Looking forward to the trip.  

Posting to the blog during our visit to Atlanta will be limited.  I get to take a short break, but will post a few pictures on Sunday or Monday.


Sunday Nov 5
We spent our time over the weekend enjoying family at the park, dancing and singing and playing with Mia and Avery, our grandkids.  We also enjoyed meals, especially the chocolate pie and cheesecake for special birthday desserts.   Bill even got his fill of Taco Bell.  We spread out the birthday celebrations and sang Happy Birthday four times.  Cori and Kyle got to celebrate a lot.







Bill and Kyle got in the spirit of the playground and enjoyed the swings as much as Mia and Avery!!




Popular posts from this blog

Side trip to the Bahamas- Preparations

 As we prepare for our Bahamian Adventure, we are making lists upon lists of things to do and provisions to buy for our upcoming trip to the Bahamas. Bill has spent much time readying the  boat for the cruise, checking engines, batteries and all the systems on the boat - electrical, plumbing, navigation, refrigeration and air conditioning.  Sure kept Bill busy!!! We took the boat out to check all the systems and to get fuel.  We had to re-remember all the navigation and auto pilot workings and surprisingly we did remember!! We have spent the last two days loading the boat with provisions- water, food, tools, clothes, toiletries and cleaning supplies, and our pantry and cabinets are full.   We are sitting a bit heavier in the water now that we are fully loaded.  Also Bill has finally gotten his TO DO list down to the few remaining items so he sees the light at the end of the tunnel!! We have researched the charts and guide books and have a tentative pla...
Read more

On to Allan's-Pensacola Cay. Day 12. April 3. Mile 35.2. Total mile

  Day 12 We left our anchorage at sunrise to head out of Great Sale Cay Harbor. Turning west and then north, we will cruise around Great Sale Cay toward Abaco's barrier islands, eventually reaching the eastern edge of the Little Bahama Bank today. As we turn Northeast, we get some spray.  Crustacean is quite salty now!   Winds are out of the east 10-15 knots with waves at one foot. We cruise past Little Sale Cay we see a steady stream of sailboats going both east and west.  I counted 15 total.  Nice wind for sailing. Halfway through our trip, you begin to see the outer barrier islands on the horizon to the north.  Five miles later you can see Little Abaco Island to our south.  Here is a chart of the area we traveled from Great Sale to Allan's-Pensacola Cay today. The further we travel east, the Little Bahama Bank narrows,  The winds pick up and seas run 1-2 feet. Crustacean got even saltier! As we approached Allan's-Pensacola the wind and sea...
Read more

Day 24-25 April 15-16 On to Hopetown and Lay day in Hopetown. Miles 12.6. Total 460.6

Day 24 We had a change of plans.  Our friends who we met cruising the Loop, Trisha and Mike, are traveling north through the Bahamas and are close, so we will join then in Hope Town.   We will then back track a bit to visit Man-o-War Cay and Marsh Harbor after visiting with them. It is a bright sunny day with light winds as we weigh anchor to leave Great Guana. There is lots of freight and commercial traffic today- tugs and barges, large freighters and flat bed delivery boats.  It takes all these to handle the shipping needs and construction on the islands. We trip today took along the north east side of Great Guana and then past Scotland Cay, which is all privately owned.  Next we passed Fowl Cay which is a nature preserve known for its diving.  Following Fowl Cay is Man-o-War Channel with its deep water access to the Atlantic and Man-o-War Cay, known for its ship building and maintenance. Sorry, pictures of the passes and islands did not turn out too well...
Read more