Chattanooga, Tennessee
Got up this morning, filled the water tank because we were running low. We originally were going to the aquarium, but our friends form Goncruzn III asked if we would like to go to Lookout Mountain. Since this was another sight we wanted to see, we went along. Chattanooga is a town of about 150,000 people and the transportation system is very, very efficient. We looked for number 15 bus, hopped aboard and within 15 minutes were at the base of Lookout Mountain. On the local map it looked like it was miles and miles away, but my reference system is Toronto, and as this is a much smaller city the distances are also far smaller. Anyway, Lookout mountain is about 2500 feet high and is a landmark of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River as you travel into Chattanooga. There are roads going up and people live all the way up to the top of the mountain. It is also the last mountain of the Appalachian chain also called the Great Smokey mountains in Tennessee. However, there is a tramway that takes people to the top of the mountain. The tramway is a national historic site and at times it is on a about a 75 degree angle as it goes to the top - quite an experience looking down the tracks. There are some incredible views from the top overlooking Chattanooga and the Tennessee River.
Lookout Mountain was the start of the decline of the the Confederate fortunes in the the Civil War. It is the site along with Chattanooga itself of a major defeat of the the Confederate forces by the Union. There is a lot of key sites and displays on the top describing the battles that occurred.
After spending about 3 hours going over the site, we went back down and had lunch at nice little pub at the base of the tram, then caught the bus back downtown. Brenda and I then went to do a little shopping for some nice bread and a couple of other things. We then stumbled on a little used bookstore which was quite interesting based on the fact that the best word to describe it is chaos. Books were everywhere but there was not consistent filing system. You just wondered around until you found what you wanted. In addition, the owner also had thousands of knickknacks and other stuff some of which I am sure have some historical significance. She also knitted and made rugs for sale. Apparently, she dyed the wool etc herself for her creations which were really very nice and original. She explained that that she had done crafts for years, but had quit for some time until her husband got sick and died and she started again. Part of the chaos was all the materials she had for her creations. Her original crafts were stuffed toys and she proudly told us that two of her creations were in the Smithsonian.
Brenda bought a rug for the boat and a knitted hat for winter, which was very attractive. I bought a couple of old civil war books for reference. When I was purchasing the books, the owner showed me her family tree and the fact that her grandfather who was born in the 1830's fought in the Civil War. Now that is close to 150 years ago. It makes you wonder how that person could be her grandfather, but she explained that her mother was born when her father was 60 years old. which was around the 1870's and she was one of the last of her mother's ten children. She was probably in her late 70's or early 80's. She herself had 18 grandchildren. She was very proud of the fact that she was one of the few living people that had a grandfather in the Civil War. A very interesting person and a very pleasant and nice person.
We then cam home, watched some football and the Philly baseball game in which Halladay was pitching. Al in all a good day.
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