Martha's Marvelous Memoirs: Road Trip Part 5-Chattanooga

May 24th, I went to Chattanooga, Tennessee. On my way to Chattanooga I had to stop and get gas and at the pump next to me this is what I saw.

It was interesting to see this plane cut in half. It looks like a plane from World War II.

My first stop in Chattanooga was Ruby Falls.

Ruby Falls is located at Lookout Mountain.

I love wooden rocking chairs.

This was my first time to go into a cave like this. Stalagmite is very interesting.

I think I like stalactite better than stalagmite.

Here we are coming upon the waterfall that is found deep into the cave.

There is the majestic waterfall.

There is a train that goes up and down the steep incline of the mountain. Many people will use it as a mode of transportation to get people to the hospital when they are having a baby or in other emergencies because the train will only take 10 minutes up the side of the hill and if you were to drive it would take a half hour to wind their way through the mountain.

I thought this was cute. They painted a track on the sidewalk and up the stairs from where you get off the train to leave the train depot.

The next stop was the Chattanooga battle field.

These are some of my favorite flowers.

They seem to grow wild everywhere. They are all over the east.

The next and last stop of the day in Chattanooga was Rock City Garden.

in 1924, Garnet and Frieda Carter began the new community that was to be known as Fairyland, named so because of his wife Frieda’s long-time interest in European folklore. One of the enticing features of Fairyland was to be a golf course, but construction took considerably longer than was planned. In order to appease those who were clamoring to play golf, Carter responded by fashioning what is now recognized to be the nation’s first miniature golf course. Because of its popularity, Carter decided to franchise this miniature golf concept all over the United States; hence, the origins of Tom Thumb Golf.

While Garnet Carter was “putting” around with Tom Thumb Golf, Frieda Carter had begun a project of her own. The 700 acres of Fairyland also encompassed the legendary Rock City, and Frieda set out to develop this property into a rock garden to end all rock gardens. When the Depression hit, Tom Thumb Golf fell to the “rough” and Garnet focused on his other business interests. It appeared to him that Frieda’s endeavor with Rock City had possibilities.

A little nome village.

I love all of the bridges all over the place.

Frieda had taken string and marked a trail that wound its way around the giant rock formations, ending at the giant outcropping known as Lover’s Leap. She also had collected wildflowers and other plants, and had them transplanted along her trail. Frieda’s gardening was supplemented by imported German statues of gnomes and famous fairytale characters, which were stationed at points along the trail. Entrepreneur that he was, Garnet realized his wife had something there that lots of other people might be willing to pay to see.

To bad this wasn't a real eagle cause that would have been cool to be that close to one.

Eagles are a fascinating birds. They are warriors, with keen eye sight and some of the largest birds to be found.

View from Lover's Leap

There are more of those rocking chairs again.

Wouldn't that be a fun swing in your back yard.

This is one of many narrow passages you pass through as you stroll through Rock City.

White deer

Another really cool rock bridge.

Rainbow alley

Nome's distillery

There was an underground cave that help Fairyland. It was dark in the cave and you would come upon these holes in the sides of the walls and inside of them there would be a fairytale scene lit up in florescent lighting through backlights.