La Quinta Inn & Suites Dalton

... form of light in 20days. We took a ride on a glass-bottomed boat, fed the fish and marveled at the experience. For thousands of years, this cave was occupied by Cherokee Indians and they’ve left plenty etchings and other reminders. Later on it was used by Confederate soldiers and moonshiners – they found 3 stills in various nooks & cranny’s. And, up until 20yrs ago, this was a ...

... You can eat and sleep on board. Whilst heading to the Choo Choo we saw a local brew pub so we stopped by and had a local brew and pizza for lunch. It had great atmosphere and was orginally an old warehouse that had been redesigned. It made us a little homesick but last night we stopped by a World Foods Maket that we happened to see as we drove by and they had Mint Slice biscuits, Tim Tams, Crunchies and Turkish Delight. All of which we now ...

We have arrived in Chattanooga and found ourselves a bargain basement priced little wooden cabin to keep us out of the rain and in the warmth, yay! This is just a short entry. This week we will be staying here in Chattanooga checking out the surrounds and making a few day trips to neighbouring states.

We will keep you updated. Lots of Love, the warm, Bek and Jesse Train

I wake up at 9:00am. Wow, I said I wanted to sleep late but I didn't think I’d get to sleep that late. Breakfast is only until 9:30 so we head down to eat before showers. We have the rest of the drive to Knoxville today as well as a stop at Chickamauga National Battlefield Park. Breakfast is standard Holiday Inn Express fair and surprisingly the breakfast area is not packed. Must be because it is a weekday and many people ...

On the road again. I'm heading down to Tennessee for the University of Tennessee (UT) game versus the University of Georgia (UGA). I haven’t been to a UT game at Neyland Stadium since 1997. I’m dragging my friend Al along since he doesn’t like UGA and will actually go to an UT game with me.

We get dropped off at Newark airport which is nice since parking is $15/day in the 'economy’ lot. The lines are not too bad for a ...

... for a touring bike - a lot of ruts and unstable due to gravel. It was a sunny day and the view was spectacular. Dan & Darla had visited the overlook a month earlier and it was an overcast day. This day was clear and the visibility was immense.

We left the overlook and when we reached the end of the gravel road we turned right and turned ...

Jamie, Zach, and I can now say that we have done what all the barns and bird houses across the southeast has been requesting people to do: See Rock City. Rock City is a Labrinth of rock formations on the highest peak in Tennessee. From one spot we could Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Zach enjoyed looking at the rocks that loomed overhead and the massive waterfall.

... would lead.

After about an hour of hacking and climbing my way through Nature's takeover, I ran out of trail. I'm sure it continued somewhere, but it was virtually impassable, and I was running out of daylight. So, rather than get my sorry butt lost on my first day, I headed back to camp to rest and give the waterfall a search tomorrow.

Unfortunately, sleep was difficult. Though I didn't hear any "bear-like" noises, I had a tough time getting any rest in what amounted to a ...

... gets very quiet and peaceful. Sounds are muted and colors are softened. It's one of my favorite forces of Nature.

And, since it was foggy, and getting late, I made camp in a little pullout (previously used by campers or hikers as a campsite), set up my tent, took a few more photos of the fog, the trees, and the wonderful forest sunset, and called it a night.

Next...
Day Three. I finally find Paradise!

Well, it's about time I set out into the wilderness again. (This
economy really makes it difficult to get around.) Fortunately, I'm
right in the middle of some of the most interesting protected lands in
the country. This time, I chose the Cherokee National Forest, just 45
minutes east of Chattanooga.
The CNF is the home of the Ocoee and Hiwassee Rivers. Gorgeous
stretches of rushing water cutting through some of the Southeast's most
beautiful mountain ...