Wingate By Wyndham - Cleveland

... long, covers 4.5acres and has a 40ft ceiling. The only way it gets more water is from the minuscule drips from the walls. It has been stocked with rainbow trout and the largest one caught was 16lb-7oz. Amazingly, due to the lack of sunlight, the fish have lost 25% of their eyesight and 75% of their color. Scientific studies have determined that humans would lose their eyesight if they were without ...

... of displays depicting nursery rhyms which Bek found quite disturbing because they were all glow in the dark and a little freaky but the craftmanship to make it was quite inpressive. Ruby Falls is America's highest underground waterfall, about 400m below the surface and almost 150m high. You have to walk through caves to get to see it, and it IS something. It pours out of a hollow above, cascades spectacularly into a pool then runs away underground ...

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

... onto another gravel road to a waterfall. We parked the bikes and hiked 1.8 miles to the waterfall. Again, spectacular views. Uphill hiking in and we encountered a few downed trees. Easy coming out.

The hike took some time so when we got back on 136 North and headed on to Chickamauga we didn't stay too long. We will definitely will go back.

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.

... a mile farther, on gravel road, was FR 185, a sharp switchback heading back downhill. The old fire road was easy to find, and was tucked away enough to be out of the way of most human visitors. (During the first few hours of my travel, I passed 13 cars coming and going through the forest. Fortunately, this number decreased dramatically as I made my way farther in.)

The fire road was gated and locked, so I parked the Defender near the gate, and set up camp about 20 yards away ...

... it while on my way there) and the sun was beginning another assault. All around, you could see steam and fog as the heat from our yellow star boiled off all the recent moisture from the ground and the trees. It was an amazing sight... it reminded me of the Cloud Forests of Costa Rica, where everything is shrouded in fog. And, if you haven't noticed it before, pay attention next time you find yourself enjoying a foggy day ...

... being widened to accommodate it all.
What this means to the local economy is good. But, what it means to the local ecology
is, well, not so good. As is always the case, too much pressure on an
ecosystem (even one as large as the Cherokee National Forest) can cause
dramatic changes that can adversely affect the water quality, the air
quality, and the flora and fauna.
I won't get into any statistics or details here, but suffice it to
say that it is all ...

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 ...

... fried fare. The two plant workers in the corner of the restaurant with blackened fingers from a hard day’s labor were easily on their third plate. Their heavy work boots would shuffle back and forth from their seat to the buffet line. The noise of their steps were muffled by the uncomfortable volume of local girl Dolly Parton’s Greatest Hits playing on the speakers above. Dollywood is just a town over. The stacks of ...