Mike Breiding's Epic Road Trips ~2017~

May 17 and 18 - 2017: Our 35th Wedding Anniversary Celebration

Our First Visit to Chattanooga

Donna and Ashok Take Us Walking, Hiking, Drinking, Eating... and more!

Day 1
May the 17th: Our First Visit to Chattanooga TN

Chattanooga Skyline

Looking at the recent picture above of downtown Chattanooga you would never believe in 1969, just one year before then president Richard Nixon utilized an executive order to create the Environmental Protection Agency, Chattanooga TN was declared the dirtiest city in America. This was after high levels of ozone, particulates and other toxic substances in the local air were identified.
Fortunately that was to change.

The same mountains that provide Chattanooga's scenic backdrop also served to trap industrial pollutants which caused them to settle over the community, so much that in 1969, the federal government declared that Chattanooga had the dirtiest air in the nation. But environmental crises were not the only problems plaguing the city. Like other early industrial cities, Chattanooga entered the 1980s with serious socioeconomic challenges, including job layoffs due to de-industrialization, deteriorating city infrastructure, racial tensions, and social division. Chattanooga's population declined by more than 10% in the 1980s. However, Chattanooga was the only major U.S. city to lose this proportion of its population in the 1980s and then regain the same proportion in the next two decades.

Source: WikiPedia

At the height of its manufacturing heyday in the 1950s and ‘60s, Chattanooga was often listed among the top ten industrial cities in the United States. This success, however, eventually gave way to an unfortunate accolade: in October of 1969 on an evening news broadcast, Walter Cronkite announced to the country that Chattanooga, Tennessee had been named the “Dirtiest City in America.” Over 40 years later, the city’s bustling downtown and sparkling riverfront are now destinations for visitors and residents alike. Through the work of dedicated citizens and effective public/private partnerships, Chattanooga now boasts a clean environment and a quality of life matched by few other communities.

Source: Partners for Livable Communities © 2017

This quick Google search will give you some idea of the media coverage this metamorphosis has garnered.

How did we come to be in Chattanooga? This was never a place I really had considered visiting in spite of the numerous visits to Nashville just a few hours to the north.
Enter Donna and Ashok.

I had the good fortune of meeting Donna on November 27th, 2014 on one of the hikes I was leading for the Tucson Hiking MeetUp group. At that time Donna was hopscotching between Signal Mountain which is about 15 minutes north of Chattanooga, Tucson and Florida where her husband Ashok was living full time for work in the area.
At some point I met Ashok when he came out to visit Donna in Tucson. Betsy was not yet in Tucson and I was batching it. Knowing this Donna took pity on me and suggested I join her and Ashok for dinner. We had a very pleasant dinner and like Donna I found Ashok to be interesting and easy to talk to, something I can't say about everyone I meet.
Fast forward to April 2015. Ashok retires and he and Donna become Snow Birds spending 6 months in Tucson and 6 months in Chattanooga. By that time Betsy and I were seeing both of them on a regular basis. We were frequently hiking, biking, drinking and eating meals together. Donna sent us so many emails with suggestions of things to do I started referring to her as our Social Director. I will never forget the time when Donna suggested we all do something together and I hemmed and hawed and was generally non-committal. She then looked me in the eye and said. "Well, what are ya'll gonna do - just sit around the house all day?!" What a hoot.
Besides being fun to be with they have been instrumental in coaxing us out of our shells when it comes to going out and doing things we would not normally do. That is how we ended up in Mexico with them. That is how we ended up at a Bollywood production with them. This is how we have been to many places all over Tucson on our standing Tuesday night happy hour with them.
So I guess we got lucky when our paths crossed. And now this path has led Betsy and me to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

I mentioned Signal Mountain. When Ashok retired they decided to move off the mountain and into a condo in Chattanooga. Now they can walk out the front door and enjoy all Chatt has to offer. They seldom drive anywhere in the city. If they do not walk or bike they take the Free Electric Shuttle. Pretty nice...

The Downtown Electric Shuttle is the easiest way to get around Downtown Chattanooga and - it's a FREE ride! Electric shuttles run daily* about every 5 minutes from the Chattanooga Choo Choo to the Tennessee Aquarium with stops every block in between. The shuttle provides front-door transportation to attractions, convention center, shopping, hotels & employment sites in the Downtown area. All Shuttle buses are wheelchair accessible.

Source: River City Company

We arrived in Chattanooga after about a six and a half hour drive from Twin Falls State Park in southern West Virginia. We added a bit of time to the drive with a rather twisty, turny and slow route from Twin Falls to Princeton where we picked up I-77. Then it was on to I-40, I-75 and then into Chattanooga.

Click on the photos below for a larger image.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

As luck would have it we arrived at Ashok and Donna's just in time for Happy Hour. They have a fabulous outdoor living area with an amazing view.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

This was shot from D&A's patio. The old auto bridge on the right is now a pedestrian walk way. Across the river up on the bluff is the Hunter Museum of American Art.

Perched on an 80-foot bluff on the edge of the Tennessee River, the Hunter Museum of American Art offers stunning views of the river and the surrounding mountains. This panorama is equaled only by the exceptional collection of American art inside, recognized as one of the country's finest.

Not only has the Museum been an important part of the city’s cultural life, but the Hunter’s bluff-top setting has long played a significant role in the history of the region. To the Cherokee people the bluff – one of the highest points along the Tennessee River – was said the be the sacred home of a mythical hawk-like giant known as “Tia-Numa.”

In 1854, an iron smelting plant was erected on the bluff near the present north western corner of the museum. The plant, known as the Bluff Furnace, was one of the South’s earliest industrial enterprises. During the Civil War, the area was used as a lookout and a garrison by both Confederate and Union forces. Although the Bluff Furnace was destroyed during the Civil War, it is now a site for archaeological research.

Source: © 2012 Hunter Museum of American Art

Referring to the photo above you will also see the world famous Lookout Mountain. A marker at the summit of Lookout Mountain claims you can see seven states from the site.

In the foreground, lower left is the Chattanooga Theater Center.

Founded in 1923 as the Little Theater of Chattanooga, the CTC [a member the Association of American Community Theatres (AACT); Tennessee Theatre Association (TTA); Tennesseans for the Arts (TFTA); and, Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC)] is one of the oldest, largest, and busiest community theatres in the country. Our fifteen productions per year - seen by audiences of more than 50,000 - are created by hundreds of talented volunteers and represent theatrical experiences of the highest caliber.

Source: © 2003-2015 The Little Theatre, Inc.

After Happy Hour we walked about a block down the street for supper.

Logo for Taconooga Mexican eatery - 207 A Frazier Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37405

Here at Taconooga, authentic Mexican food is our passion. We use only the finest and freshest ingredients to create tasty food that will fill your belly and add some spice to your day.

Source: Taconooga

The name? I asked Ashok about this and he explained the obvious - it is not uncommon to see the "nooga" in Chattanooga added to names.
Taconoogas food was a nice change from the usual hot, fast and sloppy most Mexican restaurants serve up.

After supper we waddled down to the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge. The bridge was erected in 1890, and is the world's longest pedestrian bridge. Way cool.

Built in 1890, the 2,376 feet (724 m) Walnut Street Bridge was the first to connect Chattanooga, Tennessee's downtown with the North Shore. According to a plaque on the bridge, Edwin Thacher was the chief engineer for the bridge. The bridge's superstructure was assembled by the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo, Ohio, which was a prolific late 19th-century bridge builder. The bridge's substructure was constructed by Neeley, Smith, and Company of Chattanooga. Most of the parts for the bridge were manufactured by Manly Jail Works of Dalton, Georgia and then shipped to the site by rail.

The bridge's main spans are pin-connected Pennsylvania through truss spans. The top chord of these truss spans are configured in five sections, making the spans similar to the Camelback truss design. The bridge is historically significant as an extremely long and old example of its type; according to the Historic American Engineering Record: "The bridge was apparently the first non-military highway bridge across the Tennessee River."

Source: WikiPedia

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge was pretty quiet on a Wednesday evening. But I imagine it gets pretty busy on the weekends.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Here Social Director Donna pointed out some of the more interesting landmarks which can be seen from the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

The aluminum donor plaques which are embedded in the planking are replacements for the ones originally made of copper which were either damaged, vandalized or stolen. There is more info on the bridge here at TennesseeRiverValleyGeoTourism.org.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

The setting sun and low clouds added a bit of drama to the landscape.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

From the pedestrian bridge you get a good view of Maclellan Island.
That is Veterans Bridge that crosses over to the island.

Tennesee River at Chattanooga

Maclellan Island is a unique, 18.8-acre, wildlife sanctuary, situated in the middle of the Tennessee River, in the heart of downtown Chattanooga. The island is home to a great diversity of plants, animals, and birds.
Muskrats, Geese, and Kingfishers can be seen feeding at the water’s edge, while the forest is home to Songbirds, Turkeys, Raccoons, Owls, Possums, Fox, Woodpeckers, and more. Maclellan Island is also a great place to quietly watch nesting Osprey and Great-blue Heron as well as an important feeding area for migrating warblers.

Source: © 2017 Chattanooga Audubon Society

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Chattanooga Outdoors is an organization which is involved in getting people engaged in outdoor recreation and MaClellan Island is an ideal site for launching kayaks and paddle boards.

Our mission is to make outdoor recreation an attractive, healthy, and distinguishing lifestyle for Chattanooga's residents and visitor population, which, in turn, will maintain and enhance the value of the region's natural and built resources, and help grow the region's economy.

Source: © 2017 Outdoor Chattanooga

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

We found this lovely lady at the 1st Street Sculpture Garden which is just a short walk from the south end of the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Here name is Simone d'A-Lal. She was from Martinique and was a famous dancer in Parisian cafes in the 1920s and 30s.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

This stunning bronze sculpture is by Harold Cash.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Not sure what this represents. Do you have any info to share?

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This is one of several interesting sculptures on display at the River Gallery Sculpture Garden.

River Gallery Sculpture Garden opened with its first outdoor sculpture exhibit in May 1993. The garden, designed by landscape architect Joe Baasch, is a two-acre outdoor exhibit space located in the Bluff View Art District overlooking the Tennessee River and was recently included in Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens. Regionally, nationally, and internationally recognized sculptors are represented in the collection, placing River Gallery Sculpture Garden in the International Sculpture Parks and Gardens directory.

Source: sculpture.org/

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Ernest Tino Trova created Walking Jackman.

Ernest Tino Trova (February 19, 1927 – March 8, 2009) was a self-trained American surrealist and pop art painter and sculptor. Best known for his signature image and figure series, The Falling Man, Trova considered his entire output a single "work in progress." Trova used classic American comic character toys in some of his pieces because he admired their surrealism. Many of Trova's sculptures are cast in unusual white bronze. He began as a painter, progressing through three-dimensional constructions to his mature medium, sculpture. Trova's gift of forty of his works led to the opening of St. Louis County, Missouri's Laumeier Sculpture Park.

Source: WikiPedia

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Here are two more interesting sculptures on display at the River Gallery Sculpture Garden.
On the left is a piece by Allan Houser entitled "Mother’s Little Boy"

Allan Capron Houser or Haozous (June 30, 1914—August 22, 1994) a Chiricahua Apache sculptor, painter and book illustrator born in Oklahoma. He was one of the most renowned Native American painters and Modernist sculptors of the 20th century.

Houser's work can be found at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC., and in numerous major museum collections throughout North America, Europe and Japan. Additionally, Houser's Offering of the Sacred Pipe is on display at United States Mission to the United Nations in New York City.

Source: WikiPedia

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

While our tour guides kept us on track I took random snaps of the constantly changing sunset.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

I had never seen anything quite like this before. This is a section of Wisteria vine trunk.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Talk about contorted!

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

This "wooden" horse which is on display near the entrance of the Hunter museum is made of bronze. Even upon close examination it was impossible for us to tell it was not made of wood. But when tapped you could hear the tell tale metallic ring.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

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Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Yet another random sunset shot.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

This is what happens when you have smart asses for friends (or a wife)! My "smile" sometimes looks like a frown so these kind folks decided to mimic that.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Donna calls this "Chattanooga's Lombard Street" Good name.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

I don't know who dreamt up this zig zag ramp way that leads to the Hunter Museum of American Art but I think such whimsy is fun.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

This shot shows the top of one of the piers on the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

This north side structure contains condo units. For some reason it reminded me of a public theater I might have seen once upon a time.


Day 2
May the 18th: Our First Visit to Chattanooga TN

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

On Thursday morning I awoke at 5:30 to hear Betsy fixing coffee. A rare event! This coaxed me up off my bed roll and onto the patio with my coffee. As you can see, the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge is well lit.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Although the day started out with peeks of blue sky we would have mostly cloudy skies for the remainder of the day. Since we had a bike ride planned, this suited us fine.

We hit the Tennessee Riverwalk around 9:00 and it was already getting steamy. Fortunately most of the day's ride would be in the shade.

The Tennessee Riverwalk is a 13-mile (21-km) riverside path which parallels the Tennessee River from the Chickamauga Dam to downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is part of the Tennessee Riverpark System featuring the Tennessee Riverpark, Coolidge Park, Renaissance Park, Ross's Landing, the Walnut Street Bridge, the Blue Goose Hollow section and the old U.S. Pipe property.

The Riverwalk is a mix of paved pathways, boardwalks, and bridges along the river, through marshland, and over creeks. Restroom facilities and drinking fountains are conveniently spaced along the path.

Source: WikiPedia

Our planned route would be mostly on the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

 

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

I had never before ridden on such long stretches of elevated pathway.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

I am sure this section of elevated pathway could have been built straight as an arrow. Hats off to the creativity of the designers for making it so curvaceous.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Here Ashok helps Betsy out with a trail side seat adjustment.

Mike, Betsy and Ashok on the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway

Thanks, Donna for taking these two snaps!

Mike and Betsy on the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway

 

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

The trail designers and engineers did not let something as simple as a roadway overpass stop the trail from going through.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Back into the woods...

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

And out again. This section obviously followed a utility corridor. But not for very long.

The Tennessee Trail of Tears story is one of removal camps and detachment routes. Cherokee driven from their homes in Georgia and North Carolina arrived in Tennessee, where they waited to be organized into “detachments” to take them to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), a home they never wanted. Even so, Tennessee’s legacy today remains rich in Cherokee culture.

Source: NPS

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

This beautiful old stone silo is adjacent to the Sterchi Farm trailhead parking area.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

The terrain along the trail is quite varied - from thick flood plain forest to house line utility corridors.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

Every mile of trail showed yet another structure which was put in place to get the trail through.

Stop Proof

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A nice down hill section. Wheeee!

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Still more nicely shaded and scenic board walk.

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This was one of many blurry pictures which I ended up with. That's what happens when one tries to shoot while riding and does not pay attention to the shutter speed.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

I enjoyed seeing this section of unmowed area. Obviously planned that way.

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More nice windy boardwalk.

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Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

All the facilities were well built and tastefully designed- like this rest room.

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A beautifully designed and ornamented bridge. How nice to see non-motorized users treated so well.

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Did you notice how all the metal is painted blue? That way you know you are on the Tennessee Riverwalk.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

First class all the way!

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All the bridges, ramps, and elevated paths kept the riding fun.

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Just in case...

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Another "just in case".

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The section leading to the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway which parallels Amnicola Highway is mostly an industrial and commercial area.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

This small pond was built during trail construction.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

By now it was getting close to lunch time and we were seeing more and more trail users.

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A nicely landscaped section along the Tennessee River.

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A recumbent rider enjoys the trail.

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Note the white flowers in the evergreen tree.

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Beauteous!

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With my hand for scale you can see the flowers are quite large.

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We wrapped up our ride with lunch at the Boathouse Rotisserie & Raw Bar which is conveniently located right along the trail.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

When one rides 50 miles one works up quite the appetite! In the foreground is the flounder ceviche which Betsy and I split. Betsy and I both enjoyed it more than any other ceviche we have had. It was very flavorful and fresh.

Photo by Mike Breiding - Click for larger image

One final shot as we headed back to Donna and Ashok's place. What a great ride!


Back at the ranch we rested up for a bit. Betsy and Donna headed off to the Tennessee Aquarium while Ashok practiced some licks on his guitar and I worked on my trip report. At around 4:30 Ashok and I took the Free Electric Shuttle to Big River Grille & Brewing Works where we met up with Donna and Betsy. We had one drink there and then moved next door to Bluewater Grille where we could sit out on the sidewalk patio and enjoy the balmy evening.

Here's looking at you kid

Ashok snapped this pic of me - proof that Betsy has taken me over to the dark side.

At about 6:00 D&A's son Erik joined us and we all headed over to the Mellow Mushroom which is a pizza joint.

Another full day with our buds in Chatt! and we can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Seeya then,
Mike and Betsy

 

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