Wednesday, July 15, 2020

It’s another scorching hot day in northern Georgia. It’s currently 94 degrees, with a feels-like temperature of 99. The UV index is 7, although it was 11 earlier when we checked. But that didn’t stop us from getting out and exploring.

Andy and I started by doing our scheduled Couch to 5k run. This morning we moved up to two 10-minute runs with a 3-minute break. We started the first run on a severe uphill road, which made the entire thing feel harder. But I did it! I love the Couch to 5k program, because six weeks ago I could barely run one minute without a break. The way it moves you up gradually is brilliant.

The girls stayed up late last night — Andy said he got up at 2:30 and they were both asleep on the couches. When I got up about 6:45, Madeline had moved to the bed, but Ellie was still on the couch, where she‘s slept all week. (Whatever makes her happy!). So at 8:30 we had to get them up to get moving.

We stopped for smoothies at Smoothie King. Smoothies are my daughters‘ latest obsession. Then we headed up Lookout Mountain again, this time toward Point Park. It‘s part of the Chattanooga-Chicamauga Battlefield National Park, and home to The Battle Above the Clouds, which I had never heard of before planning a trip to this area. Unfortunately, Point Park was closed. Maybe due to COVID? So we decided to See Rock City instead.

By the time we got to Rock City, it was about 10:30, and the parking lot was about one-fourth to one-third full by my estimation. Not bad for a tourist trap in the middle of summer. I asked at the ticket booth if dogs were allowed, because we had Georgia with us, and when the answer was yes I bought tickets. Nearly $100 for our family of four (over 12 require adult admission 🙄), but since most of our activities this trip are free, I didn’t mind so much. Most people waiting to get in were wearing masks, and the sidewalk was marked at 6-foot intervals, which most people were respecting. Most of the paths were restricted to one-way to assist with social distancing. So we didn’t really get to choose where to go, but then again the path ensured we got to see all the sights.

At first the path was crowded, but at one point we stopped at a picnic area to give Georgia water, and somehow the crowd left us behind. I guess not very many people entered after us. It was nice going at our own pace.

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My concern with Rock City was the suspension bridge. Andy has trouble with heights, and I didn’t like the idea of taking the dog on a suspension bridge. Before we even began the walk, I asked a worker about this. She assured me that there was a regular bridge right beside the suspension bridge. When we got to the decision point Ellie and Madeline took the suspension bridge, and Andy and I took Georgia across the regular bridge. It gave us the opportunity to take this picture of the girls on the other bridge!

I thought Madeline would really like Lovers Leap, where you can seven states on a clear day, but she seemed more interested in taking her turn to hold Georgia. There was a restroom in that area, and while I was outside holding Georgia waiting, we saw another dog. Georgia just got a little growly, but I still walked away quickly, and she calmed right down. That’s the only dog we saw our entire time there.

After Lovers Leap, we entered an area that had two-way traffic, and the workers asked everyone to wear face masks. We had some more great views here. I loved this waterfall!

We were nearly done then, and we entered the Fairy Caverns, or something like that. This area held a lot of fairy tale scenes, some created in Germany and some made after WWII by an Atlanta artist. It was nice being under the rock and in the cool shade.

That was the end of Rock City, and the girls and I visited the gift shop while Andy took Georgia to the air conditioned van. Soon we were leaving Rock City and looking for a place to eat the picnic lunch we’d packed. We found a park on the map, but when we got there it was just private homes, so we headed toward Chickamauga battlefield to picnic there.

When we got to the battlefield we stopped at the Visitor’s Center. The building was closed, but a park ranger was outside with maps and a pointer to help people decide what to do. He pointed out his favorite picnic spot, and we headed toward it. The whole area was covered in markers. Some indicated where troops fought (we saw a lot of mention of Indiana regiments), and others were memorials. They really helped convey the scope of the battle and the tragedy of the fighting.

When we got to the picnic spot there were only two other people there, but they had arrived on horses. The horses were tied up toward the back of the picnic area. We weren’t sure what Georgia would do, so we decided to take her out of the van, and if she reacted badly we’d put her right back in. She didn’t react, so we sat at the farthest picnic table from the horses and ate. She watched those horses the whole time. I think she was afraid of them. She wouldn’t drink her water, although she did allow me to give her two treats. When the people finished their picnic and got up on the horses, Georgia went on high alert. Then when they started walking past us, she couldn’t resist and barked a bit. The riders trotted the horses past, and the horses didn’t seem at all disturbed by Georgia’s barking. Soon they were gone, and Andy took George over to where the horses had been tied so she could take a good sniff.

After lunch we drove a little bit of the battlefield historical drive, but the girls were getting antsy, so we didn’t do the whole thing. We did stop at the hill where the “Lightning Brigade” held their defense, and that was pretty interesting. There was a memorial that looked a bit like a White Castle, but the inside stairway and lookout were closed. The sign outside said the soldiers raised money to build it to honor their Commander. Pretty cool. Also, we learned that Eli Lilly (then a captain) fought there. Another Indiana connection.

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At that point opinions differed. Madeline didn’t want to hike anymore, but Ellie really did. So we came back to the house, where Madeline and I stayed to swim, while Andy and Ellie set out for another hike. Now they’re back, and Andy’s making dinner. After that we’re going in search of ice cream. Another great day!