Thursday, July 16, and Friday, July 17, 2020
The heat really started getting to us the last couple of days. We still went out and did things, but our activities were seriously curtailed by the heat. Ugh! The girls would have really liked to eat inside the restaurants, but COVID is still a thing, so we said no.
The plan Thursday morning was to go into Chattanooga, rent electric bikes, and ride the Tennessee Riverwalk. Unfortunately, when we go to the Pedego dealer we learned that they couldn’t rent to anyone under 14 (despite the listing of “all ages” on their website). Ellie still wanted to ride, so she and Ellie did the bikes, and Madeline and I walked around and did a little shopping. We all met up for lunch, which turned out to be hotter than Hades. We were in a shaded area of the restaurant’s rooftop, but it was just stifling. Everyone was grumpy, including me.
The restaurant was right next to the old Chattanooga train station, which building is now called the “Choo Choo.” It houses a restaurant, a hotel, and a few other businesses. Out back where the train platforms were is the Glenn Miller Gardens. They were sadly run down.
After the Gardens we went to a shoe store, because Madeline, Ellie, and I all needed running shoes. There was a brewery next door, so Andrew was content while we shopped. Heaven and Ale had the best beer I’ve had all week. After shoe shopping we went back to the AirBnB for swimming and cooling off. Then we went back to Chattanoooga to a restaurant called Tupelo Honey Cafe. It was the best meal I’ve had all week.
Then we drove down to the riverfront and walked the pedestrian bridge at sunset. It was still hot, but with the sun low in the sky it was tolerable. After we walked the bridge we tried to grab ice cream at Ice Cream Show, but they were doing an extremely lousy job at social distancing, so we decided to leave and grab ice cream at Mr. T’s instead. Sleeping was hard because it’s so hot our air conditioner can’t even keep up.
This morning Andy and I did our last run of the week. It seemed harder to breathe than the other mornings. I don’t know if the humidity is up, or it’s just a general hotness! I didn’t quite complete the last ten-minute run. Hopefully it will be cooler at home.
When we returned from the run we woke the girls and headed back to Cloudland Canyon Park for the last time. This time we decided to do the Waterfalls Trail, a difficult trail that is mostly stairs. The trail goes down a ways, then forks. We took the fork that led to the shorter path. The waterfall was neat, but since it was dry season, there was not a huge amount of flow. We headed back toward the fork and up and up and up stairs! We took a lot of breaks. Fortunately, there were benches at most of the landings. The designers knew people would need to sit.
We reached the fork, and Madeline said something about something hurting. She and Andy stopped, but Ellie and I kept going toward the second waterfall a little ways. They didn’t come and didn’t come, and after about ten minutes we went back to the fork. They weren’t there (and we had zero cell service), so we headed back to the van. They were there. Madeline’s stomach had hurt, so they used the restroom, and Madeline ate half of a turkey sandwich I’d packed. She was feeling better by the time Ellie and I got to them. But she wanted to stay out of the sun, so we never saw the second waterfall.
We went back to the AirBnB, where we could cool off in the pool. After an hour or so of swimming, relaxing, and/or showering, we all felt much better. We drove into Chattanooga to a restaurant called Public House for a late lunch. I had an amazing cheese board and a drink called the Schrute-Swanson, which contained both bourbon and beets, and some other things. It was delicious! The restaurant was at a little shopping area, and we made a quick trip to Lululemon.
We then had to head back to the AirBnB to pack, which is surely the least fun part of every vacation. It was so hot that the air conditioning couldn’t keep up, so I’d pack a little and then sit a little. Once we were packed we reWarded ourselves with ice cream. Then, back at the AirBnB, Madeline talked us all into getting into the pool one last time. We were out so late the bats were flying over our heads.
Andy and I went to bed about 10:00, but the girls were up watching TV. They both decided they wanted to stay up late so they could sleep in the car on the way home. Interesting strategy!