Our first stop was Lookout Mountain. Today, most of the mountain southwest of Chattanooga is developed in residential housing, but Point Park has been left in memory of the Battle for Chattanooga that took place during the Civil War.
This mountain is aptly named, because it commands a spectacular view of the city of Chattanooga.
Moccasin Bend is named in memory of the thousands of Cherokee and Choctaw Indians that traversed the Tennessee River at this point.
During the ill-fated siege of Chattanooga by the Confederate army, this point was the location for a number of Parrott guns and cannon because of the tremendous height advantage. Donna needed to stand in the shade, and Sasha was panting during our short, "feels like 106 degrees" walk.
The limestone rocks provided much protection for the defenders of the mountain-top. Unfortunately, the Confederates were outmaneuvered and had to retreat.
Coming down off the mountain, we took a short detour into downtown Chattanooga to look at the Walnut Street Bridge. This historic bridge was the first connection between downtown Chattanooga with the North Shore, that is, the opposite side of the Tennessee River, and in fact, was the first non-military highway bridge across the Tennessee River. The bridge is an old and long example of the "Camelback" design, and was built in 1890 at 2,376 feet long. The Walnut Street Bridge also has the dubious distinction of being the place were two black men were lynched. Both were accused of attacking a white woman; one was hanged in 1893 and the other in 1906. Today it has been refurbished and renovated as a pedestrian walkway.
With the heat index so high, and knowing that Sasha (and D and I as well) wouldn't do well walking a mile or so, we passed on the bridge stroll and headed back to "camp".
As you can see, our site is backed by an area of grass, something Sasha is very fond of. The area is patrolled by private security during the evening and is well lit at night.
Today, Friday, we were called at about 9 to tell us that a spot had opened up for our repair, and that we should come to the shop asap. Fortunately, we were ready, and got to the shop in about 10 minutes. After discussing the extent of the repair, Donna, Sasha, and I were turned loose on Chattanooga!
Our first stop was the Chattanooga National Cemetery, where we noted a monument honoring the men who participated in Andrews Raid. I'm sure you can guess the connection to a famous song.
On April 12, 1862, a Kentuckian named John J. Andrews and a group of twenty Union troops from Ohio infantries, made their way to Big Shanty, Georgia, and stole the locomotive called General. Making their way toward Chattanooga, they tore up rails, burned bridges, and cut telegraph lines. Relentless pursuit, bad weather and poor luck resulted in their capture by Confederate forces. After being tried, Andrews and seven others were tried and hanged as spies. Others escaped, and yet others were exchanged. Nineteen of the soldiers received the medal of honor.
Over 4,000 graves of unknown Civil War dead are gathered around the Andrews Monument.
The National Cemetery stretches as far as the eye can see and contains graves of veterans and their spouses from the Civil War to today.
The cemetery was originally laid out in an unusual design which compliments the natural contours of the site.
At the cemeteries highest point, our flag flies at half-staff.
Continuing our exploration of Chattanooga, we went a bit north on I-75 to the Volkswagen Passat assembly plant. One of the largest such plants in the south, we were hoping to score a tour, but the tours are on hold while year-end retooling takes place.
Thousands of Passats wait for transportation to their new owners under covered parking areas.
We counted 50 railroad cars waiting for their cargos.
Just across Volkswagen Drive is the Amazon Fulfillment Center! We arrived just about noon, and joined hundreds, if not thousands, of employees for lunch. There were a series of food trucks lined up in the parking lot, so we chose one that advertised "California Burritos" and ordered up a couple of lunches. Not bad! OK, not Cali, but not bad.
After eating in the cool car at a nearby park (sharing a chip or two with Sasha, of course!), we drove across town to the Chickamauga Dam. This huge dam across the Tennessee River was built in the '30s as part of the New Deal initiative to improve navigation, provide flood control, and bring economic development to the Tennessee Valley. The Tennessee Valley Authority administers this dam, as well as others up and down the river which bring, among other things, electricity to millions of people in the south.
Since the afternoon was getting long in the tooth, we decided to head back to the repair shop. We arrived just as work was being completed, and got a "tour" of the work done, and a demonstration of a successful repair! We are now fully slide functional, Hooray! Best of all, the cost was about $200 less than the estimate, so we are very happy! We plan to do laundry tomorrow, complete a few chores, and prepare for departure on Monday. Oh, yeah, that still leaves Sunday....what to do?
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