Evans Escapades at Ruby Falls and Lookout Mountain

As I said before. . .Ruby Falls in Chattanooga TN

was on our radar, because I read about it on our

friends, Margery and Paul’s Blog. . .

now. . .had I done my due diligence as I usually do,

and gone back to reread the post, I would have realized

that the falls was at the end of a 1100 feet deep CAVE. . .

anyone who’s read our stuff very long,

knows that after Mammoth Cave in Kentucky

I told Dave I was done with caves. . .period. . .

well maybe I will repeat Carlsbad. . .but that’s it. . .

soooo. . .here we are to see Ruby Falls. . .hello. . .

I’m pretty much feeling like a dummy. . .

’cause evidently I REALLY was not paying ANY attention. . .

Margery and Paul’s blogpost clearly indicates that it’s IN A CAVE. . .

as do the pages where you buy the tickets. . .

but oh no. . .I didn’t register any of that part of the story. . .

I just wanted to see the falls. . .and they were glorious!

the story our EXCELLENT guide told us is

that they don’t actually know where the falls originate,

although many studies have been done. . .intriguing huh?

it was WELL WORTH IT!   Highly recommend. . .

and on the way back out. . .my favorite formation. . .steak and potatoes. . .

Now, I highly recommend checking out

Paul and Margery’s story of Ruby Falls

because. . .they used a flash. . .

so their pics are much clearer. . .

I didn’t want Dave to use a flash. . .

‘cause I wanted to have that same sensation

of claustrophobia every time I looked at them,

that I had when I was experiencing it. . .what can I say?

and for our last experience in Chattanooga. . .

the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. . .

eh. . .if you’ve never done one before. . .

and just feel the need. . .go ahead. . .

but nothing all that exciting,

other than it being at a 72* grade

which all RV’ers understand is crazy grade status. . .

the views from the top weren’t any better, if as good

as the views from the lookout at Ruby Falls. . .

and you could easily drive there yourself if you wanted to see the battlefields. . .

just my opinion you understand. . .

but all in all. . .Rock City and Ruby Falls were well worth the adventure!

see you in Atlanta next,

Janice and Dave

Ruby Falls – Lookout Mountain Incline Railway – ALBUM

Travel Bug: Chattanooga - Ruby Falls - Rock City and More

Evans Escapades in Chattanooga

Three different Camping World Stores have public RV Parks. . .who knew?

The one in Chattanooga is great. . .

we paid $22.50 per night with our Good Sam Discount

very pleased!

One added note about the RV Park -

 as stated in the reviews. . .on Friday nites the races fired up, 
and the roar was very evident for about three hours. . .
tolerable, but definitely there! 

Our main objective for a stop in Chattanooga

was to see Ruby Falls. . .which our friends Margery and Paul

had visited last year and written about on their blog. . .

so. . .when I began to do my research,

I found we could do a combo ticket for

Rock City, Ruby Falls, and the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. . .fabulous!

First UP. . .Rock City. . .

a sort of botanical garden, all native plants. . .

but designed in amongst these massive boulders. . .

the majesty of it does not translate to pics. . .

I recommend you go and experience it for yourself. . .

rock bridges. . .swinging bridges. . .my fave. . .NOT!

but nowhere near as terrifying as the Royal Gorge Bridge. . .

our view of Lover’s Leap. . .

the Post Card view of Lover’s Leap. . .

and the view from the top. . .

from which you could supposedly see seven states. . .

I find any view from any pinnacle to be fascinating,

so we enjoyed it very much. . .

What a great way to spend a couple of hours. . .

Next up. . .Ruby Falls. . .see you there!

Janice and Dave

Rock City TN – ALBUM

Margery and Paul's Rock City Story and Pics

Evans Escapades near Knoxville Tennessee

 

Sunday found us camped at

Norris Dam State Park. . .

a fine place to be. . .

no views of the lake from the camping sites,

but we could drive around to the marina,

and take a Fall Foliage Pontoon Boat Ride

for only $7 pp. . .

 

a really great deal. . .Ranger Mike was our captain.

a view of the Cascades from the water. . .

Mother Nature was putting on quite a display. . .

loved that this leaf reminded me of ironing crayon shavings

between wax paper and making my own leaf creations as a kid. . .

 

Lots more pics in our  Knoxville TN – ALBUM. . .

Ranger Mike showed us caves, limestone bluffs, wildlife. . .

a very enjoyable 1 1/2 hours on the water. . .

he said in the Spring,

they offer a tour of the Spring Blooms. . .

wouldn’t that be great. . .

to see the dogwoods, azaleas and redbuds from the water. . .

would love to come back for that. . .

 

See ya next in Chattanooga. . .

‘til then,

Janice and Dave

Evans Escapades ~ We’ve Covered a Lot of Ground

Wow. . .it has been a whirlwind since we left Gettysburg. . .

plus 8 days without sewer hookups. . .although we did use the dump station at one place. . .ugh!

I give kudos to you folks who go and do SOMETHING everyday. . .

and. . .who write about it every day. . .I’m not sure how you accomplish that. . .ha  ha!

By the time I get all the pics loaded, sorted, and labeled,

I’m too worn out to write anything about them. . .

Anyway. . .the lovely government shutdown happened

while we were at Gettysburg, so we didn’t get to see

all of the battleground. . .we shall return. . .

next stop. . .

Wednesday, Oct 9 ~ Shenandoah National Park

Skyline Drive and Shenandoah NP are still closed. . .you know why. . .

but we can drive the Blue Ridge Parkway on the south side. . .so that will work!
as we are driving out we can see a storm front moving in over the mountains,

but today’s the only day we have to do this. . .so on we go.

even with the haze,

looking out over the Shenandoah Valley is breathtaking. . .

the fall colors are lovely. . .

more pics are available in the album linked below. . .

Tennessee – Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Parkway – ALBUM

Friday, Oct 11 ~ Virginia State House at Charleston VA

the plan when we left Shenandoah Friday morning,

was to spend the night in West Virginia,

and proceed to Kentucky the next day. . .

however, we made such great time,

we pulled off in this parking lot

and I went inside and asked the store manager

if it would be okay to leave the MH there

while we went to grab pics of the

West Virginia Statehouse

and got a bite to eat. . .

how wonderful of him to give his permission. . .thanks!

I sent this pic to our friends who think

we just do drive bys of the State Houses. . .LOL!

the real thing was great

and the dome was gorgeous. . .

more pics here. . .

West Virginia – State House – ALBUM

so, on we go to Kentucky. . .

Saturday, Oct 12  ~ Kentucky State House at Frankfort KY and Kentucky Horse Park

we decided to stay in Lexington

at the Kentucky Horse Park – RV Park

however, there were only primitive sites available,

with electric. . .so hey. . .great!

won’t be the first time we’ve parked in a field. . .

you just find an electric outlet and park there. . .

thankfully, it was just a little damp,

so we only left a couple of indentions. . .

we did enjoy our neighbors getup. . .

lovely little Arabian. . .

on parade. . .

next morning, half hour drive to Frankfort

to see the State House

Frankfort KY  - State House – ALBUM

and then back for a tour of the

how fabulous. . .a must see!

we saw a lot of different things,

from fabulous racehorses

who earned their owners millions

to the horses in the dressage arena. . .

even did a trolley tour – very well done!

toured the barns

saw horses from around the world

in their native dress. . .

but my very favorite thing,

the thing I could see over and over again,

that gave me goose bumps

was this magnificent Friesan dancing. . .

oh. . .I so wish I had video taped it. . .

everything he did was spectacular. . .

and as he came around the edge of the arena,

bobbing and weaving. . .it looked as though

he was saying. . .howdy, how are ya?

pleased to make your acquaintance. . .

oh goodness. . .

I would go back just to see him again. . .

although, I think it was just a guest appearance.

There are lots more pics in the album

Lexington KY – Kentucky Horse Park – ALBUM

on to Knoxville. . .see you there!

Janice and Dave

Evans Escapades at the Delaware State House

Oh goodness. . .the discussions there are  about

the maps RV’ers have on their rigs. . .

here’s ours. . .

These are all the states “our bodies” have been in. . .

I’m going to get another one for all the states “the RV” has been in. . .

but I’m not sure that the RV will ever make it to all the states. . .ever.

For example. . .the Motor Home was safely ensconsed  in our

membership park in Gettysburg. . .so we decided to. . .

rather than fighting the traffic with the rig,

and then try to find an RV Park on the East Coast. . .

to just leave it there. . .do an overniter. . .

see the State House at Annapolis MD

stay the night in a hotel. . .

and see the State House at Dover DE the next day . . .

worked out great. . .

Several of our friends give us a hard time,

because we don’t tour each and every capitol building.

They jokingly ask us if we just get drive bys

so see. . .here’s the proof. . .we actually got out of the jeep. . .ha ha!

this was following Sunday Morning Church Service. . .

thus the dressy duds. . .

as I’ve said before. . .our Texas plates get us lots of attention. . .so

the jogger you see in this pic stopped off to ask us

if we collect State House pics. . .

and how many did we have?

You know. . .I still need to go count. . .

I think we’re doing pretty good. . .

We’re headed to Kentucky next. . .

see you there. . .

‘Til next time,

Janice and Dave