There aren’t very many good bike trails around Chattanooga. Most of the train tracks are still in use, so no rail-trails, and the terrain is too mountainous and the roads too narrow (with no shoulders) for riding on the roads. There is a riverwalk but there are so many people on it that you have …
From September 2015
Grand Canyon of Alabama: Little River Canyon
Little River Gorge is the “Grand Canyon of Alabama” and Tom and I visited it on a gorgeous late summer day. Even though Little River Canyon is in Alabama, it is just over the state line from Georgia and only an hour and a half from Chattanooga. To get there you take I-59 to exit …
I Press On
Yesterday was the Ironman Triathlon in Chattanooga. Over 3,000 people entered the race to swim 2.4 miles in the Tennessee River, bike 116 miles along the base of Lookout Mountain, and then run 26.2 miles in downtown Chattanooga. Each stage of the race has time limits and shutdowns. If you do not complete a stage …
Wilder’s Lightning Brigade
In this week’s edition of Civil War History in a Nutshell, I am going to talk about a group of soldiers instead of a battle movement: Colonel John Wilder’s Lightning Brigade. John Wilder was among the best of the volunteer officers in the Union Army. Before the war he owned a successful foundry (a factory …
St. Therese of Lisieux: The Story of a Soul
As part of my devotional time I recently read “The Story of a Soul,” the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, “The story of a little flower picked by Jesus.” I don’t pay much attention to Catholic saints and it surprised me that St. Therese of Lisieux was not only so recent but also so …
Hiking on Lookout Mountain
Yesterday Tom and I took part of the day for hiking on Lookout Mountain. Lookout Mountain is a wedge-shaped ridge and Point Park is on the tip of it. The National Park Service also owns the sides of Lookout Mountain for about 15 miles from the tip. When we work in the Visitors Center, we …
Cloudland Canyon
Cloudland Canyon State Park is located on the ridge that is Lookout Mountain but it is farther southwest than Point Park. It is the closest State Park to where we are staying and a place of great beauty. Last week we went hiking there with our RV Volunteer partner Judy and her dog Sam. Cloudland …
Lou Gardner
Lou Gardner died last night. Surrounded by love and prayers, she went back to God who sent her to us so long ago. Lou was a member of the church I served for 21 years and she was a memorable character, but of a type that everyone who attends a church will recognize. Lou’s mother …
The Tullahoma Campaign
The Tullahoma Campaign was one of the most brilliant military maneuvers during the Civil War, but very few people outside Tennessee have ever heard of it. Why? Because only 600 men were killed. The Fall of Vicksburg and the Battle of Gettysburg were taking place at the same time and so the Tullahoma Campaign was …
Point Park
Point Park is located at the northern end of Lookout Mountain just before the ridge plummets 1,500 feet to the Tennessee River below. Point Park was the site of the Battle for Lookout Mountain and it is also home to one of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Visitor Centers where we work. We …