Thursday, October 25, 2001
Raccoon Mountain CG, Chattanooga, TN - Oct 14-17
We went from Raccoon Valley to Raccoon Mountain. Raccoon Mtn CG is nicely situated just a couple of miles from Chattanooga, TN. It's a Passport America park (half price for members -- they warned us that if the campground got full, we would have to pay full price). There is plenty to do and see in the area.
First we went to the TN Aquarium; its "theme" is Rivers of the World, which means that it features fresh-water fish, generally less colorful than salt-water fish. Our arrival coincided with about 800 school kids; we were apprehensive, but they were pretty well behaved, just QUITE noisy. The "Venom" exhibit (poisonous animals of all varieties) was, of course, the most difficult to ootch our way through.
Optional (with additional $$) was admission to the IMAX 3D theater. We saw a tolerable movie on the Galapagos -- the 3D gimmick (yes, we had to wear those glasses) was interesting for a few minutes, but also frequently annoying, since objects near or far were often out of focus, & the brain didn't get it. After IMAX we walked along the TN Riverwalk & partway across a pleasant pedestrian bridge.
Chattanooga is a pleasantly small city in the process of renovating its downtown area. A free electric shuttle runs the length of downtown, from the Aquarium to the Chattanooga Choo Choo, formerly the Terminal Station, now a number of shops, rose garden, and hotel (including rooms on the refurbished train). We enjoyed walking around the complex, but were short of time (& energy) after our time at the Aquarium.
The next day we drove to the Raccoon Mtn Pumped-Storage Plant, an experiment by the TVA somewhat like a large storage battery. Water is pumped from a lower to upper reservoir at night when electricity is cheap. Then, during peak demand, the water is released, generating electricity at a more expensive rate. Unfortunately, the facility was closed to the public for security reasons.
Not closed, however, was the Chickamauga & Chattanooga Natl Military Park, the first ever Military Park, established in 1895 to commemorate two separate clashes in the fall of 1863 in some of the hardest fighting of the Civil War. Chickamauga (the first engagement, which the Union lost) was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, with CSA losing 18,000 out of 66,000 engaged, & USA losses of 16,000 out of 58,000. Also interesting was an exhibit of rifles (or "shoulder arms", as they're more properly called), some 300 rifles from ~1590 to 1918 -- a fascinating chance to see the development from matchlocks to cartridges. Within walking distance of our campground were the Raccoon Mtn Caverns, thought to be one of the largest caverns in the Southeast. We took the short (45 min) tour through the developed (lighted) section; there are also 2, 4, and 6-hour tours, & an overnighter. The extremes of the cavern are still being explored.
We wanted to spend one extra day in order to go to a nearby catfish restaurant that is supposedly wonderful, as well as Russell Cave Natl Monument, an archeological site inhabited from approximately 10,000 BC to 1650 AD, but our campsite was reserved. Since we had to go through the hassle of getting everything ready to move, we decided we might as well head to our next destination rather than moving 100 feet & then having to go through it all again the next day. It gives us a good reason for returning.
First we went to the TN Aquarium; its "theme" is Rivers of the World, which means that it features fresh-water fish, generally less colorful than salt-water fish. Our arrival coincided with about 800 school kids; we were apprehensive, but they were pretty well behaved, just QUITE noisy. The "Venom" exhibit (poisonous animals of all varieties) was, of course, the most difficult to ootch our way through.
Optional (with additional $$) was admission to the IMAX 3D theater. We saw a tolerable movie on the Galapagos -- the 3D gimmick (yes, we had to wear those glasses) was interesting for a few minutes, but also frequently annoying, since objects near or far were often out of focus, & the brain didn't get it. After IMAX we walked along the TN Riverwalk & partway across a pleasant pedestrian bridge.
Chattanooga is a pleasantly small city in the process of renovating its downtown area. A free electric shuttle runs the length of downtown, from the Aquarium to the Chattanooga Choo Choo, formerly the Terminal Station, now a number of shops, rose garden, and hotel (including rooms on the refurbished train). We enjoyed walking around the complex, but were short of time (& energy) after our time at the Aquarium.
The next day we drove to the Raccoon Mtn Pumped-Storage Plant, an experiment by the TVA somewhat like a large storage battery. Water is pumped from a lower to upper reservoir at night when electricity is cheap. Then, during peak demand, the water is released, generating electricity at a more expensive rate. Unfortunately, the facility was closed to the public for security reasons.
Not closed, however, was the Chickamauga & Chattanooga Natl Military Park, the first ever Military Park, established in 1895 to commemorate two separate clashes in the fall of 1863 in some of the hardest fighting of the Civil War. Chickamauga (the first engagement, which the Union lost) was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, with CSA losing 18,000 out of 66,000 engaged, & USA losses of 16,000 out of 58,000. Also interesting was an exhibit of rifles (or "shoulder arms", as they're more properly called), some 300 rifles from ~1590 to 1918 -- a fascinating chance to see the development from matchlocks to cartridges. Within walking distance of our campground were the Raccoon Mtn Caverns, thought to be one of the largest caverns in the Southeast. We took the short (45 min) tour through the developed (lighted) section; there are also 2, 4, and 6-hour tours, & an overnighter. The extremes of the cavern are still being explored.We wanted to spend one extra day in order to go to a nearby catfish restaurant that is supposedly wonderful, as well as Russell Cave Natl Monument, an archeological site inhabited from approximately 10,000 BC to 1650 AD, but our campsite was reserved. Since we had to go through the hassle of getting everything ready to move, we decided we might as well head to our next destination rather than moving 100 feet & then having to go through it all again the next day. It gives us a good reason for returning.
# posted by Doug and Willie @ 8:48 PM 
