To Find My Soul (cont.)

Happy fall from Rock City!

Day 4

We started the day with breakfast at the rental and a few hours of working. Then, we packed a lunch in our soft cooler and drove up Lookout Mountain to Rock City. Mara hadn't been to this attraction since she was a child, and I was more than happy to re-visit it. We parked, bought our tickets, and headed in. 

Can you say steep?

It was just as wonderful as ever. It's hard not to love Fat Man's Squeeze, the Swingalong Bridge, and the sweeping views from the overlook! We parked it at a table on the Terrace for a while to enjoy the clear skies and sun on our faces. Then, it was down the trail to admire the waterfall at Lover's Leap. We finished up at Fairyland Caverns, where I'd nearly forgotten how moody the lit caves were. (And I had to buy a red birdhouse at the gift shop! You know I did!)

After exploring for a few hours, we ate our packed lunch in a courtyard and buzzed over to the Incline Railway. Though I'd been to Chattanooga before, I hadn't traveled in this historic funicular. It's one of the steepest passenger railways in the world, and you definitely notice that when you ride it! The trip is about a mile each way, and the railway itself has a fascinating history. 

At the top, we exited the rail car and enjoyed fantastic views of Chattanooga. Then, we walked a few blocks down the street to Point Park, a small, beautiful park with even more views and some easy loop trails. (Some of these trails intersect with the larger trail system on Lookout Mountain, including some of the hikes I took the last time I was in the area, like Craven's House to Sunset Rock.) As it was, though, we made a wide turn around the park, enjoyed the views, and then walked back to take to incline down the mountain. (Mara insisted on sitting in the very front seat on the way down! Lawd!) 

We headed back to the rental and worked a few hours, driving out for dinner once night fell. We decided to keep it casual and have pizzas at Community Pie. We loved this place! I had a fantastic roasted mushroom pizza (Neapolitan style) with a lovely scoop of gelato to finish it off. Beat, we headed back to the rental for an early night in!

Perched on a rock in Point Park!

Day 5

We had breakfast and worked a good three hours in the morning at the rental. Then, we packed a lunch and our gear and headed out for the hike we came for - the West Rim Loop Trail at Cloudland Canyon State Park. We were blessed with absolutely perfect weather for this hike day - clear, cool (but not cold), sunny, and not humid. Absolute perfection. We parked at the trailhead and set off! 

My trusty hiking boots got me all the way to this view! 

Note: There are a couple of ways you can hike this trail. You can start at the overlook trail (short, with great views, and near the two waterfalls - both Hemlock and Cherokee). This would be the easiest and quickest way, with the biggest payoffs in the shortest amount of mileage. However, we'd already seen Hemlock Falls on our Sitton's Gulch hike. So, we went to the far end of the trail and did the whole loop, adding on the spur to Cherokee Falls, which we hadn't yet seen. 

Holding it up on the trail! Heh.

Total, this hike is about six miles (though park rangers will tell you it's less than five). We *absolutely* checked out each and every overlook. And what overlooks they were! Breathtaking views of the gorge, turning leaves, and blue, blue skies. So much fun rock hopping and waterfall gazing. We ate our packed lunch under a HUGE rock near the waterfall. Cherokee Falls, at the terminus of the trail, is high and gorgeous and peaceful. A little careful footwork gets you right under it, so you can see it up close! 

If you take the whole loop, you're mostly in the forest on the way back. I kept looking for deer, but I only saw two armadillos! Heh. 

We spent most of this day on the trail, due to our view chasing, waterfall admiring, lunching, and general gallivanting. We drove back to the rental and ate in that night.

Day 6

Thursday was *supposed* to be our hang gliding day. However, we awoke to call from our vendor that the wind was too high to fly. Since the weather forecast wouldn't improve before we left town, that meant we had to miss this activity. (Sob!) However, our booking is still good for two years, so we'll be back! 

With that activity a wash, we breakfasted and worked most of the morning. At lunch time, we pointed our GPS to Scottie's on the River, which got good online reviews. And no wonder! The beautiful dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the water. I had a creamy bowl of she-crab soup with a hunk of bread and a glass of white. 

There's a ton of public art in Chattanooga.

Then, we headed into downtown to see what trouble we could cook up. We stumbled upon an alleyway of umbrellas that were begging for a photo, so we happily obliged. Then, we did a bit of shopping. (Mara found a cool pair of glasses in one boutique, and we picked up hot coffees in a cozy bakery.) We hunted up a few murals, then headed to the Sculpture Fields at Montague Park. I'd visited here on my last trip to Chattanooga, and I knew Mara would love it! It was a great day for it - not too hot. Visiting the sculpture fields is a free activity, and we shared the huge installation with a few other patrons. Mara loved inspecting the pieces and taking photos, and we even saw a gentleman practicing catching the wind with a huge, bright parachute! 

Lush cocktails at the Rosecomb

Continuing our artistic vibe, we returned to the arts district to poke through a few galleries and take a turn through River Valley Sculpture Garden. The ginkgoes were almost violently yellow, and while tons of leaves were still on these trees, the ground beneath them was positively gold with fallen foliage. Just remarkable. 

By this time, we were ready for dinner. Luckily, we had reservations at Rosecomb. I'd found this place almost by accident while researching the trip, and I knew we had to eat there. The restaurant is in an old house. The walls have been painted dark colors, and there are lit candles everywhere. It feels warm and intimate and like you are at a really good private party. The cocktail menu is inventive and absolutely delicious. I tried both the Second Spring (Tito's, Wild Roots pear, honey) and the Desert Solitaire (gin, lemon, apricot, rosewater), and they were both exceptional. (I do so love a coupe glass.) 

For dinner, I chose the grilled cheese with the winter salad, and they were both amazing - good mix of flavors, ample portion sizes, etc. Service was also great here. This will be one of my top recommendations when folks ask me where to eat in Chattanooga! It's worth the drive from downtown! 

Fully sated and happy, we headed back to the rental and to bed!

Day 7

Our last full day in Chattanooga dawned rainy. We had a bit of breakfast and did a bit of work before trying to decide what to do.

All week long, nearly everywhere we went, we'd seen stickers and signage and flyers about the Naughty Cat Cafe. ("Not a strip club," much of the literature noted dryly.) We looked at each other, shrugged, and decided "Why not?" Neither of us had ever been to a cat cafe before, so we figured we see what all the fuss was about. You pay $15 to get in, and your payment gets you a free beverage (water, soft drink, coffee, tea, cocoa, etc.) and an hour with a ton of friendly cats! 

We made some new friends at the Naughty Cat Cafe!

The cafe sources cats from two local shelters, and all cats are available for adoption. You settle into one of the comfy chairs (There are tons of them.) and pretty soon, cats start showing up for snuggles. They are so cute! They are all adult cats, and binders on various tables are full of information about the cats. The cafe is several rooms - some are dim and intimate, and others are bright and open. All of them are filled with cat condos, little nooks where cats can sleep and relax, and little spots where the cats can get food and water. This place is HEAVEN for cats, and they were obviously some very content kitties! One little orange rascal made himself at home on Mara's lap! 

After communing with the kitties, it was off to lunch at Tupelo Honey, where I had an absolutely carthartic "Old Skool" Breakfast Bowl. This thing had everything - smashed potatoes, grits, bacon, cheese, eggs, the works. I ate it aaaallll up, with coffee, water, and a mimosa to keep me good and hydrated. After lunch, we did a bit of shopping in Warehouse Row, the shopping complex the restaurant is housed in. So many cute stores here! (We were particularly taken with Madewell.)

Dining at State of Confusion is a whole vibe.

Then, it was back to the rental to do a little more work before dinner. We popped back out for the evening at State of Confusion, which we LOVED! This was another big dining winner from the trip. We were seated in a huge outdoor dining area, and the weather was perfect. There were warmers and some gas log-type fires as the night got chillier. Folks were coming and going and having a great time. And they have such an eclectic menu! We split the Peruvian paella and the Aji chicken egg rolls, and both were a delight. I had a lovely agua fresca (with a shot of vodka in it) to drink. Honestly, the food and drinks were so good, the weather so pleasant, and the vibe so positive that we could have stayed here all night.

But we had plans! We had booked the Friday night lantern tour at Ruby Falls. I'd been to Ruby Falls on a previous visit to Chattanooga, but the lantern tour was something different. They give every other person on the tour a handheld lantern, and that's ALL that lights your way through the caverns. A cool and different way to experience this underground wonder. 

Chattanooga from the top of the Ruby Falls observation tower

We arrived early, early enough to climb to the top of the observation tower and catch gorgeous, moonlit views of the city and the river. And also to admire the big Christmas tree and lights they'd already strung up for the holidays! Then, we got our lanterns and headed down, down, down into the caves. 

The glorious roof of 
Soloman's Temple

Touring in the darkness is completely different than touring with all of the formations lit up. It feels more . . . exploratory, somehow. (It really makes you think about what it was like for the early explorers and developers of these caves. Dark, dark, dark when you turn your lights off.) When you make it to Solomon's Temple and the falls themselves, the tour guide first hoists a little lantern to the top of the falls with a rope and a pulley. And then, he turns on the light show, and the whole cavern is awash in color. Such a contrast to all that has come before. Just a wonderful experience. 

After a great experience at Ruby Falls, we made our way back down the mountain and off to bed!

Day 8

Saturday was a travel day! We packed up and cleaned up the rental, then filled the SUV up with gas for the trip home. 

Before leaving Chattanooga, we had a lovely brunch at a quirky place called The Bitter Alibi. (I loved their tagline: "You were with us the whole time.") I ordered the Arnold (basically a really good avocado toast) and a mimosa, and Mara got the Breakfast Wonton Nachos (it doesn't sound like it would work, BUT IT DOES). Food was great, service was speedy, and we were on the road in no time! 

We had a sunny, pleasant drive back. We absolutely loved our time in the mountains, and we will definitely be back! In the meantime, I'll be dreaming of sitting in front of Cherokee Falls . . .