Chattanooga, Tennessee

For the Tramel’s next road trip they decided to tour a familiar area, Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Chris has family that lives in the area and on October 16 they set out on a clear and cool fall morning.  This trip would be different from others in that they would be taking their kids and for the first Thunderbolt would be loaded down. 

Their route would take them through McMinnville to the Cumberland Plateau and Highway 8.   From there they would take Highway 111, through Dunlap and the beautiful Sequatchie Valley, and over the mountains to Chattanooga.  

Chattanooga is the 4^th largest city in the State of Tennessee. It is located in southeast Tennessee on the border with Georgia and boasts attractions such as the Tennessee Aquarium, Lookout Mountain, and several Civil War battlefields.

The name “Chattanooga” means, “ground rising to a point,” from a Creek Indian word that refers to Lookout Mountain, which overlooks the Chattanooga Valley. From Lookout Mountain, on a clear day, you can see seven states with the naked eye.  The settlements originally started out with two different names: Ross’s Landing and Lookout City. In 1838 the city officially took the name of “Chattanooga,” and that same year the Cherokees left the area on what became known as the “Trail of Tears.”

During the War Between the States Chattanooga became an important strategic objective for both north and south.  Known as the “Gateway to the Deep South,” the city was a vital railroad hub with tracks leading from Atlanta to Nashville, from Memphis to Charleston, and from Knoxville to Virginia.

In 1863 a skirmish along the banks of the Tennessee River Confederate forces retreated to Chickamauga, Georgia, just across the state line. It is here that a Confederate victory produced the bloodiest two-day battle of the entire war, with over 37,000 casualties. More Americans were killed here, in two days, than all of the Vietnam conflict.

At the final battle in the campaign for Chattanooga, the Battle of Missionary Ridge, a Union victory finally opened the gateway.  It was from there that Sherman’s infamous “March to Sea” began.
 
Another famous Chattanooga landmark is the Choo Choo Terminal Station.  It was built in 1908, and with its 85-foot freestanding dome, the largest freestanding dome in the world, the structure still stands today. The song “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” made famous by Glen Miller, became the first gold record.

The Tramel’s tour took them through the city where they could see the “Incline,” a trolley that travels straight up to the top of Lookout Mountain. Another attraction that can be viewed in the city is the Tennessee Aquarium.  The site features all sorts of aquatic life from around the world, including an underwater view of a Tennessee River setting.

Their travels then took them across the Tennessee River to Red Bank, a city of its own that is completely surrounded by the City of Chattanooga.  From there they attempted to travel up Signal Mountain, another prominent landscape figure in the area.  There they hoped to travel the famous “Dixie Highway” or “W Road,” and return down Signal Mountain Boulevard to see a local oddity, the Spaceship House, a home built like a flying saucer. But it was not to be.

It seems you can’t go anywhere in Tennessee without running into road construction.  And it was road construction that put a damper on their trip.   Traveling towards Signal Mountain they ran into a hole caused by the construction and heard a loud hissing.  They had a flat tire, their first flat tire.

Now, Chris’s spare tires are like a quote from “A Christmas story.” “The old man’s spare tires were only tires in the academic sense.  They were round and had once been made from rubber.” So it was for Thunderbolt, a rusty 14” rim with an old, bald tire.  Chris quickly replaced the beautiful chrome 15” wheel with the old ugly stock rim, and they were soon on their way, not to Signal Mountain, but on a quest to find a tire store. 

It was Saturday and not many Tire stores were still open.  And, as Chris soon found out, even fewer with a 15” tire.  After a couple of hours and three stops the group finally found a store in Hixson that had the correct size rubber.