Inner voice: Some legends, some surprises at the Lookout Mountain

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Some legends, some surprises at the Lookout Mountain

So, our last road trip was for 2 weeks and I had soaked up so much nature and spent most part of the personal time I had enough to reflect on, write about and not post (my last post of previous trip just got published now! https://soumya-innervoice.blogspot.com/2019/06/grand-teton-hike.html ).
With so many other things to focus on, we just realized that we had not done any road trips(or even a trip!) this year. An invite from family to visit them in Atlanta and timely availabilioty of leaves, we worked out a road trip to Atlanta and while on our trip back, visited New Orleans!

We started just before the memorial day weekend rush anywhere and were lucky not to hit any traffic except for when we entered Atlanta (the blinkers and speed limit is all just name sake!).
While food was the main highlight of our stay with family (especially the Mangalore cuisine!), we all went out to do some sight seeing on Sunday morning. Our first stop was at Ruby Falls, only to realize that there were more visitors that day and all the tickets were sold out! So, make sure you buy the cave tour tickets in advance. We will go back some day and do it!

With the summer sun still high and burning at noon, we drove to Look out Mountain. I had just finished reading Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" where there is a lot of reference to this Chattanooga area. The climax is so gripping and describes in great detail which is all centered around Rock City and Lookout Mountain. I loved the climax and so, this place became even more special to see and relive the reading and see if writing really helped with imagining the place and scenarios.

While reading the novel, I googled the Look Out mountain and was fascinated by the beautiful view of the water fall, which carves through the rock, falling down below, where you could enter to see fascinating museum which is beautiful not just for the kids who sing rhymes but also for the adults who love the fairy land. I could not recollect all the rhymes I sang as a kid but the ones I could recollect sure was a close resemblance to how they recreated it in the fairyland caverns
There are many narrow passages through the rocks and you can spend some meditative time in some corner, if you can avoid all the tourist lot!

All of these were in the cavern!

Oh, while you are there, do visit the "Birds of Prey" show, where you can see the falcons, owls,vulture and many other birds of prey and learn a little bit more than what you know. Sure, you can take the kids there, as long as they are not jumping around - or even the adults who would leave the show mid way, which results in cancellation of some display of the birds and their flight within the enclosed area, to keep everyone safe.