Day 3A - Downtown Chattanooga; Morning at Rock City

Rock City - a short drive from downtown Chattanooga.

<Soap box on>Any place that allows pets deserves a look, and Rock City was more than just a bunch of rocks.  Disney, Universal, Busch Gardens - are you listening?  Allowing pets CAN work and bring more people.  <Soapbox off>

Note the light colored path, making it easy on dogs' feet and cooler for people.  This was a hot day, so we brought Scooby's icewater thermos jug (you will see that show up later).

Sure, there are lots of plants, paths, caves and rocks but...

...then you come to this innocent-looking cable bridge...

...where you get the first breathtaking view for miles; and it's quite a drop straight down too.

As you approach the main overlook, you get to see how sheer the cliffs are.  The sign in the corner says "lovers leap".  Just one leap per customer.

Scooby says "you can see 7 states from here! Woof!"

and indeed you could see 7 states if it were less hazy.

Scooby takes a break along with his guide, Grayson.  Scooby is mostly blind and mostly deaf, so he needs help through the paths.  His nose for food and tennis balls works perfectly.

The bird show was more interesting that my skeptic attitude would admit.  I didn't know owls had extra vertebrae to swivel their head 360 degrees.

Some of the birds touch your head as they fly by.

Don't fall for the wearing-of-the-fake-possum-on-your-apron trick.

No bird show is complete without an American Bald Eagle.  In this case, a one-winged Eagle which is why he is protected in captivity.

The caverns had an interesting mix of coral and...

Gnomes!

A bit silly, but fun.

End of Rock City.

Next: Day 3B Afternoon - Overlook

All photos and text Copyright 2007 Paul Kempter, except for the charts which are Army Corps and Google Earth pictures.  They contain watermarks.  Please give credit if you copy to your personal non-profit web site.  High resolution copies of the photos are available for licensing (usually free to non-profit organizations).