Blog

And the Rains Came

Yes, the skies have opened up and greeted us with a deluge so we are inside this morning.  Just more time to get caught up on my posting.  Let’s see, yesterday I took care of most of Chattanooga covering the incline railway, point city park, and rock city.  That leaves me with writing about our visit to the Chickamauga Battlefield and Cloudland Canyon.

Most folks who follow the Civil War know of the battle of Chickamauga.  It was part of the overall battle for Chattanooga but by itself it was quite a bit more deadly.  Sarah and I have been visiting battlefields since we first got together way back in 1981 (I know, that is so long ago that very few people are still alive that remember it).  We lived in Dale City, VA which was not very far from Manassas site of two quite famous battles.  Of course, how you refer to them tends to identify what your allegiance would have been during that war.  If you refer to the 1^st and 2^nd Battles of Bull Run, you are a Yankee.  If however, you refer to them as the Battles of 1^st and 2^nd Manassas, then well, you are not a Yankee.  Personally, I myself fought the 3^rd Battle of Bull Run. 

Ya’ see, Sarah and I were walking around the battlefield a few days before we were to drive to Tennessee for me to meet her family.  While on the battlefield, my allergies started acting up as they tend to do.  So, not having a tissue, I grabbed a leaf off a tree and took care of business.  My luck.  It was a poison sumac tree.  By the time we got to Tennessee, it looked like I had gone 15 rounds with a pro boxer.  What a great way to meet family. Sorry for the quality of the photo.

I think I’ve gotten off track again.  Let’s see, where was I?  Oh, that’s right, at the Chickamauga Battlefield.  Besides being a history nut, there was another reason for visiting this particular battlefield.  My Sister-In-law, Susie’s great grandfather fought here.  She was able to research and gets information about what unit he was with, etc., and then at the battlefield armed with that info, she was able to locate where he fought.  So out we walked, via a muddy horse path, deep into the woods searching for the monument that marked the location.  We were able to find it along with the guns that were part of the artillery unit.  Her great grandfather did more than fight at this site.  He was wounded and ended up losing one of his arms from below the elbow.  There is no question that he was one of the lucky ones who survived a battlefield amputation.  He lived a long life, passing away in 1923.  And of course, it is through him that Susie graces us with her presence today.  Not a lot of pictures from the battlefield, but here are a few.

Our next stop was Cloudland Canyon.  Let’s see, how can I put this properly, it was a heck of a hike.  Yep, basically, that is exactly what it was, a long hike.  So long that once we got to the overlook (which was awesome) Sarah and I ended up walking back via the road to get the car and bring it up.  It was one of those hikes that you take, walking through the woods, uphill and downhill, to get to the desired location only to discover that had you just driven the car a bit further there was a parking lot at the observation point.  But what would the fun be in that.  About halfway through the hike I found it necessary to find a bathroom.  And just being 2 months post-surgery, when my body decides it time to go I had better either find a bathroom or a tree quickly.  Lucky for me, and the local trees, there was a lodge about 50 yards away.  I managed to get there and went inside.  Seems that the lodge was being used by a scouting group and they were quite surprised when I walked in.  I guess the look on my face told the story and they pointed me in the right direction. 

Oh, this is going to be an interesting 2 months to be sure.  Anyway, so much for Cloudland Canyon and thus ends our time in Chattanooga.  Up next, Stone Mountain, Georgia.

TTFN.