May 2: Day 3 we head toward Chattanooga TN four first three day two night stay. My planning app said 220 miles 3 hours 33 minutes. What the app doesn’t do is account for bio breaks and the inability to safely drive the speed limit in traffic pulling 6500# of Airstream plus 7000# loaded Tundra. Stopping is so important. So I planned on four hours and we were right on track until my GPS suddenly blinked changed directions and sent me past Chattanooga saying it added an hour to our trip. Thankfully I had the number of the campground owner and she got us turned around about the same time a different GPS app sent me the same way she said. Pheww only a twenty minute detour. That said the rest of her directions involved several lefts somewhere after Walmart onto Suck Creek (not a typo and I didn’t the creek looked all that bad) and then a left at a canoe that if we missed it would result in us having to turn around at the top of a big mountain. Did I mention I was driving a long pickup followed closely by an even longer Airstream? Well Jo’s eagle eye saw the canoe and we were able to swing left into a road that met the road at an uphill angle without us running over any curbs or small pets. And then we really saw the road to the campground. Barely wide enough for two cars and rock ledge right up to the road. Jo sucking in breaths while mentioning how close I was to those rocks coupled with the oncoming locals who had been drivers for the Dukes of Hazzard movie driving 60 mph plus got me just a bit sweaty. Well we made it to the campground driveway and as his wife promised on the phone her husband was waiting by the entrance on his four wheeler. Delon (“it’s a D with the thing you mow at your house” according to Delon who lived here his whole life) said getting our trailer parked would be a little tricky. I could head down a short way and attempt to swing into an adjacent small cliff plateau or choice #2 if I had four wheel drive I could drive down to the river and turn in a bigger area then come back up to our perched site and drive past and back in. When I saw choice one, and the small area with a 20 ft drop if I got it wrong, I decided to drive down to the river. When I told Delon he breathed a sigh of relief and said good choice. Understand I hadn’t seen the choice #2 four wheel drive hill yet. The reason I hadn’t seen the hill was that it was so steep I couldn’t see it over the hood of my truck until I was a truck length down the hill and committed to my choice. The hill ended with a two truck wide landing and then a BIG river. ( Tennessee River). Well with Jo’s help we stayed dry, got back up the hill and backed in. Sewer was very far from my trailer but Delon offered us a third 15 foot hose connection and we were set. Once set up we realized just how beautiful or site was overlooking what I imagined Huck Finn’s River looked like with a pristine mountain across the river sans houses. Our hosts were great bringing us free firewood and giving us some gems for dining and tourist sites/sights. We saw a waterfall 260 feet down an elevator followed by a long walk to a waterfall coming out of the roof of the cavern 1100 feet below the top of the mountain. Ruby Falls is a love story with drama around the depression and the loss of the waterfall attraction. We stopped at a little store up the road to see if they had postcards (who knew people don’t send postcards anymore). We were on our quest to send a postcard to the grandkids from every state which turns out to be a difficult quest. Jo went in only to come back out gesturing for me to go in. Turns out the store is owned by the granddaughter of the discoverer of the mine and had a display big clothing and the original head lamp used in the 17 hour crawl that resulted in the falls discovery. The rest of our stay was great and relaxing with time spent watching otters and fish jumping along with the occasional barge and tugboat. River Life RV Resort should be on your list if you’re ever RVing through Chattanooga.
Bill and Jo’s Road Trip 