You would think we would have learned our lesson--given up--thrown in the towel--and yet, we still keep trying.
Grandma and Grandpa L. were able to come and spend spring break with us, and not wanting them to get too bored while here, we tried yet again to visit Tennessee. Now, you must understand that the last two times we have been to Tennessee, we have come home early--not due to sickness, family emergencies, etc. BUT because of Tornadoes!!!
We started our lovely trip in the always charming Chattanooga TN. Our first stop (it really was our first stop, we didn't even have to make a potty stop on the way up --that is a miracle in and of itself) was Rock City. Rock City sits atop Lookout Mountain. Here you wind your way along the path, coming acr
oss some pretty cool rock formations.
Once you reach the top of Rock city, you have an awesome view of the valley below, you are actually able to see seven different states from the top of Rock City ( Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, and Kentucky.
One of the best parts of getting to the top, is the giant swinging bridge. It especially fun when you start jumping up and down and get the bridge really swinging.
After a quick picnic lunch we were off to learn all about civil war history in Chattanooga.
Our last stop of the day, was the Station House for dinner at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. What an experience--you can't go to Chattanooga without a visit to the Choo Choo. Here the staff, not only serve your food, but they are also the entertainment. We had Elvis as our waiter--kind of fitting for Tennessee don't you think.
(hang in there--we'll get to the tornadoes)
Our next stop--Nashville, home of country music. You can't go to Nashville without a visit to the Opry Land hotel. The hotel is massive. It is full of beautiful botanical gardens, Allie loved learning from Grandma about all the beautiful plants.
No visit to Nashville would be complete without a trip to the Parthenon--Yes Nashville has a full size replica of the Parthenon (built for TN's 1894 Centennial Celebration--and restored several times over the past 100 years)
After having been to the "real" Parthenon in Greece this past September, Dave and I were curious to see how it compared. I have to say it was pretty impressive--in fact, I think we learned more about the Parthenon while in Tennessee than in Greece!
Now for the GOOD PART!!--We knew there was a chance of showers the last day of our trip. However, we had planned things that could be done if it rained. WELL, as the night progressed, and we watched the weather forecast, we learned the storms coming in weren't just rain storm, but severe storms with tornadoes. The next morning, we cancelled our plans in Nashville, and headed back to Cha
ttanooga, and a visit to the aquarium . While in the aquarium, it rained, but as we were leaving, it appear
ed the storms had passed, and we were driving home with beautiful blue skies. We didn't have drive for too long, before we realized, we were heading right for the severe storms. We drove through, what I would say was the worst rain storm I have even driven in. You could hardly see the car in front of you, everyone was just crawling along slowly on the roads. As the rains the let up a bit, the wind started. We were finally able to get a weather report on the radio and learned that a tornado had reportedly touched down at the intersection by our home. Okay, if the rain and the wind were not stressful enough, how about hearing a tornado touched down right by your home! We got home a fast as we could considering the weather and the GPS--I wanted to close my eyes and we entered our neighborhood--I was sure we were heading right into a disaster zone! As we pulled into our subdivision, everything looked normal, no trees or power lines down. I was grateful to be home, and to find our home in one piece.
Here's the thing, it would be fine, if had to leave a vacation in Tennessee once because of severe storms, but this is the THIRD time we have been to Tennessee, when we have been in severe weather. We may have to think twice about another visit!!
Here are a more of my favorite pictures from the trip--enjoy
. I think it would be safe to say, we all had a great day!!
