Erben Renewal: Chattanooga Chewing

Chattanooga Chewing

Our approach to Chattanooga included a few morning hours in the famous Tennessee River gorge. Although we enjoyed the fall colors and views of both Lookout and Signal mountains, we were plagued by low clouds left over from the night’s storm as well as early morning fog. We are hoping for better weather on our return trip.

Historic Hales Bar Power Station - replaced by the Nickajack Dam in the 1960s

Graceful bridge with 730 span

The highlight of our stop here was a visit from longtime friends, Rob, Usi and Rose Meinzen. Rob and Steve built dune buggies and raced Hobbies during our early days in Aramco. It was a brief return to our youth to see them and reminisce about those crazy adventures in the desert. It was also wonderful to see Rose who is a beautiful young lady already and only in the 4^th grade. She will be breaking a few hearts in the coming years.

Our first days in Chattanooga coincided with the annual Head of the Hooch rowing regatta which took place a few feet from our dock at Ross’s Landing. The rowing spectacle was entertaining but also a hassle for our visitors since streets were closed during the event. Parking came with a longish walk – we all got our exercise as a bonus. In addition to running essential errands at the Home Depot and several local grocery stores, the Meinzens took us to the incline railroad up Lookout Mountain – an engineering marvel climbing the steepest incline in the world. It began operating in 1895 with a coal fired engine but has since been upgraded to use electricity. The announcements on the way up informed us of all the safety features which were probably necessary since the final slope is at a 72 degree angle. The climb out of the car at the top is steeper than most home staircases. The view from the top, however, was worth the climb and any anxiety about the steep angle of the train. Reportedly, one can see seven states on a clear day. It was not crystal clear for us, but we are pretty sure we saw at least TN, GA, AL, SC and NC – not so sure about VA, and KY.

except for the oars and sculls, it wass remarkably like a swim meet -

Chattanooga is a city with many attractions plus exciting dining and shopping opportunities. We took advantage of the free electric trolley to explore some of the neighborhoods near the marina and visit the Aquarium and art district areas. We also walked up to the famous Chattanooga Choo Choo - the hotel in the old central railroad station converted in 1974. Still a gracious space with original touches. 48 hotel rooms are in Victorian railway cars! Our reward was lunch at 212 Market – another restaurant that prides itself on using local sources for the food served. Many visits would be need to explore all the tempting menu choices. We were forced to take our desserts home…..