Heading West With No Destination In Mind - Part Seven

We left the South Chatanooga KOA and headed west on GA Route 2 to 193 North, yes North! We took a detour back to the top of Lookout Mountain to see Rock City. (I will write about that two lane adventure in another BLOG!) After that detour, we headed south again on GA 193 through St Elmo.

The St. Elmo Historic District is a neighborhood in the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is situated in the valley of Lookout Mountain below the part of the Tennessee River known as Moccasin Bend.

St Elmo is at the crossroads of two ancient Indian trails. St. Elmo became part of the city of Chattanooga when it was annexed in 1929. Hundreds of properties in the neighborhood have been listed on the National Register, and in 1982 St. Elmo was designated a Local Historic District. Many of these historic homes are maintained still today!

Lookout Valley is a community that is located on the Tennessee/Georgia line. The  Lookout  Valley   community is rich in history and lore. Like most of this area, Lookout Valley has roots within the Native American culture. In fact, one of the first names of this community was Wauhatchie, named in honor of the Cherokee Chieftain, Chief Skyuka Wauhatchie Glass. The name Wauhatchie is a Cherokee word that can be defined as “Great Wolf” or “ Beautiful  Mountain and Valley." It is a beautiful valley next to the mountain!

We crossed back onto GA Route 2 and then onto Route 27 where the Chickamauga National Battlefield runs. The Battle was fought in September 1863. It marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign. The battle was the most significant Union defeat in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and involved the second highest number of casualties in the war following the Battle of Gettysburg. It was the first major battle of the war that was fought in Georgia. 

Cloudland Canyon State Park is located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain and is one of the most scenic parks in the state. It straddles a deep gorge cut into the mountain by Sitton Gulch Creek, and elevations that go from 800 to 1,900 feet.  There is a beautiful hemlock grove for primitive kike in camping. The most spectacular views in the canyon are the two waterfalls, Hemlock Falls, formerly known as Cloudland Canyon Falls, and Cherokee Falls. They cascade over layers of sandstone and shale into pools below, with their flow depending on recent rains. 

In Lafayette there is a Confederate Memorial. The monument commemorates Civil War soldiers of Walker County and was erected in 1909 by the Chickamauga Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy. It stands today as a tribute to their history.  A Confederate soldier stands holding his rifle wearing a wide-brimmed hat, with a knee-length coat. The sculpture is mounted on a tall square shaft of rough-hewn stone. The section below the shaft has a relief of crossed rifles on one side and a Confederate flag on the other side. The monument was originally installed in Lafayette Park, but was relocated in 1968 when the park was converted to parking. The soldier faced north in its original location, and now faces west.

In Summerville Georgia was a marker for the "original route" of the Trail of Tears. The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

The removal included many members of tribes, who did not wish to assimilate. They were forced to relocate from their homelands to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. The Native Americans who chose to stay and assimilate were allowed to become citizens in their states and of the U.S. The phrase "Trail of Tears" originated from a description of the removal of the Choctaw Nation in 1831.
James H (Sloppy) Floyd State Park is a 561 acre Georgia State Park located near Summerville at the base of Taylor Ridge. The park is named after Democrat James H. "Sloppy" Floyd who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1953 until 1974 and was from the area. Why would a Georgia Representative be called "Sloppy?" James Floyd, was a native of Chattooga County in north Georgia. While in high school in the early 1930′s, James was described by coaches as an unusually thin football player whose over-sized football jersey was constantly flopping around his gangly frame. So, coaches began referring to him as “Sloppy.” Unexpectedly, the nickname stuck with Floyd for the rest of his life.

One of the best parts of this two lane adventure is we are seeing less Walmart stores and more Goodwill and "Mom & Pop" stores. Being the parent of a child that owns a "Mom & Pop" store, we appreciate the efforts these Americans make to maintain a way of life that so many sacrifice for the big box stores!

Leaving Rome Georgia, we went by this set of Roman Type Arches at the intersection or Routes 53, 411, 20 and 27. Tried to research their history and I struck out. Any one know the significance or the reason they are there?

In Cedartown, we came across a part of the Silver Comet Trail. It's a free, quiet, non-motorized, paved trail is for walkers, hikers, bicyclists, rollerbladers, horses, and dog walkers. It is wheelchair accessible too! The entire trail is 61 miles long, and starts in Smyrna, Georgia. It ends at the Georgia/Alabama state line, near Cedartown.

We stopped for the night in Jellystone RV Park in Bremen Georgia. This was another good find from the Good Sams Road Atlas.

It is mostly pull sites and set up in two rings of sites with the pools, clubhouse, playground and office in the middle. They even had a few interesting "pets" ... more like a small zoo ... 5 large turtles, 2 macaw birds, 3 peacocks, 2 iguanas, 2 alligators and a free range bunny! We enjoyed a praise and worship session from a local ARC (Association of Related Churches) church.

Stay tuned for the next park of our two lane adventure ... I should change the name, because we are starting to head south and we know our destination will be Majestic Oaks Carefree RV Resort.