UFOs on Signal Mountain

So I'm going back in time to last May when my fiance and I traveled down to the Chattanooga area. I could write a novel about all the interesting places we visited while there, but for now I'd like to focus on Signal Mountain.

Just north of Chattanooga on Walden's Ridge, Signal Mountain was used during the Civil War as a communications spot where Union soldiers maintained a signal line. In 1913, a streetcar line was extended to Signal Mountain and the Signal Mountain Inn was erected. This Inn catered to those on their way to Florida, and as a result, a resort town was formed.

As we drove up the mountain, we were struck by the quaintness of Signal Mountain and its densely clustered lots comprised of early 20th century architecture. We stopped at a park called Signal Point that commemorates the Civil War history of the mountain. From here, you overlook one of the most stunning views of the Tennessee River Gorge (which happens to be protected by the Tennessee River Gorge Trust). We happened to go at sunset and it was truly spectacular.


While on Signal Mountain, you would be remiss if you didn't stop and check out the "Spaceship" house located along Highway 127 inside a hairpin curve. The Spaceship house was built in 1970 and surprisingly is almost 2000 square feet. Just this year it sold at auction. I'd love to see the interior-if only it were open to tours!


There's so much more to post about my experiences in the Chattanooga area, but its nearly 9:00 pm and this ole' gal needs to wind down before going to bed. I'll be going back to the area next weekend since Brian will be cycling 100 miles for the Three State/Three Mountain event. You can bet I'll be taking my camera.

Search for the pearl necklace

Yesterday was one of those rare August fair weather days that makes you want to get out of the house and go on an adventure. So I drove to my parents' house without a plan; and my mom (pictured at right) and I decided to hunt for a vintage necklace to go with my wedding dress. I hadn't been to the antique shops on downtown Lebanon in a while, so we hit Highway 70 headed east towards the square.



We looked through several stores, including the infamous Cuz's- home of the half-human, half-mutant head that used to sit in the storefront window. (I didn't see it this time, so perhaps someone bought it??)

No luck at any of the stores, so we take a break and get delicious thin crust pizza at Painturo's and take a look around Goodwill. On our way back to Mt. Juliet we see this insane sign located on Highway 70 at a ice-cream dive named "Emo's":



I'm terrified of clowns so of course I had to snap a picture. (It's kinda like staring at a car wreck- I know its bad, but I just can't look away)

At the end of the afternoon, we ended up at Rawling's antique shop in Mt. Juliet where I walked away with a gorgeous vintage 4-strand faux-pearl necklace. Score!

Coca-Cola in Coffee County

Yesterday I drove down to Decherd, TN near Winchester in order to pay a visit to my best friend who just moved back from Utah. She's living at her in-law's house along with her husband, two babies, and dog. Needless to say- she needed an escape plan for the day and I was more than willing to oblige her by driving down and whisking her away to the nearby town of Tullahoma.

We have a tradition of driving to Tullahoma and making a stop at the discount shoe store Marti & Liz, followed by stops at Sweet Aroma Cafe and various antique stores in the historic downtown area.



Sweet Aroma Cafe is a cool little retro cafe located inside what used to be the Coca-Cola bottling and distribution plant for Tullahoma now known as the Coker building. The Coker building is a cool 1930s Art Deco building with huge glass windows originally intended to show off the bottling functions of the plant. Now it houses Sweet Aroma cafe and some other shops, with Silver Mine being one of our favorites for its beautiful, yet affordable jewelry. At the cafe, I ordered a delicious ham and cheese sandwich (with an ice-cold Coca-Cola of course!) and Rachel and I split an iced sugar cookie covered in chocolate sprinkles.



I didn't end up making any purchases, but Rachel found a cool World War I bayonet that she bought her husband for their 11th anniversary. Although I love my hometown of Nashville, its nice to get away every once in a while to a small town located off the beaten path for some good ole' rest and relaxation.

Davy, Davy Crockett.....

I traveled down to Davy Crockett State Park today. Located just west of Lawrenceburg on US-412, the park is a relatively small park filled with cabins, a restaurant and pool, trails, and the historic clock that once sat atop the Lawrence County courthouse that was torn down in the 1960s in order to make way for this 1960s-era monstrosity:



But before we get to Davy Crockett state park, we decide to take the backroads through Amish country. After turning off US-43, we drove through Summertown and took a left on Buffalo Rd. This beautiful stretch of county road took us through miles of Amish homesteads. The homesteads were simple white weatherboard houses surrounded by at least seven or eight outbuildings. We saw kids working out in the fields, men on buggies hauling produce, and women hanging laundry to air dry on a clothesline.

We attempted to take a photo of one of the men riding in his buggy, but apparently the Amish do not want their picture taken. As soon as my passenger raised the camera, the man driving the buggy waved his hand in a gesture for us to stop and bowed his head so that the brim of his hat covered his face. I felt really bad- I had no idea, but should have guessed that they wouldn't want their image taken. I did take one picture of an Amish homestead from a distance because no people were out and it was just too interesting to pass by without taking a photo.



Now, back to Davy Crockett state park. After our meeting, my coworker Del, takes us down a maintenance road where we find the original top to the old Lawrence County courthouse. It's just sitting there rotting in the middle of a field in front of a park maintenance building. It's a neat old clock and shameful that its in such bad condition, but it made for great photos.




I'm not sure where I'll be traveling next, but I can only hope that the weather is as crisp and clear as it was today. Today was one of those days where the sun's shining, I'm not stuck behind a desk, and I realize how much I love my job.

Mindfield Cemetery

Bear with me here as I'm going back in time to the beginning of May when I stumbled upon Mindfield Cemetery in Brownsville, TN. Located along SR-54 directly west of the historic downtown square, this metal monument appeared out of the blue as my coworkers and I headed through Brownsville on the way to Covington in West Tennessee.

At first glance we thought it was some strange kind of electric substation, but as we neared it, it quickly became apparent that we had stumbled on to a welded oddity that cannot be explained with words.


Apparently, artist Billy Tripp began this memorial in 1989 and continues to add on to it until he dies. Upon his death, it will become the site of his internment. It also serves as a memorial to his mom and dad.



To see more photos of this roadside treasure, visit my flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/packleader79/sets/72157604942468203/

What is it that you do again? An introduction.

As a transportation planner, I'm often asked, "So what is it that you do again?" I realize the title of transportation planner is rather vague and can mean several things- Do I plan travel arrangements for buses of senior citizens? Do I plan where roads will go? Make maps? Sit on my ass and surf the internet all day?

I actually can't give you a concrete answer of what I do, not because its classified, but because its so varied and so complicated that not even I know what I do on occasion. I do know, however, that I work specifically as a rural planner and as a result I travel throughout Tennessee meeting with local officials and discussing transportation issues. (Clear as mud, right?)

Anyways, my point of all this is to introduce the fact that I often travel the backroads of Tennessee (for both business and pleasure) and have experienced my share of local situations/oddities that would be a shame not to relate to others. From the gigantic welded scrap metal monument in Brownsville to the BYOB strip joint, Fuzzy Holes, in Johnson City, I'm here to share it all. I hope you enjoy.