A Family Vacation Outside Of The Midwest Day 2

Monday September 12th, 2016

After having finally arrived in Chattanooga Tennessee, we made our way to the hotel and got some much needed rest.  When the morning of the 12th arrived we headed out for our next big adventure.  This day was to be one our children would never forget (and I'm pretty sure they won't).

Our first stop of the day was a place called Rock City Georgia.  If you ever have the chance to get out there and check it out, you definitely should.  It is beautiful!  We ended up spending several hours exploring the twists and turns along and through the many different passes these amazing bluffs had to offer.
Rock City, Hiking Around Bluffs, Eye Of A Needle
Some Of The Amazing Sites At Rock City Georgia
Along these pathways there are some amazing views, beautiful trees and almost too much too take in in one day.  The swinging bridge pictured below is one of the alternate paths that can be taken to a scenic lookout area (Yes I faced my fear of heights and crossed over it although it took nearly everything in me to get it done).  For those who are afraid of heights, there is a stone bridge that gives you an alternate route to the other side.
Rock City Georgia, Swinging Bridges, Swinging Bridge At Rock City Georgia
Swinging Bridge At Rock City Georgia

This area also features some beautiful trees.  The picture below is of one of the trees I found to be a photo worthy specimen.
Beautiful Tree, Tree At Rock City Georgia, Rock City Georgia
A Beautiful Tree At Rock City Georgia
After we had finished exploring all the nooks and crannies in Rock City, we headed to our next destination - Ruby Falls.  If you are like me and enjoy a good cave, this is another place worth visiting.  There are many different formations inside of this amazing cave and yes I had my camera with me to capture many of them.
Cave Formations, Column, Ruby Falls
A Column Inside Of The Cave
Some of the various formations have been named after our favorite foods such as the one below.
Steak And Potatoes At Ruby Falls, Steak And Potatoes, Ruby Falls
The Steak And Potatoes At Ruby Falls
Of course every outdoorsman loves fish.  I'm no exception to this rule so when I saw the formation below, I had to capture it with my camera.
The Fish At Ruby Falls, Ruby Falls, Ruby Falls Fish Cave Formation
The Fish At Ruby Falls
At the halfway point on your journey through the cave you will come upon a natural wonder that is awe inspiring.  The photo below is one of many pictures I snapped of the waterfall for which this cave is named.....Ruby Falls.
Ruby Falls, Waterfall, Waterfalls In Caves
The Ruby Falls Waterfall

After viewing the waterfall, we headed back to the elevator that had lowered us into this cavern for our 260 foot return trip to the surface and headed on our way to the next stopping point of this vacation....Memphis.  Why Memphis you ask?  Well I guess you'll have to check out the next post to see what could possibly attract a sportsman to such a crazy city.

- Any day in the outdoors is a good day

A Family Vacation Outside Of The Midwest

Sunday September 11th 2016

Vacation has finally arrived! My wife and I along with our two children have ventured outside of the midwestern states for our first vacation in five long years.  Upon leaving Missouri, we headed east to Tennessee and our first stop was in St. Louis after having made a wrong turn (My wife was reading the turn by turn directions from the GPS one her phone.)  We made the best of the situation and stopped to get gas and eat lunch before making a u-turn and heading back in the right direction.  The next stop we made was a gas station somewhere along the way.  

When we finally arrived in Nashville we ate at Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint.  The food there was amazing.  If you are ever in the Nashville Tennessee area I suggest you stop in and give them a try.  Being the adventurous person that I am I always have to try anything spicy and the Devil's Nectar BBQ Sauce lived up to its name without a doubt.  If you have any sinus problems, this sauce is sure to clear them right up.
BBQ, BBQ Sauce, Devil's Nectar
Devil's Nectar BBQ Sauce

From there we drove over to the Grand O'le Opry  to take some photos.  We arrived too late to tour the inside of the building, but it was still worth checking out.  Our kiddos were rather impressed by the size of the two guitars that were in front of the building.
Giant Guitar, Giant Acoustic Guitar, Huge Guitar
Giant Acoustic Guitar At Grand Ole Opry
Giant Electric Guitar, Huge Electric Guitar, Grand Ole Opry
Giant Electric Guitar At Grand Ole Opry

After taking a few photos at the Opry, we headed on to our final destination for the day....Chattanooga Tennessee where we spent the night before continuing our adventure.  In all we drove about 700 miles on our first day and spent many hours in the car.  Our children were surprisingly well behaved during this journey and by well behaved I mean they somehow managed to make the first leg of our journey without harming each other.

This trip is pretty much a round trip outdoor adventure vacation with new stops planned for each day. I guess this means that our children have a few more opportunities to get on each others nerves while we make another long trip in the car.

I will keep you posted on our vacation as it progresses.

- Any day in the outdoors is a good day