We got up early this morning and headed out to Ruby Falls.
Over 75 years ago during an excavation of a 420 ft. deep elevator shaft to the original Lookout Mountain Cave, a small opening was found at the 260 foot level. Leo Lambert and his co-workers went through that opening and spent the next 17 hours crawing on their hands and knees. They heard the sound of water in the distance. When they came into a large opening they were awed by a magnificient waterfall deep within the cave. Lambert had his wife crawl though the cave with him to the waterfall and named the falls in honor of her - Ruby.http://www.lookoutmountain.com/pictures.htm
Well, as it turns out we can’t seem to get through a trip without exploring a cave of some sort. This one was similiar to others we have explored except for the waterfall which was very beautiful but difficult to photograph.
Although the falls was great I’m not sure what would possess anyone in their right mind to crawl on their belly for 17 hours not knowing what they 
were really crawling to. During the crawl there 
was only one small area they could actually stand in long before they came to the falls. I guess he was a true explorer without claustophobic tendencies.The next stop was the Incline Railway promoted as”Americas Most Amazing Mile.” It has been designated as both a National Historic Site and National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. The trolley style railcar is pulled up a one mile track with the grade of the track near the top at 72.7%
giving the incline the unique distinction of being the steepest passenger railway in the world. We were somewhat disappointed in the experience because it was not very exciting compared to the ride up the Cog Railway in N.H.Rock City was our next fun filled walking adventure with quite a history. In 1823 two missionaries came to this area to minister to the Indians. Both ascended the area called Lookout Mountain to visit “a citadel of rocks.” The reverand went on to describe the huge boulders situated in such as way “as to afford streets and lanes.”
By the time the Civil War reached the slopes of lookout mountain more people had discovered this beautiful spot already called Rock City. During the famous battle of Lookout Mountain both a Union officer and a Confederate nurse specutaled in their separate diaries that one could see seven states from atop the summit. A flag court stands tribute to each of the states – Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The view from the summit is absolutely spectacular and we were lucky enough to be here on a clear day.
There is spot on the summit named Lover’s Leap.
Folklore has it that a young brave named Sautee fell in love with a beautiful Cherokee maiden. Unfortunately for them their tribes wer in a bitter feud. They ran away together but Sautee was captured and thrown from the tip of Lover’s Leap. Nacoochee, the maiden, was so distraught she quickly jumped to her death. The area is now fenced off – no repeat performances are allowed.We went on through the City of Rocks and were truly amazed at every turn. The place is a must see for anyone visitng the area. It is truly spectacular how these rocks fell into palce in such an unusual formation.
In the late 1920’s a wealthy family bought a huge parcel of land which included where Rock City sits. Garnet and Frieda Carter began to develop a large walk-through garden on their private estate. By gathering and preserving over 400 varieties of plant life indigenous to the region Freida receved national acclaim from the Garden Club of America.
On May 21, 1932, during the Depression, the Carters opened their “Rock City Gardens” to the public. Today Rock City is preserved as one of America’s great private gardens and family attractions.
The story does not end here. Frieda also loved Europen folklore and hired a talented sculptor, Jessie Schmidt of Atlanta to created scenes from some of the most beloved fairytales of all times. In 1947 the dioramas lit with “black light”
became a part of the Fairyland Caverns. In 1964 
Jessse completed a gigantic landscape known as Mother Goose Village. The walk through this area was amazing and I must say there didn’t seem to be a fairy tail or rhyme she missed within each diorama.To end the day we decided to take a ride in o downtown Chattanooga. With little to no sinage, lousy maps and no GPS in the car we were hard pressed to find Chattanooga or its waterfront. We don’t thinks it realy exists. We did find an historic cemetary but was in such a bad neighbohood we decided to keep on moving.
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