Tag: Tennessee

MotorCoach Blog 58

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I Am a Motorcoach . . .

. . . and I am back in the mountains, back where ascending and plummeting from tall peaks confuses my turbo, shows off my “horses,” tests my metal, utilizes every advancement of my sophisticated technologies, and keeps passengers gazing out my picture windows with constantly renewed anticipations of amazement. These mountains are less naked then those out west. These are the Appalachians. I’m taking you on a quick “Bet you didn’t know . . .” tour of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Let’s go . . .

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Bet you didn’t know the International Towing and Recovery Museum is in Chattanooga. This is where you can learn all about the invention and history of automobile towing. You can also walk through an impressive array of pristine early model tow trucks and read their stories.

Bet you didn’t know the Southeast is home to more fishes, turtles, and salamanders than anywhere in North America, and that the Tennessee Aquarium is not only a dynamic place to see them, but its research arm, Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute, is a leader in restoring fresh water ecosystems.

Bet you didn’t know that there is more rock climbing surface within a twenty-five mile radius of this hilly Appalachian town than Boulder, Colorado, which makes it a climbers and hikers paradise.

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

TOWING NEWS: Bet you didn’t know the first tow truck was a modified 1913 Cadillac built in Chattanooga by a mechanic named Ernest Holmes, and that the earliest history of towing didn’t include the word truck because it was all about cars modified to be haulers of other ailing cars.

CHOO CHOO NEWS: Bet you didn’t know the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel was originally a railway terminal and that in its lobby is the largest free standing brick dome in the world.

MILE-HIGH and MINIATURE NEWS: Bet you didn’t know the one-mile “straight up” Look Out Mountain Incline Railway has been in operation since 1895, is one of the steepest passenger railways in the world (72.7% grade), and that somewhere on that mountain miniature golf was invented (Tom Thumb Golf on Lookout Mountain – 1927).

CIVIL WAR NEWS: Bet you didn’t know the Chattanooga and Chickamauga Military Park is the nation’s first and largest National Military Part. The park is made up of six locations throughout the Chattanooga region, the largest being in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia (the park’s headquarters). The park’s 9,000+ acres of Civil War battlefields range from forested areas in rural valleys, to rocky mountain peaks and ridges, and hilltops overlooking urban Chattanooga. In the late 19th Century, Chattanooga – a vital railway junction – was known as the “Gateway to the Deep South.” The title proved prophetic during the Civil War, as Confederate victory in the Battle of Chickamauga gave way to Union conquest of Chattanooga, which paved the way for the subsequent Atlanta campaign, and ultimately the march to Savana, Georgia. The Chattanooga and Chickamauga Military Park preserves this important national history, tells its stories, and highlights the significance of these pivotal events in the American Civil War.

NIGHT FALL NEWS: Bet you didn’t know that every Friday night from the beginning of May to the end of August (rain or shine) Chattanooga hosts a huge party (kids, pets, lawn chairs, streets blocked off, etc…) to which everyone is invited. This shindig in downtown Chattanooga is equal parts FREE concert, way-cool motorcycle rally, and food-fest, and has been going on for over three decades (2019 is year 32). It goes like this: early acts get things going at 7:00 and a nationally touring headliner takes the stage at 8:00 and everyone just kind of grazes the concessions while enjoying multifaceted fun.

MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

The Tennessee Aquarium is two buildings and one path following the flow of freshwater to the sea. Focusing on the biodiversity of the Southeast, exhibit presentations that are second to none have attracted 25 million visitors since the aquarium opened in 1992.

Quote Of The Day samples

“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” – Rumi

“In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then him who continues the attack wins.” – Ulysses S. Grant

(Video run time: 2 minutes 35 seconds)

Musical accompaniment:
Sour Tennessee Red – John Deley and the 41 Players https://youtu.be/Vfc9sAQjJtc

 

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MotorCoach Blog 46

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I Am a Motorcoach . . .

. . . out on the road because the road is the romance. I know, you probably don’t think of me as the romantic type – a bunch of chrome and steel, glass and fiberglass, nuts and bolts, wires and hoses, belts and treads, lights and mirrors, and so on. Well, I could make a case for the romantic nature of humming diesel horses climbing through sun-speckled mountain shadows to a golden Autumn peak, but mine is not the romance I’m eager to tell you about. The road romance I speak of belongs to my passengers. I’ve heard it in expressions of awe, the whispered “O my!” and the “Wow!” choruses. If they wanted expedience they could have just flown somewhere, right over everything. But their delight is experience. Their motivation is discovery. This week’s venture was about color. The location was the Smoky Mountains.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Ya know, I think I will go ahead and make the case for the romantic nature of humming diesel horses climbing through sun-speckled mountain shadows to a golden autumn peak after all. Here it is:

(For the climb through sun-speckled shadows, you’ll have to watch the “See What I See” video at the end of this blog.)

Topping the climb, we came to a celebrated place where travelers could straddle the boundary dividing Tennessee and North Carolina. I could not make sense of the hubbub or the cause and placement of the sign. Couldn’t it just as well be located fifty feet earlier or somewhere amid the trees on the distant hill? Am I thinking too much like a machine here, too logically about this? At the risk of being a killjoy, doesn’t this phenomenon occur everywhere along every boundary between two states? Where are the signs?

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

SMOKY NEWS: Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in the United States, hosting over 9,000,000 visitors annually. Situated in the southern part of the Appalachian range, the park encompasses 800 square miles, nearly all of which is forested. The park is shared almost evenly by North Carolina and Tennessee.

NEWS OF EVAPOTRANSPIRATION: The Cherokee named the mountains Shaconage – “Mountains of the Blue Smoke.” Located in the wettest part of the United States, on average the park receives sixty-four inches of precipitation per year – approximately 890 billion gallons. Around 500 billion gallons of water then leave the park via Rivers and streams. Transpiration (evaporation specific to water movement through plants) and general evaporation – evapotranspiration – is responsible for the majority of the remaining hydrologic cycle. Elevation and temperature are key factors in evapotranspiration rates throughout the mountains as well as the smoking appearance that inspired their name.

AMPHIBIAN NEWS: Moisture-loving creatures, amphibians thrive in the Great Smoky Mountains, which are home to fourteen species of frogs and toads. In 2012 a newly introduced resident of the park was discovered: the Green Tree Frog. Native to the coastal southern states, the newcomer is thought to have been transported to the park by clinging to places of shelter on out-of-state vehicles. Apparently enjoying their new home, early arrivals quickly multiplied into the millions. But the most prolific amphibians in the Smoky Mountains are the salamanders. There are thirty species of them, twenty-seven of those are of the lungless variety (breathing through their skin). In fact, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known as the salamander capital of the world. Its largest species, the hellbender, lives in rivers and streams and grows to nearly two-and-a-half feet long.

MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

Our itinerary included the Biltmore estate in Ashville, North Carolina. Driving through the estate we were surprised to come upon a momma black bear with her five cubs. Spread throughout 800 acres, the Biltmore is large enough to promise a great variety of natural and manmade discoveries. When in the Ashville area, it is a Must See.

Quote Of The Day samples

“Climb mountains and get their good things. Nature’s peace will flow into you like the sunshine flows into trees.” – John Muir

“To sit in the shade on a fine day, and look upon verdure, is the most perfect refreshment.” ― Jane Austen (Mansfield Park)

(Video run time: 3 minutes 5 seconds)

Musical accompaniment provided by: https://www.bensound.com/

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MotorCoach Blog 2

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I am a motorcoach:

For this edition of my blog I am Two Seven Zero (MCI) . . . and Two Seven Four (Setra). No, I don’t have an identity disorder. I know, I told you in my first blog I was Two Four Three (Prevost); and I was. That’s the way it is with motorcoaches and motorcoach assignments. Every motorcoach has its own number-name. They are every bit as individual and important as letter-names, like Ralph, Roger, Dennis, and so on. At the time of my previous blog I was Two Four Three. That was then. You get the idea . . .

Now, one way in which all motorcoaches are the same is this: we all love Christmas! When holiday lights are reflected in my glossy paint job, my mirrors, my windows, my sparkling chrome wheels . . . well, it feels like Christmas is in my soul . . . like I was made for Christmas. And when I get to transport Christmas-spirited travelers upon some yuletide pilgrimage, I know I was indeed made for this!

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

News of Christmas: White lights, colored lights, sparkling like thousands of tree-shaped candles, orchards of Christmas cheer, their glow spread across and rising from Opryland. Visible along Briley Parkway, and from hwy 24, hwy 65, and hwy 40, the glow announces: It’s that time of year!

News of Santa Clause: Indiana, east bound highway 64 at mile marker 26, a highway sign: Santa Clause 43.

News of Holiday Elegance: Billboards along hwy 40 between Knoxville, Tennessee and Asheville, North Carolina: Christmas at the Biltmore.

News of Goodwill: Even head-lights and tail-lights seem transformed—indicating more than density of traffic . . . yes, even merry . . . perhaps many journeys to find just the right gift.

News of “Exodus”: 150 motorcoaches along highway 44, young service men and women vacating Ft. Leonard Wood, heading to Lambert International Airport – and home for the holidays.

Selfies

Photo6-2
Here is my Christmas-red self, framed in seasonal garland at Deerpark on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, rays of sunlight showering like rain.

Photo7-2
My shiny red self and the lush green lawn supplied all the Christmas cheer in the morning rain and fog at the Biltmore mansion. But here are the trees in the center of the lawn at night

Photo #8
Here at the Gaylord Hotel in Opryland—Nashville, Tennessee—everything glows Christmas.

photo9
There it is: THE post office! Yes, this is the very place where letters sent to Santa Clause are received and answered—by the thousands! As I waited for the return of my passengers, “elves” from Alabama arrived—fresh volunteer help for the monumental task of answering all those letters. (Santa Clause, Indiana)

Quote Of The Day samples

“Christmas doesn’t come from a store, maybe Christmas means a little bit more.” —Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

“And remember, I am with you always, even to the end of time.” —the Christ of Christmas, Jesus of Nazareth

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