Day 13 - Road Trip 2014

EXPLORATION

This was the theme of the day!

We started at The Lost Sea Adventure in Sweetwater, TN.  It was so awesome!!!  The Lost Sea is the largest underground Lake in America.  It is 140 feet below ground level.  You tour down through a cave and then get to ride on the lake in a glass bottom boat.  The lake is stocked with rainbow trout.  They have nothing to eat in the lake so they are fed each time a boat tours the lake.  They are HUGE!!! Big fat fish!  While we were at the adventure sight we did some mining for gems and the kids had a ball. It was a lot of fun :)

We left there and headed to Chattanooga, TN.  We took a tour of Ruby Falls.  This is America's deepest underground waterfall.  It is at Lookout Mountain.  It is named after Leo Lambert's wife.  He discovered the lake while drilling in an effort to reopen Lookout Mountain.  Great history lesson built into our exploration today.  We had hoped to take a train ride and visit the park for lunch but rain limited our outside activities.  We did have Moon Pies tonight before bed...since they are made at the Chattanooga Bakery!  Pretty tasty treats!

We had great tour guides today...Trevor at The Lost Sea Adventure and Dennis at Ruby Falls.
They were a lot of fun :)

Headed to Lynchburg next...we were too late to tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery but since the kids were not old enough anyway it worked out just fine.  We did get to walk around.  The Distillery is the only place in Lynchburg that you can buy liqueur!  It is a really pretty place.

Then we set out to find where Dan's great-great-great-grandfather was born.  I think I have the right number of greats in there :) The Gattis' come from right outside Lynchburg and we found the road...Gattistown Road.  We think we found the house too.  Paw Paw will have to confirm.  Very pretty country...hay, pasture & cows.  Just like Jonah :)  

I was going to attempt to take the Gattistown Road street sign but Sterling had a fit!  I said I needed to find my screw driver (which I do carry in the car) and he asked why I needed it.  I told him I was going to take the sign...WHAT??  He says.  You can't do that...it is against the law!  So, there you go!  We left without the sign.  Party pooper....

This is the same kid that made the statement that since we did not have an elevator at our hotel last night it should not have been called the Quality Inn because that is just not quality.  It was rated #1 in Sweetwater, TN on Tripadvisor but I do have to agree...it could use an upgrade!  It was close to our next stop and I found it last minute ... since we were supposed to stay in Pigeon Forge another night.

We are now sticking with what we know and like...Marriott & Hilton.

I saw a Pennsylvania license plate today that said
HI EVRY1
Made me smile!  :)

Well, we are on the home stretch...

Couple of stops to make and then we are HOME!

Road trip song of the day...Take it to the Limit by the Eagles

Day 13 - Road Trip 2014