After a good first night in Florence, we headed east through northern Alabama and southern Tennessee. The clouds were really pretty during our drive and I was surprised with how hilly the area is. We always take a look at our Roadside America app to find neat little stops along the way, and it didn't disappoint today. Shortly before lunch we rolled into Cowen, TN where someone has restored a 1936 Texaco gas station. Unfortunately it's only open Thursday-Sunday, but we were able to walk around and peek in the windows. Cowen also still has its original 1904 train depot which is now a museum (also only open Thursday-Sunday).
Next up was Sewanee, and the University of the South. I had never visited before and was impressed with the campus. Leaded glass windows, sandstone building exteriors, and All Saint's Chapel were just some of the highlights. The town itself was small, but very verdant with old, full trees everywhere.
We arrived in Monteagle, TN around lunchtime and after placing an online order at Mountain Goat Market, a great looking lunch spot, we popped into Mountain Outfitters to kill time (and shop) while our lunch was being prepared. Everyone but Caroline found something to buy. A short time later we were lunching in Vansen on amazingly good sandwiches followed up by some homemade desserts. Yum!
An hour down the road, and into the Eastern Time Zone, we soon arrived at our hotel in downtown Chattanooga. We're at a Springhill Suites right along the river and while it's busy, folks here are still keeping their distance. While Jason and Franklin headed off to the local minor league baseball game (the Chattanooga Lookouts), Caroline, the girls, and I rented bikes right at our hotel for an evening ride along the Tennessee River and into the downtown area. Along the way we noticed a yacht parked in the river and approaching it were swimmers with brightly colored buoys attached to them. Turns out there is a club here called C.O.W.S (Chattanooga Open Water Swimmers) that swim the Tennessee River every Wednesday evening. There's also a subset of kayakers that paddle along with them. Most of the swimmers were truly swimming, some were floating with the current. Turns out they went 3.85 miles tonight and we saw them at the end. Wow!
After returning to the hotel, we retrieved dinner from a local chain called Puckett's and enjoyed dinner in our room. Another great meal for sure! After a few games of Catchphrase and Hangman the girls were soon scrapbooking and the boys returned from the game. We don't have far to drive tomorrow which affords us an opportunity to stop often and maybe even hike!
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