Remember Whensday No. 32 - See Rock City

This week in the Remember Whensday meme, I am traveling back to Rock City atop Lookout Mountain just outside of Chattanooga, TN. Rock City is actually in Georgia.

Karl and I just completed a whirlwind trip across the United States from Washington state to South Carolina to visit my in-laws for Christmas. As we were driving from Nashville to Chattanooga along the interstate highway, I started seeing the signs to "See Rock City". Some were billboards shaped like a house, others were painted on barns.

See Rock City - December 2009

I got all nostalgic thinking about a vacation we took when I was a teenager that included a visit to Rock City. I decided then and there to dig out the old photos from that trip. Judging by the photos, I'm thinking the trip was around 1975, maybe even 1976. I believe I had my driver's license when we did that trip.

We were camping up in Pigeon Forge, TN with our travel trailer and my dad came with us on this particular vacation. My parents were divorced so it was kind of strange to have him along. He hadn't been involved in our lives very much the prior several years and was trying to reconnect with us. We took a side trip to Chattanooga and stayed at a Howard Johnson hotel down there.

From left to right - Susan, Rick, Karen & Sally

I remember all kinds of rock formations, both natural and man-made. I also remember climbing lots of rock steps! And the large paper bumper stickers that got put on every visitor's car while they were in seeing Rock City. You could easily tell who had been to Rock City when driving around Chattanooga or the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

What a bunch of hams!

Rick, Sally, Karen & Dick at Shelter Rock

Rock Display

Susan at Mushroom Rock

While we were in Chattanooga, we also visited Ruby Falls (and got another bumper sticker), the Incline Railway and the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. It was a fun side trip.

Ruby Falls Advertisement - December 2009

Underground at Ruby Falls - Sally, Karen and Susan

Thanks for tripping along with me this week in the Remember Whensday meme. To see more or to share something yourself, click on the Remember Whensday badge below.