Tennessee Mountain Highway - Marion County

This is along highway TN156 which connects Interstate 24 with Nickajack Dam, but to get from one side to the other, the highway has to wind its way up and down this hill. Anywhere there is a break in the trees provides a good view of the Nickajack Lake down below.

2011 Tennessee State Capitol Christmas with Sam Davis Statue

Sam Davis was nicknamed the Boy Hero of the Confederacy, who's story is well known. He lived in Smyrna, was captured in Minor Hill and executed in Pulaski. In his honor, the state built a statue which resides at the front corner of the Capitol Hill grounds. To see more photos of Sam Davis Landmarks, click here.

The Tennessee State Capitol sits upon Capitol Hill in downtown Nashville. It was designed in a Greek Revival style by prominent architect William Strickland and completed in 1859.

For Christmas, all of the lights along the base of the capitol have added a red tinting which colors most of the building. Only the lights for the cupola have not changed to red, however the lights inside the cupola window are green if you look closely. The Sam Davis statue is lit nightly, and like most metal statues has turned green over the years, which contrasts well with the red illumination of the Capitol.

The Christmas Season is now here

Seasons Greetings from Nashville's Metro Par(ks) and Recreation. The Parthenon is in the background at this lit Candy Cane sign at Centennial Park.

In the news: Lotz House uncovers many Civil War relics

A two-year archeological excavation project in the cellar of Lotz House cellar has produced more than 900 Civil War relics and items connected with civilian life from the mid to late 1800s, museum operators announced Thursday morning.

For the full story, see this story on The Tennessean website:

Trove of Civil War relics unearthed at Franklin Lotz House

View of Downtown Nashville from Love Circle

If you're in Nashville and you've never been to Love Circle, I suggest you do it before the tress bloom, as your view is more obstructed then. This place is voted as the best cheap date spot in Nashville. I had always assumed that Love Circle was, ahem, named for what couples did while there. (Kissing, that is). However, I recently noticed that it is really named after John W. Love. This was the site of the city's reservoir before the current one on 8th ave. In this picture, among other things, you can see the State Capitol, Tennessee Tower, The Sheraton with the old rotating restaurant and Kirkman Tower on the Vandy campus.

Etowah, TN L&N Depot

In 1902, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad decided they needed a more direct route between Atlanta and Cincinnati. Along this proposed updated route, they found a spot in McMinn County, TN that was about halfway between the two cities that would serve as a good terminal and crew stop. Thus, the city of Etowah, and it's important Station were born.

The 15 room Victorian structure made of yellow pine seen here was soon finished at a cost of $13,000.

Passenger service lasted until 1968 and the depot soon closed. However, since this is still a prime railroad location, CSX continues to many operations along the tracks. The railroad donated the building to the city and by 1981 the depot was open again as a museum after several years of restoration. The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Partnering with the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum out of Chattanooga, there is an excursion train which operates from here. Known as the Hiawasee Loop, the excursion follows along the tracks which parallel the Hiawasee River and then ascends to the famous spot on Bald Mountain where the tracks cross over themselves, forming a loop known as "The Eye." (These are the tracks that the new line through Etowah was designed to bypass.)

Viola Valley Town Hall

Viola is a tiny incorporated town in Warren County, south of McMinnville along TN highways 108/127. Sometimes, the area is known as Viola Valley.

Random East Tennessee Dragon

Located right off Interstate 75 exit 134 in Caryville, TN, this dragon constructed of rebar and fiberglass has been attracting visitors to a fireworks store since 1986. In May of 2011, the Fireworks store caught fire and everything was a total loss, except for the dragon which still stands on a now vacant lot. (Contrary to some thought, the dragon did not breathe fire upon the store.)

According to www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/14021 as of April, the dragon is for sale. The dragon could be yours, for the right price.

CSX Cumberland Bypass Bridge

This tall and long railroad bridge crosses the Cumberland River to the east and upstream of downtown Nashville. The southern end of the bridge on the right is located next to the Omohundro water filtration plant (an area that is usually off limits to most people.) The northern end runs through Shelby Park as many segments of the trestle can be walked or driven under. It was completed in 1914 by L&N to provide a spur to bypass Union Station.

If you're into bridge specifics, here's an article published in the Engineering Record of August 30, 1913: "The Cumberland River Bridge of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad is approximately 3000 ft. long. including a viaduct approach at each end, one 300' and three 200' through-truss river spans and three 135' deck truss spans, all of which have riveted connections except the pin connected 300' span . The substructure is entirely of concrete, of which there about 1700 yd. which were built in cofferdams of interlocking steel sheet piling, under an average head of about 16' of water. All foundations were carried down to bed rock to a depth of 130' below base of rail. In three of the cofferdams considerable difficulty was experienced from encountering open conduits leading to the city waterwork pumping station, close to one end of the bridge. The concrete was mixed in a plant on each bank of the river and was carried by hauling engines to the different piers. All of the truss spans are erected on falsework built with an overhead traveling stiffleg derrick. It is expected that the erection will be completed this fall. The steel superstructure was fabricated by the American Bridge Co and erected by the Foster-Creighton-Gould Co, of Nashville, Tenn., which has also constructed the substructure."

Unnamed waterfalls seen along the old Dixie Highway in the Winter

When the founders of the Dixie Highway were planning their route from Nashville to Chattanooga, one of their biggest obstacles was deciding how to get over or around Walden Ridge. One method was to go around the ridge completely by placing a bridge over the Tennessee River. Eventually, they chose the river option with the building of the Marion Memorial Bridge. However, the original route crossed over the ridge along a route that today is known as highway TN27 or Suck Creek Rd.

While undertaking the difficult task of constructing a road down the east slope of the ridge, they were mindful of their surroundings. Suck Creek Road follows the path of Suck Creek as it drains down the side of the mountain. I'm sure this creek has multiple spectacular cascades, rapids and plunges but only the most adventurous outdoors people might ever be able to fully explore them. Luckily, the view here didn't require much effort.

There are a couple of wide pulloffs along the highway to stop and see some smaller trickles. The day I took this picture, it was in the winter on the day after a heavy rain so I really don't know if this is something worth finding year round or if it is more of a wet weather falls. The water seen here eventually goes into a pipe underneath the highway and eventually drains into Suck Creek.