Union Camp Falls

Union Camp Falls is a small waterfall in a beautiful setting in Macon County, TN. An ankle-deep stream by the name Long Fork tumbles about 8 feet over the rocks here. The area got it's name because apparently some union soldiers camped here during the Civil War.

To get here, take highway 262 (also known as Union Camp Rd.) southeast away from Lafayette. After a few miles, on your left will be a road that slopes down from the highway for Union Missionary Baptist Church. Drive down this road past the church for a few hundred feet and you'll see a spot where a very small stream flows over the road. Before you cross that, to your right will be a place for a car or two to pull over.

The Delta Queen at Night - Chattanooga

The Delta Queen is a famous steamboat and is a National Historic Landmark which is now docked in Chattanooga, TN serving as a floating Boutique hotel.

The Delta Queen steamboat is 285 feet long, 58 feet wide, and can hold 176 passengers. Its two steam engines can produce 2,000 horsepower for a stern-mounted paddlewheel.

The Delta Queen dates back to 1926 where it served passengers between San Francisco and Sacramento. At the time, it and the sister ship Delta King were the most expensive and lavish steamboat ever commissioned. New highways made the steamboats unneeded in California so during World War II it was requisitioned by the U.S. Navy. Since 1948, it has run passenger service along the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers while changing ownership several times. It was listed on the the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

At the end of 2008, all passenger service stopped and was again put up for sale. In Feb. 2009, the steamboat arrived in Chattanooga at Coolidge Park Landing along the Tennessee River across from the downtown area. The Delta Queen hotel officially opened on June 5th of that year. Since then, ownership has changed again, but in the mean time it still operates as a fancy place to spend the night. There's even one room that is said to be haunted by Mary Green, the boat captain in the 40s.

for more pictures of the Delta Queen, check out my website's Coolidge Park gallery:
seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=chattanooga%2Fcoolid...

The Old Railroad Bridge: Gate to Block the tracks - Florence, AL

The Old Railroad Bridge dates back over 140 years as an important crossing of the Tennessee River between Florence and Sheffield in The Shoals area of Alabama.

Back in 1840, the first bridge at this location opened. It significantly damaged by tornadoes and storms all through the 1850's and eventually that bridge was destroyed during the Civil War.

In 1870, the Memphis & Charleston Railroad decide to build another bridge at this spot. Over the next 120 years, there is quite a lengthy history about who got to use the bridge and changes to the bridges configuration. I'll hit some of the highlights, but below I'll link to a thorough history.

Originally, there was not a method for tall ships to go through, so a drawbridge was installed in 1872 along the northern end. A new drawbridge was installed in 1906. In 1948, the drawbridge was replaced with a turn span was installed. (When the bridge was open to tall ship, this span pivoted or rotated counter-clockwise and had stone piers to rest upon.) In 1962, this segment was changed again to a lift bridge, raising to 350 feet of clearance over the water. In 1988, all railroads abandoned the bridge and the lift section was completely removed.

This bridge not only carried railroads on the top, but also had a lower deck for vehicular traffic. This closed in 1939 with the opening of the O'Neal Bridge.

Other railroads that used this bridge were Virginia & Georgia; Nashville, Florence & Sheffield; L&N; Southern; Around 1903, a streetcar service also used the rails to get passengers from one side to the other and it lasted until 1933.

The complete history is here:
www.oldrailroadbridge.org/index.php?option=com_content&am...

In 1990, a preservation society began in an effort to restore the bridge. The old railroad bed leading to the upper portion of the bridge now has a large gate in front of it, so you can look across it, but go no further. Down below, the access area was cleaned up and the wood that had been rotting for over 50 years was replaced. Today, this lower deck is a pedestrian bridge where you can walk about 1500 feet to where the segment is missing, and then you have to turn around.

Here are all 9 photos in my set
www.flickr.com/photos/brent_nashville/tags/1870railroadbr...

Finally, the Library of Congress has some photos of this bridge dating back to 1976
www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=Photograph:%20al1320&f...

Chattanooga Choo-Choo

Originally known as Chattanooga's Terminal Station, this formerly important Passenger train depot now serves as a popular hotel.

The station was built in 1908 and the centerpiece of the building was a large concourse. (Inside is a large dome.

In 1970, train service stopped and a few years later it became the Chattanooga Choo-Choo hotel. The large concourse is today the main lobby.

On top of the building is the famous sign. Here is the sign at night.

Maury County Courthouse at night

Located in Columbia's town square, this Courthouse was built in 1906 for $120,000. The top of the tower is 132 ft. above street level. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Columbia Commercial Historic District.

Very faded "See Rock City" barn

You have to look very closely to see any of the paint. At one time, it said:
SEE
ROCK CITY
World's 8th Wonder

When travelling southbound on US11 from the city of Sweetwater, this old barn is on the left, and this farm land is right next to an Ingles grocery store. This could be some prime real estate, so who knows how much longer this barn will be here. (Of course, I thought the same thing when I first saw it in 2007.)

Kayaking in the Hiwassee River

In Polk County is one on the most popular Kayaking spots in Tennessee. Here, the river is wide, but also shallow. Upon first glance, you'll count four kayaks and four Kayakers (and there's a dog in the pink one.) I didn't notice this when I was taking this photo, but there's a fifth kayak that's overturned and it's owner is standing in the water - it's that shallow. When the weather gets nice, there's several river outfitters here in the small town of Reliance.

Lake Winnepesaukah's Wave Swinger

This type of ride is my wife's favorite type of amusement park ride. Looking back to her childhood, she fondly remembers riding the Tennessee Waltz out at Opryland. I think everybody knows someone who has a story of losing a shoe or losing their lunch on a ride like this.

From wikipedia:
The swing ride or chair swing ride (sometimes called a swing carousel, wave swinger, yo-yo, Chair-O-Planes or swinger) is a fairground ride that is a variation on the carousel in which the chairs are suspended on chains from the rotating top of the carousel. On some versions, particularly on the Wave Swingers, the rotating top of the carousel also tilts for additional variations of motion.

I took this photo almost 1 year ago, on the last day the theme park was open in 2012. Their last day in 2013 is this upcoming Sunday. (Excluding their Halloween season.)

King's Chapel (Rebuilt)

As early as 1804 Peter Cartwright, William McKendree and Jacob Young were preaching the Methodist Doctrine in southeastern Williamson County. IN 1815 Kings' Chapel was constructed as an outgrowth of their campground meetings. In 1849, the congregation moved to a larger building just north of Triune, where the original cornerstone of Kings' Chapel is prominently displayed above the front door. The Union Army occupied the abandoned church during the Civil War, which became a dairy barn in the 20th century. The families of John & Elaine Powell and William & Patricia Anton finished the reconstruction of Kings' Chapel on its original site using the same foundation stones and many of the original bricks in 2008.

This reconstructed Chapel is located just off of highway TN96 at the entrance of a subdivision between Triune and Arrington.

Little River Falls

Little River Falls is the highlight of the Little River Canyon National Preserve atop Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama. The Little River flows almost its entire length atop Lookout Mountain. Here, the water drops 45 feet.

The most common way to view the waterfall is at the main entrance off of highway AL35 southwest of Ft. Payne. The highway bridge crosses the river not too far behind the waterfall. From the parking lot, it's less than a five minute stroll along a boradwalk to get to the most popular view. On my previous visit in 2006, people would go beyond the end of the boardwalk and walk all around the top of the falls, but signs say this is now prohibited.

There's a second view of the falls from an overlook a little over 1000 feet downstream. This view is at an observation deck accessible from the Little River Canyon Rim Parkway (AL176).