Chattanooga. What a cool name for a city.

Anna and I arrived in Chattanooga filled with excitement in anticipation of the arrival of my Mom and Dad. It has been almost six months since we had last seen them, that is far to long if you ask me. We had spent the past few day planning the visit and were excited to see just how much Chattanooga offers to it visitors. Chattanooga is home to one of the best Aquariums I have ever seen. We spent a good day walking through their exhibits my favorite of which was the penguins, of course. I could easily spend hours watching these little guys as they flop around and swim in circles. Some of the other attractions that played out to be quite humorous were the incline railway and the glass floor pedestrian bridge to the Hunter Museum of American Art. Both my parents have a deep rooted fear of heights which made for some truly funny moments. On the incline railway even I was shocked at the steepness of the track as we reached the top and were left with the sensation of hanging in mid air. I had forgotten that my dad hates heights and as mean as it sounds was getting a good laugh as he gripped the side of his seat with white knuckles. Once back on the ground we opted to spend most of our time on the boat and took them both on a great cruise up the Tennessee. It was at this time that they did one of the best things any parent can do for a kid cruising the great loop. They bought us a tank of gas. I am not really sure they knew what they were getting into, and I can't be sure but I think I saw my old man break out into a cold sweat as he watched the meter roll on past 100 gallons. I got to tell you I felt a bit bad but when I was done I don't think you could squeeze another drop in that tank. Parents are great. Having enjoyed four great days together filled with good laughs and good food we wished they well and saw them off to the airport. It was a great visit, one that I will always remember. With Chattanooga behind us we will head back down the Tennessee River to the American Great Loop Cruisers Association Rendezvous in Joe Wheeler State Park. We hope to meet up with Bill and Carrol Yancey and Bill and Laura Peters. Rumor has it Bill Yancey has a Combine on his farm and maybe just maybe he will let me drive it.

The Bridges in Chattanooga are just wonderful. Like Nashville it has a pedestrian bridge which spans the River.

From the bridge we could get a great shot of Blue tied up with all the big boats.

The Hunter Museum of American Art was a work of art in itself.

This old riverboat is now a hotel. For a very reasonable price you can get a room on the ship looking out over the river.

The streets of Chattanooga have dance steps painted on the side walks. My Mom insisted that we try them all.

This Carousel is one of the oldest in America and believe it or not was first located in New Bedford MA.

For some reason my Mom loved this Frog.

We couldn't resit having some of Chattanooga's famous hot dogs. Anna got one with Cream Cheese, Pesto and fresh Tomatoes.

All over Chattanooga you will see references to the Trail of Tears. This waterfall runs from the base of downtown Chattanooga to the River and marks the spot where the Indians were forced to cross the river as they were marched west.

Just like the Hunter Museum the architecture of the aquarium was pretty cool to look at.

These huge Parakeets were so cool. It reminded me of a friend that once had a talking one that when the phone rang would say "Hello uh huh uh huh uh huh uh huh goodbye"