Back last fall on a stormy windy day the side of my “See Rock City” birdhouse was blown off, exposing a great little six-apartment dwelling, each with its own perch.
I missed my “See Rock City” birdhouse. It reminds me of days gone by when gallivanting through out north Georgia we have came across many old barns with the “See Rock City” logo painted across the roof.
Sometimes a sign would read “See Seven States From Rock City”.
It is true… or I think it was. Rock City is a amusing place to visit when you are passing near Chattanooga. Rock City is on top of Lookout Mountain. At one place in the park is a kind of plaque on a base with arrows… pointing to the horizon. The arrows show which state are bracketed within the lines… like Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, maybe Alabama and Virginia, Kentucky, and lets see, we need one more…. Hmmmm… I know! Tennessee!!
Actually, I think Rock City is in Georgia. The Georgia Tennessee state line bisects Lookout Mountain. It was owned by the Carter family (not the Carters of Plains, Ga.) for generations – I would think, like everything else, by now, the corporate world now owns it.
At Rock City they also have a narrow trail between two giant rocks… they cleverly named it “Fat Man Squeeze”. They also have a swinging bridge and a Lovers’ Leap – of course it is traditional Indian story of a Indian maiden and her Indian brave lover…. The parents would not allow their romance – so, the rest is a great view.
There is also a cave of some kind at Rock City with fairy tales stages with animated dolls singing or whatever.
But back to my damaged “See Rock City” birdhouse:
We decided to replace the damaged one. Anna said the only place she knew of that sold them retail, besides the gift shop in Rock City, is the Crackle Barrel Restaurant. We went there. They had one left, on display. I picked it up and paid for it and the top thing that holds the two roofs together slid off and I saw no way of getting it back on. I found two ladies working on the retail displays and asked them how to get it back on. They couldn’t do it either. One of them said, “Don’t worry, we are not going to let you leave here with a birdhouse that is not right.”
She went back in the back and came back with a box with an unassembled “See Rocky City” birdhouse houses neatly packed. We took it.
Sunday I assembled it. As I was working on it I was thinking of what the retail sales lady said, not once, but a couple of times, ““Don’t worry, we are not going to let you leave here with a birdhouse that is not right.”… I could see me grabbing it from her and holding it like a football running across the Crackle Barrel lobby with the two women trying to tackle me or grab the birdhouse from me… and each time, I would kick them off or push there foreheads away with the my hand and keep running, but the other one would be waiting with a baseball bat for sale to knock me out before I reached the door.
They wouldn’t let me leave with a bad assembled birdhouse – so, I guess it is ok that I assembled it badly at home.
Below, Rock City Barn Advertising, Lovers' Leap at Rock City, and Fat Man's squeeze.
12 comments:
I have never been to that area. I sure do like that waterfall; what an interesting place!
Judy,
It is something! What you don't see but you could if the camera was pointing out from the mountain the bulk of Chattanooga. Beautiful, all of it.
I would never be able to go in that Fat Man Squeeze. I am so claustrophobic, I would panic to get out and probably hurt myself.
Those are great pictures.
It has been years since I have squeezed through Fat Man's Squeezed - and I have only gotten fatter, so I doubt if I would attempt it again (they have an alternate trail). They have a trail that goes over a swinging bridge also.
I knew I was putting on weight when I went there and a guy offered to paint "see Rock City" across my butt.
Seriously though Bird and I went there in 1999 and had a nice visit.
Steve,
They painted a "See Rock City" across my butt - it pays pretty good!
Rock City is a nice place to go. Also, on the same mountain is Ruby Falls (a huge cave with a huge waterfall), a fortitude Civil War lookout point, and the famous Chattanooga public transportation incline going straight up the side of the mountain. And in Chattanooga, you have a huge Chattanooga Choo Choo museum, a huge aquarium, and other things... I know of two good bbq joints too.
We took our granddaughter to RC several years ago. Rain showers moved in on us while out on the trail. They furnished us with plastic ponchos and we stood under a big rock for half an hour. The rest of the tour was really enjoyable.
What happens when you get to the bottom of the cavern at Ruby Falls and (quite a walk down) and nature whispers, "It's constitutional time"? Is there an emergency exit route?
PL,
In about 1968 we found ourselves at RC in a downpour. Or at least we found ourselves in the parking lot. I don't remember going in, so the rain probably chased us away. That weekend we also went to the nearby Plumnelly Art Festival (plum out of Tennessee and nelly out of Georgia).
That is a good question. Did the sound of water falling from high up and splashing on rocks inspire your er - instincts?
No, but I had some "what if thoughts". I was feeling a little clostraphobic like sitting in Atlanta traffic with no exit in sight. I know we have all been there when the #2 nature call comes up and we break in to a cold sweat, and no immediate game plan comes to mind (without getting yourself locked up). Thank goodness traffic usually starts to flow before ...
PL,
That reminds me of one time years ago, when I was freshly married and my division officer moved in with us for a short time. When we were in the Navy our office was the Information & Educational Office and one of the main things we did was talk people into reenlisting. Well, we convinced our division officer, who went out drinking with us a lot, that he was wasting his time in the Navy with a sharp brain like his, so when his time was up, he did not do whatever officers do - you wouldn't call it reenlisting . so, he left his wife and kids in Tampa and came here to the Atlanta area to look for a job, and because it was partly my doing that he resigned from his commission I felt responsible, so he stayed with us a few weeks.... so, we were on West Peachtree on night bar hopping on a weekend night and suddenly he had the #2 urge - this was maybe near midnight with nothing much opened. We spotted a bright-lit Gulf sign about three blocks away, and he told me to meet him there. He ran down West Peachtree in a limping sort of way, to keep the "beans" from spilling. It was a sight to behold. I wish I video cameras had invented and I had one.
Do Not buy Rock City Bird Houses. I bought one a couple weeks ago and was assembling it and when I put the screw through one of the plastic sides the wood busted in pieces, the wood was in pieces glued together and the screw seperated it. I notice the birdhouse was made in China now, not like the old one I bought several years ago. Stay Away, Not worth the money at all.
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