Due to the pandemic we started our 2020 travel season a month later than we planned to however this season was one of our best travel seasons. We traveled through 16 states in 5 months and had an awesome time. For nostalgic purposes below are a couple of images depicting what was going on at the time.
Below was the map of our 2020 travels.
Places had started to open as we exited Florida and headed into Northern Georgia just outside of Chattanooga TN. Keeping with our tradition of touring battlefields we rode around the Chickamauga Battlefield in Northern Georgia. The visitor’s center was closed due to the pandemic but we were able to piece together the battle and tour the various sites.
As a refresher, Chickamauga was an 1863 campaign fought for control of Chattanooga, known as the “Gateway to the Deep South”. The Confederates were victorious in September maintaining control. However in November renewed fighting broke out and the Union gained control of the city. At the time, there were those who saw this as the death-knell of the Confederacy. Below are some images from around the battlefield.
A beautiful state park in Tennessee, located across the eastern top of the rugged Cumberland Plateau, is Fall Creek Falls. It is known for cascades, gorges, waterfalls, streams and lush stands of virgin hardwood timber. It is one of the largest and most visited state parks in Tennessee. It has cabins and campsites along with lots of hiking trails. We took the trail that went 256 feet down to the base of the gorge. We did not quite make it all the way to the gorge as there was a lot of rock to climb on and around and I was afraid I would not be able to make it back up. Regardless it was beautiful and challenging. We then toured the park by following its driving loop around and stopping at many of the overlook areas. If you are in the area it is truly a beautiful park.
We also visited a state park in Georgia called Cloudland Canyon State Park. It is on the western edge of Lookout Mountain. It is said to be one of the largest and most scenic parks in Georgia. It offers camping and a number of well marked hiking trails. We hiked a number of trails in this park including the Waterfall Trail which contained a 600 step staircase down to the base of the falls. The views of the canyon were spectacular! Again, if you are in the area, this park is well worth your time if you love the outdoors.
Rock City is located on Lookout Mountain in Georgia near the Tennessee line. Rock City features a long, convoluted rock trail lined with gardens. It also has some unique and bizarre rock formations, e.g. Balanced Rock and Fat Man’s Squeeze. Located by Lover’s Leap is a place where you can see seven states. It was quite a unique place and made me wonder if parts of it could have been used in the Hobbit Movies. Here are a few images from our stroll.
Another attraction located on Lookout Mountain was Ruby Falls. Ruby Falls is located deep within Lookout Mountain and contains many underground cave formations along with the tallest and deepest underground waterfall.
From Tennessee we did some visiting along the way in Indiana and Michigan. Next up will be a little of the touring we did in Michigan in 2020.
Fran and Jeff’s Retirement Adventures 
Thanks for sharing your adventure! We plan on doing this in the next couple years. I look forward to hearing more from you! Thanks! (P.S. I worked with Ashley at the doctors office)
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