November 2020 – Seeing the Scenic City

The easiest hike with the greatest view

Yesterday we went to Snoopers Rock, which is within the Prentice Cooper State Forest, offering an amazing view of the Tennessee River Gorge. At that overlook, you see a bend in the river that curves around Elder Mountain.

From our place, it took about 35 minutes to get there. This is partially because once in Prentice Cooper State Forest, the road that leads to the trail, Game Reserve Road, has a 25 mph speed limit. I think the drive is well worth the view!

There is a parking lot on Game Reserve Road (listed as Game Reserve Road on the GPS, but signs there say Tower Road) at the start of the short trail to Snoopers Rock. Funnily enough, we accidentally took the “wrong” way! You can walk either the section of Mullen’s Cove Loop, which is on the right, or take Snoopers Rock Road, which is on the left. We didn’t know, and we walked the road. I suppose either way is fine, they both lead to Snoopers Rock!

It was a short walk, about 5-10 minutes, with some stops for photos of the season’s last fall foliage.

If you want an even shorter walk, there is a pull off spot with space for about 2-3 cars on Snoopers Rock Road, where you are just steps away from Snoopers Rock.

In the area, there are long trails such as the Mullen’s Cove Loop and Pot Point Loop, both of which lead to Snoopers Rock, so you can hike as little or as much as you want.

Since we went on a Wednesday morning, we were all by ourselves. We took as many pictures as our hearts content, and then ate our packed snacks on the rock while enjoying the scenery. With each place that we visit, I am reminded of how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful area. Chattanooga truly is the “Scenic City.”

Snooper's Rock7 — I’m glad we got to see the last of some gorgeous leaves!

SnoopersRock_Panorama — A panorama shot of the view from Snoopers Rock.

Snooper's Rock72 — Enjoying all of these hiking adventures together!

Wildflower Tea Shop and Apothecary

Yesterday Derek and I went to Wildflower Tea Shop and Apothecary for the first time. We loved it! Our only regret is that we did not go sooner.

As I’ve mentioned before, I do not like coffee. I am only a tea drinker, so this place is perfect for me. They only sell tea, there is no food here. However, they do sell a small amount of apothecary related things, like oils, soap and bath bombs. Of course, there is also loose leaf tea for purchase, too.

I loved the inside of this shop. It was so cozy feeling, and everything was so photographable! I had been coveting a photo of myself on the yellow settee that I have seen in photos on social media.

We ordered a pot to share of coconut crème chai. We got raw sugar as a sweetener and oat milk. It was delicious! The cups were small, and we were able to get about four cups of tea each. There is also an option to order one smaller personal pot, or just one cup.

I’d like to try something different next time, perhaps like the Chocolate Chai, Vanilla Oolong or Chamomile Lavender, but Derek and I are creatures of habit when we find something we like so no promises!

Pioneer Day

This past weekend Derek and I headed up to the town of Soddy-Daisy to check out their Pioneer Day event. A thank you goes out to the Chattanooga Times Free Press for publishing an article with the weekend’s events, otherwise I would have had no idea this was happening! It is helpful to follow local news!

Now, I will admit, with no fault to Soddy-Daisy, that the living history event was, well, a bit dinky. This feeling of mine only stems from many, many years of reenacting at very large living history events! Still, I was glad to get out and do something new and different for an hour.

Pioneer Day was held at Poe’s Tavern Historical Park, next to City Hall. Poe’s Tavern was originally constructed in 1817, with a replica on the original foundation now.

According to soddy-daisy.org, Poe’s Tavern was Hamilton County’s First Courthouse and County Seat. The tavern was also used as a hospital for both Union and Confederate troops during the Civil War.

At Pioneer Day, there was a woman in a historical outfit cooking cornbread on the fireplace. Everyone got free samples.

There were also booths showing historic rifles, locally found arrowheads, basket weaving, coal mining supplies and an 1800s cider press, which I got to take a turn on for a bit.

The big draw for me was a Civil War set up, presented by the Tennesseans for Living History. We were treated to some music by a banjo and fiddle player. I really miss reenacting sometimes!

There was a Robert E. Lee impersonator there, but I only wish I hadn’t seen him walking around the grounds with a can of beer — or soda, I’ll try to give him the benefit of the doubt — in his hands!!!

A new Swedish bakery in town

If you’re in Chattanooga, and you want to support new, local businesses, let me suggest Fredriksson’s.

Fredriksson’s has just been started by my former co-worker, Sarah. She has always enjoyed baking, and recently decided to start her own business.

Her husband is from Sweden, and they lived in Sweden together before relocating to Chattanooga. She’s got the inside scoop on authentic, Swedish baked goods.

She’s told all of us about fika, which in Sweden is basically a coffee and cake break. Fika also is about slowing down and enjoying time with friends or family.

Fredriksson’s is taking orders online at https://fredrikssons.square.site/. She was also at the Chattanooga market for the first time last weekend. We bought six of her buns in four different flavors: cinnamon, cardamom, blueberry and saffron. We also bought almond caramel cake.

According to Sarah, the cardamom and cinnamon are the two most quintessential Swedish flavors. These were also the two I enjoyed the most. The buns were not overly sweet, which I like. As a person who does not have much of a sweet tooth, something slathered in icing can be too much.

I look forward to buying from Fredriksson’s again in the future, and enjoying fika at home with my husband.

Rainbow Lake and Bee Branch Trails

What are we to do on a sunny, gorgeous fall Monday, when I’m home for the foreseeable future and Derek is off, too?

We decided to go hiking, and we took the week day advantage by picking a normally busy trail. We hiked the Rainbow Lake Trail, along with the Bee Branch Trail, for a total of 2.3 miles.

The Rainbow Lake Trail is an easy and popular hike in Signal Mountain. From the trailhead it is 0.7 miles down to the dam.

Rainbow Lake was created in 1916 by damming Middle Creek. The lake was made for the tourists staying at the Signal Mountain Hotel.

The trail leads down to the bottom of the creek and the dam, which creates a pretty waterfall. There is a path that brings you to the top of the dam itself, if you’re brave enough to walk out there!

After spending time down at the dam, we headed to the Middle Creek suspension bridge. We were just here on Saturday, when we hiked from Signal Point.

We crossed the bridge, and started on the Bee Branch Trail, which does a wide loop around Rainbow Lake.

This entire trail was a skinny path, but it was easy to follow. It meanders up and down and around trees, rocks and trickling streams of water.

You cross the creek three times while on the Bee Branch Trail. There are also some cool rock formations along the way. We got lucky and saw some nice fall foliage, too.

It was a great idea to do this hike on a week day. We only saw six people total, with two couples. Everyone was headed in a different direction than we were, so they were quick passes. We were by ourselves 98 percent of the time.

Compared to the two other hikes we did recently (Signal Point to the Middle Creek bridge and Cravens House to Sunset Rock), this one was much easier. It was more of a flat trail, which allowed us to keep up a faster pace, and not strain our muscles as much by stepping over so many steep rocks.

Just another mountain to climb …

The purpose of this blog is to let our family and friends know about all of our adventures and day to day life in Chattanooga. This, of course, means that there will be some bad mixed in with the good.

If you’re a regular reader of Seeing the Scenic City, you’ll know that I’ve been struggling at my job for the past few months, as well as struggling with depression and anxiety that stemmed from the job.

I went on medication in early September. My anxiety has subsided, and when the medication worked, it allowed me to look at the work problems with clarity.

All of this leads me to say that Friday was my last day at my job. I put in three weeks’ notice in early October. With all honesty, I had wanted to quit my job since the summer months, so I am actually proud of myself for making it that much farther.

I will not go into too many details, but basically I realized that this was not the job for me. I was unhappy with the work I was doing. I was trying my best, but it became apparent that my best was not good enough.

This is probably not the smartest decision, financial wise. But it was the best decision for my health.

I have a few applications already out for some other positions, and I will keep looking for new jobs on a regular basis. In the meantime, I am looking forward to a (hopefully short) resting period.

In related news, yesterday we went on a challenging mountain hike. You can read about that here. One section of the trail lead to a beautiful overlook, where we could see the mountains on all sides, the river and a waterfall.

It was a great metaphor for what I am going through right now. Yes, things are hard, but if you put just one foot in front of the other, you will eventually get to the top of your mountain. Derek and I have made it over mountains before, and we will get over this one, too.