Rock City--part 1

At the very top of Lookout Mountain is a tourist attraction known as Rock City.  It is a botanical and geological garden with some jaw-dropping rock formations accented by a view that rivals anything I have seen east of the Mississippi.

 

From their brochure:  "Since Rock City Gardens was off the beaten path, Garnet Carter (the developer) had to devise a way to get the public up the mountain to see this unique attraction.  In 1936, he dreamed up a new kind of road sign, one that would ultimately become as famous as Rock City itself.  Summoning a young painter named Clark Byers, he told him of his plan to paint an advertising message on the roofs of barns alongside major highways.  By the 1950's, Garnet's message was painted on over 800 roofs from Michigan to Texas to Florida.  Journalists began calling Clark and his helpers the "Barnyard Rembrants," and vacationers by the thousands heeded the call to 'See Rock City'.  Garnet died in 1954 and Clark died in 2004. Their hard work is still evident along the highways and the barns are much loved pieces of Americana."

 Well, I am a sucker for a pretty garden so I put on my hiking shoes and started out....



Clearly the rock formations were going to be interesting.

Very quickly I began to marvel at the size and structure of the rocks.  How did these amazing hunks of granite get to the top of this mountain?  Why did I eat that large order of French Fries at lunch?

































Did I ever mention that I do not do well with heights?  Oooh, those French Fries are not sitting too well.




I was so relieved to learn there was another path around that flimsy, hanging, swaying, rickety bridge.



But when I saw this I really began to sweat.   I also must stress that this photo does not even begin to show the dramatic effect of this outcropping.

And if you look closely at the photo above you can just see the following.....



I have no idea how all that water gets to the top of that mountain either.



They are not kidding!  Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia,  North Carolina,  South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.



More to follow so please continue to Part 2.