October 31, 2010

We had a lazy morning with another great breakfast Gwen prepared for us. We could get used to this.

Our activity for the day was Rock City up at Lookout Mountain. A place I visited for the first time over 35 years ago. Fascinating place for several reasons.

Rock City is basically a trail among rock formations and a botanical garden at Lookout Mountan where you get a bonus great view.

The area has been called Rock City since at least the American Civil War. The current trail started out as a private garden in the late 20s when Frieda Carter planned the trail and started putting out German garden gnomes (!) and 400 different species of local plants around it. Her husband, Garnet Carter, understood the potential of what she had created and together they opened the trail to the public in 1932.

Lookout Mountain was hard to get to and they needed to attract people to go there. This is where Garnet together with Clark Byers started an ingenious marketing campaign. First they used the old claim that it was possible to see 7 different states from Lookout Mountain for all its worth. Then they started painting barns.

They offered farmers with barns close to highways a free paint job and Rock City souvenirs in exchange for painting “See Rock City” on the roofs of the barns. In total they had over 900 barns in 19 states painted. It was a stroke of genius. Soon people were calling and coming from all over the US to see the attraction.

Here you can see how all those barns were painted:

On our way up to Rock City we realized we were entering enemy territory controlled by The Church of Latter-day October 31st-ians:

This is a quite conservative church, given that they resist change so much, so two exclamation marks is a very strong message from them.

These really cool wooden statues were by the Rock City trail:

We worked our way through the trail.

You don’t mess with Viktor:

The kids loved the swinging bridge, which was very much swinging. Iseline even jumped up and down shouting “trampoline.” Her father, who is afraid of heights, was not as comfortable.

There is a great view from “Lover’s Leap,” (to the right in the picture) the point where it should be possible to see 7 states. Viktor was a bit disappointed by the monotonous landscape. “It all looks like one state, dad.”

Adrian hanging in the air the way bricks don’t:

When we reached “Fat Man Squeeze” we couldn’t help but make fun of Iseline’s comment at the caves at Pinnacles National Monument. Would mom’s bottom get through this time?

At the end of the trail there is a cave called fairy tale caverns which I loved as a kid. It’s decorated with scenes depicting different kinds of fairy tales and nursery rhymes. It’s strange how places, images and especially smells bring back memories. I was right back there as an 8 year old kid.

Iseline loved it! She had started to complain at the end of the trail that we were once again doing some boooring stuff. At one point she sighed and said “I think you have forgotten how small I am.”

Now she brightened up. I did the rounds in the mother goose part of the cavern with her twice and in the process translated each and every nursery rhyme into Norwegian for her.

At the exit we met this guy:

We’re all ready for Disney World now. 🙂

We drove down to the Tennessee River and met up with Gwen and Bob at a nice café and grabbed some energy boosters:

Back at Gwen and Bob’s place their daughter Michelle and her two children Cory and Shae came over for dinner. Here they are:

After dinner it was at last time for day two of trick or treating. Adrian loved my hot dog costume so much I let him use it. I went dressed up as a grumpy old Norwegian.

We drove over to the enclave controlled the the 31st-ians. A place actually called “The Enclave.” There was no doubt when Halloween was celebrated here:

The place was packed with children in Halloween costumes and most of the residents were sitting outside their homes handing out candy:

Some took Halloween decorations a bit further than others:

The kids were blown away. This was real American Halloween. We became 31st-ian converts!

Gwen and Bob are friends of a family living there and we were invited inside one of the very large houses in this area (the one in the back in the photo above). We were very impressed.

Adrian tried out some American candy:

Another great day!

Eirik

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