After an early breakfast and loading of the cargo, it was time to head southwest toward Chattanooga proper with the idea of ascending to the summit of Lookout Mountain to visit Point Park.
Chattanooga is at the heart of the Tennessee Valley Authority which is a New Deal-era agency that was responsible for revitalising the economy that was devastated by the Great Depression along the Tennessee River by building hydro-electric dams and generators (and later nuclear) and essentially electrified the many rural areas in it’s service era.
The dam and hydro-electric at Chattanooga is one of those impressive projects that was started in 1936 and went operational in 1940. The dam created a lake that can be used for recreational purposes whilst the hydro-electric plant and the nearby Sequoyah nuclear reactors generate enough electricity for the whole of southwest Tennessee and beyond.
To say it’s an engineering marvel is an understatement!
On the way to Chickamauga Dam, I passed through the airport which has one of the most beautiful terminal buildings I’ve ever seen. The burnt orange metal roof is very striking and colourful!
Once over the dam, it was a short run down US-27 past Signal Mountain into downtown Chattanooga to begin the ascent of Lookout Mountain.
