Chattanooga :: day three

(this is the final trip post, i promise!)

we loved our hike through Suck Creek on our second day so much, that we decided that we wanted to do something similar for our last day in Chattanooga. so we drove about an hour and a half to a state park called Falls Creek. the park was very large, with many areas for camping that we decided would make for an amazing family camping trip one day! the drive through the park was magnificent:

our first stop was to see the big waterfall, Fall Creek Falls:

we then went to a “swimming hole”, where only one of us was brave enough to try some cliff jumping:
the rest of us were much more pleased to stay closer to the ground:
we explored the area and found some breathtaking sights:

(have you noticed our water shoes?? not really a fashion statement…well maybe it is a fashion statement…just not a positive one! but that was the best money spent on our trip! there’s no way we could’ve withstood all the rocky, slippery, wet terrain without them! thanks Walmart!)
we found the Cascades:and got pretty excited when we realized that:
they are natural water slides:
which filled our afternoon with lots of pure delight!

once we thoroughly wore ourselves out at the Falls, we headed back to Lookout Mountain to clean up for dinner. on the way to dinner, we stopped off at Point Park, which is a state park on the Mountain commemorating the scene of the last major Confederate victory of the American Civil War.
the crazies entertained themselves with an imaginary war against a “tornado” on the other side of the mountain. i wish ya’ll could’ve been there to see it!
our wonderful hosts in Chattanooga were these cool peeps:
Jake and Cole were good buddies in college, and that’s Cole’s beautiful wife, Lauren, who pretty much fits right into Fairyland, cause she looks just like a princess! we were so thankful on this trip to get to visit and stay with good friends! makes trips way more fun to get to see people and have a comfy place to stay!
we didn’t jet set off to California, or Paris, or hit up the Mexican Riviera, but we had such an incredible time as a family on our simple roadtrip, enjoying being together, exploring new places, learning interesting things. these are the kinds of trips that we hope to take on a regular basis!

that sums it up. thanks for hanging in there with me. i’ve got a special post that i’m trying to get together before i leave. which reminds me….i have yet to tell ya’ll where my next adventure is taking me!! i might just leave you hanging for a little bit more!!