biking the river park

 

Three weeks and two days, that’s how long we have been home from our epic trip and we are still adjusting to the luxuries of hot water, electricity and space….

The past 3 weeks have not been much fun due to a virus that invaded my sinuses and lasted over two weeks.  Then allergies started making me ill.  I’m taking allergy medicine for the first time in my entire life!  Is this what I get for leaving the area for three months? 

Chattanooga is situated in a bowl with mountains and ridges on all sides….this year we have the honor of being the 9th worse city for fall allergies.  Since I have lived here most of my life, never experiencing allergies, figured there was some type of natural immunity inhabiting my body.  Alas, no more!

On the positive side, the over the counter meds are working and wellness is returning.

Still struggling a bit in putting our lives back to order.  Exercising has always been a high priority for both of us, but our trip was a disaster for elevating our heart rates.  (Mine did get elevated a few times when I was not driving and someone else was!)  We did a little hiking, here and there, but overall we are returning home with much poorer physical conditioning than when we left.  This was our first trip, ever, to leave the bikes at home.  And it will be our last!

So now that I’m feeling better, we are walking, hiking and riding our bikes.  Last week I grabbed my Nikon as we were heading out to the Tennessee River Park.  The park, opening in 1989, is 10 miles, running along the Tennessee River from the Chickamauga Dam to downtown Chattanooga.

After a few miles I am finding the SLR too cumbersome, dangling on my shoulder while bike riding and ditched it back in the van.  Will need to depend on the cell phone for any additional photography.

The sidewalk is wide, we always pass people who are walking, saying “on your left” as we come upon them.  This is THE correct protocol, or sounding a bell to let them know a biker approaches.  The walker should bear to the right giving the biker space to pass.  (It is not pretty when the walker goes left into the bike path!)

This is the bridge over the South Chickamauga Creek…the TN River can be seen below at the very end of the creek.

Another view of the bridge.  Now imagine flood waters more than halfway up the exposed tree trunk in the center.  This is what the park endured last July while we were traveling in AK.

Another picturesque tree with a tell tale water mark.

Great blue heron fishing on the Chickamauga Creek.

Civil War history found at this site…. the Northern army crossed the river here, heading south toward Chickamauga Battlefield.

Wildlife crossing our path!

Our ride is perfect until we leave the pavement and hit the boardwalk.  Unfortunately that is exactly what we did…hit the boardwalk!!!   It is wet and slick from previous rains.  I started going down the instant my rear wheel left the pavement.  Hubby, five feet behind me, could only watch me fall as his bike went out from under him.  After going down, I am sliding five feet or so on my left hip and shoulder before coming to a halt.

Bystanders ran to our aid, one identifying herself as a nurse.  I am hurting, bad, but so worried about David and his artificial hip. But he has landed on the other hip and is OK.  My shoulder is hurting and I am wondering if a trip to the ER is necessary but we ride back to the car.  And, after a day of icing my shoulder and two days of pain meds, the body is ready to go again.

 

This smiling face is NOT how I was feeling at the moment!  Notice the blue sign!

We were very lucky….will not be riding on wet paths again.  Too old to fall that hard!

For my readers who want to hear about the Casita…..two weeks from today it will be on the road again!  Heading to the Cherokee, NC rally!