This from Ken & Sandra Posten who retired near
Ringgold GA. …………..
The life in the area
is laid back and considered as one of the best cities to retire. Chattanooga
has won a couple of contests the past couple of years as the best city to live.
They have many young couples moving in because there are so many outdoor activities.
The Smokies are a couple of
hours away, plenty of hiking and kayaking/canoeing. In fact, the white water
kayaking site is down the road. Now the rapids are using for rafting they send
a slew down the Ocoee River.
It has turned into quite an industry.
Chattanooga has tried
to go up tech. They have their own internet supplier which offers the 4th best
rated service in the US. It’s so good surrounding cities sued to get their
service and won. Don’t hear about a company being sued to get their service.
Our daughter is about to sue Comcast to get out of a contract that is justified
according to their requirements.
This area played a
huge role in the Civil War with all sort of battle sites. They fought on Lookout Mountain
and a big battle south of Chattanooga at Chickamauga. They have a huge
dedicated area and museum and memorial monuments from most states that fought
here. Chattanooga was a key area for Grants push through to Atlanta. A few
miles from us, just north of Ringgold, is where the Yanks stole an engine from the Reb’s and
raced north.
They hoped to tear up the tracks but the Reb’s were on their tails and they
caught them here in Ringgold.
There is an old stone
church that was built in 1850 that was used as a hospital in the war. They
pulled the front door and made it into a surgery table. They tested stains on
the floor and determined it was blood where they amputated limbs. Back then if
a limb was injured, they simply amputated. They were not able to control
infections. It’s interesting to see the signs left. The stone church still has
the pews used during the war. They had straight solid backs and solid seats.
They were tilted and used for feed troughs for the horses. Some of them have
indentions where the horse’s teeth scored the sides while eating. These kind of
connections to the past intrigue me. I met a volunteer guide at the church and
started a conversation with him. He was a very nice guy but became quiet when I
commented on how people around here seem to be stuck in the past with the
fixation on the Civil War. I found out later that he has a doctorate in Civil
War history. Now I realize he was not appreciative of my brilliant observation.
When we first moved
here were treated to a Civil War reenactment. It was a hot Sunday and we were
out in a field while the 2 sides were eying each other. I was standing with a
couple of professional re-enactors who for some reason were not participating
that day. They started off shooting at each other from across the field and it
went on for 15-20 minutes. I asked one of the enactors if they had the battle
choreographed, and he said no. I mentioned that after all the shooting no one
had been hit, or pretended to be hit. I asked if either side won in the mock
battles and they said yes. It was all so weird. But they were professionals who
wear wool uniforms and live in pup tents in the summer heat for weekends around
the country. They stay in the period and cook and live like they did in the
war.
We enjoy this country
and are pleased to live here. The people are the nicest of anywhere we have
lived. We have never had an unpleasant experience with any business dealing. I
have been involved with terrible drivers who let me know they think they are
number 1 with their hand signals.
We are about 8 miles
east of Ringgold and 15 southeast from Chattanooga. We are about 6 miles from
the nearest grocery store which I wish was closer. We are down to 1 car so we
try to coordinate our 2-3 trips into town a week.
The biggest negative is I-24 from Nashville up to
the Midwest and I-75 from Knoxville and major cities in the northeast converge
south of Chattanooga near the Georgia line. The highway is loaded with semis
and snowbirds on their way to FL. There is frequent accidents clogging the
interstate. It’s so bad I rarely use this corridor. I usually use the surface
roads to get into town.
Some other great places to explore while in the
area:
Jack Mattox Complex
Just to name a few!
Thanks Ken & Sandra!
“Here are a few photos: Lulu Falls near us. A part of the hill we have to get up to
our home. There is a steep hill below this one also. Have to wait
until the plow comes before we move! A
frozen fountain in Ringgold. A view
from the top of Lookout Mountain. And photo I took nearby
a few miles from us. All of these
pics were taken with my cell phone.”
Fondly,
Sandra Posten
Comments
Post a Comment