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Hidden Gem by shannon kietzman - Road trip from Florida to Indiana |
| When things fall into place and seem like it's all going down hill - don't worry you'll be rewarded. Road trip home from Florida to Indiana |
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As we drove from Florida back to Indiana, I kept an ever-attentive eye out for road signs of new and interesting destinations. One of the first places we stopped was Etowah Mounds State Park in Cartersville, Georgia. Here, we learned a bit about Native American history and climbed massive mounds that were built by the tribe for ceremonial purposes. What a great little gem that we never would have experienced if not for our canceled flight!
As we got closer to Tennessee, we started to notice signs for Ruby Falls. We decided to seek out this destination and check it out for ourselves. By the time we arrived, it was nighttime and the entrance to Ruby Falls sat atop a mountain at the end of a curvy and treacherous road. Once we arrived at the top, however, the amazing view of the lights of Chattanooga below was well worth the drive. When we entered the building that serves as the entrance to Ruby Falls, we were informed that the last tour was just getting ready to head out. Although the cavern was not the most spectacular one we had ever been to, the 145 foot waterfall at the end was a unique site to behold.
As we pulled off at an exit to find a hotel for the night, we noticed a sign for Cumberland State Park. “What great luck,” we thought, “tomorrow, we can see what this park is all about before we hit the road to head back home.
So, first thing in the morning, we sat out to find Cumberland State Park. It turned out that the park was actually a bunch of parks all united under one name and these parks were spread quite a distance apart. We asked the ranger to suggest the “must-sees” so we could get a taste of the park and he happily did so.
Our first destination was to a magnificent waterfall that was only feet away from the road. Next, we drove to another part of the park that was home to several waterfalls.Though the path was a bit rocky and slippery, it was certainly worth the troubles as we discovered several other waterfalls amidst a beautiful mountain backdrop.
If not for that cancelled flight, which was the source of such anger and concern for getting my family home safely, we never would have found these marvelous little gems. We likely would never have planned a vacation around seeing any one of these sites on its own – the drive to them simply wouldn’t be worth it. Yet, our lives were made so much fuller by seeing them and, ironically, the drive home actually stands out as the most memorable part of our family Disney vacation.
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