Accidental Rock Collection

One thing that has somehow slowly happened from our travels is the creation of an inexplicable rock collection.  These now sit in a row on a shelf in our apartment and are often ignored.  Since I've been told not to talk about it and I fear that one day it may mystically disappear just as it came into existence I feel obligated to create an electronic trail to prove it existed.

1. Belize – The riverbed of a river going through a rainforest 25 miles Northwest of Belize City.

2. Egypt – The beaches of Sharm al Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula (pink/white granite).

3. England – Northern England near the crags east of Once Brewed on the trails along Hadrian’s Wall (coal).

4. Wales – Caswell Bay “Natural Area of Beauty” (white quartz).

5. Norway – Outskirts of the town of Kirkenes, only 15 km from the Russian Border (sandstone).

6. Norway – Ridges of the mountains surrounding the fjord and city of Tromso (sandstone).

7. Scotland – The north eastern edge of Loch Lomond.

8. Scotland – From the top of Arthur’s Seat overlooking the medieval city of Edinburgh (siltstone).

9. Sweden – Beaches of Malmo close to the Twisting Torso.

SEC Basketball Tournament

One of the our favorite memories from our days in Richmond was being able to attend the CAA Basketball Tournament.  We were able to cheaply see a bunch of NCAA basketball all within walking distance of where we lived.  This is where we got to see the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams that most of the country never heard of show that they were a team that was ready to do big things as we approached the beginning of March Madness.  The Rams went onto the Final Four that year and busted just about everybody's brackets.

This year we learned that we lived within walking distance in Nashville of where the SEC Basketball Tournament was going to take place.  We ended up going to a few of the initial sets of games and both of the semifinals as well.  Jolene ended up being a big fan of the Ole Miss Rebels who went onto win it all.  She called them the werewolves for some reason but that is a more complicated story.

Chattanooga Hike

We continue to slowly venture out a little further when we get the time.  We decided to go hit another set of trails we heard about and headed South to Chattanooga.  We parked our car at Craven's House and hiked around the Western ridge and up the back of Lookout Mountain.

It actually was the toughest hike we've been on recently but the views once approaching the top were worth it.  The entire area is actually right in the middle of where the Chattanooga Campaign of the Civil War took place.

 While we went up on a pretty clear day, there are quite a few times during the year where visibility is very low and you'd be engulfed in fog.  One of the famous battles that took place  at the peak of the trail is to this day called the "Battle Above the Clouds".

Whether Jolene admits she enjoyed the history or not... the time outside of the city and the fresh air was worth it.