It’s day 3 out on the road. We had fun at The Passage in Chattanooga Riverfront. Now it’s time to go even deeper into the history of the land we are passing through on this cross country road trip.

Ps: If you haven’t already, please go and read part one and part two of my road trip adventure.

Another day

I woke up and rolled over and went back to sleep. Isn’t that what always happens? I had a good excuse though. I had been on the road for 2 days and had traveled through 3 states. So I went back to sleep because I earned it. When I finally awoke I realized that we were running late (big surprise.) We were supposed to be out the door by 9am but ended up waking at 9am instead. I woke my dad up and started packing up our things. We did the whole morning routine and rushed out of our Airbnb and hit the road once more. 

We drove up….UP. Guys, I’m from Florida which is all flatland. I never drove up unless I was going up a ramp and that was rare in my city. They are more common on the East Coast of Florida or in the bigger cities. Driving up the side of a mountain was such a unique experience. It was a little tricky for this girl, who was use to only flat land but we made it! We did get a bit turned around because we came to an intersection where they were two roads you can turn left on. What is that? In Naples, it was so much simpler… Unfortunately, I didn’t get to take any pictures because it was my turn to drive, sigh.

Arriving

We drove up Lookout Mountain to, yes you guessed it, Ruby falls. Upon arriving to Ruby falls, we parked on a slope. It’s so weird not having the ground flat. I was afraid that the car was going to tip and start rolling down the mountain. With all my Earthly belongings. But I prayed and trusted that God wouldn’t let it go down like that.

We went inside to purchase our tickets. The tours of the caverns are timed. We had about an hour before our tour started so we went up to Lookout Tower, which we got access to with our admission ticket.

Disclaimer: We went for The Classic Waterfall Tour which lasts on average 1 hour and 15 minutes. Don’t do as we did and just show up because tours sell out quickly. Please call ahead to reserve yours if you can.

Up We Go

We started our ascent from the base of the stairs to the tower. After the third flight of stairs I realized how out of shape I was. I kept asking my dad if he was tired and that we could stop and rest if he need too. My father who is over 60 years old said, “No, I’m fine.” So we kept trudging along, or at least I did. “Dad is so fit.”

Once we got to the top of the tower, I was not disappointed. The view was amazing! You could see the city (once again SWFL didn’t have any view points unless you went in a helicopter to get an aerial view.) This was something completely new to me. 

We stayed up and enjoyed the view until it was time to go down for our tour. I thank God that there was an elevator available. Because your girl didn’t know if she would survive going all the way down the stairs.

Down We Go

We all lined up and enter the elevator groups at a time. The elevator took us 1,120 feet or 26 stories underground. Your ears will pop because you are going down so far and a a certain speed. When the doors of the elevator opened up, the sight before us was brown rocks with a row of lights along the bottom. We had finally arrived at the cavern.

Onwards to Ruby Falls

Tips:

• There were small children in our group but I wouldn’t recommend bringing a stroller
• There were Elderly people as well
• It’s a bit chilly especially tours the end of the tour so dress appropriately
• There wasn’t much of a chance of getting lost
  • Our tour guide played a game of Marco Polo with the Kaboose of our group to ensure we were all still present
  • There were also other tours going on as well and the pathways were lit
• We walked at a steady pace and often stopped to ensure everything had a chance to observe the rock formations
• Drew, our tour guide, also liked making puns that rocked.
  • Explanation: Rock puns

Interested in visiting Ruby Falls? Plan your visit today and find out the answers to any questions you may have.

Lunch and Run

After our underground adventure we drove down to T’s Pizza which was recommended to us by a local. “It’s the best Pizza and a great price.” We didn’t get to sit and eat at the restaurant because we had to make up for lost time. I didn’t want to be out on the road after the sun had set. We picked up the Pizza, pumped gas, and set off to Missouri.

When we got back onto the interstate and the view was breathtaking. I have never seen such lush mountains in my whole life *cough*fromflorida*cough.* I couldn’t take any pictures of this part of the drive because I was behind the wheel. So I just enjoyed the view. I highly recommend taking a drive through Tennessee. You won’t regret it.

The Show-Me State

After 3-4 hours we finally hit Missouri. We crossed over the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Drove through St Louis to Warrenton to met up with my peoples. We arrived at our lodging, met up with Emily and Savannah, and set our bags down and headed to the Tattooed Dog for dinner.

When we to got back CEF, my dad went to bed. Stayed up and joined my friends and the other students at CEF, aka whoever was still awake, in a game of Bible Charades and played into the night. PS: We didn’t even use the board we just acted out the cards. It wasn’t as easy as you would think it would be.

In Closing

I loved how diverse CEF was. There were young and old with all different types of culture from all over the world. The way I was welcomed into their group really showed how people were still people. No one thought they were better than the other and everyone joined in on charades.

Also I loved that the room had its own bathroom and shower.
Also also my mom texted me for the first time since I left home. My stock check had come through and was deposited into my account. I finally had the money to move! Yup as you now notice, I left home before having any money to move. I didn’t wait until I got my check to go to where I know I was called. I went before I saw any provision. Believing that God would provide as his word says, 

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:8

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

Matthew 21:22

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!

Luke 12:24

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Matthew 7:11

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Matthew 6:26

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Matthew 6:31-32

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Psalm 34:10

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20

I hoped you enjoy these pictures our unground adventure because it was pretty fun unearthing them to share with you. Head over to read the part 4 in the Road Trip Chronicles. And if you haven’t already, please go and read part 1 and part 2.