Marietta to Chattanooga on Highway 41

burkbuilds · 05-06-2010, 11:48 PM

Today I decided to make my weekly trip home without using I-75. I just wanted a more relaxed ride and I wanted to see something other than Interstate signs about all the places I pass each week. I had the time, it was a beautiful sunny day, so off I went. From Marietta I decided to pass through the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield, so I headed out Kennesaw Avenue and noticed some early 1900's houses before I entered the Park.

Kinda reminded me of the house the Munsters lived in on TV. Next I spotted this old southern Mansion, man I really like those massive columns on the front.

The Battlefield was nice, shady and all the trees were fully greened out, but nothing much to snap a picture of. When I came out of the Battlefield I had to detour over to old Highway 41 North for a while and then when I got around Acworth I took "New" highway 41 North. In a couple of miles I came across Altoona Lake. It's been really low the last several years because of an extended drought, but that all broke last Fall and it seems to be at normal Summer levels now.

Just after I passed this, there was a sign pointing to the Dam and since I've never seen the Altoona Dam I decided to side trek a bit. This is the river just below the dam.

I wanted to get some shots of and near the dam, but they had a gate and fence that would have made Fort Knox proud as I got close. I could just barely see the dam through the trees and had no chance for a photo opp, sorry.
Well, back to 41 and on up to the big City of Calhoun, Georgia.

Nothing much grabbed my attention in Calhoun, but a few more miles up the road I came across this historic marker in Resaca.

Basically it tells the history of the battle fought there in the Civil War as Sherman was heading to Atlanta.
It was getting hot in the afternoon sun and as I came through Dalton, Ga. I noticed a few bank thermometers hitting mid 90's, so I stopped and got some fluids on the North end of Dalton and then headed up towards Tunnel Hill. My wife's grandmother grew up there and I wanted to poke around a little. Tunnel Hill is only about 1200 people in the City, so it's not very developed, which I like. As I drove along the Old Dixie Highway, I found some young girls taking riding lessons at a stable.

I probably spent 30-40 minutes just riding down side roads in Tunnel Hill before I headed North again on 41. Just a few miles up the road I entered the City of Ringgold. There's an old train station there that was built around 1850 and took some heavy hits during the Civil War. It's been restored now and is open most days for visitors, but I got there after 5 and everybody was gone and the place locked up.

Ringgold is the county seat where I live. It's got a more "modern" section, but this is a shot of the old Historic main street from the Railroad station.

I considered jumping back on I-75 at this point simply because this is "home" turf for me and from here on up I ride this stretch fairly often, but I decided just to stay on 41 till I hit the Tennessee state line just so I could say I pretty much went the entire way from Marietta to Chattanooga on Highway 41. Of course this is nothing like the ride BillinGa did a few weeks ago when he rode from Kennesaw to Nashville and back in one day, way over 500 miles. I just put about 125 miles on my trip today, but it was nice to stop for gas and only need 1.9 gallons to top off the tank! Not bad for a 500 Vulcan, about 65 mpg, I know that's below GZ250 numbers, but pretty respectable considering it's twice the cc's. Well, I finally hit East Ridge, TN around 6 PM and then took a few side streets over to my house in Rossville, Ga. Great afternoon ride, I really enjoyed it, and it's nice to get home at the end of the day.

blaine · 05-07-2010, 01:03 AM

Really nice pictures,beautiful scenery.

BusyWeb · 05-07-2010, 01:39 AM

Beutiful sceneries and nice report.
Thanks for the sharing.

Water Warrior 2 · 05-07-2010, 02:54 AM

Looks like you had a beautiful day. Had a ride today too but not as nice as yours.

BillInGA · 05-07-2010, 08:39 AM

Definitely beautiful riding weather. It's nice to be able to take your time and explore around a bit.

One of my favorite parts of that ride is the tunnel going in to Chattanooga. Did you make it that far?

Easy Rider · 05-07-2010, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillInGA

One of my favorite parts of that ride is the tunnel going in to Chattanooga. Did you make it that far?

I like most of US 41 but NONE of my "favorite parts" involve any of the big cities along the way!! :biggrin:

dannylightning · 05-07-2010, 03:24 PM

looks like a nice ride, good pics.

burkbuilds · 05-08-2010, 10:57 AM

Hey Bill, I didn't go up to the Tunnel on this trip, however, I did go through it Friday morning on my way to breakfast with some friends. If you like long Tunnels through mountains, Chattanooga has several to offer. I guess I'm Jaded to them having grown up here, I pretty much drive through one of them every week. The one you refer to is on Highway 41 (Ringgold Road) leading from East Ridge, Tennessee into Chattanooga, Tennessee, there's two tubes, one lane each way . There's also a larger set on Brainerd Road, two tunnels, 2 lanes each, one set going into town the other coming back out and finally there's the Wilcox Blvd. Tunnel leading into the East end of Chattanooga, which is one tunnel with two lanes of traffic going opposite directions. All three tunnels take you through Missionary Ridge. When they built the Interstate Highway system, they chose to cut a path right through the middle of Missionary Ridge instead of trying to go through it, that is locally known as "the Ridge Cut" and if there's a major traffic accident anywhere along that section people can get stuck there for 6-8 hours while they clear it out. There's just no way to turn around or get off the road once you start up the Ridge in either direction, but it's a nice view of the city if you are heading North on I-24 when you top the "cut".

05-06-2010, 11:48 PM	#1
burkbuilds Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shannon, Georgia Posts: 1,268	Marietta to Chattanooga on Highway 41 Today I decided to make my weekly trip home without using I-75. I just wanted a more relaxed ride and I wanted to see something other than Interstate signs about all the places I pass each week. I had the time, it was a beautiful sunny day, so off I went. From Marietta I decided to pass through the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield, so I headed out Kennesaw Avenue and noticed some early 1900's houses before I entered the Park. Kinda reminded me of the house the Munsters lived in on TV. Next I spotted this old southern Mansion, man I really like those massive columns on the front. The Battlefield was nice, shady and all the trees were fully greened out, but nothing much to snap a picture of. When I came out of the Battlefield I had to detour over to old Highway 41 North for a while and then when I got around Acworth I took "New" highway 41 North. In a couple of miles I came across Altoona Lake. It's been really low the last several years because of an extended drought, but that all broke last Fall and it seems to be at normal Summer levels now. Just after I passed this, there was a sign pointing to the Dam and since I've never seen the Altoona Dam I decided to side trek a bit. This is the river just below the dam. I wanted to get some shots of and near the dam, but they had a gate and fence that would have made Fort Knox proud as I got close. I could just barely see the dam through the trees and had no chance for a photo opp, sorry. Well, back to 41 and on up to the big City of Calhoun, Georgia. Nothing much grabbed my attention in Calhoun, but a few more miles up the road I came across this historic marker in Resaca. Basically it tells the history of the battle fought there in the Civil War as Sherman was heading to Atlanta. It was getting hot in the afternoon sun and as I came through Dalton, Ga. I noticed a few bank thermometers hitting mid 90's, so I stopped and got some fluids on the North end of Dalton and then headed up towards Tunnel Hill. My wife's grandmother grew up there and I wanted to poke around a little. Tunnel Hill is only about 1200 people in the City, so it's not very developed, which I like. As I drove along the Old Dixie Highway, I found some young girls taking riding lessons at a stable. I probably spent 30-40 minutes just riding down side roads in Tunnel Hill before I headed North again on 41. Just a few miles up the road I entered the City of Ringgold. There's an old train station there that was built around 1850 and took some heavy hits during the Civil War. It's been restored now and is open most days for visitors, but I got there after 5 and everybody was gone and the place locked up. Ringgold is the county seat where I live. It's got a more "modern" section, but this is a shot of the old Historic main street from the Railroad station. I considered jumping back on I-75 at this point simply because this is "home" turf for me and from here on up I ride this stretch fairly often, but I decided just to stay on 41 till I hit the Tennessee state line just so I could say I pretty much went the entire way from Marietta to Chattanooga on Highway 41. Of course this is nothing like the ride BillinGa did a few weeks ago when he rode from Kennesaw to Nashville and back in one day, way over 500 miles. I just put about 125 miles on my trip today, but it was nice to stop for gas and only need 1.9 gallons to top off the tank! Not bad for a 500 Vulcan, about 65 mpg, I know that's below GZ250 numbers, but pretty respectable considering it's twice the cc's. Well, I finally hit East Ridge, TN around 6 PM and then took a few side streets over to my house in Rossville, Ga. Great afternoon ride, I really enjoyed it, and it's nice to get home at the end of the day. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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05-07-2010, 01:03 AM	#2
blaine Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: P.E.I. Canada Posts: 3,784	Re: Marietta to Chattanooga on Highway 41 Really nice pictures,beautiful scenery. __________________ If at first you do succeed, try not to look surprised.
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05-07-2010, 01:39 AM	#3
BusyWeb Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 626	Re: Marietta to Chattanooga on Highway 41 Beutiful sceneries and nice report. Thanks for the sharing. __________________ BusyWeb Login or Register to Remove Ads
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05-07-2010, 02:54 AM	#4
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Re: Marietta to Chattanooga on Highway 41 Looks like you had a beautiful day. Had a ride today too but not as nice as yours.
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05-07-2010, 08:39 AM	#5
BillInGA Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Kennesaw, GA Posts: 296	Re: Marietta to Chattanooga on Highway 41 Definitely beautiful riding weather. It's nice to be able to take your time and explore around a bit. One of my favorite parts of that ride is the tunnel going in to Chattanooga. Did you make it that far? __________________ ATGATT - All The Gear, All The Time Login or Register to Remove Ads
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05-07-2010, 03:24 PM	#7
dannylightning Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: akron ohio Posts: 893	Re: Marietta to Chattanooga on Highway 41 looks like a nice ride, good pics.
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05-08-2010, 10:57 AM	#8
burkbuilds Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shannon, Georgia Posts: 1,268	Re: Marietta to Chattanooga on Highway 41 Hey Bill, I didn't go up to the Tunnel on this trip, however, I did go through it Friday morning on my way to breakfast with some friends. If you like long Tunnels through mountains, Chattanooga has several to offer. I guess I'm Jaded to them having grown up here, I pretty much drive through one of them every week. The one you refer to is on Highway 41 (Ringgold Road) leading from East Ridge, Tennessee into Chattanooga, Tennessee, there's two tubes, one lane each way . There's also a larger set on Brainerd Road, two tunnels, 2 lanes each, one set going into town the other coming back out and finally there's the Wilcox Blvd. Tunnel leading into the East end of Chattanooga, which is one tunnel with two lanes of traffic going opposite directions. All three tunnels take you through Missionary Ridge. When they built the Interstate Highway system, they chose to cut a path right through the middle of Missionary Ridge instead of trying to go through it, that is locally known as "the Ridge Cut" and if there's a major traffic accident anywhere along that section people can get stuck there for 6-8 hours while they clear it out. There's just no way to turn around or get off the road once you start up the Ridge in either direction, but it's a nice view of the city if you are heading North on I-24 when you top the "cut".
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