There are many things you come to miss when you pick up and leave your native land. The foods, the music, the ease of communicating with others are the first and most obvious things. Other things become important the longer you go without them, namely family, friends and driving. I’ve always felt a good long drive, like a family dinner or a drink with friends, cleanses the mind and soul.
So once the cruise control was set at 75 mph and nothing but the open road of the Southeast US lying ahead of me I could finally open my mouth, take in the scenery and drool my way to Tennessee.Â
As is often the case while 
driving long distances not much happened. I calmly made my way to my first destination. As the mile markers passed I calculated my arrival time to Chattanooga at around 10h30. Just enough time to visit the city, have lunch and do whatever else popped into my head. My next stop, Knoxville, Tennessee was two hours away and I wanted to spend the afternoon there.
Chattanooga really rang no bells to me. I had heard of the city’s name, of course, but I had no visual associations. The only thing that really came to mind was a childhood song about the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Beyond that my mind was blank.
Well it was blank except for a very effective advertising campaign encouraging interstate travelers to “See Rock Cityâ€. Every few miles or so a barn would have those three words painted on its roof. The more I drove the more I wondered what Rock City was. By the time I arrived to Chattanooga I had decided to add Rock City to my itinerary.
I had to see it although I did consider the possibility of it being very much like Ron Jon Surf Shop of Cocoa Beach, Florida. I feared that the best thing about the place would be the anticipation of getting there.