Day 44: Chattanooga

The forecast storms brought plenty of rain and wind today, but it could have been worse. No hail or tornadoes in our area, and only localized flooding. We proceeded north this morning on The Perimeter (I-285). A jackknifed semi on the freeway near the I-20 interchange closed three out of four lanes of traffic, resulting in a long delay. We eventually made it out of the city and onto I-75 toward Chattanooga. The second storm hit then, bringing torrential rain and more high winds, so we decided to exit at Acworth for a lunch stop while it passed. After lunch the rain subsided and by the time we hit Tennessee it was mostly sunny and nice (although we had to make a detour to get to our hotel because our exit off of I-24 was closed due to flooding). At the border, we stopped at a Visitor Welcome Center/Rest Area. Many eastern states have very nice, staffed facilities providing helpful information to visitors, and this was no exception.

After checking into our hotel in Chattanooga at the base of Lookout Mountain, we walked to a nearby Cracker Barrel restaurant for dinner. It had been 20 years since my wife and I had eaten at one (way back in graduate school when we were living in Missouri), and it was a nice treat to take our ten year old daughter to one for the first time. Fortunately for me, they have a gluten free menu with many great options, so I ate well tonight! Since picking up the girls at the airport yesterday, I've eaten three meals in restaurants. I only ate seven restaurant meals in the previous six weeks, and have probably lost about 25 to 30 pounds. Hopefully I won't find them again! Unfortunately, since I have celiac disease, this journey has not been a culinary adventure (although dining out is always an adventure, since I never know if it will make me ill!). Food is a large part of any culture, and I wish I could experience more of the local cuisine, but it's probably just as well. Prior to being diagnosed nine years ago, I was a gluten glutton!

We drove 145 miles today. Trip total now is 6,354 miles.

A splash of color at Publix Food and Pharmacy in Acworth. Much more colorful than the deluge of rain outside.

Tennessee Welcome Center at I-75 and I-24 interchange near Chattanooga.

A sign of the South.

Cracker Barrel is in 42 states. Unfortunately, Oregon isn't one of them (and neither are Washington, California, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, Wyoming, and Vermont).

Dinner at Cracker Barrel: Spicy grilled catfish, baked sweet potato, cheesy grits, coleslaw, and fried apples -- and all gluten free!