We’re trying to make the most of the summertime this year by doing some weekend day trips and being tourists in our own city and region. Last Sunday was a perfect day weather-wise to be outside so we headed to Chattanooga for the afternoon to walk around the riverfront and do a duck boat tour.
I had never heard of these until recently, but duck boats are actually amphibious World War II military vehicles {DUKWs} that are now used for tourist transport in harbor and river cities. I’m not sure how it works at every location, but in Chattanooga they’re driven by Coast Guard captains who narrate a historical tour of the downtown area while cruising along the Tennessee River. The whole tour takes about an hour and a half. It begins on land and takes passengers around town for a few blocks until it reaches the riverfront.
The most exciting part of the tour is the river launch when the boat whizzes down the ramp into the water with lots of speed and a huge splash.
Ever a thrill seeker, the Preschooler would have been fine if the ride had ended after that part because she had absolutely no interest in learning about the history of Chattanooga. The narration is actually very interesting, but we only caught bits and pieces of that while trying to assure she didn’t flit around and fall over the edge of the low-riding boat. You’ll notice we’re not wearing the optional life vests. If we were to do this again, she would be opting in on one of those for my own peace of mind.
There are some great views from the water of bridges and buildings like the Hunter Museum of Art that sits on top of the cliff pictured above.
One fun fact we learned is that the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the country.
At one point on the tour, everyone on the boat is given a chance to drive for awhile. Of course, the girls jumped at that opportunity.
Seeing the 4th Grader behind a steering wheel of any sort already makes me nervous about her driving days. Fortunately duck boats in the water go much slower than cars on land, which makes me wonder if maybe she couldn’t commute to school and other places via one of these when she’s sixteen? I like the idea of a military vessel being her first vehicle…
You’ll notice the wise captain had his hand on the wheel while this girl was driving {and posing}.
She rejected his offer to sit on her knees so she could see better. So, again, his hand is still on the wheel while she looks off at the cruise ship unconcerned that she can’t see over the dash as we’re approaching a bridge:
Once the river portion is over the captain activates the wheels and the boat heads up this ramp again to ride back to its starting point.
All in all, the girls thought is was a pretty fun tour. Chattanooga has done such a great job making their riverfront a destination for people of all ages. The duck boats aren’t something we would do every time, but they made for a fun way to see the city from a different angle.
On a totally unrelated, non-travel note, I’ve gotten in over my head on a little garden project we started back in the spring.
This was the 4×4 raised bed garden that the Spouse assembled with much sweat and a few tears in early May.
I naively went to Lowe’s one afternoon and let the Preschooler pick out a few plants to put in here since this whole “let’s start a garden” was her idea. My mom had mentioned that beans grow quickly, so I got two of those. I thought it would be fun to grow little tomatoes we could put on salads, so I got a couple of those as well. Then, the Preschooler insisted we get a pumpkin plant, so I let her get one of those.
Well, apparently a 4×4 bed wasn’t near big enough because when we came back from the beach a couple of weeks ago this had happened:
What in the world? It’s like we have our very own jungle.
Apparently I planted a few too many things for a 4×4 bed. I did notice something on the side of the plants about how to properly space them, blah, blah, blah… I just never imagined this stuff would actually grow. My grandparents, one of whom was a farmer and the others who were avid gardeners, would be so proud.
My mom said tomatoes need these wire contraptions to help them stand up rather than falling over due to their weight as ours have obviously done. Well, it was too late. I tried to put those around the plants to no avail. Now it just looks like someone through a satellite dish into the middle of our garden.
If our HOA gets wind of this, I fear the family garden will be shut down.
If word doesn’t get out that we’re an agricultural hazard to the neighborhood, the good news is we have some pumpkin growth.
I told the girls we can host our own pumpkin patch here in the backyard this fall complete with scooter rides and popcorn. The problem is only the first three visitors will actually get a pumpkin because I think three might be our maximum harvest. And, at this rate, we may have to host the pumpkin patch in August.
Still. I’m pretty amazed we’ve grown actual {organic?} food in this once tiny bed:
Next year I’ll do a little more research upfront and maybe read the instructions on the side of the plants.
Never a dull moment at your house! The Duck Boats looked like fun, and educational too! The plants received a lot of rain, and sunshine! Great yield~ Nice first attempt at gardening!