John Shearer: Exploring And Searching For Greenways, Part 31 – The Exhilarating Charm of Reflection Riding

It is hard for me to believe, but I have examined several dozen other parks, greenways or other areas in Hamilton County with open space for this series before getting to Reflection Riding. 

 

I guess I could say I was saving one of the best places for last, but it was partly because I have been here several times previously and even written about it before starting this series.

And I was also a little curious to see some other, more non-descript parks I had not previously visited.

 

But I finally made it back over to Reflection Riding on Friday on a day when the skies were mostly blue, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, with some blooming wildflowers, it almost had a technicolor look to it to complement the handsome undulations in topography that would be pretty in just black and white.

 

Are there a few other similarly attractive areas around Chattanooga that collectively feature meadows and fields, forests, mountain or ridge views, and creeks or lakes? Yes, and a few of them are also protected as public or non-profit parks.

 

After all, the locals do not call Chattanooga the Scenic City for no reason!

 

However, Reflection Riding, due to its history as a property formerly owned by the John Chambliss family, also serves as an inspiration to the owners of a few tracts in the suburbs also thinking of making their undeveloped land into a greenway instead of a subdivision.

 

And that might be its greatest legacy or gift along with its handsome acreage.

 

And despite its mostly timeless look, Reflection Riding is undergoing some changes. It is preserving its land with a conservation easement through the American Battlefield Trust, and it is looking at changing and enhancing its spaces somewhat and trying to draw an even greater diversity of area residents.

 

It is also having a series of free noontime walkthroughs of the property on the first Fridays of the next few months for officials to share some of these plans.

 

One additional change that has recently been reported in the media is that the facility will stop boarding horses, the graceful creatures that during Friday’s visit seemed to me to fit perfectly and beautifully in harmony with the land and greatly enhanced my visit.

 

When I was making plans to visit, I went online Friday morning and purchased a visitors pass. I would love to be a sustaining member of Reflection Riding, not to mention Audubon Acres and even the symphony, but I am what they call a starving writer.

 

I am also a little bit of a cheapskate, and I must confess that I gave below the suggested donation of $15 for a visit. I offered $5! That is partly because I have gotten spoiled with all the other pretty areas here I can visit for free.

 

But I received far more than my money’s worth, as we shall see.

 

I arrived at this place on the west side of Lookout Mountain off Garden Road, which is off Cummings Highway, a little after 1:30 and began walking the loop from the visitor center in a clockwise direction. I heard, but did not visit, the various critters kept in the facilities near the main parking lot.

 

After I had walked 100 yards or so up the road shaped a little like a mathematical parabola on that end, I stepped into the grass to get a picture of the western slope of Lookout Mountain through the wooden rail fence and meadow. As I did, I realize I was about to step in a hole.

 

I was able to pull my foot out and regain my balance, but it made me realize such a place as this former farm is meant to be carefully traversed and is not designed for carefree running and playing, at least off the road.

 

I then passed the first of two small ponds, and it was trimmed perfectly by nature’s creative designer with late summer wildflowers of multiple colors. I was reminded again of at least part of the likely motivation for the name Reflection Riding with this aqua mirror.   

 

After continuing to walk along the road by some woods, and not worrying about the sweat that was starting to appear on my shirt on the warm August day, I then came upon a field of seemingly symbolic gold by Lookout Creek. 

 

It was a small meadow completely covered in yellow wildflowers of some sort, which I am sorry I could not identify. But I certainly know they were beautiful. It was another example of how late summer is often sneakily more beautiful than people think.

 

I then came to the end of one loop by the Rock City-like Cherokee Eye rock and began circling back past the house-shaped picnic/gathering pavilion. I took a picture of the pavilion and the well a few feet in front of the structure and then began walking back toward my car a good 15 or 20 minutes away. 

 

And then it hit me. For maybe the first time in these greenway stories and possibly for the first time since my parents’ beloved Mountain Creek farm was sold nearly 20 years ago, I simply wanted to stop in my tracks and soak up God’s beautiful setting for five minutes or so.

 

I wanted to not only enjoy the place with my eyes, I wanted to commune with it in stillness on this day when only a few other people were there!

 

I did briefly, but not for as long as I wanted, and then began heading back amid receiving a text and a phone call. But I still was able to enjoy the pretty horses, some views over meadows up toward both Lookout Mountain and the more inconspicuous Elder Mountain, the neat little Squincy Bird Cabin with a wash basin in the front, and the second lake.

 

By the time I climbed back in my car after changing from my soaked shirt into a dry one and using the restroom and getting a drink of water, I was not just soothed and refreshed. I was exhilarated! 

 

Yes, this cheapskate certainly received his money’s worth at this priceless treasure that Chattanooga has.

 

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To see the previous story in this series, read here.

https://www.chattanoogan.com/2021/7/15/431387/John-Shearer-Exploring-And-Searching.aspx

 

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Jcshearer2@comcast.net