After a long hard day battling the rapids, we opted to stay in Tennessee for the evening. Pat found a B&B close by that was able to accommodate our crowd just fine. The Company House is located in Ducktown, TN (actually in downtown Ducktown - which is 1 street long and just across the street from it's city hall). When you call up there and ask how they are, the inn-keepers, Mike and Margie, answer "Just Ducky!". 
The Company House was built in 1850 by Dr. Lewis Kinsey. Dr. Kinsey served the miners who worked in the area copper mines. Margie Tonkin and Mike Fabian purchased the house in 1994 after falling in love with what it once was and could be again. After 18 months of restoration The Company House is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Mike and Margie are wonderful hosts and truly open their home to their guests. A delicious breakfast was provided (caramel french toast with fresh whipped cream and fresh berries from their yard along with grits and bacon). Mike is a retired river guide and a substitute tour bus driver for many of the local expedition groups. He is also a pilot and a concert pianist. Margie is a native of Ducktown and her family still owns land in the area. Mike enjoys gathering the guests for breakfast by blowing his bugle or sometimes using a megaphone. 
Margie insists on hugging each of her guests goodbye and taking pictures of the group for their photo album.
Margie insists on hugging each of her guests goodbye and taking pictures of the group for their photo album.
We took a trip to Chattanooga for the day and decided upon a visit to Ruby Falls. This remarkable beautiful destination site is located beneath Lookout Mountain. Lookout Mountain is widely known for its many unusual geological features. The most unique of which being Ruby Falls, a 145 foot underground waterfall located over 1120 feet beneath the mountain’s surface. 
The fascinating story of the formation of Lookout Mountain, the Ruby Falls cave and Ruby Falls itself is told by how the rocks that formed each of these wonders did so. There are 2 kinds of tour groups in the cave - "rookies" and "survivors". You do not earn your "survivor" title until you reach the gorgeous underground waterfall.
The fascinating story of the formation of Lookout Mountain, the Ruby Falls cave and Ruby Falls itself is told by how the rocks that formed each of these wonders did so. There are 2 kinds of tour groups in the cave - "rookies" and "survivors". You do not earn your "survivor" title until you reach the gorgeous underground waterfall. 