Getting Hired Is Kind Of Like The Movie "Highlander"

"In the end there can be only one!"  If you've seen any of the Highlander movies or the TV show you know that's the catchphrase.  It is also very true of trying to be hired at Con-Way/ CFI.  Here's what's happened so far:

Funny, I don't feel Scotish. 

There were supposed to be 16 people in my class.  8 were told not to show up because they did not qualify.  That brings the new total to 8.  Somehow, only 6 made it to the hotel.  So then, on the first day of class we are told we are not hired yet.  No one has a contract.  Maybe only half of us will be hired.  We were flat out told that out of every 200 applications, Con-Way would hire 5 drivers. 

Truthfully, I was not feeling good about this.  Today, another driver got the axe due to a recent accident.  Now the class total is down to 5.  Now, I'm really not feeling good about this.  The instructor said he liked me, and that I was more intelligent than the usual dumb asses that come through there.  However, that doesn't guarantee anything.

Tomorrow is the driving and backing test.  It will be the first time I will drive a 13 speed semi truck.  Our instructor said that only one person has failed the driving (road) test in three years.  So I figure as long as I take it easy, and don't hit anyone I am safe.  I'm not too worried about the backing as I am usually pretty good at backing on a backing course.  Usually all the dimensions are the same, and it's like backing into the same dock every time. 

In the end I just want to be able to work for a good company.  I also want a big, red shiny Kenworth.

Adrian Visits Rock City Gardens, Part 4

When I was at Rock City Gardens I took some video.

Here is video of the top of High Falls.

Here's the view of High Falls from Observation point.

Here is video of the Fairytale Caverns.  Due to the darkness it didn't come out too well.

If you have the chance to visit the Chattanooga area I would definitely suggest you visit both the Chattanooga Aquarium and Rock City Gardens.  Both run about twenty dollars per adult.  Around twelve dollars per child.

Adrian Visits Rock City Gardens, Part 3

Continued from, "Adrian Visits Rock City Gardens, Part 2."

As I kept walking I came up to Observation Point.

Obviously.  But the views from it are pretty amazing.  You can overlook the town, and then get a great view of High Falls.

Next you have to go through the Rainbow Hall to get a great view of High Falls.  I guess Rainbow Hall is the kind of place that Gnomes like.  Well maybe gay Gnomes.  Who knows.

Here's a great view of High Falls.

Then comes one of the tight squeeze places that kids love, and most Americans can't fit through.  I couldn't really take pictures in there due to the lack of light.

Then came a neat kind of formation.  The 1000 ton rock.

Well, what do know.  I found the Enchanted Trail.  It was in Georgia all along.  Woundn't have thought that.

So then it appears that Magic Valley is located right next to the Enchanted Trail... in Georgia.

Next came the Fairyland Caverns.  (No Smoking.)  I didn't expect Fairyland to have so much sea corral in it.  Kinda strange.  I would have taken more pictures, except that it was so dark in there I none of my pictures would come out.

At the very end of Rock City Gardens there was this semi-older water wheel.  You don't see too many of them these days so I took a picture of it.

More to come in, "Adrian Visits Rock City Gardens, Part 4."

Adrian Visits Rock City Gardens, Part 2

I will continue my trip through Rock City Gardens from my previous post.

Next up was something really neat.  Rock City had dual bridges.  Look at the pictures and I'm sure you will understand why.

First up was the Swing-a-long Bridge.  If you remember the bridge at the end of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," well, it was kind of like that.  But before that they had a nice little pavilion where you could rest.  It was built right into the rock.

More signage.

Here's the view from Swing-a-long Bridge.

Here are some pictures of Swing-a-long Bridge from the side. 

If you don't have the stones to cross Swing-a-long bridge, you can always walk across Stone Bridge.  It's a lot more stable.

Lover's Leap is quite a sight.  It's perfect for picture taking.

Lover's Leap was carved out by High Falls Waterfall.  Again, it's perfect for picture taking.

Here's the view from Lover's Leap.

There's a courtyard up on the top of Lover's Leap.  It's called Seven State Flags Courtyard.  There have been seven flags that have been posted on top of Lookout Mountain over it's lifetime.

For the brave, young, or those with a stronger back than me, there is a climbing wall.

This is one of my favorite pictures that I took.  On the side of the path was a flowerbed of Black Eyed Susans.  Again, I personally think that this is one of the better pictures that I took.

Tortoise Shell Rock.  Again, I wonder how it got its name.

This part of the path is called Fat Man's Squeeze.  Yes, it really is.  I'm kind of glad I lost some weight because I'm not sure I would have fit through otherwise.  It is definately not wheelchair accessable. 

This is the view of Stone Arch Bridge.

More to come in "Adrian Visits Rock City Gardens, Part 3."

Adrian Visits Rock City Gardens, Part 1

When I was in Chattanooga I decided I needed to take a long walk or do something to take my mind off things for a while.  I had been to the Aquarium.  I had been to Ruby Falls.  I even went up and down the Incline Railway.  But I hadn't been to Rock City Gardens.  I'd always seen the advertising signs for it, but didn't know much about it.  But I thought, "What the hay, I might as well see it while I'm here."

Rock City Gardens is located just 6 miles from Chattanooga on Lookout Mountain, Ga.  For the website, go to www.seerockcity.com .  So as not to commit a copyright crime, here is the Rock City story from the Rock City website:  http://www.seerockcity.com/pages/Our-Story/ .  I will tell the story of my visit through pictures. 

When I first walked up to the ticket booth, I saw a magnolia tree.  At the old house we had a huge one right in the front yard.  Since then I have always liked them.  So I took a picture of one of the flowers on it.

When I took a closer look, there was a honeybee inside the flower.  He was just going to town on the pollen.

Here is the entrance.

Once inside the entrance there is a little stream that flows along the path.

When you enter they give you a very nice map that tells you the names and places of all the structures.  The first one is called the Grand Corridor.

Next up was the Needles Eye.  It's one of those things that kids will love as they can run though it with no problem.  However, adults will have to squeeze though.  Oh, and that's not the first of these that are in the park.

Once you go through the Needles Eye, this is what it looks like.

Next up comes Gnome Valley.  One thing I was beginning to notice was that someone had a serious Gnome fetish.

I have to say, the stone pathways were really nice.

Mushroom Rock?  I wonder how it got it's name?

Uh-oh.  More Gnomes.

But there are Goblins as well.

One of the coolest things I ever saw was the stone trashcan.  What a novel idea.

Due to the amount of pictures I took, I will be posting my trip across Rock City over four blog posts.  More to come in, "Adrian Visits Rock City Gardens, Part 2."