I'm on my way to Lula Lake Land Trust this morning, but I'm going to make a stop to explore something I've tried a couple of times in the past. Unfortunately, the Chetoogeta Mountain Tunnel and it's museum have been closed every other time I've come this way. This railroad tunnel was completed in 1850 as part of the Western & Atlantic Railroad. It was necessary to bore through Chetoogeta Mountain to keep the grade of the rail appropriate.
After being greeted by one of the museum's caretakers, I wandered through the small facility looking over numerous Civil War artifacts related to the tunnel and the nearby events of that era. It's interesting to see such artifacts, but the real reason I'm hear is to walk through the tunnel. A short quarter-mile drive sees me to the parking area and a paved walkway leads me the rest of the way into the side of the mountain. A large iron gate with the letters W & A has been unlocked to allow visitors to enter. Amazingly straight and level, the rails have been replaced by a paved path that leads to the bright light at the other end of the tunnel, some 1,447 feet away. As I pass motion sensitive lights, my path is illuminated (at least most of them are working). It's truly amazing to see these marvels of human ingenuity. The work that went into the creation of the tunnel must have been tremendous.
Completing the walk to the other end and seeing daylight once again, I return the way I came and encounter some large multi-seat golf carts carrying a group through the tunnel. I wave and one gentleman makes a joke about how life-like the animatronics are. It was a great little stop, but for now, I must be on my way.
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