Our LAST TRIP in our Momentum 410TH! This time with Double the Occupants!

4 months ago
Chad

Back in the Momentum again — and it felt good! After Grand Design loaned us the Lineage to try out, we passed it along to our friends at Wandering Weekends and then they passed it on to Campoholics. We were ready for a road trip with a little more breathing room, and it turns out we’d need it. This trip marked our first time hitting the road with Chad’s mom (Rita) and her two dogs, Pugsy and Whipper. It also happened to be our first real travel day with the GooseTech hitch — so there was a lot of new happening all at once.

Country Boy Brewing — Harvest Host Stop

Our first night was at Country Boy Brewing — one of our favorite Harvest Host spots, and for good reason. You park right out front, the food is great, and the beer is even better. We grabbed some carry-out, set up our collapsible safety cones with the slide out, and had ourselves a proper roadside dinner. Ran into some channel viewers here too, which was a fun bonus — though fair warning, Country Boy books up fast. If you’re following our recommendations, don’t wait too long on the reservation.

RV Trial Run: Mom, Dogs, and a Happijac Modification

Before picking up Rita and Daisy’s cousins for the Alabama leg, we did a quick trial run to see how the three-dog situation would work inside the Momentum. Whipper (the scaredy cat) and Pugsy settled in faster than expected, but Chad wanted to make sure Rita didn’t have to climb a ladder to get into the Happijac bunk. His fix: removing the stop plates from the Happijac so the bed could lower all the way to the floor. With the monitors laid flat on the desks, everything cleared without interference. Solid result for an on-the-fly modification, and a much more comfortable bed situation for Chad’s mom.

Noccalula Falls Campground

After making our way to Gadsden, Alabama, we landed at Noccalula Falls Campground — and it genuinely surprised us. The newly renovated campground has 73 full hookup sites, each with a fire pit, grill, picnic table, and free WiFi. The campground also has a pool, two bathhouses, laundry, a dog park, and direct access to trails. We were in site A4, which put us practically steps from the gorge trailhead. It’s a gated property, easy to navigate, and sits right next to Noccalula Falls Park. Worth noting: when we checked in, the staff mentioned that campground guests sometimes get complimentary park passes — and when we mentioned we were bringing Rita back to her hometown, they hooked us up!

Exploring the Falls and Trails

Noccalula Falls is a natural 90-foot waterfall — but it runs entirely on rainfall, which means it can slow to a trickle during dry spells in late summer and fall. That’s exactly what we found. Not the roaring cascade we’d hoped for, but the gorge itself is still stunning.

The park has over 15 miles of trails through 250 acres, including the Black Creek Gorge. We attempted the gorge trail first — and learned quickly that “easy” is relative. After getting about a third of the way down in the wrong footwear and running low on time, we turned back. Round two took us on what was supposed to be the flatter Suspension Bridge Trail. That one involved rock scrambling, wet slippery surfaces after the previous night’s rain, and some navigational confusion thanks to cousin Larry’s trail intel. Thanks Larry! 😀 We made it to the suspension bridge, which another local said had an easier route back to the campground. That was flat out wrong and we had to go all the way back the way we came. Rock scrambling was not what we wanted, but had to do it to get back!

For the record: always check AllTrails before you trust a local’s description of “easy.”

Noccalula Falls Park

The park entry is about a mile from the campground and costs $10 per adult — though again, check at check-in for complimentary passes if you’re staying at the campground. The park includes a pioneer village, botanical gardens, animal habitat, mini golf, playgrounds, a train ride, and more. We focused on the animal area, which has been rebuilt and expanded after a devastating barn fire in 2021. It was clean, well-maintained, and Rita approved. We didn’t make it to the covered bridge, botanical gardens, or pioneer village — but that just means there’s more reason to come back.

Wildflower Cafe and Ruby Falls

From Noccalula, we made the drive out to Wildflower Cafe in Mentone, Alabama — highly recommended by Rita’s cousins. The vibe was genuinely charming: quaint, unique, the kind of place you don’t expect to find. The food was a mixed bag — Chad’s grilled chicken and cheese sandwich was solid, the quiche and strawberry crepe were the highlights, but it’s not a place we’d go out of our way to return for the food alone. Good company made up for a lot.

From there, we made the roughly 90-minute drive to Ruby Falls, located inside Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The property sits on Lookout Mountain and offers sweeping views toward the Tennessee River and the Cumberland Plateau — and yes, there is RV parking on site, though it took us a minute to track down. Ruby Falls itself is an underground waterfall deep inside the mountain, reached by elevator and a guided cave tour. It’s a well-known attraction in the area and worth the trip if you’re in the region. If you’re camping at Noccalula Falls, it makes for a solid day trip — just plan for the drive and give yourself enough time to enjoy it without rushing.

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