After two years of not doing much in the way of car shows, returning to the Chattanooga Cruise-In was like taking a refresher course in how to do my job. It’s been a minute since I’ve really done much in the way of walking and shooting, and while my body (specifically, that left ankle that I’ve sprained so many times I’ve lost count) wasn’t thrilled at the prospect, I was. The day was warm, the sun was out, the air was sweet with the smell of tree blossoms and the scent of somebody’s freshly cut grass. There was nothing that was going to take away from my good day…not the “car show music”, not my bitching ankle, nothing. Row upon row, I enjoyed them all…patina rat rods, chrome-laden Cadillacs, muscle machines of just about every spec and color. Always on the move around the arena, I would pause only to catch a few glimpses of what was coming down the road, whether it was a lifted Bronco or a Monte Carlo lowrider.

If it sounds like I’m over-hyping the Cruise-In, I’m not. Maybe it is because I’ve been away for what feels like too long. Maybe this is a case of “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. But the only reason I didn’t stop and take in each and every last machine parked was because there was another ten rolling in I wanted to go check out. What was next…the Gen III Hemi-swapped Barracuda, the mid-1970s Corvette that looked ready for a two-lane showdown, or the only Ford Granada I’m willing to say nice things about? Click on a photo below to see more of the cars from the show!