This summer (thanks to my parents) we got to take a Chris and Rachael adventure!
I love our adventures. We were having a hard time deciding where to go. But thanks to a fantastic Brandi Carlile and Emmylou Harris remake of a John Denver song, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" that I couldn't get out of my head, we decided to go to the South.
All adventures begin at the airport
Anyway, after obtaining the necessities, we proceeded with our Road Trip! This road trip was everything I ever wanted out of a road trip.
Look at this joint!
I love it!
Moon Pies somewhere between Georgia and Tennessee? Yes, please!
This was a super cool honey place along the road. Now anyone who has traveled I-80 in southern Wyoming can understand my fascination with roadside stops. Because there really aren't many on I-80.
Look at these guys, busily making honey. We bought some Tupelo Honey there, and not just because I love Van Morrison.
Finally we made it to the Smokies. Aren't they gorgeous?
We took a short hike up to Clingmans Dome, which is the highest point in Tennessee, at 6,643 feet above sea level, which is about 600 feet higher than our home and one of the lowest elevation hikes we've ever taken. Trust me, we really appreciated those low elevations with their abundant oxygen the next day.
Just check out this view! It kills me!
We stayed in Gatlinburg, which is like a cross between Estes Park and a carnival. But we were tourists, so we did some of the touristy things, such as take this weird gondola ride:
The next day, we took our Serious Hike to the top of Mount Leconte. It was an out and back of 10.3 miles , which meant that the 2,965 foot elevation gain was taken up in a little over 5 miles. For anyone that cares, that averages out to an 11% grade and approximately 3 gallons of sweat. By the time we got to the top I was "full of sweat" as Ken Kratz would say.
But, oh, the views!
Those are clouds down there. It was way less humid at the top than down below.
Our reward for making it to the top was an outhouse and a pump with potable water, an incredible luxury for a hike.
Along with a place to sit while we ate our power bars and twizzlers. Pure Heaven.
The way down was much more pleasant so we took time to enjoy Alum Cave, which wasn't a cave at all.
And Arch Rock, which was a cave.
Everything in the Smokies is covered with moss and dripping with water. So amazing!
What better reward for a strenuous hike than another Moon Pie?
And some fried green tomatoes in Asheville, NC.
Asheville is the Boulder, CO of the Southeast. At least that's the way it seemed to me. 'Nuff said. However, outside this Boulder of the South, there was this little house called Biltmore.
Biltmore was pretty cool. You can look up pictures of it online if you're really interested, but the inside looked pretty much like Downton Abbey.
I felt a little bit like Elizabeth Bennett seeing Pemberly for the first time. Except for instead of Mr. Darcy at the fishing pond, there was this guy:
which made it that much better.
There was one part of Biltmore which made me green with envy. This balcony.
(sorry for the view. It makes it look like I am storming away from Chris. This is the only picture we have of it.)
But forget the view on the balcony, this is the view from the balcony:
Can you imagine walking out of your living room into this? Shut. Up.
And the gardens! They were insane.
It makes me wish I was Edith Vanderbilt. Except for that her husband died at 51 from appendicitis. I guess having modern medicine is a small compensation for not having something like this:
That afternoon it was on to Savannah, GA.
When I was the weird 3rd grader who had read Gone With the Wind, I always wanted to go to Savannah so I could see the Spanish moss on the trees. I was so excited to finally get to see it. Here is an excellent example of said moss at a Revolutionary War era graveyard:
Savannah is proud of its Revolutionary War history, which is interesting because I was hoping for a bit of Civil War history. After all, they were right at the heart of the fight.
But everywhere you turn, there were reminders of the Revolutionary War. Like this reconstructed battlefield where the Battle of Savannah was fought.
Then, there was the most important part of Savannah history, the spot where Forrest Gump waited for a bus and offered a nurse a chocolate.
This is where the bench sat:
The bench (or rather one of the benches used) sits in a museum. It's nice seeing a part of history.
Finally, tucked away in a corner, we saw a piece of Civil War history. A small plaque told us that this was the house that General Sherman used as his home and headquarters for his assault on the area:
I kind of got the sensation that some of the wounds were still fresh. I think I would feel the same way if I was a southerner. After all, the people of Savannah love the south. And they love Savannah. There is a lot to love about it:
This is supposed to be the most beautiful street in America. It was beautiful, though indistinguishable from the rest of historic Savannah. Lots of the houses had dates on them saying they had been built 200 years ago for Mr. So and So by Mr. Such and Such. It was cool to see families living in these pieces of history.
And, yes, we did meet Paula Deen. Or at least her likeness.
Her restaurant, The Lady and Sons, was pretty typical. Fried food with a side of fried food.
It was a fitting end to our wonderful trip to the South. After that, it was back to Atlanta and then to home where summer suddenly feels cold and dry for some reason. All in all, I loved going to the South. I loved the people there. I loved the atmosphere, the scenery and the food. And I loved spending a week with Chris, who makes every trip an adventure.
