Hello One And All,
We have begun our North American journey, and it has already had its share of ups and downs. We've gone through two semi-tornado producing storms, a flooded tent, car trouble, and one cigarette-smelling motel, but we've made it through week one. On the flip side, we've seen beautiful country in the eastern part of the United States neither of us had ever seen, and had some great experiences that go hand in hand with the sacred cross country trip. We've already logged 2,000 miles as well.
We started in Cleveland (after a 7+ hour drive) for my cousin Courtney's wedding. It was the first wedding on Pat's father's side in 16 years, and we made up for lost time. Everyone had a blast, and now it's a year and a quarter wait for the next big party. That would be our wedding. Anyway, we took off south through Ohio and then southern West Virginia, western Virginia, and finally stopping in western North Carolina. There isn't much south of Akron, Ohio to our pit stop in Laurel Springs, North Carolina except stunning natural beauty. Once we were in West Virginia it was a pleasant drive through the Appalachian Mountains. Western NC is fantastic. Laurel Springs had a campground, a bar, a country store, and a tiny white building that acts as both a jail and wedding chapel. Please see the picture. Game 6 of the Stanley Cup playoffs was on at the bar and most were rooting for Vancouver because they like Canadians more than Yankees. Good stuff. We're not in Beijing anymore! The next day we continued along the gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains NP in North Carolina/Tennessee. We recommend the Blue Ridge to everyone, it is accessible and beautiful. Also recommended is the funky, laid-back town of Asheville, NC. The downtown is very cool and you can feel the alternative vibe immediately. Pat's brother Matt said it is sometimes called the Portland (Oregon) of the east, and we would say that's fairly accurate. Asheville is also only an hour from Great Smoky Mountains NP, our next stop. We meant to stay three nights in a tent and only managed two. That's because a storm the likes of which we had never driven through blew through the park and drenched our tent. We had just finished a great 11 mile hike and were on our way back to the campground when the heavens opened up. Sheets of rain and then hail pelted the car. The wind was so strong that fully mature trees were being pulled out by their roots. It was definitely not safe to be at the altitude we were (about 6,000 feet). At one point a tree fell in front of our car an Pat had to get out and lug it off the road with the help of two bikers. We then had to sit and wait about six or seven different times over the next 10 miles while guys with trucks and chain saws moved even bigger trees off the road. By the time we got back to the camp site the fly had blown off and the tent was soaked, including our sleeping bags, pillows, and air mattress. We got all the wet stuff packed into the car and drove out of the park to Cherokee, NC. We found a classic dingy American motel and holed up for the night. Shauna asked for a non-smoking room, but the manager/owner's reply was, "M'am, when you're in your room you can do what you like". The room was caked in cigarettes. At least we got to watch Game 7, even if it was a terrible game. Thankfully the next day was beautiful and we were able to dry everything out and even take another nice hike around the park. Overall we hiked seventeen miles in three days and got to the highest point in Tennessee (Clingman's Dome - 6,643 feet).
Leaving the Smokies through Tennessee, we passed through Redneck Central in Gatlinburg. It reminds us of a bigger, tackier, more religious Myrtle Beach. Check out the Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show picture. This is also the home of Dollywood, though you cannot see it from the road. You have to pay to park and then get a ride just to snap a pic, so we missed it. The ride improved dramatically, however, as we lunched in Knoxville and drove through the Kentucky countryside. Right before we got to our second national park, Mammoth Caves, the heavens opened up again. We think we saw a twister touch down to the south, but who knows. Either way we had a wet night and put the tent away soaked the following morning as it continued to pour. The caves themselves are pretty interesting. They're worth a visit if you're in the area, but caves are caves. If you've seen Howe Caverns in New York then Mammoth is just a bigger version. Maybe our attitude is skewed a bit because of the weather and also the fact that the car started acting up. The check engine light came on for the first time in its five years under Pat's ownership. We had the car checked out in Little Rock, AR and it turns out the broken piece is under warranty and the fix was free. Good news.
Because of the weather and the car (plus the fact it was Saturday and we were only an hour away), we got a hotel and partied it up in Nashville for a night. What a great town. There is a ton going on, and it would be a great place to live. We went to a touristy spot on Broadway called The Second Fiddle, and they played all the cheesy country music we could have asked for and we danced our asses off. Nashville is awesome. Last night we spent in Memphis and got some ribs. Amazing. The downtown was much nicer than we expected, although Beale St is a little Bourbon St-esque. Dirty but fun. We also rolled by Graceland. Unless you want to pay ungodly amounts of money for the tour, the only thing you can see from the street is the mansion and Elvis' private plane named Lisa Marie.
We crossed the Mighty Mississippi and we're now in Little Rock, making it to our third national park this afternoon, Hot Springs NP in Arkansas. It's two nights there followed by ten days in Texas before we can truly say we're out west in New Mexico.
Until then,
S&P
We have begun our North American journey, and it has already had its share of ups and downs. We've gone through two semi-tornado producing storms, a flooded tent, car trouble, and one cigarette-smelling motel, but we've made it through week one. On the flip side, we've seen beautiful country in the eastern part of the United States neither of us had ever seen, and had some great experiences that go hand in hand with the sacred cross country trip. We've already logged 2,000 miles as well.
We started in Cleveland (after a 7+ hour drive) for my cousin Courtney's wedding. It was the first wedding on Pat's father's side in 16 years, and we made up for lost time. Everyone had a blast, and now it's a year and a quarter wait for the next big party. That would be our wedding. Anyway, we took off south through Ohio and then southern West Virginia, western Virginia, and finally stopping in western North Carolina. There isn't much south of Akron, Ohio to our pit stop in Laurel Springs, North Carolina except stunning natural beauty. Once we were in West Virginia it was a pleasant drive through the Appalachian Mountains. Western NC is fantastic. Laurel Springs had a campground, a bar, a country store, and a tiny white building that acts as both a jail and wedding chapel. Please see the picture. Game 6 of the Stanley Cup playoffs was on at the bar and most were rooting for Vancouver because they like Canadians more than Yankees. Good stuff. We're not in Beijing anymore! The next day we continued along the gorgeous Blue Ridge Parkway, which runs from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains NP in North Carolina/Tennessee. We recommend the Blue Ridge to everyone, it is accessible and beautiful. Also recommended is the funky, laid-back town of Asheville, NC. The downtown is very cool and you can feel the alternative vibe immediately. Pat's brother Matt said it is sometimes called the Portland (Oregon) of the east, and we would say that's fairly accurate. Asheville is also only an hour from Great Smoky Mountains NP, our next stop. We meant to stay three nights in a tent and only managed two. That's because a storm the likes of which we had never driven through blew through the park and drenched our tent. We had just finished a great 11 mile hike and were on our way back to the campground when the heavens opened up. Sheets of rain and then hail pelted the car. The wind was so strong that fully mature trees were being pulled out by their roots. It was definitely not safe to be at the altitude we were (about 6,000 feet). At one point a tree fell in front of our car an Pat had to get out and lug it off the road with the help of two bikers. We then had to sit and wait about six or seven different times over the next 10 miles while guys with trucks and chain saws moved even bigger trees off the road. By the time we got back to the camp site the fly had blown off and the tent was soaked, including our sleeping bags, pillows, and air mattress. We got all the wet stuff packed into the car and drove out of the park to Cherokee, NC. We found a classic dingy American motel and holed up for the night. Shauna asked for a non-smoking room, but the manager/owner's reply was, "M'am, when you're in your room you can do what you like". The room was caked in cigarettes. At least we got to watch Game 7, even if it was a terrible game. Thankfully the next day was beautiful and we were able to dry everything out and even take another nice hike around the park. Overall we hiked seventeen miles in three days and got to the highest point in Tennessee (Clingman's Dome - 6,643 feet).
Leaving the Smokies through Tennessee, we passed through Redneck Central in Gatlinburg. It reminds us of a bigger, tackier, more religious Myrtle Beach. Check out the Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show picture. This is also the home of Dollywood, though you cannot see it from the road. You have to pay to park and then get a ride just to snap a pic, so we missed it. The ride improved dramatically, however, as we lunched in Knoxville and drove through the Kentucky countryside. Right before we got to our second national park, Mammoth Caves, the heavens opened up again. We think we saw a twister touch down to the south, but who knows. Either way we had a wet night and put the tent away soaked the following morning as it continued to pour. The caves themselves are pretty interesting. They're worth a visit if you're in the area, but caves are caves. If you've seen Howe Caverns in New York then Mammoth is just a bigger version. Maybe our attitude is skewed a bit because of the weather and also the fact that the car started acting up. The check engine light came on for the first time in its five years under Pat's ownership. We had the car checked out in Little Rock, AR and it turns out the broken piece is under warranty and the fix was free. Good news.
Because of the weather and the car (plus the fact it was Saturday and we were only an hour away), we got a hotel and partied it up in Nashville for a night. What a great town. There is a ton going on, and it would be a great place to live. We went to a touristy spot on Broadway called The Second Fiddle, and they played all the cheesy country music we could have asked for and we danced our asses off. Nashville is awesome. Last night we spent in Memphis and got some ribs. Amazing. The downtown was much nicer than we expected, although Beale St is a little Bourbon St-esque. Dirty but fun. We also rolled by Graceland. Unless you want to pay ungodly amounts of money for the tour, the only thing you can see from the street is the mansion and Elvis' private plane named Lisa Marie.
We crossed the Mighty Mississippi and we're now in Little Rock, making it to our third national park this afternoon, Hot Springs NP in Arkansas. It's two nights there followed by ten days in Texas before we can truly say we're out west in New Mexico.
Until then,
S&P
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