Current location: Durham, NC
Total miles traveled: 8,241 miles
Bonjour! As you can tell, we made it home safe & sound last night around midnight. We were so scared that our tire & bag wouldn't make it, but praise the lord, we did!!! We were so nervous the whole way back from Gatlinburg, TN, but somehow we were successful.
Yesterday, we got up early and headed out to Gatlinburg to spend our last day of bliss. We had a wonderful, wonderful time in Gatlinburg. I can't believe how much Gatlinburg has changed since I was an 8 year old visiting Dollywood. There are hundreds of stores and activities now to visit. We liked it so much that we will be heading back in two weeks for our one year wedding anniversary. We are very excited!
While we were there, we rode the trolley and visited a few museums and shops. It was a great time. Ricky first told me it would take 4 hours, and then he said 5, but somehow it turned into 6.5. Clearly, Ricky does not need to quit his day job to become a navigation expert.
We promise to write another blog if we are ever given the opportunity to do this again. Thank God we made it safely there and back! :)
Thank you so much for following our blog and all the sweet comments/prayers. You are all awesome!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Knocking on Knoxville's Door
Current location: Knoxville, TN
Total miles traveled: 7,847 miles
Good evening, friends! We made it to Knoxville, TN tonight. It is very cute here and we finally got to eat TN barbecue today! It was well worth the wait because it was absolutely delicious. I almost fell on the way out because the floor was wet, but as a clutz, I am used to it!
Today, we had another wonderful day. We went to Nashville and it was a dream come true! The whole place was just plum full of cowboy boots and country music. We went to the grand ole opry (amazing!), the walk of fame, and walked around downtown. I had an awesome time, but Ricky didn't really care either way. :)
One thing Ricky did care about was a dukes of hazzard museum that we got a chance to see. Must be an indication of our age difference because I never even watched the show. It was quite fun though!
We met the weirdest people today at dinner. They were from NC (of course) and they were very odd. Our waiter was an extra in the movie Seabiscuit. The folks kept asking him what he did in Black Beauty. He had to tell them three times that it wasn't black beauty. Then, they called the manager over to ask him if the pork was pulled or chopped because in NC, they only have pulled pork. They went on and on for at least 5 minutes. A few months ago, we went to a wine tasting in Raleigh, and we were sickened by what Ricky called a wine snob. They were being so ugly to the owner of the winery. They kept asking about the age and acted like it just wasn't good enough. Ricky said the couple from last night must have been BBQ snobs!
Tomorrow, we will head to Gatlinburg and then, home sweet home! :) These three weeks have flown by and it has been an awesome vacation.
Total miles traveled: 7,847 miles
Good evening, friends! We made it to Knoxville, TN tonight. It is very cute here and we finally got to eat TN barbecue today! It was well worth the wait because it was absolutely delicious. I almost fell on the way out because the floor was wet, but as a clutz, I am used to it!
Today, we had another wonderful day. We went to Nashville and it was a dream come true! The whole place was just plum full of cowboy boots and country music. We went to the grand ole opry (amazing!), the walk of fame, and walked around downtown. I had an awesome time, but Ricky didn't really care either way. :)
One thing Ricky did care about was a dukes of hazzard museum that we got a chance to see. Must be an indication of our age difference because I never even watched the show. It was quite fun though!
We met the weirdest people today at dinner. They were from NC (of course) and they were very odd. Our waiter was an extra in the movie Seabiscuit. The folks kept asking him what he did in Black Beauty. He had to tell them three times that it wasn't black beauty. Then, they called the manager over to ask him if the pork was pulled or chopped because in NC, they only have pulled pork. They went on and on for at least 5 minutes. A few months ago, we went to a wine tasting in Raleigh, and we were sickened by what Ricky called a wine snob. They were being so ugly to the owner of the winery. They kept asking about the age and acted like it just wasn't good enough. Ricky said the couple from last night must have been BBQ snobs!
Tomorrow, we will head to Gatlinburg and then, home sweet home! :) These three weeks have flown by and it has been an awesome vacation.
Smashville
Current location: Nashville, TN
Total miles traveled: 7,639 miles
Good morning y'all! It's great to be back in the south where people smile and hold doors for you!
Ricky would like for me to clarify that the reason he made me stay in the lovely hotel where the knobs kept falling off is because it was the only hotel for 10 miles and it was unsafe to continue driving in the lightening. He is correct, I suppose, so now you know!
Yesterday, we made it to Memphis and man it was an awesome day! It was one of the best days yet, actually. When we arrived in Memphis, we decided to visit Sun Studio which is the location where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Ike Turner etc. made their very first records. When we pulled in, the parking lot was almost full and there were two cops talking to a man next to his car. Ricky said he thought our bag (with our iPad, all our clothes, everything we have etc) would be fine out in the parking lot for an hour while we toured the studio. We got inside and the lady at the desk said that we shoulda be ok because there were cops out there now... Because that guy had gotten broken into!!! Ahhh. That had me nervous, but she let us leave our bag in their closet, which made me feel a lot better.
The studio was awesome! We were allowed to see the original amp that Ike Turned used to make the very, very first rock n roll song with. We also saw Elvis' diploma, social security card (weird), and high school talent show program. We even got to walk the same halls that Johnny Cash walked. Amazing. We got our pictures taken with a microphone used by Elvis and Johnny Cash. It was fabulous!
We also visited St. Jude's hospital. We donate money each year, and it is a truly wonderful organization. We didn't go inside, but it was nice to see it from afar. They do a lot of great work in that place.
We did not visit Graceland and if you are wondering why, look at what happened at Sun a few hours before. :) To get to Graceland, you park, and ride a bus over. We were not feeling good about leaving our stuff on the bike, so we decided to bypass and we will plan another vacation soon to see this part of history! :)
Total miles traveled: 7,639 miles
Good morning y'all! It's great to be back in the south where people smile and hold doors for you!
Ricky would like for me to clarify that the reason he made me stay in the lovely hotel where the knobs kept falling off is because it was the only hotel for 10 miles and it was unsafe to continue driving in the lightening. He is correct, I suppose, so now you know!
Yesterday, we made it to Memphis and man it was an awesome day! It was one of the best days yet, actually. When we arrived in Memphis, we decided to visit Sun Studio which is the location where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Ike Turner etc. made their very first records. When we pulled in, the parking lot was almost full and there were two cops talking to a man next to his car. Ricky said he thought our bag (with our iPad, all our clothes, everything we have etc) would be fine out in the parking lot for an hour while we toured the studio. We got inside and the lady at the desk said that we shoulda be ok because there were cops out there now... Because that guy had gotten broken into!!! Ahhh. That had me nervous, but she let us leave our bag in their closet, which made me feel a lot better.
The studio was awesome! We were allowed to see the original amp that Ike Turned used to make the very, very first rock n roll song with. We also saw Elvis' diploma, social security card (weird), and high school talent show program. We even got to walk the same halls that Johnny Cash walked. Amazing. We got our pictures taken with a microphone used by Elvis and Johnny Cash. It was fabulous!
We also visited St. Jude's hospital. We donate money each year, and it is a truly wonderful organization. We didn't go inside, but it was nice to see it from afar. They do a lot of great work in that place.
We did not visit Graceland and if you are wondering why, look at what happened at Sun a few hours before. :) To get to Graceland, you park, and ride a bus over. We were not feeling good about leaving our stuff on the bike, so we decided to bypass and we will plan another vacation soon to see this part of history! :)
Friday, July 20, 2012
Thunderstorms & heat strokes
Current location: Warren, OK
Total miles traveled: 7,027 miles
Good evening from stormy Oklahoma! We were trying to make it to Memphis tonight, but obviously we were unsuccessful in that attempt! It was unbelievably and unmistakably miserably hot today. It was 107 in Kansas and Oklahoma today. I think the AC is broken on our bike because all I felt was hot air blowing on me all day. It was the hottest day thus far and we had to stop to hydrate every 50 miles just to avoid certain death. Vitamin water was my friend today. We even saw a bird that was dehydrated and walking around with his mouth wide open. Bless his little, hot heart!
Around 7, we stopped for dinner, and immediately regretted that decision as soon as we took off. The clouds were black as the day is long, and soon the sky began to light up. For the second night in a row and the fourth time this trip, we rode through a lightening storm. My husband is either really brave or really stupid because he drove for about 30 miles in the nasty mess. When I say lightening, I don't mean boom, pow, lightening. I mean lightening that surrounds you and is so close you can almost touch it. I was terrified. We went through Checotah, OK which is Carrie Underwood's hometown and I couldn't even look around because I was so nervous!
Well, finally he decided it was no longer safe, so he decided to pull over and finally get a room. Holiday Inn? No. Best Western? Nope. Hilton? Not this time. Where you might ask? Well, friends, my husband decided to take me to the dumpiest, nastiest, ghettoest, and worst hotel in the entire United States. Here we are... The sleepy traveler inn. Seriously. It has a key to open the door, no Internet, and the mold is growing mold here. I washed my hands in the stinky sink. As I am finishing my hand washing, I got ready to turn the sink off, and the whole darn knob came off in my hands!!! I started screaming and Ricky had to put the two pieces back together. I think somebody snuck it back together after they broke it last time someone stayed in this room. That we probably in 1992, but nonetheless. Then, I went to get in the shower and oh my gosh, you will not believe what happened... The knob in the shower also came off in my hand!!!!!!! I swear, I do not do well with these cheap and dumpy hotels. I will be glad to spend some time tomorrow in a nice hotel!
Total miles traveled: 7,027 miles
Good evening from stormy Oklahoma! We were trying to make it to Memphis tonight, but obviously we were unsuccessful in that attempt! It was unbelievably and unmistakably miserably hot today. It was 107 in Kansas and Oklahoma today. I think the AC is broken on our bike because all I felt was hot air blowing on me all day. It was the hottest day thus far and we had to stop to hydrate every 50 miles just to avoid certain death. Vitamin water was my friend today. We even saw a bird that was dehydrated and walking around with his mouth wide open. Bless his little, hot heart!
Around 7, we stopped for dinner, and immediately regretted that decision as soon as we took off. The clouds were black as the day is long, and soon the sky began to light up. For the second night in a row and the fourth time this trip, we rode through a lightening storm. My husband is either really brave or really stupid because he drove for about 30 miles in the nasty mess. When I say lightening, I don't mean boom, pow, lightening. I mean lightening that surrounds you and is so close you can almost touch it. I was terrified. We went through Checotah, OK which is Carrie Underwood's hometown and I couldn't even look around because I was so nervous!
Well, finally he decided it was no longer safe, so he decided to pull over and finally get a room. Holiday Inn? No. Best Western? Nope. Hilton? Not this time. Where you might ask? Well, friends, my husband decided to take me to the dumpiest, nastiest, ghettoest, and worst hotel in the entire United States. Here we are... The sleepy traveler inn. Seriously. It has a key to open the door, no Internet, and the mold is growing mold here. I washed my hands in the stinky sink. As I am finishing my hand washing, I got ready to turn the sink off, and the whole darn knob came off in my hands!!! I started screaming and Ricky had to put the two pieces back together. I think somebody snuck it back together after they broke it last time someone stayed in this room. That we probably in 1992, but nonetheless. Then, I went to get in the shower and oh my gosh, you will not believe what happened... The knob in the shower also came off in my hand!!!!!!! I swear, I do not do well with these cheap and dumpy hotels. I will be glad to spend some time tomorrow in a nice hotel!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Kansas smanzsas
Current location: Salina, KS
Total miles traveled: 6, 646 miles
Greetings from the land of all things wizard of oz! We did make it to the beautiful and amazing Denver, CO and beyond. I must tell you, I absolutely adore all thing Colorado. It's such a beautiful, cultural diverse, and successful location, and I love it. Each time I visit Colorado, I fall a little more in love with it.
Today, we rode soooooooo long. After we left Colorado, we entered Kansas and whew, Kansas sure is flat. Nothing but straight grass and hay were visible for the last 4 hours of our day. It would have been better if there had been horses or other animals like Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado. Tumbleweed are also wandering around this place. Odd.
Something crazy happened to us this week. One say earlier in the week, Ricky accidentally walked into the women's bathroom. He saw a lady at the sink and immediatly closed the door and headed out. Well, I laughed at him for his mistake because it ws hilarious. Today, we stopped at a truck stop to use the restroom. I quickly found the bathroom and yawned as I entered. I could hear someone using te bathroom, but I didn't really think anything of it. I glanced in the mirror right before I went in the stall. My first thought was that te bathroom looked weird... Different than any bathroom I had been in before. Then, I noticed the filthy, dirty haired MAN standing at the urinal! Oh MY gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I screamed "Dear God! I have walked into the wrong bathroom. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't see anything! Sorry!!!!!!!" with my hands over my face and in the loudest voice possible. It was the most embarrassing moment ever. He stood there silently until he grunted and said "that's ok!" I am sure I was the source of a good laugh last night. We fled that gas station quicker than a bank robber. Ricky didn't even have time to use it because I made him leave so fast.
Before I went inside, we were approached by a gross looking man. He told us a sad story about their car being broken and not having the money to get back to Denver. He smelled drunk. We have been trying to be better about giving money to people simply because of our situation in West Virginia, but due to his drunken smell, we did not give him any money. It was a good thing too because mere minutes later, he went in, bought beer, and was in the backseat drinking. Wow. This is exactly why I am hesitant to help anyone. If that had been my $10, I would have lost my cookies. I probably would have had to go off on his face. He better be glad we were not so kind.
Ricky took me out for a nice dinner last night. It was great to relax after a long day of Kansas! :)
Total miles traveled: 6, 646 miles
Greetings from the land of all things wizard of oz! We did make it to the beautiful and amazing Denver, CO and beyond. I must tell you, I absolutely adore all thing Colorado. It's such a beautiful, cultural diverse, and successful location, and I love it. Each time I visit Colorado, I fall a little more in love with it.
Today, we rode soooooooo long. After we left Colorado, we entered Kansas and whew, Kansas sure is flat. Nothing but straight grass and hay were visible for the last 4 hours of our day. It would have been better if there had been horses or other animals like Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado. Tumbleweed are also wandering around this place. Odd.
Something crazy happened to us this week. One say earlier in the week, Ricky accidentally walked into the women's bathroom. He saw a lady at the sink and immediatly closed the door and headed out. Well, I laughed at him for his mistake because it ws hilarious. Today, we stopped at a truck stop to use the restroom. I quickly found the bathroom and yawned as I entered. I could hear someone using te bathroom, but I didn't really think anything of it. I glanced in the mirror right before I went in the stall. My first thought was that te bathroom looked weird... Different than any bathroom I had been in before. Then, I noticed the filthy, dirty haired MAN standing at the urinal! Oh MY gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I screamed "Dear God! I have walked into the wrong bathroom. I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't see anything! Sorry!!!!!!!" with my hands over my face and in the loudest voice possible. It was the most embarrassing moment ever. He stood there silently until he grunted and said "that's ok!" I am sure I was the source of a good laugh last night. We fled that gas station quicker than a bank robber. Ricky didn't even have time to use it because I made him leave so fast.
Before I went inside, we were approached by a gross looking man. He told us a sad story about their car being broken and not having the money to get back to Denver. He smelled drunk. We have been trying to be better about giving money to people simply because of our situation in West Virginia, but due to his drunken smell, we did not give him any money. It was a good thing too because mere minutes later, he went in, bought beer, and was in the backseat drinking. Wow. This is exactly why I am hesitant to help anyone. If that had been my $10, I would have lost my cookies. I probably would have had to go off on his face. He better be glad we were not so kind.
Ricky took me out for a nice dinner last night. It was great to relax after a long day of Kansas! :)
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