Family visits through the South and airports are not worth the hassle? There’s only one solution: Road trip! With a route through Mississippi and stops in Memphis, Nashville, Asheville, Harrisonburg, Great Falls, Frederick and finally DC, we were on the move. This was going to be a highway adventure chasing 18 wheelers and passing through tiny towns. We got our first taste of that local flavour with a roadside restaurant named Praise Da Lard. Yes, cracklin can be a religious experience.
We headed to Memphis -- poolside – with family time, food and an afternoon cheering at a local swim meet. It was good to have part of Robert’s family together - with more joining from Little Rock - and we left refreshed and relaxed.
An overnight in Nashville was uneventful, though we could see why this city is a go-to for country music fans and Southern Americana. The main drag, Broadway, is the equivalent of Bourbon Street with cowboy boots. Had we not been on a tight schedule, this would definitely be a party town.
Before we knew it, we were back at the wheel heading to Gatlinburg, TN and a walk across Sky Bridge. It’s a tourist mecca and if you can survive the traffic and crowds, some good views of the Smokies. Not that we’re adrenaline junkies, but we expected a bit more spine-tingling height . . . but all in all, a good stop.
On the road again with an overnight in beautiful Ashville, (wish we had more time) we hiked a portion of the Mountain to Sea trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway. You could spend weeks in this part of the world with almost 370 miles of easy to strenuous paths to work off some of that lard from weeks of eating and drinking. Praise!
At the end of a day of driving, Erik got a chance to check out the campus of his Alma Mater – James Madison University – which has grown, not only in size, but in reputation. He hadn’t been back to visit since his school days, but instantly connected, even with all the change.
Through the years, we’ve been able to catch up with one of Erik’s closest friends from those uni days and this trip included a return visit to Great Falls. We hung out with the Eyes, saw the Potomac River from every angle, had some fun with a drone and VR (thanks to their son) and even took in a Nat’s game. They won! We were told that was a novelty. ;-)
On this trip, it’s been hard to escape how divided the US is at this point in time. There are signs of it everywhere. From the opposing views of news sources to the lines drawn along cultural norms, there are constant reminders of "us and them". With that in mind, we were hesitant going into the nation’s capital – the division’s hot bed - but were happy to see signs of inclusion with PRIDE celebrations on the weekend. Government buildings, places of worship and private homes flew the rainbow flag - very welcoming! We also had an inside angle on the current "state of affairs" from E’s brother-in-law who is the Principal Deputy Librarian at the Library of Congress. Our private tour gave us a perspective on the drivers behind the formation of this institution, but also the attitudes of the founding fathers towards protecting the fundamentals of government. It is easy to see the delicate balance current government employees face when trying to remain neutral.
In our too-short stay, despite divisions in the US, DC still seems inspired by the ideologies promoted as the American dream. Let's hope that continues.
We ended the driving days in Frederick, MD with a visit to E’s family. Like our other family time on this trip; good food and drink, plans for the future and possible visits to Sydney were all part of our conversations. So good to see the next generation’s lives taking shape.
Our time is too short when on this side of the planet and our road trip was no exception. We always leave wanting more.
Rental car returned, sharp objects in checked bags, liquids in less than 100 ml bottles and we were back at airport security.
“Shoes on or off?” “iPad in or out?” Here we go again.
Next stop: NYC
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