Upon awakening yesterday morning in Williamsburg, we made the decision to blow off Gatlinburg altogether and just head home. I've been to Gatlinburg hundreds of times, and in retrospect, it seems kind of dumb that I would prolong a really long vacation just to stop there and spend the night, when I have a perfectly good place stay right down the road from there on the Tennessee River - my dad's house.
So I called ahead and booked a room at our favorite Knoxville destination, and down the road we went. I-64 on the west side of Richmond is breathtaking, as is I-81 down through the Shenandoah Valley. Perhaps if our timing had been better, we could've planned to stick around in the area for a few days - but we were more than ready to be home.
Although I go to Knoxville at least twice a year, I am always approaching from the south. Yesterday was the first time I've come in from Virginia since...well, it's been so long that I don't know how long it's been. Talk about gorgeous countryside; the mountains and hills of southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee are pretty enough to make your heart hurt. I have little vignette memories associated with most of the exits up through there -
Bulls Gap - as the esteemed national committeewoman for the Tennessee Young Republicans, I was once invited to serve on the panel of judges for the annual Bulls Gap Christmas lighting competition. Clark Griswold has NOTHING on the good people of Bulls Gap, Tennessee.
Jonesborough - world's greatest destination for antiquing and junk-shopping. There are little stores lining the main drag in Jboro full of treasures like old Marlboro signs, random dishware and ancient stacks of vinyl record albums. And election buttons from campaigns long past. I love election paraphernalia.
Fall Branch - not particularly noteworthy except this is the home of the Tennessee Highway Patrol in that area and I always feel compelled to turn down the radio and carefully observe the speed limit. THP in Knoxville never made me particularly nervous, but them boys up the mountain ain't fooling around.
Morristown - in another opportunity to serve in a dignitary capacity, I was the lead judge for the chicken category in a barbecue fundraiser to save the old Princess Theatre in downtown Morristown.
Douglas Dam - did my open-water checkout dives in the murky waters around Douglas Dam. Some people earn their scuba certificate in the crystal waters of the Caribbean or in the Florida Keys -- I got mine diving around tires and a sunken car in a muddy Tennessee lake.
Sevierville/Gatlinburg - well, there's just too much associated with exit 407 to put in a paragraph, so this will have to be another post for another time. It does make me smile to see that this is now referred to as the "Dollywood" exit. God love her for pouring all that money back into these mountains.
We got to Dad's around suppertime last night and enjoyed a great visit with him; my sister came in later last night from Texas, and I got to spend some good time with her too. Breakfast with Dad and then back on the road this morning by 11; we stopped in Canton for a late lunch then pulled into our driveway around 3.
Not a moment too soon - we were extremely ready to be HOME.
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