My Night at The Cabin

We spent two lovely nights at our friend's cabin in the woods.  Yes, 8 city folk in an isolated cabin in the woods.  No, nobody died.  But, a freaky lack of light pollution means some great night photography!  

Road Trip, Day 15, Bristol, TN/VA and Roanoke, VA

Congratulations, you've made it to the final day of the trip!  Congratulations, we made it to the final day of the trip!  No physical injuries.  Slight mental deterioration.  Memories to last a lifetime.  Wins all around.  

So, today, we return to Virginia.  Another few hours in the car, through a rainstorm, trying to find a hotel.  But what's that you say, a NASCAR race in Bristol?  Yeah, no hotel rooms for miles and miles.  

But first, we made a side trip to Greece.  

The Athens of the South that is!  Yes, Nashville has a recreation of the Parthenon.  Because, you know, why not?  And by "side trip" I mean we drove through Nashville to a park.  

But then we headed out for the last stop of the trip.  And what better way to finally arrive in the Commonwealth than by visiting Bristol.  A little town that sits on the boarder of Tennessee and Virginia.  (Note the VA flags on the right, and TN flag on the left.)  

After Bristol, we stayed up in Roanoke for the night.  In the morning, we enjoyed some Sweet Donkey Coffee and pastries, visited the Farmers Market, and started on our way home.  

A drive through the clouds in the Shenandoah was a great way to end the trip.  

Guess what?  You made it home with us!  Even though we hit horrible traffic around DC, we still made it back.  With tons of laundry to boot!  

So, there you have it folks.  You made it.  4,920 miles, 176 gallons of gas, 19 states, and lots of good food!   See you next time, when we'll be driving down the Pacific Coast!  

Road Trip, Day 14, Nashville, TN

You're still the only ten I see.  Don't ever forget that.  

Remember what the theme of this trip was?  Food.  Now it's time for a surprise: tour of the Dippin' Dots factory in Paducah, KY!  (Pursuant to the Non-Disclosure Agreement we had to sign, we are legally precluded from photographing or sharing information about the factory or manufacturing processes we observed.  Needless to say, it was pretty damn impressive.  In exchange, enjoy this photo of a poster inside the office.)  

And here's a photo of the outside of the factory as well: 

After enjoying a stop in the massive freezer (my chest still hurts ya know), we finally made it along to Nashville, the capital of Tennessee.  

And not to lose track of our recurring theme here, we had to eat, didn't we?  

Just like Memphis, Nashville has a main drag, lined with live music and crazy people.  Ladies and gentlemen, I present Broadway.  

Wait, it's late at night and you're hot and hungry?  How about some homemade ice cream!  

One more day folks, we're almost home!  Tomorrow, be sure to follow us on our last stop in Tennessee, and first stop in Virginia, at the same time!  How's that possible?  Two places at once?  Did you perfect time travel?  Maybe.  You'll just have to wait and see, big boy.  

Road Trip, Day 13, Memphis, TN

Y'all bored yet?  Best not be, 'cause this is when it gets really good!  

Today, we're in Memphis, Tennessee.  You from Tennessee?  Well, you're the only ten I see!  (How Diana survived 2 weeks alone in a car with me I'll never know.)  

The best way to start out a visit to Memphis is with some Memphis BBQ.  

(That's chicken, but it does have some cole slaw!)

After dinner (hoo-ray food!) we walked over to Beale Street, the main drag in Memphis.  Lined with blues bars, and on this specific night, a motor cycle rally!  

And what visit to Memphis would be complete without a visit from The King himself?  None, that's what.  And no, he's not dead.  

Join us again tomorrow, when we make a surprise visit to Kentucky, then onto the country capital of Nashville, TN.  Spoiler alert: she didn't leave me for a pick-up and dog.

Road Trip, Day 12, Oklahoma City, OK

OK, we made it through Texas.  OK?  Texas.  OK.  Then hit up Oklahoma.  

Texas, though, was full of ghosts.  Ghost towns that is.  Take, for example, Glenrio.  

Then, there are these things.  Someone decided to plant some cars in the desert and let people spray paint them: 

Same guy should have planted this water tower, maybe it would still be upright: 

However, that's just outside Oklahoma City.  Before we got to Oklahoma City, we had to pass the midpoint of Rt. 66!  And got some pie at the MidPoint Cafe (noticing a theme with these posts?  Food.)  

After finally driving for hours yet again, we reached Oklahoma City, and visited the memorial.  

OK, so that was our journey into Oklahoma City.  OK?  OK.  Next up (remember, food theme): Memphis BBQ!  

Road Trip, Day 11, Albuquerque and Rt. 66, NM

Would you believe it, we survived eating SouthWestern cuisine!  After breakfast burritos, we hit the road yet again to leave Santa Fe and head to Albuquerque.  Albuquerque, the largest city in New Mexico, plays host to an historic square: 

an old Mission Church: 

a rattlesnake museum: 

and a Natural History Museum! 

Look, they just found this mammoth skull, like, 2 months ago!   Epic!  

WATCH OUT, T-REX ATTACK!!

Whew, that was close.  Glad we made it out alive!  We need a rest.  Let's head down Rt. 66, shall we?  

Look, it's the historic Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari!  Welcoming travelers since long before I was born. 

Looking down Rt. 66 at night, it's easy to picture what Tucumcari would have looked like in its glory days, lined with neon signs and traveling travelers.  

Oh, and Cars.  

That's it for today.  What will tomorrow bring?  A drive through Texas and Oklahoma?  I'm guessing lots of ranches, some cows, and maybe a few thousand more bugs on the windshield.  Check back to see if I'm right!  (Spoiler alert: I'm always right.)