Friday, September 28, 2012

Notes from Road

Road tripping really is a lot like cruising.  There's an inherent feeling of being free, the excitement of not knowing what lies around the next corner, lots of quiet time for contemplation, breathtaking panoramas and defaulting to crap food and bad coffee.  While I know that this little road trip of ours is by no means epic, it's been nice little jaunt so far.  If you've been following our Facebook Page, you've seen most of the updates - if not, I'll sum up our notes from the road here:
  • Windfarms are creepy.  I'm all for green energy - but windfarms are super eerie.  Sorry, they are.  We drove through hundreds upon hundreds (maybe thousands?) of turbines in Indiana and it felt very...otherworldly.  They loom over you - hundreds of feet tall - with their giant blades the size of three semi-trucks all spinning slowly in unison, and the whole scene is reminiscent of a sci-fi horror film.  
  • Pigeon Forge, TN is bizarre.  If Vegas and Disneyworld were to have a child, it would be Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  I'm not sure what we expected at the foothills of the Smokey Mountains, but we didn't expect a veritable explosion of "attractions".  Want to go to a Hatfield and McCoy dinner show in a venue shaped like a giant, caricature of a smokey mountain hillbilly house?  You can!  How about  a "Titanic Experience" in a giant replica of the ship, iceberg and all, with water dramatically spurting out of it?  No problem!  You're in real luck if you're a fan of Dolly Parton and roller coasters because Dollyworld Theme Park is here too!  If all else fails, you can always hit up Ripley's Believe it Or Not, the Hollywood Wax Museum, the Lumberjack Show or one of their hundred or so mini-golf courses.  You won't find anything "authentic", but if you want about a million corny things to do in a square mile, Pigeon Forge is your place.
  • The Great Smokey Mountains do not disappoint. Seriously.  Purple mountain majesties for sure.  We did two short hikes while we were there; one to a waterfall and one to the tippy top of the Smokey's and the drive through the park is just stunning.  Isla is a baby who  is (thankfully) totally awed and subdued by just about anything outdoors, so she ate all this right up!
  • When road tripping with a baby, be prepared to do some seat climbing.  My new nickname is "catwoman".  I can climb from the front to the back and visa versa like Catherine Zeta Jones between laser beams in the movie Entrapment.  
  • McDonalds coffee is the worst.  Lured by their offer of a free small coffee, we gave the golden arches a shot at being our 'on the road' coffee provider.  Blech!! It's no wonder their giving it away.  Now instead of thinking about that woman who burned her crotch with scalding hot Micky D's coffee and sued, I will now think of how bad that cup of coffee probably was.  Oh well, could be worse I suppose.


We are currently in Hilton Head, South Carolina where we are staying for the day to spend time with Scott's incredibly generous godparents.  We hit the road again tomorrow morning and will be staying with more family just outside Jacksonville, Florida after a wander through Savannah, Georgia.  I also want to send a very gracious "thank you" to the many of you have offered us a place to crash along the way - we really appreciate it!  I have not had much time on the computer so have not been able to respond to your very kind offers, but I will get back to you in the next few days or so.

Love,
Brittany, Scott & Isla


3 comments:

Hedonistic Values said...

Ha! The windmills. That's how we mark our progress from Indy to Chicago (and back). As in "We're at the windmills already?". We also count how many aren't spinning. Yes, that drive is B.O.R.I.N.G!

Paul & Terri said...

Brittany & Family, I got a chuckle out of visualizing you climbing over that seat, time and again. We started with an Astro van then moved up to a full conversion van and finally when the kids (3) were older, a 39’ motor coach. It’s amazing, with three women and a boy, how much better time you make when you have a bathroom with you!! Got to differ with you on the coffee however, for the price, I enjoy a Micky-D coffee. I think it depends on the person who services it and how long it’s been “cooking”. This from someone who has had a LOT of coffee in 54 years!! Glad you had fun and nothing says fun like a hillbilly hoedown!

Anonymous said...

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