Day 5: journey’s end
We’re at Melissa’s mom’s place, getting ready to sleep for a week after driving for a week.
The drive through the Great Smoky Mountains was quite nice — there’s a ghostly charm unique to the southern Appalachians. I hoped to spot evidence of the Appalachian Trail but found out I missed the turn-off on the Tennessee side of the border.
For now my main focus is kicking back after a long drive. I’ll post some pics for now and perhaps write a longer post on the experience of driving west to east later this week (if I get inspired.)
Approaching the Smokies east of Knoxville.
Wider shot of the same area.
Second of a pair of short tunnels under the range.
Found these wildflowers at a rest stop on the Carolina side of the border,
Almost there. Looks a lot like Tennessee, though the right of way isn’t groomed quite as well in North Carolina.
Rest time.
August 15th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Good to hear you made it ok. You actually made pretty good time.
August 15th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Congratulations…glad you made it safely. So which do you like best, the northern route (I-80) or southern (I-40)? Just for history sake…it would have been your great, great grandmother who survived the Trail of the Tears. My great grandmother. Say hello to Melissa and her mother.
August 16th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Each has its pluses/minuses: Northern route crosses the Rockies, but not in a very interesting section (compared to the Front Range at Denver), though the passage into Salt Lake is very dramatic. Nevada is pretty boring, as are Iowa and Nebraska.
It’s scenic rolling hills from Fort Smith to the coast after a spectacular drive across northern Arizona and New Mexico, so the miles-of-niceness factor must favor the southern route. Plus you get to be in Texas, but only for a few hours.