All through the hotel
A lady was typing.
A dream she did smell....
It's happening!!!
My dad and I made it down to Cherokee, NC for an evening of comfy beds, a/c, and a hot shower in the morning. (Thanks dad, for driving the whole way!!) We stopped for lunch with Jeanne and Wendy (thanks again, ladies!) in Christiansburg, VA, and ran a few last-minute errands before heading back down I-40.Funny story about I-40. About 13 years ago, my dad and I took off for a college-visiting trip around NC/Tenn during the summer. There was a huge rock slide on the highway with road closures and a way-out-of-the-way detour, so I took the map and plotted a path through the hills. Well, we ended up taking a tour of the hills for about 2+ hours, running low on fuel and the sun getting low. We had asked a few locals the way to go, and, well, after about an hour, we began to wonder if they had a different plan in mind for us city folk that didn't prioritize getting back to paved road. Luckily, they were right. The mountain road did end up taking us the right way, it just took a long long while.
So, today, we're cruising on I-40, and guess what happened last October... A rock slide! And the road was still not open. First one since 1997... Who would've thought!?! We avoided the mountain road this time and opted to ask for the best directions at the nearby welcome center. We ended up adding [only] an hour to the trip, but we got to see lovely Gatlinsburg, TN and ride through the Great Smokey Mountains National Park at sunset. Very pretty and a beautiful night.
We rolled into Cherokee around 8:40pm, checked in, then walked over to the big Harrah's casino across the street from the hotel for a fulfilling and satisfying all-you-can-eat buffet. (probably ate-too-much, but oh well... I'll walk it off.)
So, now... The final organization, re-pack, and bed/shower combo for a while. Still a couple hours to drive tomorrow, but I hope to be hiking ON THE REAL BIG BAD AT by 1pm. Can't believe all this planning and researching and dreaming and stress and talk and energy is finally reaching day one. And mile one.
Tomorrow will be a day I won't ever forget.
2 comments:
Enjoy those exhilarating first steps! And remember, everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.
Holy crap you are really doing it? I'm following your GPS tracking through the woods on the satellite view of google maps. Any bears or blisters yet?
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