A Family Fourth,… A Wedding,… and the Outer Limits… Well, Banks
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Between the rehearsal, the wedding (oh, yeah, I sang the Schubert "Ave Maria"), and staying on Friday and Saturday nights with my sister and brother-in-law's timeshare an hour away in Williamsburg, I didn't see much of Virginia Beach nor more than a glimpse of the beach. On Sunday morning, Momma and I got back on road. Neither of us had seen the Outer Banks of North Carolina, so instead of driving directly back to Greensboro, we headed due south.: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/map3.jpg" alt="" width="884" height="484" />
We made our way down the Carolina coast first to Kill Devil Hills and the : //www.nps.gov/wrbr/index.htm">Wright Brothers National Memorial , through Nags Head and finally down the Cape Hatteras Seashore to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It was a beautiful but warm day, and neither Momma nor I were inclined to climb either structure. So, we drove around and took pictures of the parks.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id="166" gal_title="outerbanks1"](As usual, most of the pictures I took are available on my : //www.flickr.com/photos/singinone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flickr page.)
We headed north again to get to the highway that led back to Greensboro. It made for a long day when we finally pulled into the driveway. My original plan for Monday had been to run around town to get RB washed and waxed and to buy different foods to take back to Iowa with me. Instead, I rested and prepared for the long drive back.: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/20170711_014305-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />I left Greensboro for Iowa on Monday night. The route set was the one I've driven many times, and I was in drive mode, which normally means best speed with minimal stops only for gas and restroom breaks. As it worked out, between a missed direction that routed me on state roads to Cincinnati--instead of the interstate highways through Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky--and several bouts of intensely heavy rain that forced me to get off the road, the trip home was extended by several hours.
Oh, RB turned 150K. Happy b'day, RB!!I made it back to Grinnell just after 6 p.m. Central Time. This was quite a trip!! And, believe it or not, I was at my desk at work on Wednesday at 8: 30 a.m.!
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Smoky Mountain High
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First order of business was a stop at : //www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Great Smoky Mountains National Park on my drive from Iowa. Curious that I'd visited the Rocky Mountain National Park, which is more than halfway across the country, before visiting the park in my home state; however, it seems that we are prone to want to see sites in faraway places rather than those right in our own back yard.
RB and I pulled out of Grinnell on Friday night, reaching Sevierville, Tennessee, on Saturday afternoon. As usual, my first stop was the National Park Service store, where I got their map, information about the park and a medallion for my hiking stick.(NOTE: I'd also learned my lesson from previous national park trips. I filled up the gas tank and picked up some refreshments before entering Smoky National. As it worked out, this was a good decision, for civilization was minimal in the parts I visited with no service stations in sight.)
The park is huge, with a variety of entries and historic and scenic routes through the mountains between Tennessee and North Carolina. And, as usual, features are offered to all sorts of visitors, from the hiker and biker to the motorist.: 16px;">I entered the park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and decided to drive to Cades Grove, advertised as one of the most popular valleys--with excellent opportunities for viewing wildlife in the park. With the exception of some wild horses, I didn't see any wildlife along the way, but the scenery was lovely. The road ran adjacent to a river and led to a looping roadway that held century-plus old cabins and chapels.
While departing via Newfound Gap Road, I got a magnificent view of the sunset. [gallery size="medium" ids="892,889,896,914,898,917,916,899,900,902,903,904,915,905,907,908,909,910"](As usual, most of the pictures I took are available on my : //www.flickr.com/photos/singinone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flickr page.)
By the time I exited the park near Cherokee, North Carolina, and reached the Blue Ridge Parkway, it was nighttime and the mountain roads were like riding on a roller coaster.: //singin1.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/parkmap.jpg" alt="" width="817" height="496">
Oh, I didn't mention that I was scheduled to sing at my home church Sunday morning. So, the race was on to traverse the last 243 miles home. I made it as far as Winston-Salem before I had to stop for a short rest break. I pulled into my mother's driveway at 6: 25 a.m. Believe it or not, I sounded okay singing at church, too!