The Trek to TN

So we successfully made the 8 hour drive from Missouri to Gatlinburg in one piece. 

On the way here Bryana and I tried to find as many license plates as we could from each of the 50 states.  We found 37.  Not bad!  I want to send a big thank you to the truckers out there for helping a lot in this game.   I do however wish you would please pull over when you are sleepy.  I have never seen so many swerving trucks.  Seriously, frightening! Most of the missing states are in the North East.  We did get Maine, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland. 

So the drive through Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee was not very eventful.  Since Karl and I were generally the only ones awake and I  was driving the whole time, there are no pictures from the drive. 

We lost an hour as we switched to EST somewhere in TN, but we still made it here a bit before check in.  We decided to grab a bite to eat before heading to the cabin. 

The Old Mill Restaurant was one of the "must do things" listed on several of the websites I visited to prepare for this trip.  So we stopped in for dinner. 

I looked at the menu and thought at first "this is kind of pricey for home style restaurant."  Then the food came.  Each adult meal comes with homemade corn chowder, corn fritters with maple butter, a salad, two sides served "family style"  (ours were mashed potatoes and green beans,) rolls, and dessert.  I ordered southern fried pork chops (YUM!) and that gave me *3* pork chops (2 are in the fridge now) as is the chocolate cake. I chose chocolate cake but there was peach cobbler, pecan pie and one other choice.  The kids meals  (2 or my 3 ate from that) came with ice cream.  The adult meals were $18, and seriously Karl and I could have split what they gave us and still come away full.  WELL worth it. 

The Old Mill restaurant is a working mill and there are shops and musicians playing.  After the 8 hour drive we were ready to get to the cabin and unpack. 

I am SO glad we were early.  The twisty roads that lead to our cabin are not something I want to brave again tonight.  The plan was to unload and I'd head back out to the grocery store. After the hairpin turns on narrow roads, I vowed to make that journey out once and in once per day.  So we will survive the rest of the evening on the snack food from the car and our left overs from Old Mill.  :)  We will have to leave a bit early tomorrow so we can eat breakfast before our trail ride.  Grocery shopping will be a family affair tomorrow after our horseback ride. 

The cabin however is just as beautiful as the pictures we saw on the Internet. 

This is the view from the balcony off mine and Karl's bedroom!  The balcony clearly faces west because the sun is full on right now.  I cannot wait to have my diet cola and morning cigarette there tomorrow morning. 

It is a bit warm to hit the hot tub, maybe after the sun goes down tonight.  I hear pool balls clanking and Bryana is on the floor next to me using dominoes to cause chain reaction demolition.  Ahh, we are all settling in nicely. 

Ta-ta for the night.  Tomorrow more adventure from the Smoky Mountains.  (and more pictures too)