Day one of our trip saw us drive through Virginia and a short bit of Tennessee before we needed to stop for the evening. We started our day at 7 am, but were not able to really get on the road until 10 due to putting the roof cargo box and 4 bikes on the back of the car, and picking up Hank at our friend's place.
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| A view of the Shenandoah Valley from Skyline Drive |
Nevertheless, it was a clear day and we were soon outside of the DC metro area limits. Due to the nice weather, we thought be might try to drive Skyline Drive. It parallels 81 and take you through the Shenandoah Mountains. However, we did not realize how slow it would be and how difficult it would be to drive an already heavy car up and down the mountain pass. It was very beautiful, but it definitely lost of us some driving time in the morning. (And it cost $10 to drive through, so that was a bit of an unexpected expense).
We only drove about 30 miles on Skyline Drive before leaving to head towards 81. The rest of the day was spent traveling on 81, which is over 300 miles, most of which is in Virginia. It really feels like one of the longest states to drive through. I thought we would never reach Tennessee, as we needed to stop several times to let Hank pee, poop, and eat.
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| Hello Tennessee! |
We got into Tennessee around 630 and quickly decided that we were about at the end of our driving ability for the day. I found a Best Western Plus (a classier version of your usual Best Westerns, I assure you) about an hour outside of Knoxville and booked us a room.
Tennessee is already more interesting than Virginia. We tried to stop for gas off of 81, but this specific gas station did not accept credit cards. (Shocking, I know). It was also very dark and a bit sketchy so we just turned around instead of stopping to get gas. Everyone is very nice already, and I'll probably have to start being nicer to people and smile a bit more. It's time to lose a bit of my east coast armor.
Also, we've really hit the bible belt, as our hotel's guest services book offers Bible verses and local church services to its patrons. Alas, I don't think we'll be able to make any tomorrow, as we're trying to get on the road early to make up for lost time today. We're hoping to make it to Little Rock, AR, in time to check into a hotel and watch the Super Bowl. Go Peyton, er Broncos!
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| Hank looking out of the car |
That's all for now. I will be putting down our driving time and distance each day, but I forgot to write down the numbers before checking into the hotel this evening. I'll put today's and tomorrow's into my day 2 blog. Til tomorrow!
- Kate
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