Serendipitous Spontaneity

We've had such a great time just in the 6 hours or so since we left Ridgecrest!

On a lark, we decided to take the scenic route from Eastern North Carolina into Tennessee. Generally heading toward Nashville, we drove far enough west to intersect with the Blue Ridge Parkway which then connected us to US 441 - the drive through the Great Smokey Mountain National Forest. Undoubtedly, the best decision we've made on this trip!

The mountains were amazing, and the drive was breath-taking, but our favorite part became our spontaneous decision to stop and hike a few feet down to the "river" (even in Texas we'd call it a creek). There, we found these gorgeous little rapids resulting from the springs and melting snow waaaayyyyy up in the peaks. We dipped our toes into its iciness, and filled our water bottles with the fresh mountain water. Delicious!

Once out of the park, we drove into Gatlinburg where we saw "Hillbilly Miniature Golf." Again, spontaneously, we stopped and enjoyed an incredibly unique experience and a really fun game. Once we rode the tram up the steep hill, we gradually played each of the 18 holes down the mountainside. I think we tied; we left the score card in the car, and we haven't tallied it!

Added to all this wonderment, we drove through seven tunnels! I love my spontaneous husband!