The sad occasion of my Aunt Elizabeth’s funeral in Knoxville was also an opportunity to reconnect with my Tennessee cousins and my cousins flying in from the west coast. Knoxville is a border line fly or drive decision. Having a car to come and go without bothering someone for a ride was the deciding factor.
The drive to Knoxville which was an oddly pleasant road trip. Put on the cruise control, cranked up the tunes and held the wheel in a straight line for 9 hours. Thankfully that drive doesn’t have is the trinity of traffic, Baltimore, Washington and Richmond. Except for pit stops, I don’t think I dropped below 55 for the whole trip.
On the way back, I stopped at Natural Bridge, VA. For non-east coasters, it is a natural stone arch. Nearby are caverns, so what the heck I did those too. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t the most photogenic but the thunderstorms did hold off until I was back on the road. The sky on the drive after the storms was amazing. Clouds draped over the mountains and looked like snow caps and in front of the mountains in the sun was a rainbow arching for miles. I think I’ll take more road trips and stop places on a whim. It was fun to do.
