Hittin' the Road, Jack - Day 4

Day 4 was short, but sweet. After sleeping in, we hopped on the road and headed north. We needed a relatively cheap activity for the day (visiting caverns is expensive - who knew?!) and chose to explore Roanoke, VA. Nestled at the base of the Appalachians, this lovely little town took me by surprise. Not knowing what to expect, I pictured a small, homely town with a little main street and a few shops - no big deal. Wrong again! Roanoke was a lot bigger than I expected, and let's be honest, a lot more exciting. We roamed the streets, checking out all the window displays. We stopped in a gift shop that specialized in African crafts, an art gallery or two, and even a free VA historical museum. One thing that stood out to me about Roanoke was it's food scene. There were so many interesting, unique, totally delicious looking restaurants. Every foodie needs to stop by Roanoke at one point or another.

Once we had built up an appetite smelling all the delicious aromas and drooling over the menus posted in the street windows, we chose Bread Craft as our bakery of choice. We both got the most amazing, melt-in-your-mouth croissants and a cup o' joe. 

We wandered the streets some more, and found an awesome farmer's market. We saw everything from fruits and vegetables to freshly grown herbs and hot-out-of-the-oven bread. Unfortunately, we didn't get anything for ourselves, but seriously, it was so unexpectedly cool. Note to self: Go back to Roanoke! 

After our short jaunt in Roanoke, we hit the road for our final few roadtrippin hours. It was the most beautiful sunny, cool day. The scenery between Roanoke and DC is absolutely gorgeous - the steep mountains had turned into a rolling hilly countryside, dotted with red barns and silos. In the distance, the Appalachian Mountains glowed that deep blue hue. It was the perfect ending to the perfect roadtrip! We arrived in DC late that afternoon, and were greeted by my favorite mom in the world and my darling Aunt Colleen. We made it! 

Thank you, Dad, for an awesome, memorable trip!! 

Hittin' the Road, Jack - Day 3

Day 3 started early. With some BK breakfast sandwiches in our stomachs, we said goodbye to Cherokee, NC and hello to the stunningly scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. When we first started to plan our trip, we thought we would drive the entire Blue Ridge Parkway from beginning to end, thinking it'd be a cool story. Unfortunately, driving the entire Blue Ridge Parkway takes a good two days - and that's without any pitstops or side adventures! It's crazy to think a drive that would likely take 6-7 hours on a highway takes TWO days on the Parkway. We learned quickly that the Parkway is a place for those who like to move at a leisurely pace. Sidenote: I was happy to be moving at a leisurely pace considering those sharp turns curving around the tops of some of those mountains created the illusion that I was about to go flying off! 

There were scenic overlooks around every corner it seemed, each one with a completely different and breathtaking view.

My Dad did the majority of the driving along the parkway, while I twiddled my thumbs, took control of the music and snapped pictures out the window. Look - we even saw a deer! I'm proud of that photo. Taking a picture of a moving subject in a moving object is not the easiest.

We climbed higher and higher in elevation, and finally reached the highest point along the parkway - 6,053 feet! Of course, we got out, stretched our legs and took in the view. 

We even took some jumping pictures! Unfortunately, we've got to work on Dad's ups for next time. 

After twisting and turning along the parkway for a couple of hours, we stumbled upon the Pisgah Inn. Literally in the middle of nowhere, this hotel/restaurant combo overlooks the Appalachians in all their glory. Each room has a spectacular view, and the restaurant looked really authentic (and crowded!) It's definitely a place to keep in mind for future reference.

The flowers were in bloom at the Pisgah Inn! 

One thing that my Dad and I knew we had to tackle on our journey through the Blue Ridge Mountains was a hike. There were so many options and difficulty levels within the NC/VA area, it was hard to choose an appropriate trail. Finally, we settled on Linville Falls. We arrived and did not see one soul in sight. We did, however, find one old, moldy, confusing map. After pretending like we knew what we were doing, we found a trail that we thought would lead us to a great view of the falls. The trail started off smooth and flat, but quickly turned rocky and steep. My Dad was loving this. I, the worry queen, was not. I mean, we were inexperienced hikers literally walking along the edge of a muddy, rocky cliff! In the heat of the moment, I demanded we turn around. My dad grudgingly obliged, but only after he made me walk to the edge and look down. Ah, I'm getting nervous just thinking about it!! 

After I saved our lives by making that smart decision, we began the drive back out to the main road, but actually discovered other cars parked in a lot next to what looked like a trail! Could it be? Human civilization? Possibly a beginner trail to the falls? Indeed it was. An easy half mile walk (nope, not even hike) from the parking lot were two different overlooks of the falls. The first (pictured below) brought you to the same level as the falls, the second (pictured above) gave you a view overlooking the falls. Both were spectacular. 

My Dad and I took in the views. It's always crazy to me that mountains this size are just a day's drive away from the good ole' state of Florida - and even closer now that I live in VA! Before I end this blogpost, I would just like to share the below photo. As we were observing the falls and the scenery, my Dad had the brilliant idea of snapping a photo series of him "falling off the edge". These photos are actually for a stop-motion video I'm planning for later this summer. They make a lot more sense in a super fast slideshow, but I just had to share! Even this pretend accident made me nervous. Who am I?!?

Safe and sound and back on the main road, we traveled another two hours and decided to call it a day. Luckily, at this point, we had made it into Virginia and were very close to Blacksburg, home of Virginia Tech University. I was excited about this because I love college towns. They are always so fun. Have you ever heard of an un-fun college town? I sure haven't. We drove around the campus and down their main street. The sun was setting, so everything was so beautiful. (Sadly, I have no photos.) For dinner, we indulged at an Irish pub on the main street, and I mean INDULGED. I had worked up an appetite with all that hiking and worrying and being a passenger in a car doomed to plunge off a cliff! After a pint and some good Irish style cookin', we geared up for yet another night on the road.

Day 4 Coming Soon! 

Hittin' the Road, Jack - Day 2

After a Celtics win and a great night of sleep at the always luxurious La Quinta Inn, my Dad and I woke up early and headed to downtown Savannah. Now, I definitely don't consider myself a world traveler by any means, but I like to think I get around. And Savannah is one of my favorite places on the planet. It's small, but not too small. It's quaint & quiet, with the perfect amount of hustle and bustle. Giant oak trees tower over the charming squares, cobblestone streets line the river, and majestic statues rise above the old row houses. One of my absolute favorite aspects of Savannah, however, is its history. That town is OLD - and therefore, haunted, duh. I've gone on multiple ghosts tours in that lovely city, including a chauffeured jaunt AND a haunted pub tour (so. much. fun.) 

My Dad and I started off with a stroll along the river. It was early, so the shopkeepers and street vendors had just begun their morning routines. It was overcast, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the morning. We gawked at the giant yachts and cruise ships. We jealously observed the owners of the big beautiful sailboats that lined the docks.

We mingled with the local "Savannahians" and even bought ourselves souvenirs! 

After a nice long talk with the mr. palm crafter, we headed inland towards Chippewa Square -- location of the Forrest Gump bench and Gallery Espresso, only the quaintest/coolest coffee bar in all the land. On our way, we stumbled upon an Irish memorial. I'm always such a sucker for anything Irish. Erin Go Bragh!  

We settled into our table situated next to the window, read the newspaper and people-watched. So relaxing! After eaves dropping on a conversation between a wedding planner and the quintessential perfect southern couple, my Dad and I decided it was time to head out and continue our adventure up the eastern seaboard to South Carolina! 

Off to South Carolina we go! 

We took the scenic route up the coast through low country. I've always wanted to see Beaufort, so we decided to do a quick drive through. It was so worth it! We took a random turn off of a main road, and found ourselves in the prettiest neighborhood with big southern mansions and perfectly arranged gardens. We drove further into the mansion maze and found beautiful views of marshes and docks that jutted out into the tiny bays. On our way out of town, we drove down Main Street and along the water. Beaufort is definitely a place I'd like to get to know better.

After our pitstop in Beaufort, we headed north to Charleston. Let me just say - I was so in awe of Charleston. We weren't there for very long, but man, I love that place. We drove through Battery Park and up King's Street. I felt like I was in a different country, or possibly in a different era. For a late lunch, we went to the amazing Hominy Grill. A staple of Charleston, Hominy Grill has been featured on the Food Network and the Travel Channel's Man Vs. Food. If that doesn't shout EAT HERE, then I don't know what does. My Dad and I munched on fried green tomatoes, shrimp & okra beignets, and she-crab soup. We finished off the meal with a slice of homemade pecan pie. SO GOOD. I can't even begin to tell you. It was the perfect southern meal, and totally Charleston-appropriate. This restaurant gets the MC stamp of approval as well as the hipster stamp of approval (MDiamond if you're reading this, hi, you need to go here.)

Re-energized, we hit the road and began our journey west to the Appalachians. After a (very boring) 4-hour drive, we finally reached the mountains. We decided that we wanted to take the Blue Ridge Parkway north, but it was only appropriate that we start this journey at the official start of the parkway, located in Cherokee, NC, just outside of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. 

I snapped this on the curvy, extremely steep drive to Cherokee, NC. 

Cherokee, NC is somethin' else. Quite literally in the middle of nowhere, this mountain town is definitely a tourist trap. A town run by the Cherokee tribe, Cherokee's main drag is overrun with log cabins, totem poles, and podunk homestyle cookin' joints. But the most shocking attraction is the GIGANTIC casino that sticks out like sore thumb nestled within the mountainous skyline. I literally couldn't believe my eyes. And I still couldn't believe it was actually a successful, money-making venture until my Dad and I decided to go in and take a look for ourselves. I can't lie, I was definitely drawn to investigate because of the Paula Deen restaurant advertisement that kept flashing on their obnoxious giant-screened sign outside. Did Paula Deen really think she'd make money by starting a restaurant at a casino in the middle of the mountains?! As soon as we stepped inside, I knew my assumptions were incorrect. There were people. Lots of them. Everywhere. I was in shock. Unfortunately, we did not stay for the Paula Deen buffet (hot butter & oil, y'all!), and instead opted for the always healthy Dominos in our hotel room, which by the way probably had about 5 guests. Despite my negative rambling, Cherokee really was absolutely breathtaking. And the perfect overnight stop to gear up for the Blue Ridge Parkway! 

Hittin' the Road, Jack - Day 1

It's official. I am a Northern VA/DC resident. I moved to the area 2 weeks ago yesterday -- and couldn't be happier -- but sheesh, was it a feat getting up here. Well, let me rephrase that...GETTING READY to get up here was quite the feat. Once the house had been packed & cleaned, and I had said those hard goodbyes, the journey was actually really fun, and an adventure I'd been dying to have again. 

After a lot of thought and financial calculation, it was decided that a roadtrip to DC made the most sense. Planes = How the heck do we move my stuff. Trains = Too expensive. Boats = I wish! My dad graciously offered to be my passenger/navigator/body guard for the drive, which was such a blessing because I'm pretty sure I would not have had as much fun or been able to stay awake. We decided that we wanted to take our time, enjoy the scenery, and take in the sights. It was a tough decision, but we decided that our route would be the following: 

Naples>>Ocala/Gainesville>>Savannah>>Beaufort>>Charleston>>Cherokee, NC>>Blue Ridge Parkway>>Blacksburg>>Roanoke>>DC! 

(The coast AND the mountains. We really weren't in a rush, were we.)

We left early on a Monday morning. After a quick stop in Tampa to see Sister Sarah, we were off to Ocala to have lunch with two of my favorite folks - Matt & Kristin! We had lunch at a lovely little Ocala diner, got the grand tour of their new but totally old and awesome house, then we were on our way! Unfortunately, our next stop was not my favorite. Gainesville. Don't get me wrong, I love and adore Gainesville, but this Gainesville pitstop was the "squish everything you own into a tiny car" pitstop. After about an hour and a half of puzzle-piecing our way through packing the car and leaving, ya know, a perfectly fine TV, some bedding, a fan, a mirror, and some odds & ends on the curb, we were on our way to Savannah. (Can you tell I'm bitter?!)

The drive from Gainesville to Savannah was...how do I put this gently...HORRIBLE. We drove through a hurricane. Not literally, but it sure seemed like it. 

Thank goodness my Dad was driving. I just closed my eyes and held on tight! The worst part was that it lasted forever. Like two hours of pure, unadulterated raining-cats-and-dogs downpours. Thankfully, after that nonsense, we had smooth sailing and a beautiful sunset for the remainder of our drive. 

 

Days 2, 3, & 4 coming soon!