Arrived Home

Th Keeping with our trip's tradition of not going to chain restaurants we decided to stop at Mamma's, a local restaurant, for a late lunch close to home that we had not been to.  Looking for a nice hot bowl of soup on a chilly day, Jack Pot, then we headed home happy and content.

9,500+ miles, 5 1/2 weeks and over 50 locations and we're now home.  The trip was everything we anticipated and so much more with the people we came across on our exciting "can't be repeated" adventure. It was nice to see so many long time friends, make new acquaintances along the way and see parts of this beautiful country that we had been missing.  Route 66 came to life for us through the stops we made and the people we met on the same route or those who had traveled the roads we were taking and we could exchange landmarks not to miss.  Route 66 was also brought to life by the people including children who still call home to some of the landmarks we visited.  To say we had a favorite location on our adventure would not be fair as every place we stopped had a special meaning or became a special memory for us.

Lessons learned: (1) take half the amount of clothes you feel you'll need (2) don't dismiss the little local cafes as they will surprise you and their hospitality is genuine (3) stay hydrated when in higher elevations as you will notice the difference (4) purchase national park pass in advance (5) unhook negative battery cable on car left at home. 😊

Charlottesville, VA

Upon recommendation of the hotel front desk staff, we decided to go to Burton's Grill for dinner.  Great place as we enjoyed a delightful dinner and talking to our waitress, Danielle, who used to train horses in Kentucky and now is involved in recusing horses that have been mistreated.  Danielle loves what she does rescuing horses and supports herself by waitressing in the evenings.  A very special story and genuine person that we enjoyed talking with.

Our last stop in Charlottesville was Market Square were you find cafes, various shops and a movie theater.  Before heading home in West Virginia, we stopped in Grit Cafe for a good breakfast as it was a popular spot for locals.

 

The town Christmas Tree being decorated.

Lynchburg, VA to Charlottesville, VA

Stopped in downtown Lynchburg at The White Hart Cafe for lunch before heading for Charlottesville.  Downtown Lynchburg is geared toward the college students with coffee houses which is what our lunch stop was.

Arrived in Charlottesville early afternoon in time to tour Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello.  Peggy, our tour guide, was very engaging and spoke about Thomas Jefferson in the present tense which made the tour even more interesting.  The inside of the house, which I can't show you since photos were not permitted, showed Thomas Jefferson's personality as apparently he loved science and technology.  Being an architect, he made many adjustments to his home and added items like "dumb waiters" to bring his beer and wine from the cellar.  He also had a polygraph machine on his desk with two pens.  When he wrote with one pen, the other made an exact copy.  The doors in his Parlor, where his guests gathered for conversation, were designed so when the knob on one door was pulled the other door automatically closed.  He was obviously a very clever man as well as a great Statesman.

Photo of East side of Monticello and a built in weather vane on the ceiling of the porch controlled by a weather vane on the roof.

Photo of West side of Monticello

Cary, NC

Arrived in Cary mid afternoon in time to walk around the shopping area next to the hotel before going to Joan and Bob Buser's house for a great visit and yummy Beef Stew.  This stop was perfect as we had the opportunity to visit with Joan & Bob, Jillian & Blaine and their family and Kristen Ginger and her daughter, all of whom have been long time friends, which made the trip even more special! 😊 Kayle, thanks for the beautiful picture which is very special.  

Bummed I neglected to get a photo of everyone but Joan, Bob, Lawson and I attempted a "selfie."

Columbia, SC

Great visit with Lawson's cousins, Jim Hockman and Scott Hockman in Columbia and enjoyed joining Jim and his friend Jeanne, Scott and Vic for a yummy BBQ after their concert, Beethoven and Blue Jeans, as Scott is on the Board for the Philharmonic Orchestra.

Gatlinburg, TN

Drove into Gatlinburg stopping into some of the shops and enjoying homemade ice cream at May Pops then listening to Blue Grass music outside Old Smokey Tennessee Moonshine Distillery.

Pigeon Forge, TN - Day 2

Enjoyed another great show tonight, Christmas at the Smokey Mountain Opry, which is the largest and most spectacular Christmas Show in the Smokies.  The entire show was awesome from the talented cast of musicians, dancers, ice skaters, acrobats, amazing silk aerialists, comedian, magicians, fiber optic costumes and laser show.  But the most spectacular part of the show was the live nativity scenes including a real donkey and real camels with a talented cast flying through the air as Angels.

Amazing Silk Aerialists

Beautiful scene from the movie Frozen

Toy Soldiers that come to Life

Santa's workshop and busy Elfs

Spectacular Live Nativity Scenes

Love the camel on the right checking out the audience. 😊

Hatfield & McCoys Christmas decorations.