A Trip to Tennessee

About a week ago, I returned from a trip to the great state of Tennessee to visit one of my good friends from high school, Nora. She moved to Tennessee about two years ago, and I haven't seen her since then. On June 19th, I flew from Boston to Philadelphia to Knoxville, and I spent six days there exploring the area. 

There is a lot to see in Tennessee — I was struck by how BIG it is and by how much there is to do compared to New England. I love New England, and I don't really ever want to leave, but I can see the appeal. There are more Christians, more stores, more activities, and more events. 

After I flew into Knoxville, we drove around the University of Tennessee and stopped by this mural to take a picture. Then we stopped by Buccee's. It was my first time at the iconic gas station, and it was glorious. 

      

The next day, we drove north to Kentucky and made some cool stops: Veteran's Overlook, an attempted hike to see some elk (the road was too gnarly), and Cumberland Falls in Kentucky. 

A couple shots of Cumberland Falls in KY. It was probably one of the biggest waterfalls I've ever seen at seven stories tall! 

After Cumberland Falls, we headed to Corbin, KY, where KFC was founded. There was a KFC restaurant that doubled as a museum. 

Next, we drove to our campsite in Cumberland Gap National Park. We slept in Virginia that night, right inside the western border of the state. I wish I could say that had been a new state for me, but I'd already explored the eastern corner of the state five years prior.

This was my first time camping in years. I used to do it often with my family when I was younger and I loved it, but because of many things going on in my family, we had given away all our camping supplies and hadn't really thought about going again. I am a lover of the outdoors, though, and the experience of sleeping under the stars, hearing the leaves rustle in the wind above me, and sitting outside reading our books until the falling daylight made it impossible was so enjoyable. This trip made me think about camping with my family when I got back. 

The next morning, we packed up the campsite and made our way to Pinnacle Overlook in Cumberland Gap State Park. From this vantage point, we could see into three different states at once: Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The views were beautiful, and it was about eight in the morning, so there was nobody else there. This day also included seeing bison/buffalo and exploring downtown Bristol, the birthplace of country music. 

Bristol was where the first country music was recorded and broadcast on the radio in 1927. 

Paramount in Bristol, a famous concert venue where many country stars come to perform!

We got back to Nora's house late that day, and the next was a rest day of baking chocolate cookies and cinnamon pie (from our favorite TV show Psych – it was actually really good) and swimming. 

On Sunday, we left for the part I was most excited for about the whole trip: the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!! I picked a hike to do in the park and made Nora go with me. This hike was about 5 miles with 1,200' of elevation gain. I think I will link to a separate post with pictures and details from the hike. Once I make it, it will be here. 

Spoiler alert: while we were on the hike, we saw a black bear as we were coming down the trail. It was a bit of a scary experience, but also really cool. After the hike, we headed to our campsite, the Elkmont campground. It was a nice campground right near a river. However, it didn't have any cell phone service. We couldn't text our friends or family or post on social media that we had been within 20 feet of a black bear that day!! Nora and I both talked about how weird but also how nice it felt to just sit with it. We saw a black bear, and it was our information to keep for a little while. 

After the hike, we also decided to take a dip in the river. It was late June, so the river was raging and it was quite cold, but it was nice to be able to get clean from the hike (there weren't any showers at the campground), and it felt SO GOOD! 

The next day we explored Gatlinburg in the morning. I was amazed at the size of the town and the towns around it (Pigeon Forge, etc). It was a weekday, but it was hopping. It was fun, though. I wore my new cowboy boots I had just purchased! 

Then, we drove east to the Tennessee/North Carolina border and Clingman's Dome. There were lots of beautiful sights to see, and the weather was absolutely impeccable. The views were amazing and you could see for miles in every direction from the top of Clingman's (the tallest point in the Northeast and the tallest point on the Appalachian Trail!) Since you can drive up the mountain, though, there were a ton of people there. Next time I'm there, hopefully, it will be on my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail!!

SO COOL! We got lunch at McAllister's before we headed back to the campground -- it was like a different version of Panera. My meal was tasty. Also, I've never been to Krispy Kreme. I've only ever had it twice, and both times they were donuts that other people brought back for me from other places. Everyone has always told me that I HAVE to eat them when they're fresh from the conveyor belt. As we were driving back, I noticed the "Hot and Fresh" light was on. I shouted "LOOK! THEY'RE FRESH!" And Nora careened into the parking lot. So, I finally got my first-ever fresh Krispy Kreme donut experience. They were really good, don't get my wrong, but after hearing about them my whole life, I was expecting to ascend to a higher plane of existence. If you want my opinion, they taste very similar when you microwave them. 

We spent our last night at Elkmont reading, relaxing, and recapping our experiences. We both had a lot of fun and enjoyed spending time together as friends after almost 2 years of being apart. 

It was a truly wonderful experience, and I'm so grateful for the ability to go visit and for the amazing country God has blessed me to be able to live in, and for an amazing best friend who I'm still close with after high school. I can't wait to go back -- Nashville is still waiting for me! 

Until next time, 

Lydia