Saturday, July 25, 2015

Home, James

... actually "home, Charlie". Ha!  We are on our way home.  After two days in the car from breakfast until dinner (and late dinners at that), we finally decided that a shorter day in the car was the best idea. We still have a ways to go before we get home (8+ hours, but we have the advantage of moving from the eastern time zone to the central time zone), so we should be home tomorrow with enough time to unpack and settle in.

I mentioned earlier that I'm not a big fan of car rides for the sake of driving, so I had misgivings about this trip.  And I have to confess that there were times when I would have said "yes" in a heartbeat, if DH had asked if we should head home.  But there were times when all that time in the car was worth it.  All in all, I'm glad we made the trip.  I hope DH enjoyed it, as I'm not sure if I'll ever be up to a road trip like this again.  Ha!

We left late Wednesday afternoon and made it to Paducah in time for a late dinner ... just before the rain came through.  Thankfully (?) Hanock's of Paducah was closed. Ha!  We hit the road Thursday morning ... I was able to get in a few hours with my needle and thread.  You get a little sneak peek at my July BOM for my Facebook group ... I'll share the finished block after the reveal on Facebook.
After I finished that, I moved on to work on my 4" EPP bow ties.  I got a few done before we hit the mountains and the hand stitching was set aside. 

We stayed on the Parkway Thursday night at a delightful Inn. We had a gorgeous view of the mountains from our room and from our own private balcony.
Dinner at their restaurant also featured equally fabulous views ... and spectacular meals as well.  If we had returned home Friday morning, the trip would have been a success in my books.

While the rain moved on by Friday morning, it left behind low-lying clouds which hindered some of our views. Thankfully the clouds lifted and we were able to get in some spectacular views.

Including the Linnville Falls



And the Linn Cove Viaduct
 

By mid-afternoon, we were both ready to call it a day, but we were still almost 3 hours from the hotel we'd made reservations at.  Thankfully we made it ... and crashed for the night.  

This morning, we slept in (until 7:30!) and took our time getting ready before hitting the Parkway again. We made it to Natural Bridge
before heading over out for home.  

Some thoughts about our trip:  Both DH and I were surprised that there weren't more lodging or dining establishments on/close to the Parkway.  Friday morning, we passed one inn with a restaurant just a couple of hours from where we stopped Thursday night ... it was still at least an hour and a half before we were ready to start thinking about lunch and definitely not ready to stop for the night. There was another inn beyond where we stopped Friday evening ... we pushed ourselves to make it to our hotel (a few miles off the Parkway) so there was no way we could have made it further. 

We were both a little disappointed with the Virginia portion of the Parkway. The terrain was a lot more like what we would encounter in southern Illinois, just a couple of hours down the road from us. It was pretty ... rolling wooded hills, but it wasn't what we were expecting in the Blue Ridge Mountains, nor what we'd seen on the North Carolina portion of the Parkway. Truthfully, the views on our drive home on I-81 in Virginia and I-64 in Virginia and North Carolina were more spectacular than the views on the Parkway in Virginia. 

Most of all, this trip confirmed that I'm a "beach gal", not a "mountain gal" and that I'm not a "road trip gal" (hauling our stuff in and out of the car each evening got old in a hurry ... I prefer to get where I'm going, unpack and settle in, even if for just a few days).  But DH had been dreaming of this for several years now, and I'm glad that he's been able to cross this off his bucket list.  

Now, I'm going to take it easy, watch my Cardinals and stitch some bow ties.  

I hope that whatever you have planned for today includes a little something that brings you joy ... have a great day!
Kathy
   

12 comments:

  1. That is where we differ. I am a road trip, mountain type gal. It looks like a wonderful trip. Welcome home.

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  2. Glad you made it home. I'm sure your hubby appreciates you be such a good sport about the trip. You showed us some beautiful pictures.

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  3. Interesting observations about your trip.
    I love the waterfall shots, especially. I admit--I am a mountain gal (as if you didn't know that from my blog). Just got home from 3 days in the mountains with 55 extended family members, but we were camping so we didn't have to lug our stuff in and out each day. I do love a good road trip if it is somewhere I want to go and I can squeeze a quilt shop in somewhere along the way. : )

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  4. I love the mountains BUT I'm not into long days in the car. When we drove part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, it took us a week! I agree that the 'southern' parkway is the prettiest. Glad you are on your way home. ~Jeanne

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  5. Nice that you're getting closer to home. Love seeing your little hexie said container...I have been using little pouches when I travel to store and play with my hexie said, but your little container looks like a much better idea!

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  6. I'm a hexi stitcher in the car too. LONG car round are tough for me too...I get antsy. LOL!

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  7. Way to go on checking off an item on the Bucket List. I love getting somewhere and settling in too but I also love spending a week in the mountains in a cabin. We did long road trips in our 30's which was fun at the time. This year we are going to do a beach trip and not doing our annual 18+ years in a cabin in the woods. I'll have to let you know how it goes!

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  8. Oh, Kathy, I'm with you! I'm NOT a road trip kind of gal at all. But, you were in my stomping grounds for sure. I've spent more time in the Natural Bridge area and Hubby and I honeymooned at the Peaks of Otter Lodge (you may have seen it). Know you are glad to have this behind you. Happy stitching and welcome home!

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  9. Look at that view!!! Something about mountains & water falls & streams... my happy place.

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  10. I'm not sure how far into NC you went, but Mt. Pisgah (on the Parkway) is gorgeous. There is a restaurant & inn with views to die for!

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  11. I absolutely love NC! Have you ever been to the Bryson City area? I could live there in a heartbeat! I do love the beach, but the mountains are where my heart truly belongs.

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  12. I just love the mountains, and have fond memories of that parkway, both Virginia and North Carolina. Great country, and gorgeous quilts have been created in those mountain cabins. Would love to go back someday.

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I am SO glad you stopped by! No proving that you're a robot here ... I want to hear what you have to say! ;-)