On the road to Nashville

It's a driving day today with not much to see on the interstate so a good time to write an update. In the last 3 days we've seen the Shenandoah and Great Smokey Mountains. It's great to get out of the city and see some scenery. We went for three "hikes" altogether although they have been pretty tame. Well worth it though for lovely views.

Mum has been fantastic and done all the walks. There was one small side walk that Matt described as "scrambly" which she decided not to do that I thought was the right choice. The others on the tour are a mixed group. We are fortunate to only have 6 people which makes it very easy to cater to individuals. Sandra is 19 and Swiss. She has been living in Houston for 6 months and is pretty down to earth. Reto is also Swiss and he and Sandra are getting on well. He is 28 and in IT. We have the same taste in books and movies so that is fun. He feels the same way I do about Episodes 1-3!! The other two are a mother and son which might have worked out well for us except they are from China and the mother, Yen doesn't speak any English. The son, Lee is 26 and has been studying in San Diego for 2 years so his English is ok but they are keeping to themselves a bit. Still, there's enough to mix it up a little and I'm enjoying getting to know everyone. Mum thinks she'll be fitter when we get home from all the walking.

We spent our first night in a campground last night right on the edge of the Great Smokeys. We were in little cabins and Mum and I were on our own. We are having communal breakfasts and lunches from a group kitty and also dinners when we are camping. So last night we had a grill with corn, sausages, potato salad and buns. There were supposed to be S'mores to finish, but Matt forgot the Graham crackers and so has promised them next time we camp. He is doing a good job of covering off all the basics. So far we've eaten at a BBQ restaurant and "The Cracker Barrel" where we had Chicken and Dumplings, good Southern cooking. I don't know if I'd have it again but it was good to do once. Mum and I have been sharing a main since the portions are so big and that's working well.

One other thing about the campgrounds is that apparently they all have pools so last night I got to have my first swim of the season :-). It was so nice and refreshing and the icing on that particular cake was a wee hot tub as well. The weather has been fine the whole time but was definitely cooler near the mountains and so I was glad of my jeans last night.

This morning we had an hour at a Cherokee village and saw them making some traditional crafts. It's amazing how long they take over making just one belt or pot and they also told us they have only had a written language since the 1820s, prior to that it was oral only. Hard to comprehend really.

Well, that's enough for today, hopefully I'll be able to post this in Nashville.

Love
Sarah and Laurice