It's inevitable: what comes up, must come down.  And what drives across the country, must eventually drive back.

The next morning, at 3:00 a.m., we loaded the last of our luggage into the 4Runner, pulled sleeping Mary from her bed, and locked up the Lake House, leaving the key hidden for Omi to find later.  Then, we hit the road, to begin our long drive back to Arizona.

To return to Arizona, we certainly could have returned the way we had come, taking I-20 to I-10...but where was the fun in that?  Instead, we chose to take I-26 north from Chapin, to Asheville, North Carolina, where we would connect to I-40.  Interstate 40 would, of course, take us through three different states than before - Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma - and it would not take us through the Texas wasteland.  The route would be far more scenic than I-10 and I-20; more importantly, it would allow us to see Great Smoky Mountains National Park, at the North Carolina-Tennessee border.

We arrived in Asheville just before 5:00 a.m. and stopped there to buy a quick breakfast.  Once on I-40, we started heading west until we reached the US 19 interchange; US 19 took us to US 441, which went straight through the National Park.  It took us about an hour to get from Asheville to the National Park boundary - and that was perfect timing, because we arrived just as the sun was beginning to rise over the mountains.

And what an amazing sight it was, to be in the Great Smoky Mountains at dawn, to see the clouds hanging low over the peaks and to feel like you're driving in Heaven.  We stopped at almost every overlook, just to take pictures and take in the beauty of the park.

On top of that, there was a cool mist in the air - for the first time in a week, we didn't feel hot and sticky!  We enjoyed every moment of that cool air, because we knew that it wouldn't last.

When we reached the North Carolina-Tennessee state line, we discovered that we had arrived at one of the trailheads for the famous Appalachian Trail.  "Oh, we have to stop," John said as he pulled into the parking lot. 

"Why?" Mary asked.  She had no idea what the Appalachian Trail was, so John explained to her that it is a 2,000 mile-long trail that stretches from Georgia to Maine and that it is one of the most well-known trails in the world. 

"Oh, we have to hike it," John insisted.

And Mary immediately responded with tears.  She certainly did NOT want to hike a 2,000 mile-long trail!  "I don't want to hike that, Daddy!"

"Ah, come on!" he said.  "I promise, it won't be that hard at all!  It's only two thousand miles!"  He took her over to the kiosk and showed her just how long the trail was with his fingers.  "Look, it's only this big!" he laughed, with his fingers only four inches apart.  Mary giggled at him; he was such a comedian!

So with that, we hiked the Appalachian Trail...or, at least a quarter mile of it.  It was enough that we could say that we had been there.

After our quarter-mile hike, we returned to the 4Runner and continued on our way through the park.  Our next stop was the Visitor's Center, where we bought souvenirs and obtained a stamp for our National Parks passport book.  We also picked up a park map to take a look at the trails.  John hoped to be able to return to the Great Smoky Mountains someday, to spend more time hiking there.

We soon left the Great Smoky Mountains and continued along US 441, towards Knoxville, TN; there, we would reconnect with I-40 and start heading west again.  Once in Knoxville, we stopped for gas and snacks and to change drivers; it was my turn to drive.

The next leg of our road trip took us through the entire state of Tennessee, from Knoxville to Memphis...and what a long drive it was!  True, it was a scenic drive, but it seemed like it would never end.  On top of that, the weather started to roll in just as we approached Memphis...

We changed drivers again in Memphis, and just in time, too, because the storm rolled in at that point and hammered us from Memphis to Little Rock.  The rain fell heavily and visibility was cut to about a half-mile.  To make matters worse, we were passed periodically by semi-trucks that sprayed us with rain water, thus blinding us momentarily.  John drove through the storm white-knuckled, and Mary and I sat quietly, allowing him to concentrate on keeping us alive.

Eventually, we arrived in Little Rock, AR, where traffic came to a dead stop. It was rush hour - 4:00 p.m. - and the weather had only exacerbated the usual traffic snarls.  It took us over an hour to make our way through Little Rock, and by that time, tempers were flaring and we were starving.  We needed a break.

We soon found an exit with a McDonald's and decided to take it.  Instead of ordering through the drive-thru, we parked the car and went inside to order, just so that we could get out of the car and stretch our legs.  It was a welcome break.

By the time we had our food, the rain had finally let up, and traffic was moving again.  We got back onto the freeway and continued to drive, in hopes of at least making Oklahoma by the end of the day.  Our hope had been to reach Oklahoma City by the end of the first day; now, we at least wanted to make the Oklahoma state line before calling it quits for the day.

Around 7:00 p.m., we reached the town of Sallisaw, OK, about thirty minutes west of the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line.  There was an Econolodge - one that looked clean enough - just off of the highway, so we called it a day there.  John got us checked in, and moments later, we were in our room, ready for bed.  It had been a very long day, and we were exhausted from the drive.  Mary was asleep right away; John and I followed her within an hour...

...After all, 3:00 a.m. was going to come very fast...
 

Return to South Carolina or Bust.

Return to Naked in the Woods.