Day 8: My Kind of Country

Last night, I slept like a rock, which means I was up and rarin’ to go around 6:15a. But, decided to let the husband sleep in a bit (so I played Pet Rescue Puzzle on my phone, of course). He fussed that I didn’t wake him up. I wasn’t sorry. He needed it to NOT be a grump today.

If you read yesterday’s blog, I said we were headed to Gatlinburg. Welp, I definitely miscalculated. We decided to head all the way to Asheville, allowing us more time to visit with Cory’s dad tomorrow, who recently moved to Morganton, NC. Sad part? Didn’t get to take the trip down memory lane to Dollywood. Did you know she created that theme park to give her family jobs? I freaking love that. She’s legit.

The path to Asheville took me back to my roots. I’m posting pics of road signs because it was raining cats and dogs, we were going pretty fast, and because I want to bookmark a couple places to come back to. The highlights were:

• Metropolis! I wish I had a pic of this, but the water tower in town had the name of the town, a large mural stating “Birthplace of Superman,” and a painting of the speeding bullet himself. Dope.
• Paducah, Kentucky: This is the place where Sara Bradley (Top Chef) opened her restaurant, the freight house. I’ll be back to eat her food, for sure. We passed by here early in the morning, so it wasn’t really an option this time.
• Cookeville, Tennessee: For all my crossfit peeps, this is where Rich Froning lives and trains. It’s become such a hub for fitness training that superstars like Jason Khalipa, Mat Fraser, Sara Sigmundsdottir, and Tia-Clair Toomey have moved there for a season, just to train with Froning and Crossfit Mayhem. Soooooooo, I’ll probably never have the courage to drop in there, but a girl can dream, right?
• Nashville and Knoxville: I’ve always loved this part of the country and it felt really comfortable, even just driving through. I missed the opportunity to get some of that hot chicken (makes my mouth water). Putting it on the list for a weekend trip.

Wave hi to Nashville!

Parts of this country that I don’t love? The chain restaurants, stores, and weird advertising. I almost forgot about:

• Fazoli’s (fast food “italian”)
• Glamour shots of women on billboards, regardless of industry. Restaurant, law firm, real estate, dentistry? Just put your info and a pretty airbrushed lady with big hair and you’re a real business….hmmmm…
• Shoney’s — I remember their strawberry pie. Kinda like Shari’s of the East.
• Arby’s EVERYWHERE. I’m not complaining b/c I crave a french dip sub from time to time, but still. In every town.
• Hobby Lobby. Is anyone surprised?

The extra step to Asheville only added 30 mins to the day AND allowed us to pick a nice restaurant to treat ourselves. We landed on Copper Crown and it didn’t disappoint. I haven’t really posted food pics on this blog, but here are a couple. Hanger steak for him, pork loin for me, and an excellent Rittenhouse Manhattan. Not pictured? The gnocchi I devoured prior to pulling out my phone (with sweet corn, roasted red pepper, spring peas, leeks, and chevre). So good.

Even thought it was pouring rain the entire day, I was a pretty happy camper. Though Portland has been my home over the past 6 years, it was really because of the people. I think I always stuck out a little bit. Maybe I’ll fit back in to the southern culture (probably in some ways, definitely not in others).

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On the Radio: The cities were much closer together, so the radio station choices were plentiful, but we still got some podcast time in.

• “Songs about Rain” by Gary Allan (a propos AND one of my favorite artists)
• “Last Train to Clarksville” and “Daydream Believer” by The Monkees. Ok. Confession: These both came from Spotify as we drove through Clarksville. Then, Daydream Believer is my fave Monkees jam (I crushed on Davy Jones as a kid).
• “All Night Long” by Lionel Richie. Somehow, my husband dislikes Lionel AND Phil?!?!?! How did we manage to get married???? No one knows.
• “You Make Lovin You Easy” by Zac Brown Band. Heather (Allen) Duvall: Remember when we saw these guys before they were famous in ATL? Those were the days. :)
• “Why Haven’t I Heard From You?” by Reba. Classic.
• The Hidden Brain: Why No One Feels Rich: Y’all, this is a great episode. It dissects why, psychologically, we always look to those who have MORE than us, rather than comparing ourselves to those who have less. Did you know that people who make $50,000/year are the top 1% of the world? I know it doesn’t seem like that with the extravagant wealth in the US, but wow.
• Cocaine & Rhinestones: Harper Valley PTA. This is a three-episode series that dives deeply into the man that promoted/marketed the song, the woman who sang it, and the man who wrote it. This intersection of their lives was fascinating because afterward, all three ended up in vastly different places. It’s all in how you handle fame, yeah? Crazy. But now, I’m going to go watch both the movie and TV series that were born from the song. I guess that’s what you would call a hit single.

Tomorrow, we get to stop and see my Father-in-Law, Bruce, and his wife, Judy! Then, we make the final sprint to Southern Pines. Yes, it’s true, we’ll have to stay in a hotel tomorrow night, but by Monday night, we get to be in our house! YAYAYAYAYAYA! ok ok ok on an air mattress with no possessions, but STILL EXCITED.

Thanks again for reading all these accounts. And, apologies for any misspellings, capitalization issues, and grammar problems. My mother would have a hissy if she read this, but she’d still be proud that I’m back to writing again. And, happy to stay in touch with all you guys. xoxo

Until tomorrow, folks! If you missed yesterday’s fun for The Longest Day, check it.