Cross-Country Drive: Great Smokey Mountains and To Our New Home

Our last full road trip day was a long one! We were planning to have breakfast at the Loveless Cafe, but the wait was so long that I wound up ordering lunch. Starvation central. Of course, we had to also order a plate of their fluffy, buttery biscuits. I had their dark meat fried chicken with green beans and hashbrown casserole. Although the food was scrumptious, the wait brought the whole experience down several notches. 

 From there we said good-bye to Nashville and headed towards Great Smokey Mountains National Park, where we did a driving tour. Some of the sights we saw along the way were historical buildings, Clingmans Dome Observation Tower and lots of beautiful views.

We went to the top of the observation tower and were rewarded with this breathtaking sky.

We left the park pretty late and still had a long ways to drive for the night. We made a pit stop in the strangest town I think I have ever been to: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We needed something to eat, so we stumbled in to the Old Mill Restaurant, which was likewise odd. Our dinner, which I don't have photographic evidence of, consisted of a main dish plus a cup of corn chowder, corn fritters, side salad, mashed potatoes, green beans and dessert. What the what? 

From Pigeon Forge, we still had another two and a half hour drive to reach Marion, Virginia, our stop for the night. The town of Marion is super cute and we stayed in an adorable hotel called the General Francis Marion.

The final leg of our drive would take us to our final destination, Arlington, Virginia. This has been my home for almost three years now.

But first, we had to stop for lunch in Harrisonburg, Virginia. After many days of eating heavy, Southern cooking, I was happy to have a vegetarian meal at the Little Grill Collective. I had the Go Ask Alyce (a wrap of falafel and veggie with tahini dressing). We have actually returned to this restaurant on other occasions, like on our drive back from West Virginia.

Two hours later we finally made it! Well, that concludes my "cross-country" drive. Thanks for looking back on it with me!

Loveless Cafe
8400 Tennessee 100
Nashville, TN 37221

Old Mill Restaurant
64 Old Mill Avenue
Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

Little Grill Collective
621 North Main Street
Harrisonburg, VA 22802

The Signs of Williamsburg

Husband and I had to postpone our Valentine's Day weekend celebration until this past weekend due to unforeseen circumstances. Everything worked out for the best and we enjoyed a night each in Smithfield and Williamsburg, Virginia.

One of the things that I enjoyed the most about Colonial Williamsburg was the signs marking trade shops, merchants, taverns and various other buildings. Here is a sampling of some of the signs you can see in Williamsburg. 

A Visit to the Farm

Last weekend we decided to check out the farm of one of our farmers market vendors: Cibola Farms. They are located about an hour and a half away in Culpeper, Virginia. They mainly raise hogs and bison and it was wonderful to see the animals first hand.

Other than us, there was one other visitor who came from Alexandria and the farmhand who was working that day. This is one place that doesn't have anything to hide.

Cibola Farm's sign

While we were visiting, the worker drove around on a tractor doing his work and once in a while we would run into him again around the farm. I really wanted to see the pigs, so we asked him where they were. He told us that we could unlock one of the gates at the end of the path and they would be there. He reminded us to chain the gate again, not because he was afraid that the pigs would get out but because the bison might wander over there and there aren't any gates on the other side of the parameter so they would wind up wandering into the streets.

The pigs were absolutely fascinating to watch. They love their mud and they seem both curious and slightly skittish. 

Piggles walking towards me!!

Muddy piggle

This pig was my favorite. He's a red head.

This bison was a twin. Isn't he cute?

The bull of one of the herds. There was another bull that was twice his size but we couldn't see him because the other herd was roaming freely and we weren't allowed into that part of the farm. Bison look slow but they can run and charge.