After driving up the wrong side of a mountain, we got some good sleep and headed out for a new adventure on Monday, August 8. Our Smoky Siesta continued after leaving Chicago, visiting family, enjoying Nashville, and cursing GPS directions in the mountains.
Hiking the Oconaluftee River Trail
We had breakfast on the porch of the cabin and our view… well, it was pretty awesome! After a relaxed morning, we hopped in the car and drove over to Cherokee, NC.
Continuing our Smoky Siesta story, we left off in Nashville, after spending an evening enjoying some great BBQ and music. Before continuing on to the Smoky Mountains, we spent a little more time in Nashville the next day by visiting the Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art.
Steve is framable!
Since we've done a lot of the normal tourist stuff in Music City in the past, it was nice to explore something different and new. Also, given that we recently became members of the Chicago Botanic Garden, we got discounted admission because of a reciprocal admissions program run by the American Horticultural Society. In this case, membership actually did have its privileges!
Welcome to Cheekwood, stay for the pineapple
Cheekwood is a lot different from the botanical gardens I'm familiar with. In reality, it's more like a historic estate that happens to have gardens on the property. In this case, that estate was owned by a couple who made a lot of money after creating Maxwell House coffee… a brand that originated in Nashville (named after the Maxwell House Hotel downtown, no longer in existence). Eventually, the 55-acre property was opened to the public in 1960.
Our Smoky Siesta kicked off on Friday afternoon as we drove from Chicago down to Indianapolis and spent the night with my cousins, the Huston family.
Steve loves road maps!
On Saturday we drove across town and visited with another set of cousins, the Carpenters. It was great to catch up with these extended members of our family that we don't see that often.
Amy & I are hitting the road today for a little vacation time, with the eventual goal being a North Carolina cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Along the way we'll stop off and visit with some extended family, and visit one of our favorite cities, Nashville.
We're taking a Smoky Siesta!
Here we go!
