Moving on the the Mountains

This is the fourth major road trip that I tackled with my kids.  Some years I plan every minute of our trip but this year I did not have time.  I have learned that I can leave some holes in the schedule for spontaneity.  Moving south from the Great Lakes region, we are headed to the Appalachian Mountains.   After spending all day yesterday driving from the Upper Pennisula of Michigan, we arrive in Ohio last night.  I realized that we can drive through the Amish Country.  I have always wanted to visit the Amish Country so we decide to reroute ourselves a little bit to drive through Berlin, Ohio.  Instead of heading west on I-71, we drive south on Highway 93 and then head west on Highway 62.  Before long I see my first "share the road with the buggy" sign.

"Look, kids..."  Nothing.  I look into the rear view mirror, a carful of passed out kids.  Wow, you feed a kid a big Belgian waffle, pack them in SUV then lull them asleep.  Normally that is Road Tripping Mom Heaven, until I see something cool and want to share it.  Isn't that the point of driving a carful of kids 5,000 miles through our vast country--to see cool things we can't see at home.  I decide to let them sleep and continue rolling through the beautiful Central Ohio farmland.  We get closer to Berlin and I start to see what looks like manure on the side of the road.   Remember, we just left Mackinac Island, home to 400 horses, I know what manure looks like.  Low and behold, we pass our first horse drawn buggy.  The closer we get to Berlin the more buggies we see.  It is Saturday and they have a market on the Main Street through town.  Artisans sell their baskets, quilts and other handiwork.   The carful of kids walk up and down the street but it is blazing hot outside.  We stop in an emporium and buy jelly, stick candy, Amish made egg noodles and locally brewed drinks.  I am not a craft shopper or collector of stuff so I found the shops a little redundant.
We decide to get back to the interstate so we can make better time.  This is a constant battle when Melissa and I are routing the road trips--the scenic route versus the speedier Interstate route.  We have lost whole days chasing beautiful vistas and mountain peaks.  Sometimes you have to put on your blinders and get to your destination.  We find our way back to I-71 heading to Cincinnati.  Where we catch I-75 headed south to Lexington, Kentucky on our way to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  Kentucky is a new state for the carful of kids and their mom.  What surprises me most is how beautiful Kentucky is with its rolling hills full of trees.  The miles slip away as the day fades.  Before you know it we stop for dinner,  we decide on Zaxby's, a regional chicken chain in this area.  I try "The House Zalad"--note to my grammar and spelling fanatic readers, that is not a typo.  The salad is better that most casual dining restaurants.  We order the freshly fried Tator Chips.  Yum.  Who does not love a fresh, thin, fried potato chip?  The carful of kids tackle the Kiddie Fingerz and Melissa dives into the boneless wings.  The location is convenient and very family friendly with it clean dining room and serve yourself drinks.  I grab a refill of iced tea and a brownie to go and add Zaxby's to my list of quick serve restaurants I will not hesitate to visit again.

I load up the carful of kids and get behind the wheel and head south to Tennessee.  After dark we start seeing signs for Dollywood.  I know we are getting close.  You roll into town after exiting of I-81 outside of Knoxville, it is hard to miss the lights and action.  I am pulling in around midnight and the place is full of tourists milling around.  People are still playing miniature golf and bungee-jumping.  All the restaurants are packed.  Wow, I haven't see this much neon and illumination since my days living in Las Vegas.  We turn into our Best Western late. but first we had to pull into the wrong Best Western across the street.  Funny unless you are dog tired.  We hit the beds hard because they are the hardest beds I have slept on in years.  Geez, I ignore the pain settling in my back and close my eyes.  Tomorrow we tackle The Great Smokey Mountain National Park.