Day 1 - July 4 - Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park to Smoky Mountains, TN

We checked out at 7am from the hotel after breakfast for Skyline Drive. It is a scenic drive over the mountains with beautiful view points. We didn't see much wildlife here, just few soaring birds and deer. The view was pretty and reminded us of the Nilgiris. We often pondered how nice it would have been if our family was with us. The little one slept through the whole drive. We bought some memorabilia en route and soon, were on our way to Tennessee.

This was the most tiring part of our trip as it took us a long, long time to cross Virginia. We stopped for lunch at a famous burger chain in a little town by the highway in Virginia, where the streets were lined with flowering plants and was picturesque. But, it seemed like we would never reach Tennesee! It took so long... Even, watching the battle of the SMVs (SMV stands for Slow Moving Vehicle and battle of the SMV is one slow truck trying to overtake another in a two lane road blocking a whole lot of other vehicles) was no more fun. Most of the drive was on hills and when we started out, I thought the battle of the SMVs was hilarious though dad didn't because it meant he had to slow down and drive in traffic which he did not like. It reminded me of the trucks on Hosur Road.

Once we got of Interstate 40, we felt we had reached our destination. It is just another 8 or so miles to Gatlinburg. We enjoyed the town sights in Sieverville and Pigeon Forge. We drank in the sights with bright eyes and much aniticipation. The towns were crowded and we waiting to see Gatlinburg. Our hotel was at the entrance to Gatlinburg and we fell in love with the town the moment we saw it. Our hotel was right by a brook and a little away from the busy streets. The room was beautiful and comfortable. We went out that night just to the food store. We had dinner, watched the July 4 fireworks. We also celebrated Dad's birthday, with the cake I had baked earlier.

Then, it was time to say goodnight! Zzzzzzzzzz...