The Long Road Home (long post)

While Lisa and I were in Michigan, I did some MapQuest-ing and decided to take a different route part way home. When we headed out of DeWitt (MI) on Monday evening, we picked up US 127 South. That was the highway we stayed on until Chattanooga (TN). The first night we managed to get lost in Cincinnati, TWICE! Yea, we strayed off 127 somehow (me and my map reading abilities, LOL, and the GPS – only I can get lost using a GPS!). We did eventually find our way back on the right path and continued on to Frankfort (KY) where we spent the night. Here are some pics from the first leg of our 3 day journey home:

Tuesday morning we awoke a little later than I normally would, knowing we had a full day ahead of us and not quite sure what we were going to do once we got to Chattanooga. I had never really been to Chattanooga before – only driven through on the Interstates – and there is so much there to see and do. Along the way, we saw more farms and cows, a ton of beautiful old architecture, and visited an old general store. My sis and I decided to stop here for a few to see if we could find some neat souvenirs. She was ecstatic to find candy cigarettes! LOL Here are some pics from this leg:

 

 

 

As we got closer, I saw a sign for Ruby Falls and mentioned going there. Lisa had never been there either so she was super-excited to go. I have been in caverns out west (South Dakota’s Rushmore Caves), so this was going to be fun! We got into the elevator to head down into the cavern and Lisa couldn’t watch the wall go by. You guessed it! The door was glass!! We stepped into the cavern and got our [souvenir] picture taken in case we got lost from the group. Decided not to purchase it as it was not a great picture for the money. Here are some pics of what we saw:

 

After leaving the Falls, we wanted to settle into a room for the evening and head to Olive Garden for supper. We checked into a Motel 6 (yes, I do enjoy staying there, sometimes). When I first stepped into the room I was overcome with the smell of animal urine. Ewwwwwwwwww! Even though the desk clerk said the carpets were recently cleaned, the smell was still there. You all know how it is. The a/c is only turned on when guests are in the room. Now, imagine this odor festering for some time in 80+ degree temps. Yea, I won’t gross you out anymore! 

We immediately checked out and got a refund. No Olive Garden this night. Lisa drove us to just south of Atlanta (GA).

When we got to the south side of Atlanta (I 75), there were signs for the Road to Tara Museum. We stayed at a hotel off of exit 228, near Jonesboro. Wednesday morning, we awoke a little later yet as we decided to explore Jonesboro and Tara. What a great idea! We went to IHOP for breakfast, where I almost left my DSLR camera, then headed over to town. We got to the Museum a few minutes after the bus left for the Southern Belles and Whistles tour. The ladies were so kind to call the driver back and he obliged. They rock!! Here are some of the things we saw on the tour and in the museum:

We finally made it home around 9pm Wednesday night. There are so many places we want to go back and check out, like Rock City, Stone Mountain, Civil War sites, etc. We just have to decide if our next trip keeps us in Florida (the Keys) or to Atlanta. I believe we are going somewhere over a long weekend later this year.

Oh, and we finally had that Olive Garden Wednesday evening in Gainesville (FL)! :D