Day 10

Nashville, TN to Asheville, NC

334.5 miles

Time: We took a two-hour detour, so I have no idea how long it takes to get from

Nashville to Asheville.

Highest Temp: High 80s

Pictures Taken: 23

As we were leaving our hotel we met a couple from CA who had just dropped their daughter off at Vanderbilt to start their graduate nursing program. For those of you who don’t know, I got rejected from Vanderbilt. No hard feelings, though, since they’re the number one program.

Yesterday we saw electronic signs along the freeway in TN warning people not to drive drowsy and letting us know the death toll so far this year. The number jumped from 601 to 613. Today, the death toll is now 617. It’s scary to think that 16 people died on TN roads from yesterday to today.

Shortly after leaving our hotel I saw a sign for Outlets. I told my mom, but thought we would pass them and continue our drive. To my pleasant surprise she said, “Let’s pull over”. That trip was the most successful shopping trip I’ve ever had! I bought tons of clothes and accessories for graduate school. I was really nervous about what to wear out here because I’m not used to dressing professionally, and it’s a lot fancier out here than back in Portland. I am so excited about everything I purchased! I’m definitely ready for clinic and other professional settings.

Along the drive to Asheville we saw more religious and political signs. On the back of an 18-wheeler truck we saw a sign that said, “A child is a gift from God.” On the side of the freeway we saw a billboard that said, “America. Obama. You can’t have both.”

The two-hour detour we took was to go to the Great Smokey Mountains. Right before entering the national park we drove through a town that I like to call “Vegas on LSD”. We had no idea where we were, so at a stoplight I rolled down my window and asked a guy in a car next to us. He laughed when I asked and then told me the name. It’s actually called “Pigeon Forge”. I think my name is better. There are so many attractions in the town that it’s overwhelming. There’s another “Dixie Stampede” show, amusement parks, and Dollywood. At the entrance to one of the buildings there was a huge sign that said, “Jesus Saves”. Needless to say, it was quite an entertaining drive through Pigeon Forge.

The Great Smokey Mountains are beautiful. To get the best view (at Clingmans Dome – the highest point in TN), we walked a half-mile up a steep hill. I was shocked by how many people had to stop along the way to catch their breath or couldn’t even make it up the hill. On our way down, several people asked us how much further they had to go before they reached the top. One couple we passed us a religious pamphlet.

After leaving Great Smokey Mountain National Park we headed to Asheville. It was our first experience with driving in the dark while on the trip. It was also the first time we ate at a chain restaurant that we have a home. We got a sudden craving for a burger from Wendy’s so we stopped in Cherokee, NC. While driving through Cherokee I saw a sign for “Boiled Peanuts”. I have no idea what those are.

After leaving Wendy’s we continued toward Asheville. My mom was driving, so I was the entertainer and DJ. I don’t like to toot my own horn, but beeeep beeeep. My karaoke skills are stellar. I’m so good I now make up words to songs. When I can’t understand what the artist is signing (Celine Dion can be difficult to understand), I make up different lyrics that I’m sure are better than the original. In my spare time in grad school I’ll start writing songs. 

Throughout our trip we have seen tons of chain restaurants. The two that stand out are “Cracker Barrel” and “Waffle House”. We have also seen a ton of “adult shops”, which shocks me. There are advertisements close to the freeway and commercials on the radio. I’m not shocked at seeing advertisements since Portland has the most strip clubs per capita and also has tons of adult shops. What surprises me is how prevalent they are in areas where religion is such a big part of life. I’m surprised they are allowed to advertise so easily.

We hit the 3,000-mile market today! As of tonight, we’ve driven 3,206 miles.

For those of you who are curious, this is what my hair looks like when it’s not straight.

Yesterday I cut 3 inches off my hair, so it will look different wavy. It doesn't look much different from the front because the back of my hair was 3 inches longer than the front, so not much length was cut from the front. I was nervous to cut it because it took me years to grow it out, and I loved it. Thankfully, I love my new hair cut. It will be so much easier to manage and wear down in this intense humidity.