We packed up and walked next door to CrackerBarrel for breakfast at 5:45am -- they were closed and suppose to open at 6:00am. We decided to do the offered continental breakfast at the hotel and hit the road. As we passed Shannon's (brother) exit, I SO badly wanted to swing by and honk the horn to wake everyone up. Now thinking about it, I should have!
My riding partner and I headed up I-75 towards I-40. We hit a little traffic south of Knoxville - somewhat expected. As we passed the I-140 exit to the Great Smokey Mountains, I began to think... "Leslie sure would like Cades Cove! Did we do that years ago? I don't think so! But it will be an all day deal but FUN! Do it! Don't Do it! Do it!" She would forever remember it and it would bring back such awesome memories of grandma and grandpa Paschal taking us there in the summers and children.
I kept riding until I could not bear it any longer. We pulled off onto the SR-66 exit.
"Hey, want to do Cade's Cove? It's where grandma and grandpa were rangers, well, grandma was!", I asked.
"I don't know. If you do".
She really did not know what it was. I decided to move on and save Cades Cove for another trip.
We kept NE to I-40 and to I-81. We made it to Roanoke without any issue, just as planned, around 2:00pm and checked in to the Mainstay Suites. They operated the way I would if I ran a hotel! Though their rates were $130/night, they asked what the prices were of other hotels and matched $89! They figured $89 was better than an empty room and I AGREE!
Heat exhaustion conditon: 70% normal
We walked about 1/8 mile to a seafood restaurant. I cannot recall the name (something "Fin") but it was absolutely terrible. I wan not feeling well at all. After we ate, we walked another 1/4 mile to a mall in search of some Gatorade or Powerade. We found -- nothing. Fortunately, their was a GNC and they had some wierd power drink on sale. I was in situation where I really didn't care, I need something that contained electrolytes to drink. We walked back to the hotel and I nursed on the drinks. Leslie ordered me so Applebee's appetizers and I ate and crashed.
