The Journey Starts....

With all the best of intentions to leave early and get to Knoxville for a nice relaxing dinner, we finally hit the road around 3:30 CST - we are laughing that we are finally on the way. Vivian learns early on that when you travel with a Ritenour you talk a lot about food. By 3:35, I was talking about where we should eat dinner - "Are you hungry ALREADY" she asked? No, I replied, just need to know what to look forward to. When we were 69 miles from Montgomery, we decided on Applebees and I asked Vivian to type that into the GPS as I had learned early in my GPS days that typing and driving do not mix well. This would turn out to be, for the next two days at least, a comedy of errors every time we have to type something in. Long story short, we ended up eating somewhere in Alabama at a place called Jack's. Got to Knoxville around midnight. (the next part of this story is dedicated to my loving family, who put up with me on every family vacation, I was the last one out of bed, last one in the car - although I could always count one one of my siblings to have to run back in the house once I finally got in the car!). On Saturday, March 7 - I was up at 4:45 am - that would be morning time - I actually woke up Princess Vivian who is always the first one up! We went to the lobby at 5 to have our complimentary breakfast and we were informed that breakfast did not start for another hour! I exclaimed that this was a first - to which Viv replied = well, not for me! Did not care that we would now have to pay for breakfast, only that after years of hoping to get down while they still had breakfast food and before they put the lunch out - I was too early! We were off! Beautiful Sunrise - great drive.

Kept telling Viv that we had to be in Strasburg before 5 to get to Mr. Crabills for the best bacon - yep that food again. Our partner in crime, Susan, will be flying in to DC arriving at 4:30 - I wish she had been in the car with us, but after our really early morning, I realized we would probably have a much better vacation together if it did not start out getting her up at O-Dark-Thirty as She-Does-Not-Like-It. (Note: when you write the blog, you always appear to be the most charming, easy going, loveable person - I learned this from my cousin Martha :-) )

It is about lunch time and I have talked to my numerous family members at least 30 times so far - Vivian has realized that we talk a lot, eat alot and talk about eating alot - she is over in the passenger seat practicing Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy for the Karoke competition. Did I mention it was lunch time? We decide - okay maybe it was me when I screamed - LONG JOHN SILVERS - there was a Long John Silvers Sign - did you see that Viv - do you want to eat lunch at LJS - did she really think NO was an option at this point? Stopped in Salem - GPS not updated, LJS now a McDonalds - no problem, we call 911, I am sorry, I mean 411 - only an emergency to a Ritenour. We finish lunch and we are off to Strasburg - we will arrive in plent of time to make it to Mr. Crabills. Dad has given me enough money to bring him back 40 pounds of stuffed sausage, mom has informed me that 12 pounds should be plenty! We have stopped by WalMart to get some cds - and have a good variety of pop, rock, Christian and Rap - Vivian is seriously considering chaning her karoke tune to Closer or Dopeman.

When we are about 2 hours from Strasburg we decided to stop at Natural Bridge - it is really a beautiful site. In looking for the actual bridge, we stumble upon Foamhenge - that would be a foam replica of Stonehenge! We are both laughing so hard we are crying. Get out and climb up the hill - the gate is locked but other people are up there - Vivian was a girl scout FOREVER and never breaks the rules, so I figure if she will do it (for you Ritenours, it would be like Sophia doing something - you would feel safe in following suit!). I had visions of my neices and nephews running around up here and in particular, my Jim Bob saying - Watch This - and attempting to climb the Stone replicas, causing them to tumble like dominos.

We finally find the actual bridge, they have it hidden in this HUGE building marked NATURAL BRIDGE TICKETS AND ENTRANCE. I might add the same entrance I used years ago when I was here with Susan and gang. Last week the wind chill was 2 and today it is 80 degrees - we are both a little warm, with Vivian in very stylish (very, very warm) black, velvety pantsuit with heels. Remember the heels - visualize the heels as you read this story. Also, remember our luggage is in the car and we know we are going to walk. Okay, we go to natural bridge and take lots of pictures. We are trying to decide if we should walk the little trail past the bridge. Mary Kate who was all of 18 or so and worked there told us it was a "short little walk" (lying %#*&@) and we would enjoy it. Looking at my watch and realizing that we would still have time to make it to get bacon, we move on. It is warm and Vivian is in heels - I offered to get us the matching Virginia is for Lovers T Shirts but I think Viv was afraid people would think we were tourist from Ca and supporters of Proposition 8. We pass the Indian Village and I swear there were smoke signals that said "Crazy White Woman in Heels" I mention this to crazy white woman in heels and she does not laugh - I think her feet hurt. We pass all these little sites, mines lost rivers, in search of the waterfall that Mary Kate told us was waiting for us at the end. We see snow - it is 80 and we see snow. We get so excited and people look at us like we are crazy. We are dressed for sub-zero weather, Vivian is in HEELS and this is why they think we are crazy - we make a snowball or two - I throw one at Vivan - she does not laugh - I think her feet hurt. Off we go - I hope it is a pretty waterfall, because I am in comfortable tennis shoes and my feet are starting to hurt - I don't dare tell Vivian because, did I mention - she is in heels. We are now stopping strangers - not asking them to support Proposition 8, but asking them how far the waterfall is - when someone ask you that don't tell them "not too far." I mean what does that mean? I know that when we get there - I am putting my feet in the water - we finally get there - you can't get to the water! We stay 2 minutes and leave. If I see Mary Kate on the way back I will tell her that a) it is not a short distance it is a long trek, especially for someone in heels and 2) you should tell people that when they finally reach said waterfall they can only look at it! It is okay, we still have bacon.

We head back and decide to stop and put our feet in the creek - I take my tennis shoes with me - I told Viv I felt her heels would be safe on the trail. The water is soooo refreashing and Viv is her happy, cheerful, self again - I don't think her feet her anymore. We walk past the Indian Village and I tell her I see crazy white woman in heels smoke signals again and she still doesn't laugh. We walk what seems like miles and then take the shuttle 3 blocks back to our car. You have never seen a woman, make that any human, run in heels the way that Vivian did when she saw that Shuttle. The man that works there told me I better learn to keep up with my friend - I pointed out that she ran in heels - he was then really impressed!!!

We are now in the car - we are making no more stops until we get to Mr. Crabills. I enter the address in the GPS BEFORE we start moving - and we are off. The GPS tells me to turn on Mt. Zion and my parents tell me to turn on Haun St. I don't see a Haun St., so I turn on MZ - what a beautiful, narrow, VERY HIGH drive. Vivian is both excited and SCARED and keeps saying DON'T LOOK DOWN KATE, WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T LOOK DOWN - which of course, makes me look down and scares me - whoa!! After the beauty and charm of MZ wear off, after we pass through what might have been a moonshine operation and people that I don't think were too excited to see us (of course if Vivian had been wearing her tiara, they might have smiled and waived - heck they might have even offered us some moonshine). I decide to call Mr. Crabill as we are down to 8 minutes until 5 - with 5 being closing time. The man that answers at the store informs me I should have turned on Hahn - I bet your using GPS to get here - I just want some bacon - he tells me to keep going until the road becomes paved. If you are ever getting directions from someone and they tell you this - you might want to ask them - about how far would that be. I felt certain we were going to dead end into the very private property of the moonshiners and never be seen again and never get that bacon.

Got the bacon, Susan made it - her husband/my brother had flowers and candy delivered for her (I secretly wondered if that meant he had purchased a new gun the minute her flight took off) we had a nice dinner and good nights sleep. Thank you mom and dad for making this trip possible and to my siblings, their spouses (whom I love dearly), my neices and nephews and my precious son - very strange to be here without any of you - I think I might take a book or a nap in the bathroom !!! We were here 5 hours with no TV turned on! To Chris and Alex whom I love dearly and I look forward to sharing many wonderful Strasburg experiences with you!!! Love you all and will post later...