Tennessee, Tennessee,

there ain't no place I'd rather be...
LotR has been working out pretty well for us! After leaving Berea, we made our way further south toward the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We stopped to check out Cumberland falls again on the way (we first visited the falls on our honeymoon).

 We rented a car to zoom up and down the mountains and out along the Blue Ridge parkway after work everyday. Even though the park is closed, you can still see so much from 441, all of the scenic pull overs are open. Plus all those orange cones and barrels blocking off the main trail-heads didn't stop us (or too many other people, damn the man!).

Also, bears. Lots of angry growling mama bears. We went up one trail, bears. Nope'd outta there to go the other way, more bears. Less than 30 feet away, were 3 baby bears and a mama bear, we were about to run into each other! The cubs are pretty adorable even while you fear for your life.

 We did some hiking on the AT

 Just outside of the park is Gatlinburg. Weird, weird, weird. There is a line where the bright lights and commerce ends and the forest begins. The day after our bear run-ins, we were ready for a break from the wilderness so we took the trolly to Gatlinburg, with no idea what to expect. It was a trip! Definitely worth a night out on the town if you're visiting the park. Free samples of moonshine, wine, whiskey (shoot it and kill it, like Old Yeller). Gatlinburg is like a weird, mountain-country Vegas strip, but most of the companies are locally owned and they all cross promote each other. Our Davy Crockett Tennessee Whisky server said "We all do good when we all do good." Pretty neat.

We've decided that the Smokies are our favorite mountain range. It is a woodland wonderland, basically paradise! The views are absolutely breathtaking, so many waterfalls and streams to discover, moss covered rocks, we saw bears, elk, turkey, coyote (or wolves? Both?). We got to catch the beginnings of the fall colors too. It was hard to leave, and we can't wait to visit again.

Smoky mountain soundtrack: 

Blue Ridge Mountains

Cumberland blues

Folk Arts and Craft Capital of Kentucky

"What do you get when you mix Haight-Ashbury with Little House on the Prairie? The answer is Berea, Kentucky, a town that was counterculture before counterculture was cool. The city is home to Berea College, which was the only integrated and co-ed college in the South for nearly forty years. The politically progressive community is home to organic farmers & hundreds of working artists." via estately.com

Yep this town is pretty amazing. Berea College has a very rich history in traditional crafts and social equality, and remains very progressive in promoting renewable energy and local economies.

This inclusive Christian message of impartial love remains the Berea College motto via Berea.com

Ed and I have stopped here a few times before, but never got to stay longer than an hour or two, so it's been really great to stick around and explore for awhile. We're staying in a cute little RV park just outside the city limits, it's a quick bike ride into town. And everyone here is just so dang nice.

Our first night, we caught a contra dancing workshop - So. Much. Fun. We danced while a folk band, the Berea Castoffs got surprisingly psychedelic  What a way to be welcomed into town by dancing with the locals and students! They spin ya real fast.

Tuesday we stopped by the farmer's market where I bought the most awesome leather hair clip made by this charming, woodsy gal. We talked trees, bikes, and she shared a paw paw with us (a new favorite fruit btw). We picked up some food, got pointers on the perfect mushroom soup recipe (Hanyicska family Christmas special!) and then rode back home to make supper.

One of the barn quilts we saw on our Wednesday ride to the Pinnacles

Fulltime RV life has gone pretty smooth thus far. I really love living in such a small space because it's forcing me to be so deliberate and purposeful in all of my daily activities. My mind is less cluttered when superfluities are eliminated. I've been able to get all of my thoughts in one place, and finally open my shop Trail & Compass! Check it out! 

It's been a great, laid-back week, and I'm so full of stories to share, but it's hard to decide on what to cover here on the ol' blog-o-blog. I've been having fun posting on Instagram though, it's so much faster than blogging! Have a look at that if you want more pictures.

Tomorrow we're going to visit the studio artists again, spend some money, then roll on down the road toward the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, government shut down or not!

East Pinnacle

Yesterday we biked thru Berea out to Big Hill Rd, hiked up a mountain, surveyed God's creation from the east pinnacle, biked home and took a shower. Felt real good! 13.5 miles round trip!

Deam Lake

It's been a fabulously chill week here at Deam Lake. I've made some progress on preparing to open my shop (Trail & Compass), and Ed's been able to fine-tune our internet functionality. We visited Huber Winery, got some hilly miles in on our bikes, and have done quite a bit of star-gazing next to the lake, in the company of what I can only guess are beavers (thonk-splash)

This shot is from the first time we visited Deam Lake with Chris & Amanda

Next stop: Kentucky!

The Journey Begins

It's been a hectic month, and we've been so insanely busy, that I am not even going to attempt a re-cap. But we're thankful to have been able to see so many of our friends and family before hitting the road.

As of the fall equinox, we are officially on our own schedule for Life on the Road, or, "LotR" which is the acronym we'll be using. Got it? It is also the acronym for Lord of the Rings, which we think is a pretty perfect coincidence for this adventure.

 Beautiful Indiana prairie at Prophetstown State Park, during a pretty glorious bike ride with some friends on Ed's birthday.

A Love Letter to Lafayette, Indiana

These last weeks have been full of anticipation for hitting the road, but also plenty of stress and tears and heartfelt goodbyes. This business of leaving our friends and family is tough, but we are so excited for our adventures to come.

Photo from 365 Things to do in Lafayette via Think Lafayette

In order to GO, we have to leave. Which is not completely ideal because we love our town and all the people who fill it. We are so blessed to have ended up on our block. Unknowingly, we bought a house in such close proximity to the most loving, generous, creative people that we are so thankful to know, and now consider family. It's been such a joy to constantly find our paths crossing with so many interesting people. From those we first met last week, to those who we've been seeing around for years, we wish we could have gotten to know you more!

We are blessed to be a part of this local community of artists, writers, derby skaters, music makers, starlight rollers, and all you weirdos in between. We've learned so much from you. We love you Lafayette, and we'll be rolling through as often as we can.

Happy Trails.

It's home

We're all settled in! More pictures coming...eventually.