I can't believe it's almost time for this awesome vacation!!! I'm in the middle of finals right now and so ready to be done with the semester. Chivo is already finished with finals and prepping himself for the trip - i.e. buying a flannel mountain man like shirt and overloading on crossfit. He's gonna be in way better shape for all the hiking, but I'll manage.....somehow. He may just have to let me take some breathers!
We've made our list of what we need to bring on the trip:
Clothes - casual clothes, one nice outfit, 2 workout type clothes
Shoes - flip flops, 2 pairs of sneakers (1 pair will get wet whitewater rafting), slip-ons
Unmentionables, toiletries, PJ's
Bathing suit, beach towel
Raincoat, sweatshirt
Backpack (for hiking) - survival kit, sunscreen, poison ivy stuff, bug spray, bear spray
Snacks - some paleo, some for fuel
Tech stuff - chargers, ipad, cameras
We've also kinda made a plan of what we are hoping to do each day:
Don't wanna jam pack it full in case we run into something cool!
Day 1: Drive, drive, drive. Lunch at 'Louie and the Redheaded Lady' for some Cajun cooking. Drive some more. Eat dinner somewhere cool. Drive until we get to the Smokies. About 14.5 hours of driving....
Day 2: Explore and find a good hiking trail, maybe to one of the waterfalls near Cades Cove.
Day 3: Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. Largest house in US. Chivo heard it's a must see. Probably an all day thing so I don't wanna plan anything else. 1.5 hours from our hotel.
Day 4: Whitewater rafting!!!! Knoxville for dinner then pick up his friend from the Knoxville airport. Maybe we can eat at Sweet P's BBQ in Knoxville - they have a 4 lb. bbq burrito, and bacon chocolate chip cookies.
Day 6: Chimney Top hiking. Ober Gatlinburg Tramway, sightseeing.
Day 7: Leave the Smokies. :( Jam everyone into my car. Head to Lynchburg to see the Jack Daniels distillery. Stay in Birmingham, AL.
Day 8: Head back home. Drive, drive, drive. Sleep.
This will be the first of many trips with Chivo, and I think it's gonna be an awesome one. Can't wait!
After this trip, I'm going on a strict paleo diet, except for my 30th birthday, for at least a month. I have a river weekend coming up in mid-June and I'm in a friends wedding in Florida in Sept. Get tight get tight!
