We logged almost 900 miles today (890 to be exact) from Asheville, North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I admit the most fun part was the morning, as that was the part most broken up with stops. Although, there is something to say for the bonding and the innocent, dependent side of my daughter that popped up when we stopped in Little Rock, Arkansas and realized it wasn't the best town to be in as two females traveling alone. Watching my daughter go from an innocent little girl to a tween as she is mere months away from being a teenager, I admit that I treasure those times when I see my little girl pop up again, especially when it comes without the attitude. I type this as I hear her soft snores coming from the other room, praying I can sleep through it and they don't become loud, while still cherishing the softness of her sleep noises. Motherhood really does come with a myriad of emotions.
Our breakfast plan was supposed to be a shake for me and she could enjoy the hotel breakfast; however, due to the fear of the 'Rona, we learned this morning that many hotel chains have discontinued their breakfast option, including the Marriott hotel chain where we are staying for the length of our trip. Last night it was Fairfield Asheville, South Biltmore Square. They offered baggies of to go food, but we already knew it would be gluten options. This is why when you have celiac and travel, you always have a backup plan, like the gigantic cooler we packed to come on this trip. She opted for a protein bar for breakfast.
We looked over her plan, assessed the time, delays, and decided to stick with a basic plan: capture each state welcome sign, pick up a postcard in each state she can send to her father and step family, and stick with her highest rated interests that would reduce the delay to get to the great Rocky Mountain fun that awaits us. We stopped in Knoxville to see the Torchbearer on the University of Tennessee campus, discovered shortly before that the welcome center for Tennessee might just be the cutest, and postponed the falls in Cookeville, Tennessee, after she realized it's an hour hike to the falls and an hour hike back from the falls. The majestic beauty of those needs to be delayed for a weekend we can come out here with my partner and all enjoy a weekend of fun out there. Side note: Tennessee is an incredibly long state, and I seriously thought we would never get through it.
Lunch we had also decided ahead of time to eat as we normally do at home, with the exception when we hit a certain town in a couple of days... Most days, we will be snacking on a variety of gluten free lunch meat, cheese or homemade cheese crackers (they're a staple on trips), yogurt, and protein shakes. I know this might sound boring, but it keeps the budget and calories in check so we can enjoy the splurges.
Arkansas was a state where we had already decided not to stop for anything, other than the welcome sign slow down and dinner, since timing placed us in the area today. The restaurant might have been in a slightly sketchy part of town the way we came, but OMG, was it good. We ordered to go (only option right now) from The Root Cafe. She had cheeseburger (her go to order) and I went with the curry chicken salad salad and we split a large order of half and half fries (half regular and half sweet potato). I might have had questions as we nearly hit the random homeless man who walked in front of our car as we exited the highway, wondering if we made the right call on dinner, but man, was the food delicious. They are a farm to table restaurant that sources much of their food from a local farm and the freshness shines through. I'm not one to write home about burgers, but I will say that was the best bite of cheeseburger I have ever eaten, from the fresh meat to the delicious cheese, and topped with a bun that actually stayed together and tasted more like a sweet biscuit than a useless hamburger bun. My curry chicken salad salad was served in an impressive serving size and was so darn yummy from the chicken salad to the fresh blueberries, blackberries, shredded squash, and array from fresh spring greens mix, my mouth was in heaven. I also highly recommend the grilled mushroom add on. My mouth is watering all over again just typing this. And finishing it off with the best seasoned regular and sweet potato fries was the icing on the delicious meal. You might not want to venture here close to dark, but I highly recommend that you give this place a try.
Unfortunately, we got into Oklahoma little late, but we managed to make it safely and get settled into our hotel for the night so we could explore tomorrow.
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