North Carolina to Tennessee (& Georgia)

We left the Blue Ridge Parkway somewhat regretfully, but the gorgeous scenery continued as we skirted the Great Smoky Mountains, throught the Chreokee Indian Reserve, and then on through whitewater country in the Nantahala & Cherokee National Forests - by which time we were in Tennessee. Gradually winding narrow roads gave way to broad straight highways and the landscape began to flatten out as we approached Chattanooga - choo, choo.....

North Carolina gave us our first glimpse of hillbilly country, with smaller more ramshackle buildings & local delicacies such as boiled peanuts & pork skins for sale at shacks by the roadside. Sampled the peanuts, which were hot-they are boiled in their shells for 10 hours in huge pots of salty water! Surprisingly they tasted more like beans than peanuts.

Having stayed by chance overnight in Georgia, we drove west across Tennesee-357 miles. Saw our first cottonfields in the broad valleys in the east. Drove through all kinds of terrain- wide valleys and plains and rolling wooded hills dotted with cattle farms- and all kinds of weather.Drenching rain, thick fog (we were in the clouds!) and bright sunshine. The temperatures ranged from 44F to 66F! Fiona sat wrapped in a duvet for a lot of the drive!