Trip update #2 (being unable to think of a more creative title at the moment)

Hello again, friends and followers!  Thanks for stopping by!

Our trip continued as we drove from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Tennessee in a matter of days.  We had 4 days of marathon driving to do, and I even drove 200 miles of it!  It wasn't very hard with the trailer, except that there was 50 miles of road work to go through that made it....fun?  Libbey thought I did great though, so I felt better :)

When we stepped out of the truck in Arkansas on August 2, we were blasted with humidity.  It felt like stepping into a sauna at first!  But since then it's become less humid and we're pretty used to it.  Actually, it's made our skin very soft and Delaney's dry skin is nonexistent!  A great plus there!  They also have a lot of bugs here.....Arkansas should be famous for it's grasshoppers.  They're EVERYWHERE.  But everything is lush and green and beautiful!  We celebrated our first night in the official "South" by going to Cracker Barrel.  What else would we do to celebrate?

Arkansas.  I know this isn't typical focusing, but I liked it :)

Taking {another} rest stop

The grand ol' Mississippi River

Yay!  We made it!

Lib pretends to be an ice chest :/

On Sunday, we decided to attend Christ the King Church in Centerville, Tennessee.  It is located in Hickman County (how's that for hick?), the building actually being on the Botkin family's property.  We were familiar with the works of Geoff Botkin, and his daughters books and DVD (So Much More, It's {Not} That Complicated).  We arrived at church at 11:00 and felt welcome and at home with the many believers there.  The service was long--3.5 hours long--but very thorough and Biblically sound.  The music and singing was fabulous as well.  Afterwards, we shared a potluck and made friends.  It was a rich and fulfilling day for all of us, and we plan to go back!  The Botkin's were gracious hosts as well.

Rest stop after church

Yeah, the town's name really was Bucksnort.  Truly!

We've been in the car too long...

Way too long.....

That night, we arrived in Harriman, TN at around midnight.  The hotel is only minutes from Kingston, our final destination.  Praise the Lord for getting us here safely!

On Monday, we launched the boat at a nearby ramp (for free, I might add.  No fees here!!).

Then we cruised around a little before docking it at a rented slip in a marina...

Taking the travel cover off

Finally!  A dream come true!

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On Tuesday we took a longer cruise, and toured the lake until 12:00.  We looked at our rental house that we'll stay at next month, and a piece of property for sale on it's own peninsula.  The lake was smooth and glassy, and we barely saw ANY boats the whole time!  Watts Bar is like a hidden jewel right out in the open......seemingly untouched.

Tuesday morning.  Even after a wake, the water goes back to it's original glassy state.

Delaney demonstrates the consequences of failing to tie her hair back.  Behind her, Libbey shields herself against the wind.

This osprey swooped down and caught this fish right in front of us!  It was pretty neat.

-Silhouette view-

This is our rental house that we'll be staying in next month.  We're going to get quite a workout on those stairs, for sure!

This is where the river runs into downtown Kingston.  The coal plant is plainly visible in the center.

Obviously, someone lost the vision :/

Watts Bar

The Game of Life.  This is what happens when you land on a lot of "Baby" spaces.  Why don't they make bus pieces?!

Thursday came, and we drove about an hour east to Loudon Lake, where we're renting a house for a few weeks.  The house is pretty large and has a big dock, plus easy access to the main channel of the lake.  We got there in the afternoon and settled in, then went to the Snappy Tomato Pizza place for dinner (gotta love that name!).  As I write, it's Friday afternoon and I'm sitting in the dining room looking out onto the lake.  It's epic!  The house is on the older side, but large and very comfortable.  It's got it's quirks too--I think the original owners had a passion for wooden ducks.  Not to mention that the doorbell plays "Jingle Bells".  I am not kidding!!

Dad skiing on the Tennessee River for the first time :)

Here's the house!  Nah, just kidding!  Just a house that we passed on the lake today.

The dining room/office in the rental house.  We have an awesome view of Loudon Lake from there!

Lord willing I'll post a video of the rental house soon!