A Big Finish

We are so excited to be on our way home! 

After a month on the road, it feels like this is our way of life--a nomadic existence, always moving. But we are dreaming about the day (today!) that we can park it in one place. Iowa never sounded so delightful! 

But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. We have to tell you about our last, shining, glorious day. 

Monday, we left Vermont and drove eight hours across upper state New York. Molly took the wheel for a while and hit a flock of low flying birds. We still have the sad marks on the windshield. 

As evening fell, we enjoyed a luscious skyline, and a seemingly never ending sunset. We enjoyed our last fire at Sleepy Hollow campground, and kept it burning until well past midnight. 

Ok. We're gonna make this short and sweet. We are eager to get on the road.

LAST DAY! We celebrated Molly's 21st birthday in Canada. We were full of surprises, although she did not appreciate being blindfolded to greet them. We visited a butterfly sanctuary, Niagara Falls, and for the grand finale, Molly hit the casino. 

Lets just say there was ringing, flashing lights, and absolute elation. Molly's birthday, and our last day of the trip ended fabulously!

We drove until 4 a.m. to Michigan, where Autumn's high school friend, Tyler had beds waiting for us. Now it's 2 p.m. and we're preparing for our final push home.

Thanks for all the love, and for reading our blog. It's been a big journey, and we've had fun sharing it with you! We're HOMEWARD BOUND (yeah, that's cheering)!! NEW PHOTOS. LOTS AND LOTS OF LOVE....

Northern Hospitality: Back to Basics

After the hustle and bustle of New York, we were eager to leave the big bad city and head out to vast open land. 

First stop: Connecticut

Our destination was the Panagopoulos house about three hours from NYC. As we drove further into Denise's neighborhood the houses got increasingly bigger and nicer and we were suddenly struck with the realization that were looking quite grimy from the city soot. Autumn kept informing us that there was a fountain in the Panagopoulos house, but somehow, that was not registering in our minds and we gave our appearance no thought. Regardless, Denise and her family welcomed us into their home, giving us luxurious living quarters, a delicious meal, and good company.  

The next day, we went kayaking and hiking. Spending the day out in the sun took its toll on our fair Irish skin and we burned like lobsters, leaving us slightly envious of the Panagopoulos sisters' rich, Greek skin bronzing effortlessly in the rays. We smeared ourselves with aloe and took a gorgeous hike up to a lookout tower where we could see much of Connecticut. After the hike we topped off our wonderful day in nature with pizza, a backyard bonfire, and a movie on the projector screen in the basement. 

We left the Panagopoulos home with a wealth of knowledge on Greek culture (Ted and Georgia are 100% Greek and are natives of the country) as well as a healthy glow in our skin. It great to get back in touch with nature and refresh ourselves in open air.

Second Stop: Ludlow, Vermont

After saying our goodbyes in CT we took off for the Partlow residence. After five phone calls to Anne we finally found her beautiful house tucked in the backwoods of Vermont. Anne welcomed us with open arms and an open kitchen. We had a hearty home-cooked meal and had lively conversation. Steff was so impressed with the dish, she snagged a recipe to bring home to the fam (be ready for Tortellini pasta!!).

Anne's house looked like something out of a fairy tale: Built in 1802, it was cozy and classic. The house was full of intricate quilts and hand made decor. It was a bed and breakfast of sorts, complete with our OWN separate rooms and a maple cookie on each pillow. We awoke from a peaceful sleep and gobbled down some blueberry waffles then headed outside to get a better look at our surroundings. Anne's 5 acre lawn was stunning with a colorful garden and plenty of space to roam. The house was surrounded by wood where moose, black bear, and wild turkey reside. Just before leaving, we took a leisurely walk with Anne on a gravel trail that led to a breath-taking view of the mountainous tops of Vermont. We were also giddy to find bushes of blueberries and shiny rocks. 

Anne's house was warm and inviting. It was the perfect place to go to unwind and enjoy the beauty of God's creation. 

Third Stop: Burlington, Vermont

After lingering all day at Anne's house, we hit the highway for a scenic two hour drive to Burlington. Jeff Nowlan and his amazing cat, Senor, welcomed us to their quaint college town. Starving, we promptly made our way into town for dinner. After our stomachs were content, Jeff treated us to Ben and Jerry's ice cream (born here!). We came home and played with Senor, the hugest, fattest, fluffiest, most agile, and adorable cat we've ever met (he changed Molly's entire life-view of cats!) That night, we settled into couches, air mattresses, and Katrina spent half the night on the front porch to catch some of the cool Vermont breezes. 

We awoke the next morning....to a huge egg, bacon, fruit, bagel, potato breakfast that Jeff had made. Yummy! Good thing we had such a hearty breakfast, because as we headed out into slightly overcast weather to rent bicycles, we had no idea what was to await us. 

Armed with two of Jeff's bikes, a backpack of meager supplies, and two rented tandem bicycles, we headed out on the trail. The shadowed weather couldn't keep our happy spirits down as we zipped and zoomed around the trail on our bicycles built for two. Even when rain began to spat, we were not deterred and kept on moving. It was exhilarating! It was refreshing! It was...pouring down rain. We ended up on a long gravel type bridge. The dark waters crashed on both sides as the wind and rain picked up and slapped us sharply on the face. Jeff peddled off to find Molly and Katie, seemingly oblivious to our dangerous and uncomfortable situation. The lost sheep were found and the giddy tandem riders were now determined and serious, pressing into the wind to get back. 

We returned at the bike rental in one piece but splattered with mud which covered much of our backsides. Although it wasn't the ideal situation for a bike ride, we all agreed that it was great fun and headed back home to dry up and chow down.

Now clean and warm, we insisted on making Jeff dinner. On the menu was a special recipe mac and cheese, pickle rolls, chicken tenders, and some broccoli for a touch of nutrition. It was delicious and Jeff was appreciative of the bountiful meal. We spent the rest of the night reading, talking, and taunting Senor with a string toy. Once we grew weary, we settled down for our last night at Jeff's place. Next stop, Niagara Falls for Molly's 21st birthday celebration and more camping!! It's been a long, fun journey but we are more than ready to get home. Just three more days to go. NEW PICS. LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL!! XXXXXOOOOO

New York: A Little Drama

We left Washington four hours behind schedule, so we missed Amish country (which shuts down at 6 pm) and headed into the city that never sleeps. 

We could feel the hustle, bustle, and excitement of the city right while we were still driving. Annie Sanchez had extended her home to us in Brooklyn, so we were greeted with a cute apartment complete with two bedrooms just for us. 

Our first day out on the town, Annie took us to a cute restaurant "Farm" for brunch. After a hearty breakfast, and a quick lesson on riding the subway, we ventured into New York all on our own. We walked the Manhattan bridge, got assaulted by Chinatown (never seen so many people in such a small space, smelled so many smells all at once, or been asked so many times if we wanted to illegally buy designer purses). We were helped out by an undercover cop who gave us directions to the subway we needed. He was arresting a tiny, old, and very surly Ukrainian woman. After we had pushed and fought our way through the crowds for about 7 blocks, we found our stop...... and ran into the cop with the old woman in tow. His face registered shock at seeing us again (I don't think you see the same people twice in NYC), and said that we'd made good time.

Speaking of walking, we walked A LOT. We'll spare you all the details, but between the subway and walking, we really got around New York. Manhattan bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, Ground Zero, Staten Island Ferry, City Hall, Wall Street, Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Madison Street, Trinity (the oldest cathedral), St. Patrick's (the largest cathedral in the U.S.) and Trump Towers. We also saw a famous choir sing at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, went to a show on Broadway (Little Mermaid), and caught an impromptu breakdancing performance on the subway (very New York). 

We also experienced New York's famous pizzerias, delis, and cheesecake--the most fantastic cheesecake we've ever had! We also got take-out Thai food, and had an amazing pre-Broadway meal at Centrio's, a well-known Mexican restaurant. The owner came over to talk to us, and we sat next to Sylvia Winestock, a famous pastry chef. Her table clapped for us when we all stood up to take a picture. 

In other happenings....

*Toy's R Us is HUGE! Three stories, complete with a running ferris wheel, and a Barbie land which we loved. 

*In Times Square, a man wearing a huge python asked us if we wanted to have our picture taken. We said no, but before leaving, the man looked at Steffanie and said "Damn! You got hit with a bag of beautiful!" 

*So there we were, all dressed up, already running late, riding on the subway, headed into Manhattan..... and Katrina suddenly remembered: she forgot the Broadway tickets!! Her and Annie had to RUN (in high heels) 6 blocks back to the house to get the tickets. Then they caught a gypsy cab (any cab that's not yellow) back to the subway station in a record 20 minutes.   

*Our first day in New York was a 10 hour marathon discovering the city. It was huge, crowded, dirty, loud, colorful, and full of flavor. 

We returned home to Brooklyn late at night, with blistered feet.... and SCARY MOMENT #1: 

A normal looking guy, (who was occasionally talking to himself under his hand) started to follow us on the subway. Good thing we were in a group, because half of us were oblivious, one of us was swinging on the subway poles (yeah, bad idea), and two of us were watching this guy's every move. He had definitely attached himself to us, and was consulting the voices in his head. Thanks to quick thinking, we managed to escape by sneakily jumping off the train and on to the car behind us. 

We returned home to Brooklyn late at night, with blistered feet.... and SCARY MOMENT #2:

got lost in a bad part of town. We didn't realize it at first, but the longer we walked, the deeper in we got. Cat calls, hollering, whistling, hassling, and even more menacing, the shadowy groups of guys staring but not saying anything. At first, we were okay because it felt like we were just running through. But then it got scary when we decided we were going the wrong way....and had to turn around and walk back through the same neighborhood we'd just escaped from. When we got back to the place we'd started.... we were still in a bad neighborhood. Then Kevin "Slim" Wells came to our rescue, a fast talking gangsterish guy. He introduced us to his neighborhood: it was a bad one. A lot of famous rappers had come from there. He said he'd seen us wandering through it and thought "what the (bleep) are they doing down here?!" He insisted he escort us the 15 blocks to our house, explaining that it wasn't safe for us, but he'd grown up on these streets, so we'd be fine if we were with him. And safe we were. Slim was like a guardian angel to us, and after 15 blocks we'd made a new friend. We all hugged goodbye, Slim said he loved us and if we ever needed anything, we knew where to find him (guarding his neighborhood). 

That's the quick version of New York. Our visit here was a big adventure! We are very grateful for the hospitality we were shown in such a big, potentially mean city. Annie was an angel, showing us around, and saving us a ton of money by giving us her home. Strangers everywhere in New York, gave us directions, impromptu tours (thanks George!), and helpful advice. We had so much fun here! SEE NEW PICTURES XXXXXOOOOO

History Lesson: Highs and Lows

Tuesday, after our luxurious night at Day's Inn, we headed into Richmond, Virginia to visit the most beautiful amusement park in the world, Busch Gardens.

A cheeseburger stop proved to be profitable, because we found a coupon on the McDonald's bag for $12 off a child's admission. Well, the young guy at the gate applied this coupon to all of us, saving us the exact amount of money we'd spent on the motel the previous night. We knew immediately that this was going to be a good day! This was confirmed when we were passing through the "no food allowed" bag check with our pack stuffed full of a loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly, and apples, and somehow the girl checking didn't even notice that all we had in our backpack was food.

And a good day it was! We traversed through Ireland, Italy, France, England, Scotland and Germany riding monster roller coasters. Throughout the day, we managed to ride all 5--The Griffen (a straight down drop off) and Apollo's Chariot (took our breath away...also broke Fabio's nose a few years ago) were the unanimous favorites.

We had our picture taken dressed like Southern Belles. It was good old-fashioned dress up and we loved it, although we all felt like we didn't get sufficient primping time, and the actual photo was met by a few harsh reviews by it's models.

In the evening, we wandered into an aerobatic show and although we'd gotten there late, somehow there were 5 empty seats in the front row. We were smitten by the talent and exuberance, and were so excited afterwards that we all wanted to dance. Busch Gardens set off a fireworks show, and Steff had a fit of patriotism.

We stayed until the park closed at 11, and were in such high spirits that we were utterly unfazed at having to spend the night in the van. We happened into a convenience store with a big, clean bathroom complete with pictures, flowers and a table (at a Texaco?) and all got ready for the night. Then we headed off to pick out a perfect parking lot to sleep for the night.

Without much debate, we settled on a nice little cove in the back parking lot of an Italian restaurant. Still giddy and in high spirits we each found our 3x3 foot spot to sleep in and settled down for the night. As expected, it wasn't the best sleep not only due to the cramped quarters but by the train we had unknowingly parked by that roared and clanked on the tracks every few hours. We knew that this was the beginning of a serious low..

We all woke up with cramped necks and sore bones. Well, everyone except for Katie who upon waking exclaimed, "Wow! I had a woonderful sleep!" We slowly roused our beaten bodies, discussing our unrest when suddenly a car piled full of lawn care men pulled into our back parking lot. They had a good laugh at us, and we took off to get ready for the day in our beloved Texaco bathroom.

We got looking so cute that the old souvenir shop man told us we looked really nice. We told him "thanks! we just spent the night in a parking lot," to which he replied "you're all soundin' like a bunch of little tramps, get on out of here." We think he was joking.

After a nourishing pancake and omelet breakfast at Mama Steve's (a high), we drove to the Virginia Holocaust Museum (a low). We were in there for two hours, and were all down, down, down by the time we left, overloaded with the horrors of humanity. We cheered up with ice cream from McDonalds, and then drove to Washington D.C.

We arrived in early evening. David Germroth had generously offered up his office/townhouse for us to stay in while in Washington. We were so excited to have the comfort of a real, four-walled, roofed home to stay in!

Albert, from Hawaii, lived on the 3rd floor, and greeted us with much aloha. He fed us gourmet pizza and showed us the magnificent Lincoln Memorial and drove us around town. Albert had to leave at 6 a.m. the next morning, so we said our goodbyes and headed off to bed.

July 3rd, we spent ALL DAY walking. We made stops at the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, the Treasury department, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and ended at the White House. Our high was stopping to play in a park fountain, and sitting for an hour at Starbucks. Our low was so many mean cars honking, the hot sun blazing down on us, and the sea tourists (of which we did not consider ourselves a part of). We discovered this day that we are not history buffs, but get our kicks from dressing in coordinated outfits. Today, we looked like a rainbow. (we didn't do it on purpose, and were slightly embarrassed)

Beyond weary, we rode the subway home (first time for some), and watched Bridezilla and Baby Borrowers late into the night.

Fourth of July was quickly upon us. Once again, we spent the morning coordinating our red, white, and blue outfits, and hit the town armed with serious patriotism. We visited a garden, the Smithsonian of American Indians, and the Smithsonian of Air and Space. It started to rain, so we headed home for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Steff proceeded to first break the television (deprogrammed it so we had no channels), then put our computer privileges in jeopardy when it mysteriously stopped working in her care. This prompted us to take some much needed quiet time, reading, sulking (Molly was devestated to not have t.v.), and napping.

As darkness fell, we headed out into our nation's capitol to catch the firework show. Then came home and had ice cream and grilled cheese sandwiches.

This morning (ok, we lied. it's afternoon. early afternoon.) we are about to go through Amish country, with our sights set on New York! SEE NEW PHOTOS. XXXXXOOOOO

Dangerous Frontiers: Hunting for Bears

Friday, despite waking early, we lingered, sorry to leave the sweet South and head into the deep woods.

Due to our dwadling, a dangerous race with the sun ensued. We found ourselves without groceries or gas half an hour away from our campsite, with the sun rapidly sinking.

What to do??

Keep going of course!

While Katrina, Steffanie and Katie started to set up camp, Autumn and Molly jumped back in the van running on nothing but fumes and took off. To their shock and horror they found themselves headed up the mountain instead of down. After a couple of U-turns and a few choice words they found their way out and into civilization where they were able to secure gas and stockpile hot dogs.

Meanwhile, back at camp, Katrina, Steffanie and Katie were trying to start a fire with wet twigs, damp wood and bad moods.

When we finally sat down by lamplight to eat dinner, hot dogs never tasted so good! We forgot about campground quiet hours and pulled on cowgirl hats and attempted to sing and play guitar until late into the night. We would mention here... Molly and Steffanie met Johnny, the old country store owner, this day. He held them captive in conversation about hemp and when they were able to escape, they pronounced him "crazy." More on that later...

As the sun rose over the tall green pines the next morning, we prepared to go on a hike, a 4.4 trek to a waterfall. Bear talk started. Molly was deeply regretting not buying an air horn and Katrina's bear bell was MIA in the van. The ranger advised us not to bring food in our backpack, but Katrina and Autumn brought bananas anyway and developed a huge craving for peanut butter (secretly they wanted to see a bear).

As we headed onto the trail, we were relieved and simultaneously disappointed to see many other hikers. Immediately our wild wilderness seemed tame and even hysteria-prone Steffanie (who had dreamt of being mauled by a bear) got a little happy when we crossed bear excrement.

Bear poo aside, the hike was peaceful and scenic, cumulating with an ice-cold waterfall cascading down proud boulders.

Our hike was so long and relaxing, we came back to camp and took a delightful 2-hour nap. We were awoken by the park ranger loudly exclaiming "You're in bear country now! If you're gonna be taking naps in your tent you need to put your cooler in the car!" He threatened us with a seventy-five dollar fine and took off. We were simply too tired to move, so the cooler stayed right where it was....on the picnic bench for all the bears to smell.

Upon waking, Katrina and Katie headed a mile down the road to get firewood. There they met "crazy" Johnny and thought he was a helpful, back-woods man. Johnny gave Katrina a free cup of coffee and helped direct them out of a dangerous parking spot.

Despite having two bundles of wood, Autumn decided we needed more, with the alterior motive of meeting "crazy, helpful" Johnny and drove back up to the store. She evidently found him to be charming because she told him her running habits, our campgroud location and our deep desire to see a bear.

Back at camp, a sudden storm was brewing. The woods went from still to threatening in five minutes. A fellow camper sounded the call loudly: "Rain!" And it began to downpour. 8:40 at night, having taken a 2 hour nap, now stranded in our tent for the evening.

Hours later, as we hunkered down for the night, reading and relaxing in our undies, we heard the roar of an engine, the flash of headlights and a thick drawling voice cut through the darkness: "Arr you tha gurrls frum Iowuh??"

We cracked open the tent to see Johnny standing in the middle of our campsite in the pouring rain, clutching a large ziplock bag in either hand. "Which one ov ya'll said you wanted to see a bear?"

To our horror, we watched helplessly as Johnny scattered blueberries, grapes and peanut butter sandwiches throughout our campsite. "No Johnny!" we shrieked...."we don't want the bear IN our tent!!"

As quickly as he arrived, he left, but not before he had asked us to come outside to say goodbye and that his son wanted to meet us.

We flew into a frenzy! Steffanie, in hysterics, teetering on the edge of tears, began blaming Autumn for our impending death. Katrina, dumbfounded by the bizarre circumstance we just came under, sat there pondering "who else does this happen to?!" Katie's round eyes were getting wider and she got close to whomever would allow it, sensing the insecurity of our flimsy tent. Molly tried to stay calm and stand as the voice of reason but it was of no use, the feeling of panic had already spread. Autumn, quieter than she normally is, was scooching further into the corner of the tent, putting up her defenses to the many blows of accusations and finger-pointing from the rest of the girls. She knew, just as well as the others, that she had divulged too much information to our friend Johnny. We were playing the blame-game and Autumn was losing by a landslide.

We soon realized that not only should we be scared of bears...

but of Johnny as well.

Needless to say, we had trouble sleeping, but occupied our minds by swapping stories about frightening events that we have encountered throughout our lives. We soon decided that bizzare things regularly happen to the O'Connor family. A compilation of these stories may just turn into an interesting book someday.

We woke up the next morning to find that no one had been mauled by bears (but one was spotted not far from our camp).

Sunday was spent reading, horseback riding, and going on a blindfolded "trust walk" throughout the woods. We ate weiners once again and then fled to our tent due to torrential downpours for the second night in a row.

Monday, we drove and hiked to Clingman's Dome, the highest peak in the Smoky Mountains. Afterwards, we began our descent back into civilization, and our 8 hours drive into Virginia. The trip was actually entertaining with music, talking, and reading (a stop at Waffle House hit the spot!).....and then the 8th hour struck. We realized we were exhausted and had no where to sleep. Autumn, the driver at the time, started swerving and babbling rather incoherently. Unable to bear the thought of camping alongside the road or in a church parking lot, we pulled into a Day's Inn and got a room. We had mattresses, mirrors, food, coffee, Internet, laundry. It's nearly 1 in the afternoon, and we are still here!! We are unable to leave the lap of luxury. We are headed out to a day of roller coaster action at Busch Garden. Stay tuned. SEE NEW PICTURES BELOW. LOVE XXXXXOOOOO

The Beginning: Southern Hospitality

People's generosity never ceases to amaze us. 

Our friend Danny had sent us off with "Magellan" an ultra high tech GPS system. As soon as Autumn and Katrina landed in Tampa, good old Magellan started working her magic. Immediately, she kicked Map Quest's butt right off the map.

We literally crashed (4 hour nap--woke up still in a coma) at Katy's apartment. When Katy got home from work we dined at Bahama Breeze and did some much needed catching up. Molly, Steff and Katie arrived the next day around 5pm.

We spent the next four days running around Tampa having fun. Some of our adventures included: a day at Clearwater beach, a pirate ship cruise (Katy treated us!), Bok Sanctuary, swimming in the rain, looking for gators, dinner at her parents (Steve and Monica's) beautiful home and a couple rousing games of Cranium. 

 

Katy was a generous hostess and very tolerant of our messes and loudness. Katrina referred to her as a saint and I think we would all agree. LOVE YOU KATY!

When people said "Wow! Five sisters in a van?! For an entire month?!!" We thought nothing of it. We assumed it would be smooth sailing. Well, you know what they say about assuming... it makes and ASS out of U and ME.... 

Sunday afternoon got off to somewhat of a bumpy start... tensions were running high as we tried to set up the van. The middle seat would not cooperate and we didn't have the right tools to unscrew the bolts. Come to find out... you don't need tools! We managed to get the seat out and busily started loading Sky (our van). By that time we were already sweaty, hot, and frustrated. Bickering began, earning Molly the nickname, "Negative Nancy". On top of that, we simply couldn't fit our belongings into our extended van. A large fight also broke out over the closet we were building in the back seat (Katrina didn't think she had enough room for all her clothes, the rod kept falling, people were against it, etc.). This was the point when we realized that the trip wasn't going to be all rainbows and butterflies.

Monday morning was the official kick off of the road trip. The Negative Nancy syndrome caught, stuck, and clung, turning everyone sullen and snarly.  This day included stops at The Daytona 500 Racetrack (huge!) and the oldest parish in America, St. Augustine Cathedral (beautiful). To combat the cold weather, we lit candles and huddled under stained glass windows to pray. After St. Augustine, we drove through rain, thunder, dark moods, and the most amazing lightning we have ever seen to arrive at Skidaway Island State Park, where we camped for the night. Roasted a few wieners, did a little venting, and collapsed into our tent. 

Woke up at the crack of dawn (7 am), and fled the campsite saving ourselves $25 precious dollars, and headed off for civilization. 

We were greeted by the ghettos of Savannah Georgia and decided to catch a trolley tour. While waiting, Katrina needed her java fix and wandered into a dangerous location, alarming the tour host, and causing a flurry of frantic phone calls. Alarmed at our location and the general slumminess of everything, we all secretly worried that wouldn't be able to shake the blues. To our surprise, Savannah started to softly shine, slowly unveiling it's charm and warming our moods. Lush greenery, intricately designed cast iron gates steeped in history, and a hearty meal at the Pirates House restaurant were highlights.

We headed off to Adam Domermuth's house in Charleston, South Carolina, and things got even brighter. Adam had cleared out an entire room for the O'Connor invasion, and we quickly took over everything, locking Adam's roommate out of his bathroom, enjoying long showers, perfuming, lotioning, and pampering ourselves. Adam provided us with what seemed to be a lush resort after our one long night in the woods.

Did we mention that Adam lives in a Richie Rich community? Well, while Adam was slaving at his desk, we were taking full advantage of his clubhouse membership, swimming and playing volleyball. Sun soaked, we laid around eating and watching movies that afternoon. That night, we  were treated to an authentic Southern dinner at Gullah Cuisine. Afterwards, to cool off we got homemade ice cream and swam in the ocean under the stars. 

Oh boy, sorry this is so long. The next day, we were whisked through downtown Charleston via a romantical (Molly's word) horse drawn carriage ride. (Thank you Adam, a true Southern gentleman!) We scouted out the location for Abby's big move and we decided she would fall in love with this place, full of African art, shockingly beautiful interiors, and friendly people (their license plates read "smiling faces. beautiful places"). We are cooking (!! yes we know) and staying in for our last night in the deep south. 

Tomorrow, we head out to our almost certain death in the Smoky Mountains. Stay tuned for the next edition. If you never hear from us again, we want you to know we put up a good fight against the many black bears living in our extremely remote campsite location. Molly blew an air horn, Katrina clanged a bell, Steffanie peed around the tent, Autumn turned into a savage warrior, and Katie attempted to flee for help.  

WE LOVE YOU ALL!