Smoky mountain trip

Yesterday was a long day indeed ,

A distance of 571 almost 600 km in six ( took more than 8 to 10 hours ) with frequent stop overs 

From Charleston in West Virginia to Smoky mountains near Bryson city in North Carolina through well maintained roads except for stretches .

Sruthi and Achyuth had booked a log house in a woody hilly remote place after Bryson city .

It was in smoky mountain hills in begginings of some great hiking trails like the Appalachian trail .

A stop for breakfast in farm fresh Bob Evans  I had posted here ..

After that we stopped in many quaint little American towns with thier own branded and unbranded shops ,churches  municipal buildings houses .

The weather was generally cold outside the heated eight seater Hyundai Palisade driven in turns by Achyuth ,Sruthi ,and Shyam .

Though I had driven in UAE in right hand drives the long interval in Brunei and Cochin has reduced my confidence to even attempt US roads with its fast traffic .

Shyam had driven extensively in Australia and India and last six months in US too .

Sruthi has been driving in cold frozen Cleveland later in Houston while Achyuth had driven to many parts of the US on his work .

So I had the prime seat near driver as premila and Sruthi need to be near Tara kutty in her childrens seat and first long journey .

By evening we were all tired with Tara not comfortable at all .

Somehow we trudged along to reach our AIRBNB cottage .

The last stretch in dark of about ten km was to me treacherous of lonely steep hilly wooded roads with poor internet and failing GPS and not a soul around in places known for bear sightings .

I read accounts of poor souls lost for ever in the Appalachian trials and as a known paranoid panic person in family injected bit anxiety amongst the joking others .

And on and on of dark lanes abrupt curves which in daylight we were sure would have great views finally honed in on

ABOVE IT ALL !

The message talked a of a secret post box black in colour carrying a code which carried the key not at all the regular check ins I was used to .

Manichithrathaaz said I to the fun of all .

But all these were worth the efforts as we entered a magnificient luxury wooden cottage of three bedrooms an electronic fireplace ,plush leather furnitures and all kitchen paraphrenalia 

Tastefully selected coffee table books paperbacks on Bryson city mysteries etc in the voluminous hall cum dining ,huge kitchen and confortable bedrooms .

And we rested with gratitude to those who built such a cottage in such a place