We basically had to get from Atlanta to Washington, which is a bloody long way, so had booked a hotel halfway between the two at a salubrious spot called Max Meadows in Virginia. It was going to take at least five hours to drive there, and we were heading north-east from our digs in Buckhead.
We'd been looking for an opportunity to do some shopping - the boys were desperate for a pair of Converse baseball boots each, which we were hoping would be a bit cheaper here than in Aus - and we had found out there was a massive mall sort of on the way to MM. And sort of on the way to the mall there was an IHOP, another thing we had been trying to fit in.
So pancakes first up, and delicious they were, despite the surly service.
Then shopping. The mall was huge with loads of great shops having serious sales, so we spent something like three hours there, basically getting footwear and jeans. The boys got their Converse (bargains were had), Ruth & I got two pairs of shoes each - she some extremely cool Converse boots and lovely Timberland sandals, and me some very nice Timberland boots and some Adidas Superstar II shell-toes (for $23!!!) - and we all got Levi's jeans (one of us several pairs).
All in all, a very successful trip, albeit somewhat longer than we'd intended.
So we weren't on our way to MM until nearly 2:30pm, and as we got into North Carolina the skies started to darken. I had checked the weather forecast the previous day and noted a weather warning for Tennessee, but as we were only skimming by the very easternmost part we didn't worry. However, as we climbed into the hills on the 23 and crossed the border of NC and TN, it looked like we were driving into Mordor, the sky was so black and ominous. The 70 or so miles we did in Tennessee were horrendous - pouring rain, huge trucks, idiots in massive 4WDs or pick-ups tail-gating despite the conditions - not fun at all.
It eased up almost as soon as we got into Virginia, but returned later so that by the time we got to the charming hotel, I was exhausted. It was a particular shame that the conditions were so bad all day, because the landscape we travelled through was beautiful, especially so because of the stunning autumn colours. We tried to take a few photos but they just came out grey.
It was dark and late, but we had to go out again to find food... Went to a very dubious-looking Italian where we were the only diners, the hostess was even more surly than our IHOP waitress this morning, and the decor was rough, to put it mildly. But the food was actually OK.
Dylan's tonsillitis is not good. He's been on antibiotics (which we brought with us) and painkillers for a few days now but isn't showing much sign of improvement. Poor thing, he can't really eat anything as his throat is so sore, and to make matters worse he has a mouth full of ulcers - due to a lack of vitamin V(egemite)?! Definitely thinking we'll need to make a trip to a medical centre when we get to DC...
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