Knoxville, TN to Charlotte, NC

So before we drive back to Charlotte, we head back over to Ijams to take on Navitat, a ropes climbing and Ziplining course in the trees.  We are in the first group of the day, and after the many instructions we head into the bush to try our luck.  Man it was fun.  But a lot of hard work getting through the ropes.  But the couple of short ziplines we did were fun.  The boys had a bit of trouble clipping on and off the ropes, so it limited our time.  Otherwise they were fearless and gave me a run for my money.  We left at around midday to start our journey home.  There is another one of these in Ashville, so maybe we can drag mom up there one day and do this again.

My brother-in-law used to do an annual trip with Mase and took him somewhere new every year.  I hope this is the first of many trips I can take the boys on.  We picked Knoxville because with Covid we didn't want to get on a plane, and they had never been to Tennessee before, so we've ticked off another state for them (that's 10 Us states for them - not bad for some 10 year olds).

BD&L, Navitat, Knoxville, TN

Knoxville, TN

One of the reasons to get out of Charlotte was to escape the heat.  This has not work.  It's as hot as blazes here in Knoxville.

This morning we drove out to Ijams Nature Center, to see what was out at the park.  A quick visit to the Visitor's Center, before checking out Navitat, the ziplining activity in the trees.  It's booked out today, but we are going to come back tomorrow on our way out of town.  We then headed down to the Tennessee River to hike along the boardwalk.  I was aware that the boardwalk had been washed away but some of it was still accessible, I didn't realize how little we could walk.  The river is not very pretty here, and still, and it's just a battle against heat and insects so we didn't stick around long.  I do hope one day they repair the boardwalk, just for something different to walk around than your usual trail.  We went over to see Mead's Quarry Lake, but we are not prepared for swimming, so we sit a while, mouths agape, as others cool off in the man made lake - floating around in tubes, or kayaking.  I really didn't prepare for this very well.

B&L, Boardwalk, Ijams Nature Center, Knoxville, TN

A few neighbors attended UT, and said we had to eat at Calhoun's, so this is where we stopped for lunch because....BBQ.  An hour and a half wait to sit inside, so we took a seat on the the giant deck, right near the equally giant fan, where we cooled off and enjoyed lunch overlooking the Tennessee River.

After lunch we headed over to the UT Campus to go to the McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture.  This free, and practically empty, museum provided respite from the heat and the boys really enjoyed it, particularly the Native American exhibit.  Once we got back to the hotel it was straight to the pool for the boys.  For all we did, this may have been the highlight of the day for them.

For dinner we decided to go to Babalu in downtown.  There used to be one in Charlotte, and it was a favorite of ours, but I'm not sure it is the same brand.  I'm not sure if we'd just had it, but tonight's meal seemed painful for the boys, and I end up eating most of the food.  At least the ice cream at Kilwins rescued the night.

Sylva, NC to Knoxville, TN

We got up early this morning and had breakfast at the hotel.  It was a little too early to head to Bryson City as we are on a 1pm train ride. So we made a quick 17 mile detour into Cherokee.  We had never been here before and had a quick drive through town.  Nothing was open here either.  Except for the mini golf at Golf n Gifts, so we stopped and had a quick round.

It was a winding 10 miles from there down to Bryson City, where we are here to ride the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.  We have enough time to scoot around town, grab a snack and look through the railway museum before getting on the 1pm Tuckasegee River Excursion.  We are in the open-air cart for the hour and a half ride to Dillsboro.  The ride is relaxing, as we follow the picturesque Tuckasegee River south east.  The highlight was seeing the props used for the movie The Fugitive (I'll have to get the boys to watch it now).  We arrived in Dillsboro and head up to Haywood Smokehouse for lunch.  This is so good, and so much.  The boys and I can barely walk out of the restaurant.  But we do and take a quick look around town before getting back on the train for the food-coma ride back to Bryson City.

BD&L, Great Smoky Mountain Railway, Bryson City, NC

Over the Tuckasegee River, NC

We head off straight away as we still have 2 hour drive to Knoxville.  We arrive late in the afternoon and the boys are happy to get into the pool again once we've checked in to the Hampton Inn.  A migraine is brewing, so dinner is in the hotel and movies in bed are the order of the night.  Tomorrow we check out some of Knoxville.

Charlotte, NC to Sylva, NC

It feels like we haven't left the house in 16 months (because basically we haven't).  So I decided to take the boys on a road trip to get them out of the house and to give Mom a break from having us there all the time while she is working from home.  We are headed to Knoxville, TN, as the boys have never been to Tennessee before and wanted to tick that of the list of states they've been to.

First we head down the I85 to Clemson where, after a Chick Fil A Lunch, we head to Issaqueena Falls and the Stumphouse Tunnel. The Falls are flowing well and from our vantage point half way down we can get a good view of it and the surrounding forest. It started pouring as we got into Clemson (hence we didn't go over to the university), so the steep trail to get to the bottom of the falls was too muddy to continue on.  

B&L @ Issaqueena Falls, SC

Just 5 minutes away was the Stumphouse Tunnel.  This pre-Civil War, uncompleted railroad tunnel was supposed to connect Charleston to the Ohio River in the 1850's, but budget constraints meant the project was abandoned by 1859.  Today you can walk the 1/4 mile tunnel and escape the summer heat, as the tunnel remains constantly at 50 degrees.

B&L Indiana Jonesing out of Stumphouse Tunnel, SC

Afterwards we drive up to Sylva, NC, where we are to stay the night before heading to Bryson tomorrow to ride the Great Smoke Mountain Railway.  The boys are happy, as the Holiday Inn has a pool, and there are more than happy to spend the early evening playing here.

Charlotte Independence v New York Red Bulls II @ Memorial Stadium

It seems like forever since we've interacted with friends, and now with Covid settling down a little bit, we took the chance to hang with the Lochmans and go to the opening of Charlotte's revamped Memorial Stadium.

We met them at 1900 Mexican Grill for dinner al fresco before walking the 2 blocks down to the stadium.

The stadium looks great, and we have seats with our backs to the setting sun.  For an opening night, it is a little disappointing to see the stadium not half full, but it is blazing hot and people are still weary about being around other people in these strange times.

The game itself was a good one.   It was good for the boys to be so close and to hear the way the players and coaches communicate.  Unfortunately the result was not the best for the Independence, though it always looked like the game could go either way.  The night finished with a massive fireworks display before the short drive home. 

It will be interesting to see how successful this move is for the Independence with Charlotte FC joining the MLS next season and taking home at Bank of America Stadium

Charlotte Independence 2 (Dane Kelly 19, 41) vs New York Red Bulls II 3 (Jeremy Rafenello 13, Omar Sowe 70, Austin Brummett 79)

Attendance: 4,231

Charlotte Independence:  Brandon Miller, Hugh Roberts, Christian Dean, Kevin Riascos, Marcelo Palamino, Brandt Brianco (Noah Paravincini), Jake Areman, Clay Dimick (Blake Pope), Dane Kelly, (Jordan Bender), Irvin Parra (Sylvain Marveaux), Valentin Sabella (Tresor Mbuyu)

Unused Subs: Distel Zola, Austin Pack

New York Red Bulls II: Luca Lewis, Emir Tombul, Joseph Zalinsky, John Cortez (Samuel Williams), Matthew Acosta, Serge Ngoma (Austin Brummett), Daniel Edelman, Michael Knapp (Kyle Zajec), Omar Sowe, Jake Lacava, Jeremy Rafanello (Nicholas Nee)

Unused Subs: Timofey Timchenko, Samuel Joseph