Another one bites the dust

Did you know that Knoxville, Tennessee is about half way between Athens, Georgia and Oxford, Ohio?  I did.  Megan did. 

A few weekends ago, Megan and I decided to meet up in Knoxville.  Megan's my favorite coffee Friday friend.  Fortunately, even though there are many miles between us, we still manage (most Friday's) to skype a coffee date.  She's doing her Master's out at Miami and I'm so glad to be a part of her life and her journey into student affairs!

Anyway, here are some pictures (and stories) from the trip!

Friday=Meet up, eat dinner, a visit to the hot tub at the hotel, and quality catch up time.

Saturday morning we went to the Knoxville Zoo.  Despite it being cold and some of the animals being taken inside for winter, we still saw tons of fun creatures.  It's official, I now want to own a red panda.

Umm do you blame me?  Look at how cute he is!

So whenever we could, we attempted to find 'indoor' animals.  Although we found few inside, we did find a couple kids areas.  Here is me attempting to go down the slide.  It was too small, or I was too big.  :)

I love this sign.  Don't want to make the animals sick now, do we.

Not only is Knoxville, TN halfway between the two of us, but it also gave each of us the chance to cross off another state.  For me, Kentucky was the kicker.  Saturday night, we drove up to Kentucky to check out the Cumberland Falls. 

Apparently, on a full moon, you can see a moonbow from the mist.  The moonbow is the only one in the western hemisphere, and the waterfall is said to be the mini niagra falls (125 feet wide).  Although the full moon was 3 days later, we were hopeful.  After all, the website did say it can sometimes been seen 2-3 days before and after a full moon. 

Aside from it being beautiful, I also learned how to use the slow shutter on my camera.  The waterfall was amazing.  Unfortunately, we didn't see the moonbow.  Maybe next time.

Sunday we tackled a new state for Megan, North Carolina.  We headed to an Appalachian trailhead on the Tennesse/North Carolina border.  The drive was magnificent, the views were breathtaking, and the snow was white. 

North Carolina must be known for their tunnels.  When my mom and I visited in October, there were beautiful tunnels all throughout the mountain.  Different part of the mountain, different type of tunnel, but amazing nonetheless.

 

Megan and I decided we would hike part of the trail.  We tried to find the official markers on the trail, we did not succeed.  Either we didn't hike far enough, or maybe they were all buried in the many feet of snow.

Ooops, Megan fell.  Oh, right after she said, I think this is where I ... slipped last time.

Sunday night Megan and I ate at this place called, the Old Mill.  Need I say that the bread was delicious?  Three baskets.

Sunday night, Megan and I went to this place called Wonderworks.  It was actually more of an accident.  While driving through Pigeon Forge, we saw this wacky building that looked upsidedown.  After hiking, we decided we were heading back to the hotel and would finish the evening by relaxing in the hot tub.  We were both fairly exhausted.  We did, however, agree to stop at this strange building to see what it was before heading back to the hotel. 

Upon entering and seeing the staircase built on the ceiling, we were intrigued.  Apparently, the building is a sort of exploritory learning museum with over 120 exhibits and the largest indoor ropes course.  After some debate, we were sold.  Literally, they sold us two tickets.  :)  It was such a blast.  I am glad we did it.  Here are a couple pictures from some of the exhibits.

Megan in the hurricane simulator

 

 The earthquake simulator

 The ropes course.so.cool!

 Smart glass bathroom (frosts the glass when locked)

And this would be the building with us outside. So glad we went!

The weekend with Megan was fun!  It's always nice to be with people who really, really know you...and still like you anyway. :)

Ps. If you are wondering, I now have Connecticut, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and Alaska left...woohoo, only four more to go!