This year the Mitochondrial Disease Symposium was in Charlotte, North Carolina and Nathan and I decided to do a road trip with Alysia (another mito mom) and her daughter Chelsea.
Day One: We left Lake City before 2:00 pm and drove to Indianapolis for the night. We stayed at a Sleep Inn and after all of the driving, I was tired and ready for bed.
Day Two: After breakfast at the motel, we headed out for another long day of driving with a few pit stops along the way.
Our first pit stop of day was at the World’s Largest Candle (2131 N. Centerville Rd, Centerville, In). This was a fake mammoth decorative pillar-style candle attached to the exterior of Warm Glow Outlet Store. There was also a live peacock and lawn art.
The next pit stop was Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Point Pleasant is a city at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. The town is best known for the Mothman, a purported humanoid creature reportedly sighted in the area that has become a part of West Virginia folklore. We shopped at Point Pleasant Trading Shop and had a snack at The Coffee Grinder. We saw the 12 feet tall Mothman Statue with red eyes and a metallic body and tried to understand the folklore. We then walked to the Riverfront Park, which overlooked the Ohio River and had historical murals and statues depicting the Battle of Point Pleasant.
Our third pit stop of the day was in Beckley, West Virginia at the Tamarack Arts and Crafts Center. At the center, we purchased some goods made in West Virginia and we saw the Mortality: Tunnel Death Statue, which is a 1995 bronze set in a boulder commemorates the Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster. Hundreds of workers succumbed to silicosis after digging a 3-mile long water diversion tunnel in starting in 1927.
One of our highlights of the trip was driving through the Appalachian Mountains and driving through The East River Mountain Tunnel is a 5,412-foot vehicular tunnel through the East River Mountain between Bluefield, West Virginia and Rocky Gap, Virginia.
Our final pit stop before arriving in Charlotte was in Mooresville, North Carolina. Mooresville is best known as the home of many NASCAR racing teams and drivers and has earned the town the nickname "Race City USA". We saw the NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame, Sidewalk markers honor many of racing’s legends and greats, including Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, and more and we saw JR Motorsports.
We were happy and tired when we got to our motel, Sheraton Charlotte Hotel/Le Méridien and ready to see our Mito family. After putting Chelsea to bed, Alysia, Nathan, and I walked to Red Eye Diner. We got a little nervous on our walk to and from the restaurant as we saw a lot of homeless people, but the restaurant was worth the walk. The biscuits and gravy were one of the best I ever had. On our way back to the motel, we walked by the Nascar Hall of Fame Museum. It looked like a cool museum and I wished we had more time to visit it. Once we got back to the motel, it was time for bed as we were tired from driving for two drives.
Day 3 & 4: The next two and a half days we did not leave the hotel as we were busy with the symposium.
Day 5: After lunch we left Charlotte and our next destination was Cherokee, NC. Our first pit stop was Harry’s Grill and Piggy’s Ice in Hendersonville, NC, a restaurant decorated with dozens of rescued roadside advertising statues, and a full-size Hooterville Jail. We had fun looking at everything and eating some good ice cream.
Our next pit stop was Maggie Valley, NC. We took a picture of Chelsea and Nathan in the Big Red Rocker and then we went to Soco Craft and Tower to see the most photographed view in the Smokies. Our next stop in Maggie Valley was the Indian Death Tiki of Awesomeness, a 16-feet tall, saber-toothed, club-clutching, and goggle-eye-socketed skeletal chief. Our last stop was to see the Soco Falls, a double waterfall located on the Cherokee Nation. The waterfall was beautiful.
When we got to Cherokee, we had supper at Paul’s Family Restaurant and then we tried to find out motel. It took us awhile because Google map took us to the wrong address, so we drove around until we found the Quality Inn Cherokee. We went swimming that night in an outdoor pool surrounded by the Smoky Mountains.
Day 6: After breakfast, we took pictures in front of Peter Toth’s Giant Indian Head and painted bear statues before heading into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The national park is a wilderness area with some of the most beautiful sights in the United States. Throughout the national park are areas where you can park and get out and take pictures. One place we stop at was Newfound Gap. At an elevation of 5,046 feet, Newfound Gap is the lowest drivable pass through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and straddles the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee.
Our next pit stop was Pigeon Forge. We wanted to go to The Island, but it was too hot and crowded, so instead we played indoor mini golf at Crave Golf & Candy Store. We ate at Bullfish Grill, where according to Nathan had the best sweet tea and according to Alysia had the best BBQ sauce.
Our next pit stop was Sevierville, TN, not far from Piegon Forge. Sevierville is the hometown of Dolly Parton and we went to the Dolly Statue, a statue of a barefoot, young Dolly Parton with a guitar. The last stop before leaving the area, was Ogle Brothers General Store, a store that was formed to pay tribute to the rich history of farm life in East Tennessee and Southern Appalachia.
On our drive to Nashville, we stopped at Buc-ee’s, the worlds’ largest convenience store and gas station. Alysia and I got t-shirts, Nathan got swim trucks, we got beef jerky and many other snacks. We also filled up as it was the cheapest gas we found on the whole trip. Best of all is Alysia got a picture we Buc-ee the Beaver!
When we got to Nashville, we checked into the Comfort Inn & Suites Nashville Downtown. After dropping off our bags, we took the motel shuttle to Broadway Street. We did not stay long, because the area was crowded, it was hot, and it smelled like urine and vomit. We stopped at a candy store to get ice cream and we headed back to the hotel to go swimming in the guitar shaped swimming pool. Before I booked any motel room, I read all the reviews before booking and after the good reviews I read I booked the Nashville hotel. The reviews were wrong; the pool area was dirty, the pool had dirty water, and it wasn’t a nice motel. In addition, we had the smallest window in our room. Good thing there was no fire because we would not been able to get out.
Day 7: After breakfast at the motel, we to Kentucky. Our first pit stop of the day was at the Elk & Bison Prairie in the Land Between the Lakes Nature Park. Elk & Bison Prairie is a 700-acre preserve features elk, bison and native prairie native grasses. As we started driving around the loop, we were so excited to see the animals. But we were disappointed because we only saw two elk butts in the woods and a small herd of Bisons in the distance.
Our next pit stop was Time Paradox Lewis and Clark Scene in Paducah, Kentucky. The statue features five bronze figures: Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, a generic Indian man and girl, and Clark's big explorer dog Seaman. It was funded by the founders of the Quilting Museum, on whose lawn the statues stand.
We left Kentucky and headed to Metropolis, IL to see Superman Statue and the Super Museum. The statue 15 feet tall and 4000 pounds of bronze muscle, the statue stands on a monument base and walkway of over 1200 personalized red bricks. The Super Museum has the largest Superman collections in the world. After stopping at Sissy’s-A Sweet Shoppe for smoothies and a treat, we checked out Hidden Gems Novelty and Collectibles, a store packed with a variety of vintage toys, shirts, toys, and a lot more.
The next stop of the day was in Benton, IL where we saw the Giant George Harrison Cut-Out, a freestanding photorealistic mural by John Cerney, celebrates when George Harrison came to Benton to visit his sister in 1963.
For supper we stopped in St. Louis Missouri at the St. Louis Union Station, we ate at The Soda Fountain. The St. Louis Union Station Soda Fountain is a refreshing blast from the past with sweets, treats, and eats for everyone. Combining modern flairs with retro vibes, you’ll find something new to smile about every time you visit. The food was good and for dessert we got the Everything But Shake; Chocolate frosted rim with chocolate-covered pretzel, potato chips, chocolate dipped pretzel rod, Kitchen Sink brownie, caramel sauce, peanut butter cup, and whipped cream. After a picture of The Gateway Arch, we headed to Hannibal, MO for the night.
On the way to Hannibal, we saw a giant statue of Mark Twain, a giant purple ape wearing a swim floatie, and two transformers. When we arrived in Hannibal we saw a large mug of root beer on-a-pole (a former Frostop chain sign) before heading to the Baymont by Wyndham Hannibal for the night. Our hotel that night, was the worst one we stayed in on the whole trip. It was rundown, dirty, and there were people fighting throughout the night.
Day 8: It was our last day of traveling and I think we were all ready to be home (especially Nathan!) Our first pit stop of the day was at The World's Largest Wooden Nickel in Iowa City, IA. 16 feet across. The World's Largest Wooden Nickel is mounted between two telephone poles, facing the road, in a farm field. Built in 2006 as a local political protest by Jim Glasgow, who stills maintains it.
Our next stop of the day was in my hometown of New Hampton and eating lunch with my friend Becky. After showing Alysia and Chelsea around the town, we headed north on Hwy 63 back to Minnesota and home.
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