Epic Vacation 2011

So recently I went on a vacation that consisted of a road trip to Tennessee.  We then went onward to Florida, where we boarded a cruise ship at the Port of Tampa and sailed around the Western Caribbean.  That's a story for a later post, as it will also tie into one of my 61* goals.

The road trip started at about 10PM ish, with a late meal at a local eatery.  From there we pointed our 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis (hey, we ride in style) and headed south west.

Sunrise in Virginia (ish)

Soon after we stopped in Rural Retreat, Virginia and had breakfast at a lovely hole in the wall whose name escapes me.  However, I do remember the AWESOME grits I had there.  And a very tasty meat stuffed omelet.

We finally arrived at our Tennessee destination.  And we slept.

Me in Tennessee

The next day, our guide (my cousin) took us around the area.  Nice area, lots of mountains and green.

I used to have this in plastic.  I love antique shops.

 Oh, and then we went to an awesome place.  A boot store.

They were buy one get two free.  So, we bought some.  And by we I mean, me, my wife, my sister, my brother in law and my cousin.  It was awesome.

The next day we headed out again.  BTW, it seemed to take forever to get through Georgia once we were south of Atlanta.

After lots more driving we finally arrived at our hotel.  We rested and prepared for our cruise.