If Your Motel Door

Looks like this, leave, no matter how tired you are, and no matter how loudly your child is screaming that he has to poop.

This is the view as we fled just before 4 am this morning. It seemed ok yesterday afternoon, when we pulled in, exhausted, but as darkness fell, Grunty found pubes on her pillow, blood on a blanket, and a splotch of snot a previous occupant had hocked against the wall. We took turns dozing as the ladies of the evening left their truckers, and sirens cried out in the night. All of those sleepless nights with Max over the past three years have been excellent training in the fine art of functioning with very little sleep. A couple of hours after fleeing the hovel, we watched the sun rise near Abington,Virginia.

I’m currently ensconced in a rather non-descript, semi-cushy chain hotel with free wireless, clean beds and hot showers, after enjoying a fabulous lunch at The Tomato Head, thanks to a tip from Adrienne. Knoxville has a good vibe. We walked around in the rain for a little while in the area near the restaurant, admiring Christmas decorations and the general prettiness of the neighborhood.

Speaking of pretty, yesterday we drove part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Stunning does not do this drive justice, nor do the pictures below. One caveat: the drop offs are so sudden and vertical that most parts of the Parkway do not bother with guardrails. Instant death.

The views are worth the risk.