This post brings me up to my final driving day. While it’s not the last day of my trip, it does signal that my “road trip” is nearing its end. I put off writing it for a while, then I erased and rewrote it, now I am committed to finishing it.
Nashville to Winston was the goal of the final day. It’s not a long stretch but, it would still take the better part of the day. My goal was to make it back to my apartment to sleep in my own bed because the following evening I would be staying overnight in Greensboro to catch a predawn flight.
The weather was great when I left the parking lot of Preston Hotel. They had an 11 am checkout time, and I took advantage of almost every minute. I recognized some things along the highway from the trip west three weeks earlier.
Looking back on my camera roll, I must have been focused on driving because I didn’t take many pictures at all. In eastern Tennessee, one thing that caught my eye was a cross on a hill in front of a church. The cross is made from three-dimensional aluminum (or steel) with faceted ends and stands about three stories tall. I noticed it because I saw at least four others along my trip. I saw 2 in Texas, 1 in Arkansas, & this one. They were exactly alike, which leads me to
believe that there’s a supplier that makes them all. I snapped a very blurry picture and wished that I had taken others.
Lunch was planned for a stop at an entirely gluten-free restaurant in Knoxville. Benefit Your Life Gluten-Free Bakery & Cafe was a true delight! I was really hungry by the time I arrived. They had a full menu to choose from as well as a pastry case. I’m pretty sure the gal behind the counter sensed me being excited/overwhelmed. I decided to get the curried chicken salad sandwich on house-made bread for the meal. She offered to run a tab so that I could enjoy that before deciding on their confections.
While I waited on the sandwich, I looked over their retail shelves. They had a huge selection of GF products including a frozen section with pre-made selections. Knoxville folks who eat GF are very fortunate to have this place. Their prices were very reasonable too!
The sandwich was delicious but was really just a starter. I chose to take my treats to go….because I didn’t want to inhale them in public. LOL. They have muffins, cookies, brownies, & tarts. I got at least one of each type. The standout items were the monkey bread, honey/bacon/thyme/pepper scone, & a chocolate brownie. I nibbled on some, and finished others in the car. I finished the remainder for dinner when I arrived in Winston.
The scenery from Knoxville to Asheville was new to me since I hadn’t driven that stretch on my way west. I really enjoyed the curved roads as you cross into NC, they reminded me of being in southern West Virginia. I briefly thought about stopping in Asheville just to include it on the trip, but realized how late it would be when I arrived home. My bed was calling.
Once I arrived back at my apartment I pulled together my dirty laundry (or so I thought), and rearranged the suitcases to get ready for my trip to New York City.
Up next: the most exciting weekend!
Aluminum crosses 
Mountains of western NC 
Curried chicken salad 
GF Market Knoxville 
Benefit Your Life GF Bakery & Cafe
The Traveling Burd 