Southern Slingshot

1 car
1 wedding
2 people
74 hours
1745 driven miles

This past weekend was Bob & Anna's wedding in Atlanta. With plane tickets $200+ from EWR/PHL, and $300+ from LVIA (ABE), plus hotel, we decided to cut the cost in 1/3 and drive the 1600 miles.

We left Thursday night, and stayed at Tracie's in Frederick as a hopping-off point. We got there in time for me to watch my NCAA bracket go down the drain, as Duke lost. We left Friday morning at about 7am, after a quick breakfast with Tracie at Waffle House. Chunked and covered please :^)

We decided to use the road trip time to see some things. We chose to drive down US 340 to Harper's Ferry, WV, and then to Skyline Drive in Shenandoah NP (the northern 1/3). Great scenery in Shenandoah. The facilities were closed, so we got a free ride, somehow. We saw lots of deer (49 per Lisa's count) along our 30 mile drive, and I even got to hike a section of the AT in VA (albeit ~1 mile). Nice trail, great park. Definitely worth another visit. I heard nothing for a while. Nothing. No cars, planes, etc. Calm wind. Just me and my tinnitus. There was light snow recently in the higher elevations, and the trail had a nice dusting of snow. If you decide to go to Shenandoah, and not stay in the park, look into Berry Patch Inn near Luray, VA. We passed this place, and the views from it were incredible.

After Shenandoah, we headed west back to I-81, and our final destination. Driving through I-81 in VA is sweet. There are mountains on either side, and the highway is buffered by farms and pastures on either side. Lots of cows. Going up and over the Blue Ridge Mtns (I-77) was pretty cool. The road is even deserving of a Runaway Truck Ramp (more), as we head into the flatter lands of NC.

We rolled into Atlanta at about 8pm. Traffic was SOOO thick heading in/out of the city. Unbelievable traffic. It makes Philly and NYC traffic look not too bad. We checked into the hotel room, and went next door to Rock Bottom Brewery for dinner/drinks/NCAA. Good beer.

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Saturday came, and we headed out to see some sights. We chose Stone Mountain Park. Basically, its a big granite rock on the outskirts of Atlanta, complete with ultra-touristy golf course, mini amusements, laser light show, and aerial tram. It was 1.4 slickrock miles to the top. We were expecting spring conditions, but we found weather similar to Mount Washington in NH. Windy, and still cool. Windy enough that the tram was not in operation the previous day. We made it back in time to nap and prepare for the wedding.

Bob & Anna's wedding was very nice. It was a Presbyterian ceremony. Southern weddings are a little different than what we're used to. The reception had much less structure than our heavily-planned Yankee weddings. It was a buffet-style cocktail reception, with the stations and all, and with open seating. This allowed everyone to mingle more. The ceremonial dances, speeches, and cake cutting were interspersed throughout the night.

We saw some old friends, and made some new ones. It was odd being to a "Weather Wedding" . Bob works for the NWS, so his work friends were there, as were some of us from RU Wx, including Shaun, who works at NWS-Anchorage.

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We tried to leave early on Sunday. 6:20am early. Using the open roads, I made really good time. We were on target to make it home in under 12 hours (including stops). Funny that we hit traffic at a known construction site about 40 miles from home. I rolled the dice, and decided to not take a detour. We were stuck for about 1/2 hour. On the way, Lisa and I noticed a Mary Kay Pontiac Vibe. Lisa exchanged Mary Kay pleasantries with the consultants in the Vibe, and we trudged on along I-81.

Pictures:
Bob & Anna's pictures. Incredible pictures. I love the photojournalistic style. We have some pictures, but they pale in comparrison. We also had "issues" with our pictures too.

Shenandoah

Driving

Atlanta/Stone Mtn

Bob & Anna's Wedding