David's Big Adventure in China

We had a great time on our road trip throughout the Midwest. After spending about 5 days with friends and family in Richmond, Indiana we went to Indianapolis and enjoyed the Parkers’ hospitality before heading on to St. Louis. We went to the top of the arch in St. Louis then went to Branson, Missouri for 4 days. We saw and enjoyed Mickey Gilley and the 3 Redneck Tenor shows. We also saw The Haygoods but didn’t think their show was as good as it was hyped to be. Our next stop was Nashville for 3 days where we enjoyed more country music including the Grand Ole Opry show which included Little Jimmy Dickens, Vince Gill, Wynona, The Band Perry, Jana Kramer, and Brett Eldridge. Next we went to the Gatlinburg, Tennessee area for 5 days where we enjoyed the fantastic view of the Smokey Mountains from the back porch of the house we rented and the company of the Grady’s and the Avery’s. We also enjoyed some great hikes. Our next stop was the NE corner of Georgia for my annual gathering with my former colleagues at Coca-Cola. Thanks to the Bowdish’s for being excellent hosts. We spent 3 days there eating, drinking and being merry. Bonnie got to enjoy her first opportunity to make and eat S’mores as we roasted the marshmallows over an open fire.

We then went to the Boone, North Carolina area to enjoy the Blue Ridge Parkway and its beautiful mountain views. We went to Grandfather Mountain and did a 10 mile hike the next day from the Parkway down the mountain then back up. Our next stop was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on our way to Niagara Falls. The falls were great and the power of the falls is awe inspiring. Our next stop was Cleveland where we visited the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. I enjoyed the videos and music at the Hall the most. On our way back to Indiana we stopped near Columbus, Ohio and had dinner with the Downings….it was great to see them again after so long.

Our road trip lasted for 24 days and we drove over 3500 miles. We’re now back in Indiana and will be heading back to China on 8-28. We’ll be back in Nanning on the 30th. Click the link on the right labeled “Pictures” under “My Links” to see a few pictures from our trip. Bonnie has really enjoyed tasting all the different foods here in the states (especially Krispy Kreme donuts) and only had Chinese food 3 times. Classes start the first week of September so we’ll be back to work soon. Until next time……….