By the way

My two driving trips to Sanibel have been blessed with good weather, both times missing extreme storms by hours. Last year I arrived in Corbin, Kentucky in time to see a lunar eclipse on a mostly clear evening. Strong winds and rain preceded and followed that evening.

This year I spent the night in Berea, Kentucky not long after damaging winds had caused long and devastating power outages (in below freezing temperatures) throughout the area. On the way home, I missed tornadoes and flooding across Ohio (had I been on the interstate, I would have landed in the middle of these problems – had I not had iPhone, weather channel, car radio, and family members cautioning me otherwise).

By the way, Berea College is quite lovely. I drove around the campus and was surprised at how large and attractive it is. Berea, a magnet for artists and craftists (new word? crafters?), was founded (as a one-room school) by ardent abolitionists and radical reformers in 1855 as the first interracial and coeducational college in the South. This highly respected liberal arts college charges NO TUITION, and only serves students with limited financial resources, most of whom live in Appalachia. All students work on campus (meaningful service-learning) and can graduate with a high class degree and little debt.

On the recommendation of two people (motel clerk and gas station attendant), I found my way to the Dinner Bell for supper. A Cracker Barrel look-alike complete with nostalgia-oriented store, the menu underscored the down-home cooking theme. Tired of plastic and neon-themed national fast food chains, I was intrigued with the offerings and opted for meatloaf with a special sauce, collard greens and what turned out to be a monster sweet potato. A small salad was included. All this – and the portions were huge – for less than $6.00.

Before leaving, I perused the store's merchandise, none of which needed to go home with me. I was pleased to see a variety of quilts, which I presumed were made locally. How silly of me; looking closely I noticed that they all had "do not remove on pain of death" labels sewn into them, indicating that these polyester gems hail from China. Not exactly local.

Soaring

Driving to Sanibel offers a new view of a thin (width of the road) slice of USA. This year, my second time driving this north-south route, I tired of the high-speed interstate in mid-Tennesse and found a parallel secondary road. It was nearly a parallel universe; few trucks (few vehicles at all, for that matter), much slower travel - and much more enjoyable.

Deciding to pause on a hilltop to make a long phone call., I turned onto a gravel driveway/road next to a large farmhouse. A gliderport (www.chilhowee.com) was off to my left, across an open field. While talking on the phone, I realized that I had landed in a "bluebird haven." Behind the farmhouse were about 10 bluebird houses attached to trees or on poles, and I counted at least ten brilliant blue birds in the field and on electric wires. We seldom see bluebirds in TC, so this was a real treat. If you set out to find this place, it is just off Rte 411, near Route 30 East (also near the Hiwassee River).

This fortuitous find was worth the extra hours that my "long-cut" added to the trip. I traveled the same route north two weeks later and confirmed the location.