My vacation takeaways

I like pinpointing the peak of an experience — sometimes during, sometimes afterward. Any experience can have a peak — eating a sandwich, a day at work, a weekend away. Whatever.

A couple of weeks ago I took my first true solo vacation. I hit the road by myself and drove a total of about 1,800 miles. I wasn’t sure I’d have much fun without a traveling companion but honestly, it was great and I did have lots of fun. My trip involved revisiting a familiar place — the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, including Cades Cove and Townsend, TN. I also picked a couple of new places to visit — Beaufort, SC and Savannah, GA. Both new places were towns I’d heard nice things about. A few years ago, my scattered family and I had talked about meeting up in Savannah for a vacation but that trip never materialized. But I’d researched Savannah online and it sounded really cool.

My southeast tour part III: Savannah, GA

Thursday I did maybe 10 minutes of yoga in the a.m. I was tired and my shoulder and elbow were sore. I ate another good Hampton Inn breakfast, including a pre-made bagel half loaded with eggs, bacon and cheese, then loaded up the car for Savannah. MapQuest says it’s 47.25 from Beaufort to Savannah.

My southeast tour part II: Beaufort, SC

Tuesday morning after coffee in my room and another fine yoga practice, I packed up and left Townsend around 10 a.m. According to MapQuest, it is 392.91 from Townsend to Beaufort, SC.

About the time I was getting into Beaufort, Kim from Beaufort Kayak Tours called and said the historic Beaufort tour was canceled due to storms in the area. I told her I’d call her back for the salt marsh afternoon tour the next day. After checking into the Hampton Inn, I did 30 minutes of laps in the pool. Afterward, I sat on a bench overlooking the water and a huge oak draped in Spanish moss and updated my trip journal.

My southeast tour part I: Townsend, TN

My solo vacation itinerary included Townsend, TN, just outside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, plus Beaufort, SC and Savannah GA. I left my house in Pensacola around 6 a.m. CST on a Sunday. My Saturn Vue was fully loaded with crap — bicycle, yoga mat, water-jogging belt, noodle, aqua gloves, cooler, clothes, tote bag full of food like cereal and Triscuits, cutting board, apples, yadda yadda. According to MapQuest, I had 519.89 miles to go. By 3 p.m. EST, I was checking into Headrick’s River Breeze motel. Townsend is known as the “quiet side” of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. And compared to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, quiet it is.