Day 23 - Traveling home

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Weather - Party cloudy, high of 84F

Steps - Shaun: 5,339, Shannon: 5,556

Varmints - 2 deer, 2 turkeys, and several goats all came out to bid us adieu when we were leaving Marshall, while a heron and some hawks were here to welcome us back to Michigan.

Well, folks, that's a wrap on our Great Smoky Mountains adventures! This has been an absolutely wonderful trip. It was a journey filled with the broadest vistas and the tiniest wildflowers, roaring waterfalls and quiet rainfall, cacophonous birdsong and rustling leaves. We saw creatures big and small, from black bears and elk to salamanders and hummingbirds. We got to do everything we love, including exploring gardens and natural spaces, learning about new places, taking time to view and appreciate local art and artists, hiking, and shopping. 

The only thing more perfect than that is that we got to spend the time together, which is a gift worth more than anything. Thank you for going on this journey with us, and until our next trip, we bid you adieu!

We're here!

Shannon and I made it to Jackson with very little fanfare.  Shan's flight from Boston got delayed a bit, so it was a little tense in Denver, but she made it just as our group was boarding.  I had gotten in an hour earlier and had a chance to eat the absolutely disgusting peanut butter and banana wrap I made. What made it so bad was that I used a frozen banana that poured liquid into my dang sandwich when it melted!  Why didn't someone tell me that was going to happen?  The saving grace was that it was National Chocolate Cookie Day (of course it was), and I picked a spot to wait right outside a bakery that was giving away free cookies all day, which almost made up for my gross sandwich.

 

Once we got our car and checked into the cutest little cabin you ever saw, we went to the Snake River Brewery for dinner and then collapsed in a pile.  Tomorrow we have nothing specific planned except grocery shopping, so we'll be footloose and fancy free.  It's raining cats and dogs here, though, so the mountains aren't very visible.  We're keeping our fingers crossed that that situation improves.  The raincoats we bought from LL Bean are working really well, and we decided to swap them out so that I now have the fuscia one and Shan has the black one.  I definitely got the better end of that deal, and now we're much better accessorized (and we all know how important that is).