Second Tennessee Day

Today, Erica and I took a Tennessee day and relaxed. We had been dutifully driving for hours the past couple of days and were ready to settle down for a bit. It was interesting doing all these touristy things with each other. Usually, these types of trips are with our family members. We felt very independent and grown up, in a way... as grown up as we could feel. Haha.

We went to Sweetwater, TN to see how Mayfield milk was made. This brand is a pretty big deal around these parts. Erica and I walked into the gift store and were guided into a theatre. The room was packed with people on a senior citizen field trip. They were entertaining to say the least! The video we watched was a cheesy documentary of sorts. It was informative and hilarious at the same time.

After the video, the tour guides gave everyone these bright red hair nets. We all looked absolutely ridiculous! It kind of smelled in the factory area, but we were with a lot of good-hearted people so everything was alright. They showed us how they package their milk and ice cream. After seeing it, we knew we had to taste some of that ice cream!

We also met a very interesting, well-traveled, well-loved couple. They were older and sweet as can be! The couple taught us about where the straw from brooms comes from (among other things). They were so nice! We took pictures with them and hopefully they'll send some to us.

Then, we went to ride a boat on The Lost Sea. It's a lake underground in Craigshead Caverns. We walked down a yellow tunnel into these caverns. We walked down there with a small group and rode a boat around the dark, quiet lake. It was definitely something I had never seen before. The lake was eerily still. The only life in there came from the tourists and these fish they placed in the lake. They put rainbow trout in the water. The trout that are in there lose their color and twenty percent of their eye sight. It was kind of sad. Erica and I had fun though. We'd never ridden a boat over a lake underground. Cool experience.

Then, we drove to Townsend and went tubing down a river. It was...oh, just wonderful. The water was cold, but the sun was warm so it was perfect. Even though the water was swift, we kept getting grounded on the rocks. One of us would get stuck and watch the other get swept down the river without us. It was so funny! And the scenery was outstanding! We could have gone tubing all day.

We paid a visit to Target and spent way too much money. Oh, Target. So cruel! Erica and I also had purification time and applied a face mask while watching Bride Wars. It was beautiful.

On to Virginia!

Holla!