music city: bonus day

melissa and i had an almost full day to do some exploring.  during my national parks research and in looking for daytrips from the city, i happened across a state park called fall creek falls.  it's about two hours outside of nashville and boasts a number of good-sized waterfalls.

the handful of national park sites that would have been doable, were either ones i had already visited, or ones i had no interest in visiting. so, when i posed the idea of this state park to mel, i was happy that she thought it looked as cool as i did.

because i had been busy with work and honky-tonking for most of the trip, i hadn't gotten to spend much time with my bulgarian friend, who was also in town for the conference. we had squeezed in a couple of lunches and some boot shopping (i was so excited to find women's boots in my size that i bought three pair!), but our usual 'last night dinner' had been pre-empted by my grand ole opry visit.  instead, we had a very very early breakfast since melissa and i were getting an early start on the drive.  i was flattered actually, that since his flight wasn't until 2pm, he was willing and wanted to meet up...even though it was 6:30am.  

after stuffing my face, taking a selfie, and saying our goodbyes, i left to pick up melissa at her hotel and we were on our way.  

the two hour drive was uneventful, in the best kind of way.  it was a beautiful day in the mid-60s. the music was good, the conversation was good, and almost exactly two hours later, we arrived at our destination.

we spent the next several hours hiking the park, taking photos, enjoying the quiet (we had the place mostly to ourselves) and the multitude of picturesque waterfalls.  it was truly gorgeous.  and, even though i'm no better a hiker now than i have ever been, the scenery was well worth a little huffing and puffing.

eventually, it was time to return to civilization (aka, the airport), and the return drive was equally as lovely and uneventful.  we made it back to the airport in plenty of time to drop off the rental car, check-in for flights, and make our way through security.  once through, we said our farewells and headed off to our gates.

what was so amazing about this particular trip is that it felt like a vacation.  even despite the fact that we were all working pretty full days, we were able to take full advantage of the sights and each other's company. there was quite literally, never a dull moment!