lilnukee

Day 1 Saturday June 10, 2023 We headed out from Knoxville at about 2:30 pm. The flight was uneventful, as was the flight from Dallas to Portland. We got into Portland about 7:30 or so and did the long walk to pick up our bags. Everything came in intact which is a small miracle with American Airlines. :) We did another long walk to the rental car counters and the nice guy at Budget gave us a free upgrade, so that we could have a car with a moonroof. It is a small car, but it was fun to drive. Our hotel was right near the airport and we headed straight there, deciding to order in instead of trying to find a restaurant in Portland. The Tru by Hilton is my favorite brand of hotel. It ... read more

Friday, September 30, 2022 We left at around noon from our home in Tennessee and made the 3 hour drive down to Helen. It was an absolutely beautiful drive. Despite the threat of rain coming from the remnants of a hurricane, we didn't see a drop of rain. In fact it was sunny and beautiful for the entire trip. The drive down took us past Tellico Plains and through the Smoky Mountains down to the small Alpine village of Helen, GA. It looked more of Bavaria then Georgia, especially with the many people dressed for Octoberfest in lederhosen and dirndls. It is a quaint town situated a long a river and nestled in the Georgian Blue Ridge mountains. Our condo was situated right on the river and within walking distance of everything in the small town. ... read more

Day 1 Saturday April 23, 2022 We had an early flight from Knoxville, leaving the house at 5am. The plane from Knox was really tight, but Rob and I had seats together, and we don't mind being close. Delta treated us well overall, even getting us a whole row to ourselves on the main part of our flight from Atlanta to Albuquerque. We had a very nice flight. It was really nice to not have to wear a mask the whole trip. In fact, we have not had to wear masks at all so far. We got into Albuquerque by just after 10am. We decided to upgrade our rental car in case we went on some dirt roads in the Caldera. We paid an extra 20 dollars a day and got a Jeep Wrangler. It's a ... read more

Friday, July 9, 2021 (Rob and I) As soon as Rob got home from work, we packed up the car and headed toward Atlanta. We decided at the last minute on Thursday to make this little weekend jaunt. I booked a hotel right across from the aquarium and that is where we were to stay. It is a 3 hour drive from Kingston to Atlanta and we made it with little trouble to our hotel. We stayed at the Hyatt House, a seven story hotel downtown Atlanta. The only parking was valet style (and expensive), but it was a nice place and the room was well appointed. Best of all, it was really convenient to everything. It was getting late when we got in, so we crashed right away. Unfortunately, the hotel is right next to ... read more

Day 1 Saturday September 26, 2020 We got up at the ungodly hour of 3 am to make our way in time to the Knoxville airport for the 6:15 am flight. I love the Knoxville airport, it is just small enough to be cozy, but still big enough to have all of the amenities to make your trip comfortable. There are rocking chairs facing out the window over looking the airstrips and also in each of the bathrooms (the women's anyway!). The entry way leading up to security is decorated with a lovely flowing stream down the middle of the walkway. It was a relaxing start to a pretty relaxing first day. Our first flight was only 1/3 full at best, so Rob and I were allowed to take an entire row to ourselves. He had ... read more