Time to meet Gabe's family

---

After a difficult evening and not much sleep, we took to the road a bit later than usual in search of breakfast. Fortunately, we found a diner en route with coffee which lightened the mood a bit. This was to be another long day of driving because our goal was to reach the campgrounds by mid-afternoon. We pulled in about 5:30 or so local time (we forgot that Tennessee covers 2 time zones) and were greeted by Gabe's family. Within minutes of arriving, Gabe's brother in law, Tom, and I went to the camp for more beer, buns and water. The kids, including Gabe's niece, Charlotte (13), put up the tents while the adults, including Gabe's mom Alynn, chatted. We spent the evening relaxed around the campfire cooking hotdogs and marshmallows, enjoying a beer or two and listening to the musical sounds of Danny (Gabe's brother) and Tom play and sing. Gabe even picked up the drum and played along for a little bit.

9. Still wondering about the armadillo, I kept trying to figure out what noise it makes. Or if it's silent. And if there are silent mammals. Apparently armadillos grunt while digging and will squeal when threatened. I found information on silent dolphins but didn't find anything else so far.

All would have been well for a lovely night's sleep except the neighbor's cat "marked" our tent making it uninhabitable. Sam and I rearranged things in the van, curled up in the back and probably slept better than all the tent-dwellers. There are no photos of this day.

---