On the road again...

​I've driven across country twice, but today started my grand adventure making the journey solo. After kissing the SigO goodbye, we headed off in different directions for the first time in years! (Note: His journey across country starts in the beginning of November.)

Heading on I-66W to I-81S proved to be an absolutely beautiful drive. Sadly there were no scenic overlook quick stops so I wasn't able to get pictures of the:

• Gently rolling hills
• Lazily mooing cows
• Old wooden red barns
• Frolicking horses
• Fields of corn, alfalfa, and assorted greenery
• Silhouette of the Blue Ridge Smokey Mountains

However, if you picture every breathtaking country postcard in existence, you get the general idea!
Aside from the lack of overlook points, the ride was an easy one on well-maintained roads, with not a ton of traffic. If I had more time, I would have checked out the multiple Virginia wineries advertised on billboards along the roadway. Perhaps on a future trip!

Around lunchtime I made it to:

Welcome to Tennessee!

​Props to Tennessee for having a lovely Welcome Center with clean bathrooms, friendly staff, and adorable rocking chairs to take a breather in for a few moments! While rocking away, I looked up vegan options for lunch and found Healing Meals Cafe.

Now if you are looking for a super posh place to eat, this is not the spot. When I walked in at lunch time, I was the only customer in the place, and despite it's roomy location, there were only three card tables set up with chairs. However, I was welcomed right in by the owner, Chef Jennifer, and told to take my time looking over the menu. I choose the Living Zoom Burger sans the cashew mayo (never liked mayo when I wasn't vegan either) which has the following description on the menu:

Living Zoom Burger ..........$7.55
A zany blend of zucchini, shrooms and special seasonings create this delightful 
burger patty. Served on our special Sunion Bread with fresh sprouts, tomato slice, and cashew mayo, alongside our house made sweet potato chips and side of the day. Hot mustard available for those who want to “zoom” it up a little more…$.35

For those who know me well, it may come as no surprise that I added the hot mustard! The side of the day was some type of delicious quinoa salad. That, a cup of the tea of the day, and a Chocolate Almond Cookie rounded out the meal nicely, and provided much needed fuel to entice me back on the road! Vegans, this is a delicious meal option in an area that doesn't have many restaurants advertised as vegan-friendly.

Being a long-driving day, the rest of the afternoon was spent back on the road. For those making a cross-country trip, both freeways had multiple rest stops, plenty of gas stations, and lots of safe places to pull over onto the shoulder of the road in case of emergency. (Note: There are lots of curves in certain areas, and your elevation changes several times, so you might want to pack gum or mints to help with getting your ears to pop.)

Ran into a bit of rain and pulled off for a while until visibility improved. No real traffic until I got closer to my destination city - Nashville! I can't wait to spend tomorrow seeing the city!

Hope you spent today...with smiles!