Our yearly national park trip begins

Last summer when Michele and I were driving home from Acadia National Park in ME, where we hiked our asses off, swam in a lake with leeches and small fish that nibbled your toes and ate blueberry ice cream, we decided to make a yearly trip to at least one National Park every summer.

This summer we are headed to the 🌲Great Smokey Mountains🌲, a beautiful place Michele and I have always wanted to go.

This year we will not be taking Barb, my ever faithful 2007 FJ Cruiser, her 8 year old transmission and the 162,783 miles of roadway she's seen is keeping her home for this trip. [sad face] 😓🚎 

...but thanks to Scott at S&E Auto in Stone Harbor, NJ She's got a new alternator and battery and my husband and I could get home to VT so I could get my gear for our big trip! 

I can't wait to collect more miles and memories with my best friend of 17 years. Although I'm a Birkenstock and she's a Black Leather High Heel we love and appreciate our differences and always make time to support and challenge each other, not to mention make each other laugh beyond control and are totally ok with eating Slim Jim's and cheese for dinner. 

An excerpt from trees by Joyce Kilmer

"I think that I shall never see 

A poem lovely as a tree. 

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest 

Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast..."