Our trip to the Smokies: Part 2

After we left The Hermitage (see previous post), we hopped on I-40 and headed for Knoxville.  I-40 is an amazing road if only because it has so many personality changes as it runs from Barstow, California to Wilmington, North Carolina.  On the way, it passes through Needles, CA, Winslow, AZ (all together now:  "I was standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona..."), Albuquerque, NM, Amarillo, TX, North Little Rock, AR, and all the way down the center of Tennessee.  I've traveled almost all of it at one time or another, and I love it!

Our main reason for being in Knoxville was so that Robert could see some of the places he grew up in, that he hadn't seen in about twenty years.  He took me to the house he grew up in:

and the house his grandparents lived in:

We went to see the Tennessee River:

We also spent half a day at the Knoxville Zoo, which was co-founded by Robert's parents.  It was really neat to see the Patterson name in so many different places around the property and for Robert especially to see how the Zoo has grown and expanded since he had last been there.

We saw all kinds of animals there:

and we finished off the day with a fabulous meal at a French restaurant called the Northshore Brasserie.  Seriously one of the best meals we've had in a very long time.

Up next: Townsend, Tennessee "on the peaceful side of the Smokies".