Day Trip

Last Saturday was great. Earlier in the week Scott suggested taking a drive up to Natural Tunnel State Park, somewhere he'd gone while he was growing up (as it is close to Kingsport, the Cruze homeland). Never had an idea sounded more wonderful. We soon expanded our plans to include a quick tour of his old stomping grounds on our way home and got the Fake Cruzes in on the deal.It was a perfect day. Nice and sunny (not too hot in the shade), everyone was happy. We started out with a picnic lunch and playing on the playground. Then we went over to a trail so we could hike down to the tunnel. The trail was a bit steep and not at all stroller-friendly, so the moms lucked out and took the little girls down on the chair lift. We passed right over our rugged hikers (see our shadow?).
The tunnel itself was much bigger and much blacker than I imagined it. We thought we would be able to walk in it, but were disappointed (or in Josh's case: relieved) that we could not. Looking in:Looking up: Looking goooood:

Looking similar: Looking:

Apparently they get tired of questions about the train...So we really lucked out to see one.A little power-struggle involving hugging rights to the lamp post.We spoiled four rode back up the chair lift while the rest sweat their way up below us.

Next we hopped down to Kingsport and went on a Cruze childhood tour, hitting all four houses (which I'm really mad I didn't take any photos of). For Scott and Conan it was sweet nostalgia, disbelief at how big the trees all were, how small other things seemed, what had changed and what remained the same. For me it was completing the mental pictures I've had from all the stories (now I know where the pig farm was). We also made rounds to the mall, the church, the elementary school and best of all the high school. Here we got out and spent a long time running around the track and on the field and all over the bleachers.

Good day.