Historical Landmarks....And Not

Elizabethton, Tennessee. The country's oldest functioning covered bridge. Apparently, this is a popular spot for romantic rendezvous in this region. The centuries have born witness to many a proposal and pledges of undying love on this bridge. I can imagine elderly couples strolling hand in hand through this bridge, recounting the beginning of a great love story. There's something about a covered bridge in autumn that conjures up those kinds of images. :-)

We found a handy list of things to do in this region, and the covered bridge was on the list. Very sweet. Another thing on the list was getting a sweet tea and "frenchy fries" from Pal's. So, we plugged Pal's into our GPS and sought out this fabulous little joint along the road...

I was smitten. How fantastic, I thought. Art! Look at how clever and retro the architecture is. You drive up to one side of the building to order, which I promptly did as I exuberantly gushed to the gal at the window about how DELIGHTED we were to be at their establishment to try their legendary fare. I drove around to the other side of the building to collect my viddles and reassure the gal at the opposite window that this really was the crowning touch to our afternoon. I then proceeded to pull into a corner of their lot and park my car so I could get out (in the sleet and snow, I might add) to memorialize this visit with photos. The other Pal's consumers waved awkwardly as they maneuvered their way around me as I stood in the midst of traffic snapping pictures.

I climbed back into the car to thaw, and munch contentedly on frenchy fries as we headed on down the road through a succession of small towns.................

...............each and every one of which had numerous Pal's situated conveniently at nearly every major intersection.

*Blush*

Hello. I'm a tourist. With a big camera. And a hot order of frenchy fries.