Some of you may have read the blog post regarding my visit back home to the Chicago burbs. This post is about a little side trip we took on the drive.

We didn’t get a vacation this year and looked forward to a couple of days for ourselves. We’ve always enjoyed Tennessee (have considered moving there) and spent many relaxing moments among the charming Smokey Mountains. In fact, a lot of the nature photos I’ve posted over the past months are from there.
Along the 1,200-mile road to Mom’s house, I tried to find something not too far off the beaten track. Didn’t want to be driving any more extra miles than necessary. Yet, we still hoped for something semi-remote to kick back and forget the world for a short while.
I booked a cottage for a few nights, not too far north of Chattanooga. On the way there, the curvy, vertical climb up the mountain didn’t bother me.
But, when we reached this gravel road I knew I picked a place a little too remote.
First, we had to check in at the owner’s farmhouse. I don’t have any photos of that one, but she was a kind lady. The family owned two cottages on their property and told us we could stay at either one. She took us to the one we originally booked (1/4 mile from the farmhouse). As soon as we saw the large open space, we knew we didn’t need to see the other one. Max was already racing across the expanse.
Please don’t misunderstand, the owner was more than gracious. The cottage was lovely and clean, but this city girl felt a bit freaked. The nearest sign of civilization was seven miles away, and there was very little to be found there either.
Even my Indiana-country-boy-husband tossed and turned at night listening to the eerie voices of the forest.
We found the cottage’s rustic, antique-like décor delightful, yet haunting at the same time. My husband swore there were ghosts. I sensed no such thing. My concern were bears, or something much more possible … werewolves.
Not having Wi-Fi or cell phone service didn’t help matters. I’ve become way too dependent on modern technology.
The owner of the cottage said we might be able to get cell service out near the hammock by the forest. So, off I went to try and call Mom. Someone had to know where we were in case we went missing. I got a connection, gave Mom the info and quickly hung up. The snapping of branches in the woods behind me had me racing back inside.
It was way farther off the beaten track then I had hoped. When we left for Mom’s house at 5am, the narrow, mountain roads greeted us with dense fog … in the dark. Needless to say, it was a perilous drive. It took thirteen hours (in one day) to get to Mom’s house from there. It turned out to be a little more adventurous than we had planned, but we did get in some relaxation time.
If you’d like to read about a side trip we took on the side trip, come on back next Monday. Here are a couple photos of the kitchen inside the cottage.


Ah, this place sounds heavenly to me! I always enjoy a little bit of time being disconnected (although not for too long!)
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I’m sorry; I’m smiling a bit about this being a little too remote for you. Sometimes I get nervous like that in the city! 🙂
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Hee, hee. Kathy, I thought of you when I first posted this. I thought … Kathy in the UP woods is going to read this and think I’m nuts! LOL. I admire your way of life. I’m too dependent on the city-world. But, I do know we each have our unique roles to fill. And, perhaps, we city & country people can teach each other different things. I know I’ve learned from your blog. Thanks for reading about my spooky-woods side trip. 😉
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My pleasure! I love these lazy weekend days catching up on blogs.
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Yes, bears are okay – but werewolves! Darn, should’ve brought the 6-shooter and silver bullets.
I once spent a weekend in a remote cottage – had to leave at 5.30 am for a 3 hour drive to catch my flight. The fog rolled in and I could not see more than10 feet even with all my fog lights blazing – what a drive that! You’re right – not so much concerned with werewolves but was anxious about suffering a puncture on that gravel road.
I was alone too – yeah, I tend to go away on quite escapades.
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“quiet” not “quite” 😦
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Some of us handle country life better than others. I’m in trouble if we ever lose our modern conveniences. 😛 Thanks for reading, Eric.
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Great story:) It’s the sort of side trip I crave, to completely escape for a while… a long while if I could. It’s great to have adventures that stretch us once in a while (and make me laugh), and survive. I bet Max loved it.
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Hey EllaDee. Yep, it was a nice adventure. It was brief enough for me to handle the seclusion, but I might’ve panicked had it been any longer. 😛 Thanks for reading about it. Blessings to you.
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It does sound like you could work the experience into some fiction!
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Sure does sound like good fodder for fiction. Thanks for reading, JM.
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Lovely spot. My kind of place! Look forward to more side trips.
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It was lovely spot, but I don’t think I’d do well without nearby conveniences long term. I am spoiled that way. So good to see you, Linda. Hope you’re feeling better.
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wow, just to get away from it all to just nature’s sounds and sights, I totally would go for it. Maybe once in a while go check my emails at the end city or town though 😀
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Hey Andy, I’ve enjoyed many of our country getaways. This one was the most remote we ever found though. I’m just a pampered princess. I’d have a hard time surviving long term some place remote. Thanks for stopping by.
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Well, okay maybe not too long term for me but a break from hustle and bustle 🙂
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Yeah, I’m not sure how well I’d do in that seclusion, especially without WiFi. I suppose that’s terrible to admit, but I guess I like to be more in the thick of things (city wise). On the other hand, I can imagine some good story ideas might spark from there. Maybe involving your werewolves?… Glad you didn’t encounter any. 😉
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Yes, I hate to admit it too, but it was a bit too remote for me. Some of us are simply a little bit more country and some a little bit rock & roll … I mean city people. Heh. Thanks for reading and commenting, Carrie.
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