By this Author: alyssa_ob

Today wasn't much fun. Alyssa had to work all day and it was cool and cloudy with sprinkles in the afternoon. I just stayed in the warm car all day. After work we explored downtown Kingsport a little. We found an old railroad depot and played in the green grass along some sculptures. The pear trees were flowering and smelled nice and fruity. We didn't play long, though, because I had to be mailed back to my aunt and uncle. I hope I bring the warm temperatures back with me!

my first taste of sweet tea!Alyssa had to work today so I tagged along. We went out for lunch and I had my first taste of sweet tea. Yum! We don't have that back home. After lunch it was back to work. It was a really nice, warm, sunny day so I didn't mind being outside with her. She was groundwater sampling out at the plant. They were testing explosives for a while and it was scary when ever one exploded. But we were safe. The plant has a lot of security and you need to wear a badge so you don't get arrested. I had to borrow mine.

After work we went to Warrior's Path State Park. It is a big park with lots of fun things including a large playground. We played for awhile and then watched some little kids play soccer. The park is on a big lake and you can go boating and fishing on it. We didn't have a boat or pole so we could only watch others. We went over to Duck Island so we could walk around the island on the paved trail. We passed some big kids playing basketball and a lot of people out walking. The trail was a fitness trail so it had some fun activites you could do along the way like crossing monkey bars or walking on a balance beam. I tried the beam but needed a little help to stay on.

After the park we stopped at the Fort Patrick Henry Dam. This dam blocks the Holston river, creating a lake behind it. There wasn't any water flowing over the dam and the river level was low. We didn't stay long because there wasn't much to do there.

We drove to Exchange Place next. This is an old farm site with historic buildings from the 1800s. They used to exchange livestock here. It is a living history museum which means it has people dressed in costume doing activities of that time. It was closed, so we couldn't go in and there weren't any people to watch. We did see some sheep though.

After that it was dinner and bed. I hope we can do a few more fun things before I fly back to Wisconsin.

We drove to the Bristol Motor Speedway because I like race cars. The big race was just held recently, so it was pretty quiet there. We drove in to take some photos of the race track, but we couldn't get close enough to see the track. We did find an official pace car, though! I was hoping to drive a race car, but I had to settle for taking a photo next to one. We couldn't stay long because my cousin had to get to work.

I woke up to breakfast in bed. The hotel breakfast included scrambled eggs and a chicken and biscuit sandwich. Yum!

We drove over to the visitor center so we could find more information on fun things to do in the area. And guess who we met? It was a Flat Dolly Parton! (Actually, I'm not sure who that is, but I was told she is a famous country singer). We stopped at both the Tennessee and Virginia visitor centers. There was a lot I wanted to see, but not enough time! I guess I'll have to settle for the welcome signs.

me in the cockpit with the pilot!We had to change planes in Cincinnati [Cincinnati-travel-guide-91008] because we were flying to a really small airport. Our flight from Minneapolis was full so I had to ride under the seat in Alyssa's backpack. It was a bumpy ride but we landed safely. On the way off the plane, Alyssa took me up to meet the pilot. It was a nice lady who showed me around the cockpit and let me ask questions about how to become a pilot. I think that would be a fun job!

It was rainy and windy in Cincinnati and we had to board our plane from outside. It was such a small plane that we had to walk outside and climb up the steps to the airplane. A nice man took our photo as we boarded the plane and we only got a little wet from the rain.

We arrived in Tennessee pretty late and I slept all the way from the airport to the hotel. I wonder what fun things we'll do tomorrow?