Memphis, Tennessee to Columbia, South Carolina

When we left Memphis, it felt like we were melting. We thought OKC was hot yesterday, but Memphis was like being in a flame broiler. I thought I was choking on the heat. Even with the a/c cranked, we were sweating in the car. On the plus side, my sister made a perfect waffle at the complimentary breakfast buffet before we left:

We couldn't drive out of Memphis and its killer heat fast enough.

As we passed through Nashville:

one billboard caught our eyes and I missed getting a picture of it. It was a billboard for local emergency rooms that posted a digital clock with real-time wait time estimates. Wow, makes you wonder what goes on in Nashville.

We made our way to Knoxville. Along with a plethora of Adult Gift Shops, billboards beckoned us with quilt shops, Cracker Barrel restaurants, and the Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch as well.

My sister took over the wheel for a good part of the drive:

Where we enjoyed the mountains of Tennessee:

And then, thank Heaven--we found another Starbucks in Knoxville:

I have to say the eastern part of Tennessee was really scenic and pleasant to drive through. I want to say the heat even leveled off. The Smoky Mountains were pretty gorgeous:

Even as we drove into North Carolina towards Asheville:

And finally, into South Carolina.

Rains met us in Columbia, where we passed THREE car accidents. All three had at least one car in a ditch or spun around. We managed to arrive exhausted after logging in 607 miles, but safely. Hooray!