Our Six Months Airstream Odyssey

We left our home in Hillsboro, TX on the morning of May 6 heading northeast toward Tennessee on what will be a six months road trip. Whenever possible, we avoid the interstate highways. Storms and tornados were predicted along our route, but we managed to stay ahead of the bad weather. The first night we stayed in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Hope, AS. Near Memphis, TN we swung east on picturesque Rt. 64. It is a lovely highway with several miles of four lane roads, and it runs through most of the state along the southern border. The lush, green farms were in full splendor, and the hillsides were alive with cattle and horses. We camped at a rather rustic RV park with the weather still in our favor.

The next morning, we headed north through several quaint little towns, getting to I-40. Except for a couple of traffic issues around Knoxville, our way was smooth from Texas all the way to Kingsport, TN. In that city, home of Eastman Chemical Co., resides our son, Mark, wife Christal, and six-year old son, Ethan. Warrior’s Path State Park has ideal amenities for camping, including sites big enough for our rig, truck, and guests. Ethan enjoys staying at least one night in the trailer with us. He loves roasting hotdogs and marshmallows--lots of marshmallows. There is much to do in Warriors Path to include hiking, fishing, and boating. Bays Mountain, a Kingsport city park, was a new place for us to tour. It is a 3500-acre nature preserve which includes a 44-acre lake. The wolves are a big attraction. There are several large menacing looking ones that roam a spacious, double fenced area. The pack leader died recently, and the new leader has not emerged. The ranger, who provided a pontoon cruise on the lake, stopped at one point and performed her own unique, blood-curdling version of a wolf howl, which echoed over the entire lake. In the distance the wolves responded sounding like an enchanting choir. She received great passenger applause for her wildlife communication skills. There are other birds and animals in the part, a planetarium, and nature center with multiple exhibits.

In addition to her lovely parks and playgrounds, Kingsport has interesting shopping in the downtown area with several big antique stores. We love visiting friendly First Baptist Church and Sunday school located on a serene, grassy circle with gigantic trees and three other huge church edifices. The members of First Baptist really understand and practice Southern hospitality, and their pastor mixes humor with the Word of the Lord in his messages. Christal served a delicious Mother’s Day dinner after church, which Gloria especially appreciated. Christal is an avid reader, loving mother, excellent cook, and creative teacher for Ethan, who is home schooled. Mark is a terrific husband, father and income provider. In addition to his team leader position at Embarq, he has recently become a distributor of training materials for Inscape Publishing, the leading products distributed by our business, Hissong Associates, Inc. since 1984. This was the first time we met their energetic, new dog named Daisy. She is a rescued orphan, who is pretty and friendly but has a few habits that need improving. Ethan got two hits in his modified T-ball (the tee is used only after a batter has three strikes) game and scored a run; his team handily defeated their opponents.

One of our days was spent with friends, Jim and Charlotte, in nearby Jonesboro, TN. Jim was once our Associate Pastor at Providence Baptist Church in Northern Virginia. Later, both of our families belonged to Columbia Baptist in Falls Church, VA. Jim is quite the train buff. He and Charlotte gave us a beautiful tour of Jonesboro’s hillsides, their lovely home, a train museum in East Tennessee University, and the garden train of a good friend. We plan to be back in the Kingsport-Jonesboro Area in the fall as a part of a Northern Virginia Airstream Caravan and attend the National Storytelling Festival.