Oak Ridge, TN
We left Kentucky for a free campsite beside a lake in North Carolina. We drove all day, relishing the feeling of being on the road again. I’m not sure what it is, but those first few miles always feel so good.
Aaaaand then they don’t feel as good when you hit the eight hour mark. We left mid-morning and didn’t get to our campsite until well after dark. Thankfully, we took a well deserved break in Oak Ridge, Tennessee to visit the American Museum of Science and Energy.
In case you didn’t know, Sam and I are from Los Alamos, New Mexico. This small town, nestled atop beautiful mesas, was where the Manhattan Project developed the nuclear bombs used in World War II. If you’re from Los Alamos, you know this story all too well. You might even work at the National Lab in Los Alamos and know way more about that story than I do. The Lab, as everyone calls it, still does nuclear research, as well as a bunch of other crazy stuff, some of it still very secret.
When I got to college, this was my go to “fun fact” when forced into those awkward icebreakers.
A friend of mine that I worked with in Seattle knew this about me and asked a few questions for a public health class. She wanted to know if there was any significant uptick of cancer rates around the area because of the mining of uranium for the bombs. I racked my brain for a while before responding: “I know they made the bombs here, but I don’t think they did any mining, otherwise I would have known about it.” She was confused at my answer. Growing up in central Washington, she knew that uranium for the bombs was mined from Hanford, WA. She thought that all Manhattan Project sites did some sort of mining. Meanwhile, I’m just as confused because I didn’t even realize there were other Manhattan Project sites in the first place.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee was another one of those sites that I had no idea about until we went to that museum.
We had the single most warm welcome we’ve ever had when we walked through that door. After showing us where to buy tickets, the lady behind the front desk casually asked where we were from. Her eyes grew so large, followed quickly by the widest grin when we told her. She’s probably the only person we’ve met so far who knew exactly where Los Alamos was.
If we thought we were going to quietly slip into the exhibits, we were dead wrong. She was so excited about meeting people from Los Alamos, she started asking us all these questions about what it was like growing up there and why we were in Tennessee. We stood there, in the middle of the entrance, for nearly half an hour talking. She recommended books about the Manhattan Project, shared her experiences from when she visited Los Alamos and even toured the Trinity site. She even introduced us to a coworker of hers -- “Look, we have friends from Los Alamos! These are our VIP guests.” Ironically enough, we learned that she has a grandson that went to CSU, too, and she’d be visiting Fort Collins for Christmas.
Funny, how small the world may seem at times.
Eventually, Sam and I were excitedly ushered into the exhibit. The actual volume of the museum was fairly small, but the layout of the informational panels was incredibly dense. I first tried to read each paragraph before me. Soon enough, I learned that was near impossible without staying past waking hours.
A short movie played on two projectors, each playing a different scene related to the narration. This photo was taken while the narrator explained the women’s role in the secret experiments of the Manhattan Project.
This panel also caught my eye as I learned about life in Oak Ridge back in the day. I'm glad they included this information because I never would have thought about segregation in a project as large and important as this. It just goes to show how different life was less than a century ago.
I wish I could remember everything I saw in that nuclear space. I have to admit that, once I got to my 20th panel, I stopped reading and simply enjoyed the pictures they had. I still learned a lot though. For example, I never knew that nuclear warheads are continuously recycled and replaced for safety. Some of the recycled material ends up as nuclear fuel for military submarines and aircraft carriers.
“Nuclear submarines? That sounds like something from a video game,” you might be thinking.
Weird, that’s exactly what I thought. Turns out these nuclear subs are not only real, but they perform leagues better than their fossil fuel counterparts. Combustion engines need to periodically breach for air in order to work properly. These nuclear subs could stay submerged forever, or at least until the food runs out.
Sam also enlightened me on a few more fun facts about this subject. He had an Energy Engineering professor who was in the navy and shared that fossil fuel powered vessels require fuel tankers to constantly run back and forth in order to continue running. Compare that to a nuclear powered ship and you might find yourself asking why bother?
This is just one fun fact I learned that afternoon. I also learned a lot of little things, like how nuclear tools greatly influence how and what scientists can research. As a biologist and scientist myself, I find that absolutely fascinating. What other questions can we ask that can be answered with these tools?
Oh, we also watched a longer movie in the museum’s own amphitheater. It was a movie filmed entirely during the era just after the Manhattan Project. That’s all the information I gathered before I promptly slept during the whole thing. I’m sure if you asked Sam what it was about, he could tell you.
In short, our visit to the American Museum of Science and Energy was incredible. If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, I highly suggest stopping by. Maybe if you tell them you know someone from Los Alamos, you, too, can get the celebrity treatment.
Lake Santeetlah, NC
November 16th, 2021
This day was special to me in so many ways.
Not only did we stumble upon one of the most gorgeous campsites, but we allowed ourselves to sleep in as long as we wanted. No alarms, no expectations for the day. Even after we woke up, we stayed in bed and watched whatever we wanted. That isn’t the only thing special about this day though.
No, this day was even more special because it was Sam’s birthday!
Sam and I have been dating just shy of six years, yet we’ve only been physically together for two of his birthdays. Don’t get me wrong, we definitely celebrated during our first four years of long distance, but a nice phone call pales in comparison to actually being together to celebrate the day. I wish I could say we made the most of our first time together for his 22nd birthday, but we were both bedridden with COVID this time last year.
So, that brings us to this day. November 16th, 2021. The first (real) birthday of his that we could spend together after almost six years. And let me tell you, we really made the most of that day.
I definitely sprinted up and down a hill to grab my camera for this shot before it faded away. Talk about commitment. Seriously, though, I am obsessed with these beams of light that I call God's rays.
After lazing around for most of the morning, Sam and I made some delicious breakfast, hunted for firewood, and eventually set up some hammocks. His hammock was right beside mine, if not a little higher. I had the brilliant idea of grabbing a pillow to take with us, so you can imagine how comfortable we were.
With a book in each of our hands, we read for countless hours. Gently swaying in the wind, freshly fallen leaves quietly dropping onto us, we immersed ourselves into our own worlds. The only other way I can think of describing this moment is “content.” It was only slightly less content when Sam insisted we do his favorite activity: jumping in cold water. Oh, the things you do for love.
The clouds above the lake provided some great ingredients for a pretty sunset. Fun fact: I set my phone up between two algae-covered rocks to get this shot. Totally worth the slime.
Eventually, the grumbling in our stomachs told us to get our butts ready to make dinner. Can you guess what we made for this very special occasion? I’ll give you a hint: caramelized onions are involved. And pickles. And buns.
That’s right, we made birthday burgers!
What better time to take a selfie than when you're waiting for dinner to cook?
The birthday boy's cheesecake was also quite delicious.
The sugar coma wasn’t enough to stop me from devouring a few marshmallows by the fire, though. The night was warm, the fire warmer. We could have stayed out there all night if we wanted to. Even the moon, nearly full, welcomed us with a blanket of light draped across the landscape. With no earthly grasp of time, we crawled back into the teardrop when we felt like it.
To end our amazing celebration of Sam’s life, we sat back and watched Bladerunner 2048. I can’t wait to watch those three hours through again, so that really tells you how much I enjoyed that movie. Definitely in my top five, definitely the best way to end the day.
We couldn’t resist staying another few days at that little campsite by the lake. Off the top of my head, I really can’t remember how long we stayed. I felt a little bit like Odysseus when he washed ashore on Calypso’s island -- what felt like days turned out to be months. Or, in our case, what felt like months turned out to be days.
We thought about hiking, but couldn’t resist the allure of reading in those hammocks. The sun warmed our skins for what felt like the first time in months. No, we wasted not a single ray of sunlight. We spent so much time staring at that lake during the days that I felt as if I really got to know her moods. The clear calm of the mornings gave way to the quiet front of a storm, and I got to watch every part of that.
I mean, seriously. How much more comfortable can you be?
Getting to know these small pockets of the world, that’s what I came onto the Gap Year for. I cherish these moments where I not only get to observe nature in her full glory, but I also get to be a part of her inner workings. I get to enjoy the beginning, middle, and end of storms. I get to see how important water is for an area that seems to have plenty.
I’ll spare you the rest of my preaching, but please note that I could go on and on and on.
I took so many photos of this tree because of how picturesque it was with the lake and mountains in the background.
Interesting how different times of day allow for different moments with the same subject.
Absolute. Beauty. For real though, does this not seem like it should be on an album cover? What would the band name be?
We ventured from camp one day to explore more of the forest around the lake.
I love this photo so much, the bright yellows of the leaves and blue of the water contrast so nicely. The fallen leaves against the reflection of the tree they came from is also a nice touch.
We stopped by part of the river to enjoy to sound of rushing water.
Our goal for the drive was to get a good look at one of the many dams that are found in the area. This was the only decent shot I could get from behind a chain link fence.
Sam, the hero, took advantage of the unlocked gate when I refused to go through.
This is the shot he got after sprinting to the edge. I think the risk payed off. Just look at all that water flowing!
I made Sam pull over the second I saw this big ol' hawk land on a branch right beside the road.
When it started to rain, we hid inside the Teardrop and watched some reality TV to pass the time. I hate to say it, but I really enjoy these lazy moments.
Our time at the lake was an island of peace surrounded by excitement. We really didn’t do much while we were there, simply recharge our drained energy cells. Once we left, we headed straight to Sam’s grandparent’s house in Lincolnton, Georgia.
The Stringfield Clan
Back in the day, Sam used to visit his Georgian family during the summers. He would stay through the summer and, as the youngest cousin by years and years, was subject to quite the shenanigans.
A few years ago, I joined Sam to attend his cousin Seth’s wedding. During that short weekend I met nearly everyone there was to meet, and then some. Even from the snippets of information he whispered to me, it was hard to fully understand where the branches of the family tree sprouted. What I did understand, though, is that the Stringfield Clan is a tightly knit family with a ferocious flavor of love. Funny how much that makes me feel at home.
Sam and I pulled into Grandma and Bappa’s driveway with an odd mixture of excitement and nervousness. Right as we pulled in, we noticed that Grandma began to drive away. We got out of the car and watched as she drove all the way to the edge of the driveway, paused, then reversed back towards the house. Sam and I laughed, melting any trepidation we may have held.
Many greetings and hugs followed suit. We showed his grandparents the teardrop as his little cousin Finley Ann ran around our legs. Not more than half an hour later, his older cousins Cody and Caleb came by with hellos in the form of teasing.
Finley Ann. This child gave the candy man a run for his money; she kept pulling out bags and bags of candy from different nooks and crannies. The worst part? I kept eating it.
In total, we spent nearly two weeks with Sam’s family in Georgia. During all that time, we did both a lot and very little, all at the same time. Our first full day was spent enjoying Lincolnton’s Pioneer Days, where locals congregate and chew on their good Southern snacks. We, of course, indulged in the boiled peanuts.
You bet we partook in the boiled peanuts at Pioneer Days.
This is an old factory from Augusta's early days. After church, Grandma and Bappa showed us around their old neighborhoods they grew up in just down the street from here.
Many of our days ended with a gigantic home cooked meal from Grandma. Fueled by cigarettes and coffee, she is a powerhouse of a woman that never stops caring for the people around her. Oftentimes when she’d cook dinner, she would intentionally cook more than necessary, just in case someone dropped by and wanted to eat. When Sam and I first saw the sheer magnitude of food that she cooked, we obviously took it upon ourselves to keep anything from going to waste.
Let me tell you, we nearly ate ourselves to death every day. Honestly, you’d think we were starved before coming into Georgia. Eventually we took to the trails for some semblance of a work out. Nearly every other day we went for a hike, trying our hardest to run away from yesterday’s tasty sins. Southern food may be the death of me, but I’ll surely be happy during my last moments.
My cause of death won't be from the food, it'll surely be from all the sweet tea. It's like there's an insatiable demon inside me that just won't stop drinking it. Help.
Sam and I have especially grown fond of Grandma's french toast. I think she's caught on, because each mound of toast just gets bigger and bigger.
One night we decided to join Allie, Finley, and Finley's Papa for a bluegrass concert held in a tractor supply store. I don't think it's possible to say a more Southern sentence.
Our second weekend was spent in Helen, GA when Grandma and Bappa took us to shop in the German-like town.
Chocolate covered bananas are so delicious, I told Sam that I was going to buy two even if he didn't want one. Unfortunately, he wanted one.
Here we are in taking a break after working off some of those delicious meals.
Grandma and Bappa weren’t the only ones who fed us; we made sure to bum a few meals off of Sam’s cousins. Our first night of mooching was spent with Allie and her family. Her husband Jared fed us shrimp and grits, all while their kids, Finley and Bryce, watched SpongeBob. One of the highlights of our dinner talk had to be when Sam asked Jared about his taxidermy business. Yeah, maybe not the best dinner topic, but you have to admit it’s interesting! Most animals you can name, I’m sure he’s stuffed ‘em.
Allie also gave us a house tour, which I really enjoyed since she is a DIY queen. Wherever you look, from the tables to the smallest decorative accents, she’s probably done something to it. I think my favorite addition was their cabinets. They got them free because they were destined for the landfill, but Allie swooped in and gave them another life. How cool is that?
Cousin Seth and his baby, Nash, stopped by to say hi at Allie's
We mooched from cousin Seth’s house next. Since we had just eaten with Allie & Co., we expected a similar night of one on one chatting with Seth, his wife Keele, and their baby Nash. Nope, we should have known that it wouldn’t be that easy. A lot of their friends joined us, and it made for an unexpectedly fun time. We played games to pass the time as some delicious burgers were made. Sam even said they were close to the best homemade hamburgers he’s ever had, which is really saying something because that boy loves his burgers.
Uncle Ricky and aunt Cassy fed us and cousin Jared one night, as well. We went to a Vietnamese place with decent pho. My little Seattleite heart was happy to have that delicious dish again.
That same night they took us all the way across town to look at the blow up Christmas decorations.
We spent Thanksgiving day with a good chunk of Sam’s family members at his aunt and uncle’s house. His uncle John was actually the one who cooked nearly everything and oh my goodness did everything taste like a slice of heaven. My absolute favorite had to be the stuffed mushrooms he made as an appetizer. They didn’t even last by the time dinner started, and that’s for a good reason . . . I may have played a large part in their disappearance.
After dinner, we spent most of our time chatting with cousin Chase and his wife Casey, as well as with Cody. Those boys have lived quite a crazy life. I particularly enjoyed the stories that included Sam as a wee tween, getting into trouble with his older cousins. I like to think of this blog as family-friendly, so I won’t be sharing any of those stories -- just know that I laughed my butt off listening to them.
John Luke, one of Chase's twins, has a killer smile. Man, who knew a baby could so effortlessly photogenic?
A big portion of our time here was spent playing with some of the little second cousins. Here Sam is playing with Cara May as I try my hardest to finish up last weeks' post.
Can you believe this little girl was scared of Sam for the first five minutes she saw him? Yeah, that changed quickly.
Somehow she and Finley wrangled us into playing a game of hide-and-seek. Also, please ignore Sam's horrifically deformed face - my camera did him dirty.
Uh, oh. Someone got discovered.
Near the end of our first two weeks with Grandma and Bappa, Sam and I began to pack for a mini trip to South Carolina. A while back, we made plans with some family friends who live in Aiken, SC. They kindly offered to let us stay with them in their Airbnb, and we couldn’t pass up the chance to hang out and stay in such a beautiful area.
But that’s a story for next week’s post ;)
I can’t express how grateful we are to everyone who has fed us, hung out with us, or let us sleep under their roof. I understand that family is important, and most of y’all didn’t blink an eye when treating us, but I can’t shake this feeling of absolute gratitude. Whether you donated your time to be with us or your money to feed us, we cannot thank you enough. We’ve been so taken care of during our time in Georgia, it’s going to be hard to leave.
Thankfully, we won’t be leaving for good until the New Year.
Speaking of, I’d like to queue you into our plans for the next few weeks, since they might be a little confusing.
Time for a Debriefing
Next week’s post will be all about our mini-road-trip through South Carolina and southern Georgia.
Spoiler alert: by the time you read this, we'll have just gotten back from that trip. Shhhh.
I’ll be writing and editing for the post all next week and post just in time for Sam and I to fly back to New Mexico for Christmas. I’ve decided I’ll be taking that week off from writing so that we can truly enjoy our limited time with family without any stress of the next post.
Yeah, you heard me. That means next week’s post will be my last post of 2021! It’s hard to believe that we’ve been on the road for nearly three months already. It feels like both years and days since we left Los Alamos for Mesa Verde, inevitably being late and missing our very first tour of the year. By the time the New Year comes around, we’ll have been to 15 states, 10 National Parks, and driven over 11,000 miles.
Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s still one more post between us and 2022, and I’m beyond excited to share it with you.
Until then, I hope you enjoy our stories and the photos that join them. Oh, and don’t forget to share your favorite photo!
Housekeeping
Hi friend,
If you’re new to my page, welcome!
If not, then it’s really nice to see you again :)
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Without further ado, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day.
Best,
Kes the Photobean
P.S. If you have an Instagram and want to follow us, that would be awesome!
You can follow Sam's perspective of our travels at @RobiTrailers,
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Great post!
I love the photo of the wet road in the forest. Reminded me of my backroads drive to work when we lived in Virginia. But favorite is the silhouette of THE tree against the purple sky. I'll be needing a print of that one! I'll be in touch via email for that bit of business.