After our stay in Chattanooga, we decided to take a few days off and visit one of Kristal's old friends in the town of Oak Ridge, just outside of Knoxville. It was nice to relax and spend some quality time on the inside, enjoying such novelties as daily showers, unlimited internet and air conditioning.
Oak Ridge is renowned as being one of the production sites for the Manhattan Project, helping to develop the atomic bomb. Here's The Guest House, closed down now, where such notable scientists as Openheimer and Fermi stayed during that time.
Sharon and Dave were excellent hosts, showing us all there was to see in the area. We spent a day hiking through the beautiful Frozen Head State Park.
We spent quite a while salamander hunting near the waterfalls.
Sharon is an ecologist, so the hike was quite informative, and we made several stops to check out many of the interesting plants and bugs. It felt very much like being on a grade school field trip.
We also experienced some awesome southern cooking and had a fantastic visit. Thanks guys!
So great to see you! Remember, you're always invited back if you're in the area. Showers, internet and air-conditioning/heating are guaranteed, as is bbq. Grade-school insects collecting trips, however, are conditional on visiting between the months of March and November:)
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