Gatlinburg Bound
In exactly a week's time I shall be in Dublin, awaiting my flight to Washington, where I will catch my connecting flight to Knoxville, TN. I am beyond excited. Not only will this be my first time travelling outside Europe, but I will have the distinct pleasure of meeting many members of The Writers' Block and several other prominent Steemians.
This hastily arranged meetup is not purely social: there are the future plans of The Writers' Block on the agenda with us discussing a presentation from certain devs that will propel our community onto bigger and better things. Thanks to @neoxian, I was able to take out a loan to pay for my flights - without this I would not have been able to make it and I am eternally grateful.
Over the past few weeks many people have donated both to myself and @thewritersblock - who also took out a loan to pay for the hire of a cabin for us. Huge thanks to everyone who has supported us. I would like to give a special thanks to @enginewitty who sent along the income from 7 daily posts to me. I can't wait to meet you in person to thank you. Expect a few man hugs.
While so excited, I am also quite apprehensive. This is the furthest I have traveled, certainly on my own. My last solo trip was to Portugal last year for Steemfest. Will I catch my flights in time? Will I get held up by security? What do I do if something happens over the Atlantic? I'm not that great a swimmer. What if my MS rears its ugly head and puts me on my back in the next week? What if it happens in the States? Yes, I worry perhaps a little too much. I'm sure all will be fine and that once I finally arrive, I will have the time of my life.
This is one of the greatest things I have experienced since signing up to Steem just over a year ago. The generosity of the wider community knows no bounds and last year helped me get to Portugal. Thanks again to Steem I get to travel to America next week. As someone who cannot work due to ill health, this is absolutely amazing to me and is incredibly humbling. Despite the negativity that is displayed at times on Steem, it is still an incredible place filled with incredible people.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://www.muxxy.co.uk/2018/06/13/96/
All photos courtesy of Pixabay.
Thank you very much. We plan to have a blast.
Oh, probably shouldn't have said that, what with catching 3 flights....oops.
Congrats and have fun in Gatlinburg. Be sure to check out the free distilleries and sample some moonshine. It's a great place to get a free buzz if you're into that sort of thing.
The ripley's aquarium is a bit overpriced for what it is.
Cades cove is a neat day trip if you have transportation. Takes about a days trip to do the entire cove (you can speed it up, but you get stuck a lot behind people looking at deer, bears, or otherwildlife). You can visit Abrams Falls while you're there as well.
Clingman's dome is also another scenic stop.
We are definitely doing Cades Cove, @gniksivart. I've already told Muxxy about it and he said YAAAASSS. I'm renting a van so we can drive through with the doors open and get all the wildlife pics near dusk-dark. I also want a photo of Muxxy beside the Revolutionary War soldier's grave. Just something about the fact that we're all at peace now, you know? :-) I'm afraid Abrams Falls might be a bit much of a hike for us not-so-healthy folk in the heat, but we'll see how it goes.
Barely over a week away! Pretty excited to see ya buddy, and I know I'm not the only one. Little warmer here though, be sure to dress accordingly ;)
Same here, looking forward to it.
Prepare for long uncomfortable man hugs...
I'm so glad you get to go! I hope it's ton of fun. My mom's side of the family is from Nashville, so you're near familiar territory for me C:
God bless you. @biblegateway
meh
You remind me of when I flew to Germany last Fall to attend school. The people were so wonderful in Iceland and the UK along the way. I flew Norwegian Air (highly recommended) and had a great time. You will too! :)
Hey good luck with the travel and maybe a set of armbands in your hand luggage would be a good idea, lol. I'm blown away by the generosity of people at steemit, it literally knows no bounds.
I hope you have a whale of a time and not with the ones in the ocean.
Thank you.
This may be one of my favorite posts of all time. Why? Because it's about you coming here, and me getting to meet you in person, and being able to spend a few days enjoying the good things in life. A week, Muxxy. A week! And we'll be headed to the airport to pick you up. :-)
I can hardly wait. Fun will be had, hugs will be exchanged. Many.