Matt and John had planned on spending a couple of nights camping in the Smoky Mountains on their way to the coast and we were more than happy with the idea! On our way out of Nashville Liann and I went to a Bass Pro and bought a cheap tent and (crap) airbeds. A bit of an expense but I saw it as an investment towards cheap accommodation in the future and after all we had just saved a lot of money on car hire!

After a LONG drive across Tennessee past the very odd town of Pigeon Forge, past Dollywood and through Gatlinburg we arrived in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park at nightfall. The sunset illuminated the mist rising from the forest and it was easy to where the Smokies get their name. The national park campsites are well organised, each individual plot has a tent pitch, picnic table, fire pit and parking spot. Everyone is in together from two man tents to HGV sized RV's all for $20. The only thing missing, which seemed a bit odd was a shower! Having been to the store on the way we settled down to our BBQ and had a few drinks

The Smokies are split between Tennessee and North Carolina so the next day we headed south over the mountains and to the North Carolina side of the park for another night before heading for the coast the next day!

On the 8 hour drive across North Carolina we stopped in a small city called Ashville for some lunch and finally made it to near the coast by about 10-11 at night. We managed to find a Motel with enough room for 4, at $80 it wasn't as cheap as we'd have liked but needs must! Time to rest up in a comfy bed, take a warm shower and get ready for reaching the Outer banks of North Carolina the next day.