Rocky Top

You can tell it rained during the night. Some of the pavement is dry, some of the pavement is still shiny from being wet. The sky is cloudy and gray. You do not see any sign of the sun. The grass and trees nearby are glistening with raindrops. You don't see any bugs and only a few birds. The insects and animals can sense storms approaching. The morning is quiet and it is already starting to get warm.

You travel down the road under the graying sky to Atlanta. Your family grabs a really quick breakfast at a Waffle House. When you step back outside the cloud cover has become denser. It is also still getting warmer. There are flower beds nearby, but the flowers didn't bloom. Your parents travel to where they have to  load and unload. You watch them working. The sun is still behind the clouds but is more visible. It is 90 degrees out and the humidity makes it feel hotter. After your parents start loading it starts to pour. The rain is nice, but it is freezing. The rain here in the south is typically warm. Your mom gets in and is soaked. She has to leave her glasses in the vehicle because they keep clouding up. The rain doesn't seize, but your parents forge on and finish loading. When they get back in they both have sunburns and wet hair. They dry off some and leave the business.


You make a pit stop at a little restaurant and get some ice cream. The ice cream tastes great. You watch outside. You watch the planes coming and going from the airport. Atlanta is home to the world's busiest airport so it doesn't surprise you how many planes are coming and leaving. Most of the planes you see are United Airlines. The silver bodies of the jets with the red and blue stripes down the sides are unmistakable. You drive through Atlanta making your way back to the freeway. The businesses in the area have the bars across their windows and they all look like they have seen hard times. You make it to the freeway and leave Atlanta.

It has stopped raining by the time you get out of the city. It took you almost 3 hours to go 30 miles to get out of the city. You hit rush hour traffic. Rush hour in Boise, ID is nothing compared to Atlanta. When you think of Atlanta rush hour, think about a million ants after their nest has been stepped on. Except in Atlanta, it is all of those ants going one direction. Outside Atlanta, you see lining the freeway. All of the trees are choked in ivy. The ivy winds itself around the tree branches and suffocates them. Above the treetops, the clouds still look angry. You still don't see very many animals. The storm is still cooking, waiting for the timer to ding.

You leave Georgia and enter Tennessee. Before you get to Chattanooga the storm releases its fury. Your dad stops at the welcome center because the visibility dropped from 4 miles to 20 feet in a matter of seconds. Your radio suddenly blares to life spouting off a flash flood warning. The rain is pounding on the roof. You hear thunder and see lightning. Your dog curls up in your arms and you comfort her. Just as fast as the storm started, it passes. It only leaves some rain. You leave the rest area and continue on your way. The sun is unveiled and beats down on the Earth. It is still raining, but the sun is shining. The sun is going down as you drive through Chattanooga. It is hard to believe just a couple days ago a horrid crash occurred right here on this same road.  The sun completely sinks behind the horizon by the time you get to Rocky Top, TN where you go to sleep.