We left the beautiful Smokies early Thursday morning and started heading towards home. We stopped off at Rock City and went through their gardens - what a gorgeous place. Then, we headed towards the Natchez Trace Parkway. We were driving along the northern border of Alabama and the scenery was pretty boring, but the moment we turned onto the Trace, it was like we were in a different world. It was late in the day and the sunlight was at that "magical" time when everything was bathed in a warm glow.