#loyalrav4

I’ve lived in St. Louis, Missouri, also known as the “Gateway to the West,” for 5 months now. Coming from the Northern New Jersey/Metro New York area, it’s very different here, that’s for sure. During some Facebook chat, my mom suggested we meet up in Gatlinburg, Tennessee for the 4th of July weekend, I couldn’t resist the invite! I think if I had to choose coastal living or mountain living, it would always be the mountains.

Thinking about which Toyota model would make a great “Getaway from the Gateway” vehicle, the RAV4 hit the spot. This RAV4 was also in the rare Hot Lava color, making it even sportier. I wasted no time gearing up the essentials and left early Friday morning with my partner in the passenger seat as “navigator.” From St. Louis to Gatlinburg is about an 8-9 hour drive and I didn’t want to rush it. My partner used the Roadtrippers app to find some cool spots along our route (that’s how we found Metropolis, Illinois - home of Superman). Seriously. But I’ll get into that in a minute.

Cruising on the highway in this RAV4 was pretty fantastic. Really comfortable seating and I found it to have good acceleration and passing power all while averaging 28 mpg. We stopped at Cracker Barrel for breakfast somewhere in Illinois, one of my favorite breakfast spots during a road trip.

After a good breakfast and nearly 4 hours into our road trip, we stopped at a town called Metropolis. Apparently the “Home of Superman,” this town has a Superman Museum and gift shop along with a 15 ft. bronze Superman statue on Superman Square, no less. Truth, Justice and the American Way, for sure!

After a short visit with Superman, we drove south into Nashville, Knoxville and finally Gatlinburg, TN. Nearly 6 more hours of driving after Superman, but every mile was pretty comfortable sitting behind the wheel of this RAV4. Nashville’s highways were a mess and apparently the LARGEST fireworks show in the United States is held here. I did not know that. Once we arrived in Gatlinburg, it was just in time for some homemade spaghetti with the family followed by fun in the water park.

Our next day in Gatlinburg was a big deal, it was July 4th and America’s birthday! Before the fireworks show that evening, we did some exploring in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I really do love the mountains! That town below the overlook is “main street” Gatlinburg in Tennessee.

Don’t you find it funny how time flies when you’re having so much fun? Time with family in Gatlinburg was amazing and we loved it so much, but we had to get back home to St. Louis. With that, we said our goodbyes (not before getting a round of Miniature Golf and another water park visit, haha). If you’ve been following me for a bit, you know I love my coffee and also my doughnuts. Krispy Kreme doughnuts remind me so much of North Carolina and where I grew up so we HAD to make a stop for a half dozen (even with the manager trying to convince us we needed a FULL dozen). This stop was right outside of Knoxville. We continued driving and my partner suggested we make a stop in Nashville that we missed out on while driving into Gatlinburg. I couldn’t agree more!

There’s something great about a latte and this artisan chocolate was also a nice treat. Barista Parlor, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is rated well on Yelp and for good reason. We encountered friendly service along with tasty lattes. If you’re ever in the area, check this place out.

When we walked outside to leave Barista Parlor, we found that the Hot Lava attracted this ELEMENT in a lighter but similar color. I had an ELEMENT myself back in 2004/2005 and really liked it, but mine was before Honda got “all fancy” with painted panels. Haha!

550 miles and 9 hours later, we arrived in St. Louis, but it was late and a camera “issue” wouldn’t allow me to snap a long exposure shot in front of Busch Stadium...so the next morning, I snapped this one across the Mississippi River to mark it as “We’re Home.”

Since I still had the RAV4 for a few days, I figure why not take advantage of the large interior and do some mountain biking. This area in downtown St. Louis is peppered with warehouse space and abandoned factories, but makes for adventure-filled riding. I also think it’s a great gritty and industrial look for photography. Just keep alert, if you know what I mean.

Urban riding is one thing but I also wanted to get out on some trails. I drove the RAV4 about 60 miles west into Cuivre River State Park. This is the same park I visited with Kathryn Ragsdale of Toyota (Bodine Aluminum Plant) during my cross country road trip, CamryTour, last year in June. Funny how a year later, I found myself at the same park. Trails were really wet but lots of fun and a lot of hill climbing with rocky terrain. Can’t wait to go back and explore some more.

After a good scrubbing at a local car wash, the RAV4 was ready to head back to Chicago. I’ll also tell you that the interior is pretty fantastic to clean up. I used a moist towel to clean the interior of any dirt smudges from the mountain bike. I was pretty impressed how easily the interior carpet and seat fabric cleaned right up like new.

I found the RAV4 to be an excellent vehicle for my lifestyle. Ample power out of the 2.5 Liter 4 cylinder engine, good on gas, versatile interior and very comfortable. This particular RAV4 was in XLE trim and included the Entune Premium Audio with Navigation and App Suite. The XM radio was really appreciated on our long trip...along with the dual zone climate control. Funny how “comfortable” can be a difference of 1 degree, LOL. Moonroof was used quite often and in the open vent mode, it was really quiet. Think whisper quiet. Loved it.