Exit Right

The air held that musty feel of rain, mixed with the clean country air smell of wood and leaves. Sean and I had been driving barely 3 hours since leaving Nashville, TN. We had gone north to film a wedding. A short trip filled with pockets of exploring. We had found ourselves in all sorts of places, from hipster coffee houses eating croissant donuts, fighting our way down Broadway St. at midnight through the masses, while a drummer free-styled at passersbyers, to quaint little cafes where a family plucked bluegrass music like it was their living room. In fact, just that morning I tried this blueberry lavender coffee and handed it to my friend, Ryan, to try. No Joke- he took a sip and said, “wow,” while at the same time a giant monarch butterfly fluttered down almost landing on his shoulder before fluttering off. I mean.. It was like a movie. That sums up our trip pretty well.

On the way home while just passing through Chattanooga, TN, we passed a sign for the next town and it read, “New Hope.” Sean felt that was worthy of an exit, so there in the middle of nowhere Tennessee we took the exit right, to New Hope. Not having a clue what was ahead we slipped into a valley along a little road that snaked through the hills and trees, dumping us out along a railroad track that ran parallel with a lake.

Eager to explore, we leapt out with cameras in hand. We attempted to skip rocks, collected giant pieces of driftwood, and found picture-worthy shots. Times like these go a long way for our creative hearts. They are that wonderful feeling of plunging into cool water on a blazing day. They wake you up, and remind you there is so much hope and potential out there, you just have to exit right.  

*Pictures captured by Sean himself!