Lots of national parks, food, and spontaneity. Nothing will beat a good family trip; at least, when your parents have more of a gap year mindset (re: willing to accept little planning and tons of whimsy) than you. For instance: a wrong turn led us to pass by Gaffney, the real-but-adapted hometown of Frank Underwood. A few wrong turns and a right turn (after a phone call to a very unused number and a local's help) led us to the real-but-fictional headstone of Frank Underwood. A turn that I thought might have been "wrong",[^1] a few months ago, has now led us here — the rolling hills & smiling hospitality of Shenandoah & Richmond; the crisp mountain air & beers on tap in the Smokies & Asheville. Couldn't be happier. [^1]: Less a strictly "worse" choice, more just a different choice, one where it's hard not to wonder what the other path would have turned out to be.