Sept 17
It's Monday morning, and we're hitting the road to Music City, USA...YEE-HAW!! Now you could say this is "Mom's Trip - Part 2"...in 2005, I took Mom on a tour of South Carolina and we had a great time, so I thought we'd try it again. Got up bright and early this morning and we were on the road by 7:30. We had excellent driving conditions - sunny and warm. Traffic was light and it was quiet at the border when we arrived in St. Stephen around 9:15. And dealing with U.S. Customs was quite painless too, just a few questions and we were on our way. Stopped for gas a few times - Portland, ME, Sturbridge, MA, and Milford, PA. And, of course, what's a road trip without snacks!! Mom had packed some egg sandwiches for the trip and Dad sent along some his home-made chocolate chip cookies. They were delicious...thanks Dad! It was getting late (about 9:30pm) as we rolled into Stroudsburg, PA, so we decided to find our way to the local Wal-Mart for the overnight stay. The Wal-Mart chain is very accommodating when it comes to RVs. If at anytime, an RVer needs to stop to rest during a long trip, most locations will allow you to park your rig in their parking lot overnight. In return, we give them our business whenever possible.
Sept 18
Woke up to beautiful clear skies this morning. Had some breakfast, then strolled over to the Wal-Mart to get some last minute supplies. On the road about 9:00, stopping for fuel in Carlisle, PA., Staunton, VA. and Bristol, VA. Crossed the Tennessee border around 7:30pm, then started thinking about where we'd stop for the night. By 8:00, we reached Kingsport, TN. I knew there was a Wal-Mart Super Center nearby, so we decided to stop here. We lucked out, easily finding the store. Parked the rig and walked over to the store for a little browsing.Sept 19
Hit the road for our final travel day. We're currently about 5 hours from Nashville...should be a relatively easy day!! Stopped for gas in Crossville, TN then, finally, around 1:00pm Central Time we arrived. I can't believe it! We're in the Country Music Capital of the World - Nashville, Tennessee!! Driving through the city looking for our campground, I'm having a hard time keeping my eyes on the road, as we go past so many famous landmarks...the Grand Ole Opry, The legendary Opryland Hotel and The Country Music Hall of Fame...this is so cool!! We did eventually reach our destination safe and sound - the Two Rivers Campground. And as it turns out, the campground is just down the street from the Grand Ole Opry. Cool! This campground is quite nice - very clean and neat with concrete patios and lots of shade trees. I think we're going to like it here! Holy crap it's warm here...330C!! I'm not accustomed to this sort of weather for late September!! Relaxed a bit at the campground, then we decided to eat out for supper. I heard there was a "Hard Rock Cafe" in town, so we thought we'd try it. Found the restaurant without too much trouble. There we met Ludah. Ludah was our waiter, and what a character he was! Once he learned this was Mom's first Nashville visit, he grabbed a chair, sat down and went on to talk for some time about his beloved hometown. We had a great time...and hadn't even ordered any food yet!! Mom eventually decided on a Citrus Chicken Salad, and I ordered the Barbequed Beef Sandwich. Everything was very good.Sept 20
Finally, an opportunity to sleep late... :) Don't have much planned for today. About the only thing on the agenda is tonight's NHL game between the Nashville Predators and the Atlanta Thrashers. Late this morning we decided to head downtown to see what we can see and scope things out for tonight's hockey game. Stopped into a few stores to pick up some souvenirs. Back to the trailer for supper, relaxed for awhile then drove to the Nashville Arena for the game.Sept 21
Today we visited the Opryland Hotel and The Country Music Hall of Fame. Both places were very impressive... People were telling us that the Hotel has to be seen to be believed, but no way could I have been prepared for what we found. Totally out of this world. We walked in and were dumbfounded...confused...amazed. In the middle of their lobby/atrium/courtyard (I have no idea what to call it), was a winding river (yes, a river!) surrounding an island (yes, an island!), that features boat tours (yes, boat tours!). It was a very interesting atmosphere, with 20 foot tall palm trees on the "mainland", while the river had a bit of a bayou look and feel. There were gift shops, bars and restaurants on the island. One of the restaurants had a balcony that overlooked three waterfalls! And to think that all of this is inside a hotel! Unreal or what!!Next stop was the Country Music Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame details the history of country music from it's humble beginnings in the 1800's to today's current batch of country singers. Exhibits include a home-made banjo from the 1890's, cars once owned by Elvis Presley and Webb Pierce, original handwritten lyric notes from different songwriters and other tributes to various pioneers in country music. One of the more impressive displays was a three story high wall featuring every gold record ever awarded!! Almost 10,000 of them!!
Sept 22
Today is Grand Ole Opry day...YAY!! Had some breakfast here at the trailer, then we thought we'd head out to do some more shopping. Late this afternoon we barbequed some burgers for supper, then walked over to the campground office to catch the shuttle for the Opry House. What a fabulous show. An excellent combination of veteran artists, current day entertainers as well as some "up and comers". The lineup included 'Little' Jimmy Dickens, Porter Wagoner, Charlie Pride, Blaine Larson, Sherrie Austin, Mountain Heart, Doyle Dykes and Sawyer Brown. Excellent show!Sept 23
We've had warm weather all week, with temperatures in the mid 30's, but today takes the cake...HOOOWEEEE...it was a hot one!! The temperature hit 38oC (100oF)!! Nothing really planned for today, so we thought we'd take it easy. Earlier this week I had noticed a Shoney's Restaurant just down the street, and this being a lazy Sunday, I decided we should go out for breakfast. So we headed over to Shoney's and took advantage of their famous all you can eat Breakfast Buffet. Oh my God, it was good!! Shoney's specializes in southern food, and I love southern food...especially at breakfast. Fried chicken (yes, for breakfast!), biscuits and gravy, grits, fried apples, plus all the typical stuff - eggs bacon, sausage, pancakes. You name it, it was there! By the time we were done, we were stuffed. Later on, we decided we should probably get some chores done - we needed to replenish the pantry then do laundry. So this afternoon we picked up some groceries, then had Chicken Fajitas for supper. Yummy!! Once supper was over, it was time to take care of the laundry. Afterwards, we wandered out front to the campground store, because I thought I had heard a band warming up out there earlier. Sure enough, there was a little stage set up directly behind the store and a band called 'Hot Damn' was on stage...and they were good!!Sept 24
A bit cooler today...the mercury only hit 37oC... :) This afternoon we decided to drive out to Lynchburg, TN. to visit the Jack Daniels distillery. Very interesting story... When Jack was two, his mother died. A couple years later, his father, Calaway Daniel, remarried, but little Jack didn't take it lightly. With twelve brothers and sisters, he was a neglected kid. So he ran away—all the way to the neighbor's farm, where "Uncle Felix" (no relation) lived. A short time later, one of the community's leaders took the boy in. The Reverend Dan Call was a Lutheran preacher who owned a general store and a still at a place called Louse Creek, and he needed an apprentice. Not only did Jack find a home— he found a trade as well. Jack grew up working for Call, and learned all there was to know about the art of distilling whiskey. In 1863, Call sold the still to Jack who was merely 13 years old. In 1866 Jack registered his distillery, making it the oldest distillery in the United States. As the story goes, the reason for Jack relocating to Lynchburg was the water. Looking for a reliable source of good water, Jack decided to move his operation to the Cave Spring area. The Cave Spring's water was cool, clear and free of iron. Jack wanted fresh water with a minimum of undesirable impurities that can ruin whiskey. He found it. And to this day, Cave Spring still supplies water to the distillery. Jack passed away at the age of 61 from complications of gangrene. Jack had no wife or children, leaving the distillery to be handed down to his nephew, Lem. Lem continued to operate the distillery in much the same way as Jack had.Sept 25
Today we'll be doing a guided bus tour of the city. We had booked a spot on the 9:00am tour, so we wandered over to the campground store just before 9 to catch our bus. But there's no bus! So we wait for 5 minutes...10...15 minutes...still no bus. What is going on?! I walk inside to inquire. The campground folks are as confused as I am. They call the tour company. Apparently there's been a mix up. They thought the customers at Two Rivers Campground (namely, us) had rescheduled. GREAT! Looks like we'll need to wait until the 1:30pm tour. Okay. Now we have the morning to kill. Mom looks at me..."Since our morning is free, let's go shopping!!". Oh boy... :( Eventually 1:30 rolls around and we actually get on a bus this time...YAY!! We've decided on "Tootsie's Tours". Now you may think that's an odd name for a tour company, but there's actually a lot of history behind the name Tootsie. Tootsie opened a bar on Broadway in downtown Nashville and coincidentally (or not), Tootsie's back door was situated across an alley way from the back door of The Grand Ole Opry (when it was still taking place at the Ryman Auditorium). Over time, Tootsie's became the between-sets watering hole of choice for the Opry performers. Needless to say, Tootsies became quite famous...the 'in' place to be! Anyhow, back to the tour...Bobbie Green is our driver, and he is a character...and a great story teller to boot!! He first takes us to the Franklin, TN area to drive by the stars' homes. And there are some nice ones! Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn (of 'Brooks and Dunn'), Martina McBride, Ronny Milsap, Alan Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Tammy Wynette, and many more. These are beautiful homes!Sept 26
Well, this is a sad day. It's nearing the end of vacation and it's time to leave Nashville...:( So we pack up and hit the road around 8:00am. Stopped for gas in Knoxville, TN., Clear Brook, VA. and Winchester, VA. As we pulled into the Flying J Travel Center in Winchester, I noticed the wind was really picking up. Then it started to rain as I was gassing up the truck. I run into the store, pay for my gas and then run back to the truck. It's starting to rain heavier. Hmmm, it's around 9:00 pm, there's lots of room in this parking lot if we want to stay here for the night. Nah, let's try to go a bit further. (Just a few minutes later...) Holy crap, it's raining like crazy...it's coming down in sheets, and it's black out...I'm mean BLACK!! I can't see 20 feet in front of us! Who had the bright idea to leave that nice cozy Flying J behind, and drive in this hellish weather?? Oh...right...that was me. We drive on for maybe another 15 minutes until we arrive in Martinsburg, WV. where we come across a Cracker Barrell. Excellent! Cracker Barrell is another business that permits RVs to park overnight. We roll into their parking lot, park the truck and crash for the night.Sept 27
Morning arrives, and we're not alone. It appears that two other RVs were seeking refuge from the storm and ended up spending the night here at the Cracker Barrell as well. We had a quick breakfast in the trailer, grab some coffees over at the restaurant, and then back on the road. Fuel stops included Easton, PA., Sturbridge, MA., and Gray, ME. By evening we reached Brewer, ME. This seemed like a good place to stop for the night since I knew exactly where to find the Wal-Mart.
Sept 28
The final morning of our journey. Not far to go now. Only about four hours from Saint John. Had some cereal for breakfast, and at 7:00am Eastern Time we hit the road for the final leg of the trip.
(about four hours later...)
It's 11:45am Atlantic Time and we've just pulled into the driveway at home. Time to relax. Another marathon trip under our belts and we've had a great time. We saw some amazing sights, heard some fabulous country music and met some wonderful people. We logged 5728 kms for this trip. It was a nice change of pace. Normally we would have several areas in mind where we want to spend time. This trip we had one destination in mind. It worked out well.
Let's see, what can I say about Tennessee...well...Tennessee is like nowhere else. Tennessee is music; Tennessee is southern hospitality; Tennessee is mountains and Tennessee is rivers and streams. Tennessee is a breath of fresh air. Simply put, Tennessee is heaven on earth.
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