One of the last experiences we had on the last day in Nashville is kind of hard to explain. The weather cleared up nicely, and turned very hot. To beat the heat we decided to hit the Opry Mills Mall which is probably one of the largest malls I have ever been too. It is right next to the Grand Ole Opry so we stopped by there and then spent a bit of time exploring the mall. Much of the other things we were planning on doing were in some way or another just not interesting us, so the kids agreed to hang out at the camp, order in some pizza and watch a movie while my wife and I would try a haunted tavern tour in downtown Nashville. We have never been on one but had always wanted to try. It was cheap and it would get it downtown Nashville with little trouble and into some of the bars that we would not normally pick to visit. We got to the meeting bar and met the other three couples. One set from Arkansas, one from Kentucky, and one recently moved from Ohio. We went on the tour, which truth be told was pretty cheesy, but it did get us to socialize with people we had never met before. They were all great couples and lots of fun to be with, but by the time we were done with the tour, some of them were harder drinkers than others. There were a couple of hard core bible thumpers, one of which tried to convert our aetheist tour guide, one was a psychic (who actually had ghost photos on her camera... cool!) and the rest had very interesting stories and backgrounds. Again it is hard to describe that night but suffice it too say that the picture (from Coyote Ugly) provided explains alot and that it was a fun and interesting night. We even had to call a taxi and pour one couple into so that they could go back home.. I highly suggest that given the opportunity, take one of these tours... you will be surprised what you get!
Did you know that Jesus had a hot air balloon team? I found this RV and matching trailer parked very near our campsite at the KOA in Nashville. Again the quest to find God has be curiouser and curiouser.
On leaving Nashville, my wife spotted a winery that was just a few miles off cource to Memphis, so we decided to visit it. It is the Arrington Vinyards and by chance it is own by Kix Brooks, the Brooks of the country western singing group Brooks and Dunn. I must say they make some very good wine, especially their Muscat and their Cabernet. We ended up with a case of different wines and an autographed vinyard poster by Kix Brooks which will go to my sister in Texas. As we moved on to Memphis, or more accurately, Millington, we were camping at the Meeman-Shebly state park, and about a mile outside of the entrance was the Shelby Forest General Store. I will talk more about this establishment in a later blog posting, but suffice it to say that this spot, was probably the best place I visited the entire trip. A general store was your favorite spot you say? Yep! As soon as you walk in, you get the instant feeling of being home and being completely welcome. Alot had to do with the staff, but I think there is something about the building too. Either way, I will write more about it in a later posting but if you are anywhere near this place, you need to visit it!
We spent our last two nights at the state park and on one evening took a (LONG) drive to see the Mississippi at sunset. As you can see, it is quite a beautiful sight, especially when there are no barges, docks or cities in the fore or background. The other side of the river was Arkansas and the sun was just going behind the tree line. We did spend most of our time at the state park which is a huge and beautiful place. The skeeters are kind of bad, but the trails are nice, the place is very quiet, and it does have a nice Olympic sized pool for cooling off in. I highly recommend the Meeman-Shelby State Park if you are looking for a nice place to camp. while there I also went on a geocache hike to find another hidden geocache. It was a long, strenuous hike but we did find it. It is always fun and reward to find the geocaches in new places.
The one tourist thing we did was Graceland. Graceland, is well, Graceland. It is kind of what you expect. We are not huge Elvis fans, but when in Memphis, you might as well go see the place. It is interesting to be in the home of such an American icon. I only provided the photo of the Jungle Room, one of the most famous rooms in America, due to space restraint on the blog. Graceland properties has done a very nice and respectful job of showing off Elvis' life and career and I would recommend it to all who go to Memphis. Go early, as the lines are smaller, and go before August (the anniversary of his death).
Well this is the end of the vacation blog. We spent a good eleven days on the road in Tenneesse and enjoyed ourselves. By the end of the trip though, we were tired of sleeping in the camper, eating out of a cooler or in restraunts, and frankly kind of tired of being away from home. It was a good trip. I wish gas was less expensive or I was richer as it was the most expensive thing we paid for on this trip. Most of our money was spend on fuel. I hope to do a vacation each year, but with the rising cost of gas and everything else, the vacation may be much closer to home. I think every family should do a vacation together each year. It makes a family closer, it educates everyone and regardless, you will meet some wonderful people that you would never meet by staying at home. Get out and travel with your family. You won't regret it.
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