Nashville South

Strange to have it warm up as it did on Friday, the 16th of November. As intended spent a quiet day catching up on photo-editing and E-mail. Walked over to catch the shuttle bus to the Ryman shortly after 5. If only others were as considerate and had not kept us waiting past 5:30. See review of the show in the music section. The Christmas lights were impressive going and coming but not the same to a Canadian without snow.

Waked a mile and a half up to Shoneys for breakfast buffet Saturday Morning after it warmed up. Then crossed the road to take in the Opryland Hotel Complex. You have to see it to believe it.



Sunday morning got off around 8:00 and headed south. After my experience dining out at Dennys and Waffle House made my own lunch and walked over to a DQ at a truck stop for a sundae. After seeing too many grossly overweight Americans took my ice cream back to my Van. Arrived in West Memphis on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi around 1:00 and was signed into my campsite by a young Filipino Lady. Was directed to a site overlooking the Mississippi with a perfect view of barge traffic. After settling in went for a walk along the campground's trail system stopping to climb to the treehouse and noting the nearby rail line. Several permanent homes on the site were on stilts to assist in keeping them above the Mississippi flood line and the bathhouses/laundry rooms were in movable trailers. Aside from the tugs pushing barges upstream all night the place was peaceful.

Monday morning I got off at 8:00 headed West for Texarkana. The only major city along my trail was Little Rock which I bypassed around 10:30 in the morning. At some point stopped for a sandwich and filled up my fuel tank before resuming the journey. At the Texas-Arkansas Stateline the interchange remains as confusing as ever after the reconstruction. It is aligned so that one can get to the Texas Welcome Centre but getting to the KOA involves driving 4 miles west, then coming back to crossover the highway and find the exit to take the frontage road to the park. The nearby motel was forced out of business by this change. The campground was just as I found it a year ago--noisy but convenient.

Got off around 7:30 Tuesday morning to begin the long drive--376 miles across Texas to Dallas on I-30; then down I-35 to Austin. The sky remained largely overcast and the day unremarkable save for the long miles behind the wheel in heavy truck traffic. Encountered only one or two left-lane hogs and with few hills little trouble with passing trucks along a four-lane highway. Stopped at a rest area for lunch and a break. The approach to Dallas is on a bridge crossing a large impoundment lake. Stopped along the frontage road somewhere south to get gas at $3.05. From there to Anderson Lane too much traffic, too much construction, and too many changes in the speed limit. It varied between 55 and 75 for reasons I couldn't fathom.

Got into Austin at 2:00 PM as predicted months ago and got settled. After running A/C to remain alert the 80º F heat hit hard. As his welcome Pastor Karl took me along with two others to visit the Maline Heritage Swedish Graveyard out in Elroy near the site of Austin's F-1 track. What remains is a line of Mesquite trees, an old well with wrought iron pulley and gravesites outlined by concrete enclosures with tilting tombstones bearing Swedish names replete with Umlauts. After dinner joined a community meeting attended by two off-duty local constables in uniform. Enjoyed meeting them.

In my first full day walked the property and dropped in on the church Admin to use their Wi-Fi to send the all clear to my friends and family back home. Attended noon communion and met a few people I'd known from former years. Joined a neighbour for a trip to Whole Foods, Costco, and HEB where we loaded up on free samples. I bought cheese at Whole Foods and Apple Strudel bread at HEB among other groceries. Was back at church at 7:00 where I was welcomed at the youth-led service by more old friends. Settled in for a quiet evening. For my second night actually slept 7 uninterrupted hours.

On American Thanksgiving went walkabout before settling down to read while I waited for my hosts to pick me up for dinner. They were down running the 10 K Turkey Trot. More power to them. Brought along a quart of Nova Scotia Maple Syrup for my hosts and brought music to play as ordered to entertain their guests. My host and I enjoy singing favourite hymns. Sat at table with twenty for a lavish turkey dinner. Got a ride home around 8:00 PM after all the other guests had left.

Black Friday my neighbour arrived 15 minutes before 7 to take me on a 3.25 mile hike around Town Lake. On the way home we stopped to sit at the foot of the new Willie Nelson statue in front of the Moody Theatre. Willie didn't seem to mind but he didn't offer us any bud. The sculptors didn't leave room for anyone to slip a roach between his lips. There's a 20% remote chance of rain today but the most I expect is an overcast gray sky. After I got back refilled my onboard water tank, cleaned my RV windows and the kama-kazi bugs off the front hood and chrome. Made a further circuit of the church property on litter patrol, the wind constantly blows in a new crop from our messy neighbours. It's Black Friday, should I do some online shopping? I still haven't read my daily comix.

In fact didn’t get those comics read until early Saturday Morning. Also did that online shopping at 4:30 AM as well. Got out for another hike around Town Lake, hit the Farmer’s Market and wandered around Zilker Park. The rest of the day was quiet. Well, the neighbours have rented one of those inflatable jumping rooms and the kids are rather noisy. This is just the kvetching of a crusty old bachelor.

 

On the Road South

Haven't written much lately as I've spent the summer reading especially getting to know my new tablet, listening to music, watching DVD's, taking hikes in the nearby ravines, trying to lose weight, and working out in my home gym. The price of fuel and campground fees make staying at my home which is already paid for the most desirable option.

The last month has been spent getting ready for my now annual trip south. Packing and unpacking the RV, medical insurance, vehicle maintenance, shopping, planning, medical checkups, the whole enchilada. Even stopped in across the road for my second pedicure. As the review sections of this blogsite show I've spent a lot of time this summer watching DVD's and reading.

After my dental checkup on Tuesday finally got off at 4:00 AM Wednesday, November 14th as planned. So far I haven't discovered anything important I've forgotten, unless you include my sanity. I may have left a sliver of Parmesan in the grater on my kitchen counter. Got underway with no major glitches and at that hour encountered little traffic. For reasons I didn't discern traffic on the Northbound Burlington Skyway was stopped making me thankful I was headed in the other direction. I'd never been to Fort Erie and since I passed through it at 5 in the morning I still haven't seen it. The rather short agent at American Customs had trouble hearing me due to a great deal of background noise in the area but chose to let me through with only a few of the usual questions asked. The Peace Bridge Toll which I had ready applies only to Northbound traffic it seems.

There's still a toll on I-91 in New York State and it cost me $5.95. The gal collecting it just about to come off shift looked and acted beat. Dawn occurred just as I approached the Pennsylvania Welcome Centre. Only the washrooms were accessible at that hour. There were glimpses of Lake Erie at this point but the Interstate heads inland through Ohio before heading south on the outskirts of Cleveland. I stopped in Austinburg, Ohio for a break and filled my gas tank before heading inside at the truck stop for Brunch at Denny's. It proved to be the worst such outlet in that franchise I've stopped at. None have good coffee but my Ultimate Omelet was missing several key ingredients and the serving of hash browns that came with it was niggardly. The remainder of my drive to Cross Creek RV Resort in Delaware north of Columbus was unremarkable. Overcast and cold. Got in around noontime.

For the record Cross Creek gets my recommendation as a great place to camp. Pleasant helpful staff, clean facilities, quiet site, and rural atmosphere. Great Wi-Fi. My first night in 4 months in the RV trying to sleep with a propane furnace fighting a low of 22ºF was not pleasant but I can't blame the campground for that. A walk along the hiking path introduced me to Hedge Apples, an alien species I'd never before seen.

Got off next morning at 6:00 AM after packing up a cold balky landline. The road south to the Interstate was a narrow rural suburban two-lane with little lighting. Dawn slowly brightened the sky just short of Columbus. While I beat rush hour traffic there I certainly hit it in Cincinnati, a much larger metropolitan area. At least there were no major collisions to stop traffic. Stopped just south of Louisville, Kentucky to get fuel before I ran out and had brunch at a Waffle House. The place is short on ambiance but it served good coffee and supplied fast service. A slice of process cheese does not make a gourmet omelet. During this day's drive I encountered a great deal of frost and sections of dense fog, at least it wasn't frozen fog. After Cincinnati I shared the road with heavy truck traffic. At least there were sufficient lanes to allow traffic to get by.

I was amused to discover that Kentucky's Welcome Centre is closed for the season but Tennessee's was open when I got there. Sometime I have to stop and tour Mammoth Cave and possibly see Fort Knox. Jim Beam distillery is another possibility. Drove 400 miles this day. Boring is good.

You drive by Nashville KOA before you get off the highway and drive over a mile back the way you came to find the place. At check-in encountered catch 22. I wanted to know if I could get to the Opry before I signed in but the Opry Agent wanted my site number to sign me up. Got that sorted and was conducted to my site. Discovered later I could have attended the Nashville Symphony but I'm booked into the Opry now. Thanks to entering the Central Time Zone today I arrived around 1:00 PM local time. Had a chance to catch-up online and go for a stroll around the park before the sun set around 4:00. The noise from the expressway is all-pervasive but quiets somewhat at night. Barking dogs and noisy neighbours notwithstanding.

The sun streaming in my back windows Friday morning served to highlight the dust and dirt on the glass. Cleaned them as best I could until I get some newsprint. Had to wait for the office to open before I could get some coins to purchase Nashville's The Tennessean.

Republican Governors hoping for a Republican Administration are now suing for more time to implement Obama Care. The USPS has lost 15.9 Billion Dollars and are talking about ‘boosting worker efficiency'. The beatings will continue until morale improves. Say goodbye to Twinkies. Hostess Employees are on strike and the company is shutting down operations and liquidating their assets. The stockpile of Twinkies should last into the next century.