Tullahoma, Tn. and Nashville
As we worked our way
towards Tennessee, I reflected on our unique but wonderful stay in the
Appalachians along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Being from the suburbs of southern California, I realized just how
unique each state is culturally.
Tennessee was another stop we looked forward to because we'd be spending
time with Perry's family and during this next stop, we'd be joined by our
daughter, Kaylyn for a week. We were
fortunate before leaving for this trip to acquire tickets to the Kentucky Derby
certainly an event on all of our bucket lists.
Our first stop was
in Tullahoma, TN. at Arnold AFB a
beautiful small base with a highly rated family recreation area. We arrived late in the afternoon and once
again we were fortunate to be close to a lake, but unfortunately this remote
spot didn't have full hook-ups. We
usually look for RV parks that have water, electricity and sewer. (If you don't have sewer hook-ups then you're
unable to drain your tanks at the RV site).
Arnold AFB didn't have sewer which meant using the bath house for all
physical needs. Not to sound spoiled but I like the privacy of my own
bathroom. I don't want to have to worry
about the amount of dishes I wash because we can't drain our tanks for a few
days. Paper plates and eating out will
soon become a reality. It is a give and
take I suppose, as we were surrounded by nature. The stay here is short but during this time
we had seen a fox, many deer and birds of all sorts waking us up each
morning. On one of our many hikes, we
came across hundreds of monarch butterflies clustered in one spot which always
makes me think of my wonderful mom!
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| Daisy acting like a coonhound! |
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| Our spot on the lake at Arnold AFB |
This region is known
for its many distilleries and not far from us we could tour the well known Jack
Daniels Distillery, but we opted instead for the
less well known place (but equally good) called George Dickel. We were given a personal tour of the factory
which ended with a tasting. I'm more of
a wine person so whiskey is not my thing, however Perry made a small purchase
anticipating our daughters arrival and The Kentucky Derby. In the state of Tennessee as well as many
areas of the south, areas were referred to as a "hollow" and in my
earlier years, I recall "holler"
being used in some country songs.
A "hollow"
is an area between two mountains and a lot of times there's a stream running
through. The George Dickel Distillery is
in a hollow and had been there since the 1800's. Perry needed an "outfit"
for the Kentucky Derby and maybe it was a good thing he did whiskey
tasting. We found him a yellow shirt,
blue pants, bowtie and a beret. I can't
wait to put it all together!
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| Another view of the lake |
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| George Dickel Distillery in a "hollow" |
Kaylyn would be
flying into Nashville (an hour and a half drive from the RV park) so Perry and
I decided to spend the day there where she would Uber in, once she
arrived. Kaylyn and I always loved
country music and we were excited to see each other and enjoy Nashville,
however things didn't quite turn out as planned. After Perry and I listened to some amazing
country duos we visited the Johnny Cash museum while anticipating Kaylyn's
arrival. Kaylyn learned at the airport
her flight would be delayed two hours which was disappointing knowing it would
be too late for her to meet us. We
continued walking downtown Broadway which reminded me of a cross between New
Orleans and Las Vegas because of the bright lights and a lot of people. Most country bars were crowded with young
people in their twenties and thirties with the majority having three levels of
various bars. The music was so loud you
couldn't carry on a conversation. The
talent was phenomenal and most bands performed near the front windows, luring
in listeners. The streets were full of
bridal parties, many of them on large pedal bikes.
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| This is a "hollow" hard to tell but there are hills on eitherside |
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| A Nashville Bridal Party Bus |
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| Main Street Downtown Nashville |
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| A three tiered bar/music venue |
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| Famous Ryman Auditorium |
By 9:30pm we left
downtown to the airport to finally pick up our beautiful daughter, Kaylyn! It's
been too long since we've seen her and we had so much to look forward to over
the next week!
Next- Family, horses, more horses and.....THE DERBY!
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