Is “The South” Making Me Fat?! I’ve Yet To Meet A Food I Didn’t Like!

Memphis, Tennessee

Day 109      September 26, 2014

West Memphis, Arkansas   to   Little Rock, Arkansas

As soon as the sun rose, we got out of bed to watch the barges navigate up and down the Mississippi River. It was a classic American scene, and amused us for over an hour. But we couldn’t just sit there all day, ‘cause we were going to Memphis. The real Memphis. Memphis, Tennessee. Not the fake Memphis, West Memphis, Arkansas, where the RV park was.

Sunrise, as seen through the condensation on the Space Shuttle windshield

River barges!

Morning on the river

And…here comes another barge

Such a great location for an RV park!

Graphic detail of concrete

Memphis, well, especially the Beale Street area, was touristy, but fun!  And the people there were so nice. Trixie and Dax were especially popular with the peeps in Memphis, and were lavished with attention everywhere we went.

Beale Street

Beale Street

Photo excursion on Beale Street

Just like the sign says, it’s “World Famous”

Fun streetscape and signage

Fun streetscape and signage

Colorful buildings and signs

Tribute to W.C. Handy

Just like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but different

We walked around and took lots of photos, bought a couple more t-shirts, and had lunch at the Majestic Grille. Yet another awesome meal. We were gonna be so spoiled by all the great food we’d been eating.

More fun with neon signs

The colors and architecture of Beale Street

Beale Street

Always look up….the ceiling in the Majestic Grille restaurant

Amazing ahi salad!!

Streetscape detail

Love these flags!

Things we did NOT do in Memphis:  We didn’t go to Graceland ‘cause we’ve been there before. And we didn’t go on a tour of the Gibson Guitar factory ‘cause we didn’t have time to stick around town. If I owned a Gibson, we’d have made the time, but, I own a Martin, so we skipped it.

Tempting….the Gibson guitar factory

Our next stop would be Little Rock, Arkansas, where we checked into the Downtown Riverside RV Park. The place was full, but they gave us a spot in the overflow section. Perfect! You couldn’t beat the location of this place. It really pretty much was “downtown.”

Hello again, Arkansas

As soon as we were settled into our spot, we leashed up the dogs and went on a big outing. We walked across the pedestrian bridge, which was right next to the RV park, and which landed us right at the Clinton Library. The library was even more beautiful and cool looking in person!

Pedestrian bridge by our RV park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not just any old pedestrian bridge….the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge!

Downtown Little Rock in the distance

Our first look at the Clinton Presidential Library!

Clinton Presidential Library

Weird red things in the fountain…??? Chihuly’s??

Clinton Presidential Library

Clinton Presidential Library

Clinton Presidential Library

So many graphic angles to shoot!

Clinton Presidential Library

Clinton Presidential Library

Clinton Presidential Library

Mark and Dax, sniffing around the Clinton Presidential Library

Clinton Presidential Library

Clinton Presidential Library

Near the Clinton Presidential Library, beautiful public art

We continued our walk into town, and settled on having dinner at Cache, where we filled up on delicious tuna tacos and topped that off with whiskey bread pudding. The pups weren’t allowed on the outdoor patio, so we had to tie them to the railing next to us and keep our eyes on them to keep ‘em from getting into scuffles with other doggies walking by.

Part of our dinner discussion surrounded one topic. We’d found out that there was a big charity cycling tour the next day, The Big Dam Bridge ride. And even though we were still on deadline to get to Albuquerque, it was just so tempting to stay in Little Rock and do this ride in the morning.

After dinner, we walked all the way down to the convention center, where the cycling tour registration and registration packet pick-up was being held…just to check it out. And, of course, we ended up signing up for the ride! Our timing was just too perfect to pass up the opportunity!

By time we walked all the way back to the Space Shuttle, it was late and dark out. We were tired too, but instead of going to sleep, we spent the next hour scrambling to find where we’d packed our cycling clothes and helmets. Couldn’t find the helmets, and finally gave up looking and just went to bed. We’d have to wait until the morning to continue our search.

Random Advice From A Random Guy At A Gas Station

Brick and wires. Downtown Birmingham, Alabama

Day 108     September 25, 2014

Gadsden, Alabama  to  West Memphis, Arkansas

On the road again…this time, to Birmingham, Alabama…partially out of respect for its place in the history of the civil rights movement (which, by the way, could still stand to keep on moving forward), and partially just out of curiosity, since we were driving right by it anyways. Even if we just did a drive through, we were curious to see what Birmingham looked like.

Downtown Birmingham, Alabama

Brick and wires. Downtown Birmingham, Alabama

Back alley. Downtown Birmingham, Alabama

Photogenic downtown Birmingham, Alabama

Lots of brick buildings in downtown Birmingham, Alabama

Downtown Birmingham, Alabama

A random guy we met at the gas station near downtown, recommended that we eat lunch at El Barrio. We did. And we thank “Random Guy at Gas Station” for turning us onto this place. El Barrio was jam packed, and no wonder, due to its fun decor and vibe and its delicious food! I had one of the best quesadillas I’ve ever had. This seemed to be a theme with us as we travelled across the south…the theme of amazing food!

El Barrio

Trying to blend in with the crazy murals at El Barrio

One of our favorites! Coffee oatmeal stout

The rest of the drive across Alabama was uneventful. The only thing I noticed that was remotely remarkable, was the overabundance of shredded tire tread on the highways. I don’t know what’s going on in that state, but when dead tires outnumber regular roadkill…hmm…things that make you go “hmmm.”

We continued our drive west on Rt 78, briefly crossing into Mississippi before crossing back into Tennessee. And then we drove briefly through Tennessee, across the river, to Tom Sawyer’s Mississippi River RV Park in West Memphis, Arkansas.

Hello, Mississippi

Hello, Tennessee

Crossing the bridge into Arkansas

Hello, Arkansas

Tom Sawyer’s Mississippi River RV Park was right on the river, which was uber cool, ‘cause we got to watch the river barges going up and down the river all evening long. Barge-watching proved to be quite a relaxing and hypnotic way to end the day.

Another Day, Another Ticket-Free Parking Violation

Chocolate heaven in Knoxville, TN!

Day 107         September 24, 2014

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee  to Gadsden, Alabama

On our way out of Pigeon Forge,  we went to see if we could get a peek at Dollywood. I mean, a peek from the outside, without paying to go inside. All we could find was the entry to a parking lot. I guess the likes of cheapskates like us weren’t welcome there, so we left.

Our actual first stop would be in downtown Knoxville, where we lucked into the most perfect parking space. Well, it wasn’t perfectly perfect, as it was in a 30 minute zone, but that had never stopped us before. I’m not condoning breaking the law or anything, but, when you have 27’ of vehicle to park, you often just take what you find, and take your chances. And hey, in almost four months, we’d only gotten busted once, so, whatever. We could afford another $45 parking ticket, so we took our chances.

So, the risk of getting a parking ticket was well worth the goodies that we found in Knoxville. We were parked right by the pedestrian mall, right out front of an amazing coffee and chocolate shop, right down the block from some really cool boutique shops.

First we hit the coffee and chocolate shop, appropriately named, “Coffee & Chocolate. ” Among other chocolatey things, we had a dark chocolate truffle that was to die for! The bacon truffle, uh, not as great, but still pretty darn good!

@ Coffee & Chocolate

Deliciousness!

Yep, tried one of these jalapeno ones too!

After checking out a few of the small artistic boutiques, we took a walk through the pedestrian mall, where we discovered the mid-day farmer’s market. And within the farmer’s market, we discovered the Good Golly Tamale food cart. 

We bought a few tamales to share…the “Classic,” the “Calabacitas,” and the “Vegan Soul.’ OMG! OMG! Best tamales we’ve ever had, and believe me, living in Southern California for so many years, we’ve eaten a lot of tamales. But no tamale I’ve ever devoured, could hold a candle to the tamales from Good Golly Tamale!!

How did tamales this divine end up in Knoxville, Tennessee??!! No offense to Knoxville. Knoxville seemed like a really great city. It’s just not the city, state, or region of the US of A that one would expect to find spectacular tamales!

Now the trifecta of our little downtown visit, was finding the coolest t-shirt shop, “Nothing Too Fancy.” Mark and I both love and adore, and live in, t-shirts, so this place was a bonanza discovery for us. Their t-shirts were all super soft, with awesome graphics by local graphic designers. It took a lot of self-control, but we walked out of there with only two t’s for Mark, and one for me. Seriously, I could have bought about 10 t-shirts, but I knew I didn’t really “need” them. Damn. I’m way too practical.

Having overstayed our 30 minute parking by at least an hour, we got back in the Space Shuttle and went on our way. No parking ticket, by the way. (smiley face emoticon!)

We stopped in Chattanooga to have a quick look around. Sucked in by the billboard advertisements, we purchased tickets to ride the Incline Railway to the top of Lookout Mountain. Glad we did! It was pretty cool riding up (and down) the 72.7% grade in this open-air rail car of sorts.

On the Incline Railway

The view down, from inside the rail car

Nice views from the top of Lookout Mountain

An old fort, turned park.

The view from the fort/park

The view from the fort/park

The view from the fort/park

Civil War memoria in the fort/park

World of Beer in downtown Chattanooga

Climbing wall on the exterior of this building in downtown Chattanooga

On our way out of town, we took Rt 59 south, to Gadsden, Alabama, where we spent the night at the River Country Campground. All in all, we’d had another great day…coffee, chocolate, tamales, t-shirts, railway rides…pretty much a perfect day!

From Quiet To Crazy…All In A Day’s Travels

Great Smoky Mountains

Day 106     September 23, 2014

Townsend  to  Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Just down the road from our campground, was a little enclave of needed stuff…a self-wash RV washing center, and a coffee shop. So after dumping our tanks and doing our laundry at the campground, away we went…to just down the road.

We got Fiona nice and clean and shiny, and then rewarded ourselves with the best ever iced coffee and iced mocha from The Artistic Bean. Seriously, especially the iced mocha…best ever in the world! Nice people there too.

The entire rest of the day was spent exploring Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We did a bit of a whirlwind driving tour, stopping to take in the scenery and take pictures, but knowing that we still had to meet our deadline to make it to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in nine days.

Like the sign says…on the loop road @ Great Smoky Mountains

Cades Cove Scenic Loop

Singing group in the little church on Cades Cove Scenic Loop

Church detail

On the loop road….

On the loop road….

I was hoping to see a cyclist do this trick…

On the loop road….

On the loop road….

On the loop road….

Trees starting to change color. On the loop road….

On the loop road….

Cabin detail. On the loop road….

Cabin detail. On the loop road….

On the loop road….

On the loop road….

Mark & old cabin. On the loop road….

Still not tired of photographing the old cabins.

On the drive up to Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in Tennessee, we were met with narrow roads, hair-pin turns, and strong winds. It was a bit nerve-wracking in our big tall vehicle, but the beautiful view from the top was worth it.

Driving up to Clingmans Dome

I’m in Tennessee….

Flip side of the sign…I’m in North Carolina….

Great views on the walk up to Clingmans Dome observation tower

Great views on the walk up to Clingmans Dome observation tower

Great views on the walk up to Clingmans Dome observation tower

Great views on the walk up to Clingmans Dome observation tower

The Dome…Space-Agey architecture

I think this is why they call them the SMOKY mountains…lots of cloudiness…

Overcast, but pretty

Walkway to the top of the tower

Love the views and the cool clouds!

Walking back down to the parking area

One last view before we go…

As it was getting dark, we drove back down the mountain, to the Gatlinburg side. Wowza!! What a difference from the Townsend side. The Townsend side was calm, quiet, and almost rural. This  side was tourist-trappy and Vegas-like…..bright lights, touristy shops, hotels, people everywhere…crazy shit. None of this made any sense, until we found out that Dolly Parton’s Dollywood was nearby. Ah…that would explain everything.

It was dark, and we were tired, so we drove straight through town and checked into the closest campground, the Pigeon Forge KOA.

Free Food At The Mercedes Benz Dealer!!!

@ KOA in Townsend, Tennessee

Day 105       September 22, 2014

Wytheville, Virginia  to  Townsend, Tennessee

The morning, once again, went to the dogs. Our campground had a huge fenced in doggie play area. Trixie and Dax had it all to themselves. Oh the joys of chasing a tennis ball! There was a lot of driving to be done today, so after doggie play time, we got on the road.

Heading south on Rt 81

Hello Tennessee!

The Space Shuttle was due for a scheduled service appointment. I had found a Mercedes Benz dealer in Knoxville, Tennessee that was able to do our service in the afternoon, so Knoxville was our target.

The peeps at the dealership were super nice, and they had a finely stocked customer lounge. While Fiona was getting serviced, I feasted on freebies…mini Peppermint Patties, cookies, coffee, other miscellaneous candies. They also had a fabulous wifi connection, so I was able to get a few blog posts up and running. And, as usual, Trixie and Dax got lots and lots of attention from the employees and from the other customers.

As far as service appointments go, this was a pretty nice one! The only disappointment was that, ‘cause the service was completed so late in the work day, they didn’t have time to give Fiona a bath. Damn!

We docked for the night at the KOA in Townsend, Tennessee, right next to the Great Smoky Mountains. We’d have to wait until the next day to have a look around!

@ KOA in Townsend, Tennessee

Nice campsite, right next to the river

Hot Diggity Dogs In Nashville!

Must be Nashville

Day 34      July  13

July 13 was a great day because we got to spend it in Nashville. 

Before hitting the downtown tourist area, we made a quick stop at the state capitol building.

Hangin’ on tight as we hit a round-a-bout

The Space Shuttle, parked in the spot reserved for the Attorney General. Whatever, dude.

State Capitol Building

And then we discovered the most awesome public farmers market, where we stocked up on all kinds of fruits and veggies.

Very cool bike stands outside the farmers market

Farmers market

This market was huge!

Beautiful produce

And more produce…

And more…lots more!

Alas, we hit the fun and funky downtown fun town. Even on a Sunday afternoon, the place was bursting with live music coming out of every bar and restaurant. So much energy in this place!

Great use of an Airstream trailer

Must be Nashville

Fun Nashville signage

The main drag

Fun and colorful signage

Cool building

It was one of those super hot and humid days again, and we had to stop frequently to water Dax and Trixie. At one point, when I could tell the pups were a little over-done we actually took them inside the Music City Center building to let them lie down on the cool tile floor and cool off in the air conditioning. Luckily there was nobody official hanging around there to tell us that dogs weren’t allowed inside.

Music City Center building

Music City Center building

Music City Center building

Music City Center building

It was really hot out, and I warned Mark NOT to go outside.

We were back were back on the road in the afternoon. We made a stop in Bowling Green, KY to see the campus at Western Kentucky University. That is one heck of a hilly campus!

The final destination of the day was Mammoth Cave National Park. By time we got there it was too late to check it out, so we went directly to a little campground nearby called Singing Hills RV Park and Campground.

Singing Hills turned out to be a little gem of a place. The owner was super nice. The park was small, well kept and quiet, and we met some really nice folks there. Best of all, it had a blazing fast internet connection!

It was still very hot outside, and we knew we’d need to run the a/c at night, so we got a site with electric and water hook-ups. With our Passport America discount, our site was only $16. A great deal and a great find!

That night I had what was, and still is, the largest skeeter I’ve ever killed. It was almost the size of a dragon fly. Huge sucker. Yuck!! Good Night Irene!

Gifts From Strangers / (gifts from new friends)

We were told to stop here…and so we did.

Day 33      July12

We were heading to Nashville next. Mark’s brother, Chuck, was working there for a handful of months, so we would detour down there to see him. Plus, neither of us had ever been to Nashville.

As we were packing up our campsite to head out, our neighbors, Linda & Jim, came over to say goodbye. And Linda gave me the most beautiful hand crocheted trivet/pot holder that she’d made!!! She told me that, while Jim drives, she crochets these little treasures, and then she gives them to people she meets. I was so touched by her gift!

The other gift that Jim and Linda gave us, was the heads up on a little winery in Tennessee that’d we’d pass on our route to Nashville. Beachaven Winery. And we did stop there. And we did a wine tasting….you can taste as many wines as you want, and there’s no charge!! Sweet! And we bought three bottles to take with us. That was a nice little stop!

Wine tasting menu

Some of our purchases

Back on the highway to Nashville, we had a cool Fiona Look-A-Like sighting. We found ourselves driving right behind another silver Airstream Interstate, with two bikes on the back. I did a double take, ‘cause at first, I thought it was us! LOL! They obviously spotted us behind them, ‘cause as we drove past them, we were all looking over at each other and smiling and waving like crazy!!!

Me and Trixie, relaxing in the back of the space shuttle while Mark drives

Dax takes a selfie, while Mark drives

We arrived in Nashville, and met Mark’s brother at Gaylord’s Opryland. We had a nice visit with my bro-in-law, and had a look around the resort. And then, once again, retired to our campground, exhausted from the fun day we’d had!

Mark and Chuck

Cool ceiling @ Opryland

So big, it requires a big map

Inside Opryland