NASHVILLE SUMMARY

DRIVE OUT • NASHVILLE & BACK

Day 15 - It had rained all night and was still wet and drizzly. So we decided not to do a big hike at Fall Creek Falls State Park and instead just enjoy the overlooks (and the swinging bridge). We arrived in Nashville in the afternoon. It was too late to do an indoor visit of the Parthenon, but we at least enjoyed the outside. Our Air BnB for the next nine days was an amazing attic floor of a charming house on the east side of town. Downstairs lived the owner, a famous country-western singer.

Day 16 - We started the morning by going inside the Parthenon, where there stood a 41-foot-tall statue of Athena. The museum told all about the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition, of which this building was a piece. We then took a tour of the Tennessee state capitol. Again, it didn't compare to the splendor of Oklahoma's, but it DID have two people (its architects) buried within its walls! The interns were holding a mock session. It was then time for Robert to start his workshop.

Day 17 - Since I couldn't figure out how the busses worked yet, I walked the 5 miles into downtown. I then spent the next 6 hours exploring... Honky Tonk Highway (live music flowed from every venue), Bicentennial Park (with its absolutely incredible State Museum), the riverfront, murals, and even an old fort. I then got to walk 5 miles home, but at least I now had a bus map in my pocket... I'd simply forgotten to take cash! Besides, the murals on the walk back were highly entertaining.

Day 18 - Today was my bus adventure. I went out to the RiverGate Mall, which unfortunately turned out to be mostly deserted. But at least I'd mastered the public transit system.

Day 19 - I walked to Shelby Bottoms Greenway, a river park. They don't have sidewalks here but the neighborhoods I went through were quite nice. There were both paved and 'wild' trails, as well as a pedestrian bridge over the Cumberland River and an old local airport.

Day 20 - I took today off and decided to rest for several reason. One, it was dreary and rainy. Two, I had scratched myself on a thorny vine during yesterday's walk and it made me realize how tired my legs were. So I caught up on computer projects, napped, and added my mark to the kitchen's chalk wall.

Day 21 - I took the bus downtown and spent the afternoon discovering even more fun things to see and do. A giant marathon clogged the streets for a while. Eventually it started raining so I hopped on the bus back.

Day 22 - Another easy day. I went grocery shopping then took a neighborhood stroll. It was a Sunday so there were plenty of people about... socializing with friends on a porch, walking the dog, planting a tree with their kid, super slow drivers, super fast ones, and a crazy vocal bird. I then spent time chatting with the house owners on the back porch.

Day 23 - Robert had finished his workshop, so it was back to traveling! We took a tour of the breathtaking Belmont Mansion. We spent a bit of time downtown, then as the sun set, we went to the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center (where Robert had spent the past week). This place was sensational! We even caught the water fountain show... twice!

Day 24 - We left Nashville and headed towards St. Louis. We made a stop at Fort Defiance Civl War Park in Clarksville (Tennessee), crossed through Kentucky (where we dined at Patti's 1880's Settlement in Grand Rivers, complete with quaint buildings, over-the-top decorations, and a 92-year-old woman celebrating her birthday), and headed up to Mt. Vernon in Illinois where were visited Miss Uniroyal (an 18-foot tall statue). In Missouri, we had our own basement apartment for our Air Bnb.

Day 25 - Since the weather was supposed to be spectacular today, we took a trip (in an egg-pod elevator) to the top of the Gateway Arch. Amazing! We walked around the area then drove to the old Union Station, which was now an aquarium and dining area. We drove around the Bellefontaine Cemetery, then headed over to the town of St. Charles to check out its historic shopping district... which was 14 blocks long! Most of the buildings were built in the 1800s.

Day 26 - It was going to be overcast and drizzly all day, so we decided to go back to St. Charles when the stores were open. Since the weather held, we also went to several parks... Forest Park, the Missouri Botanic Garden (with lots of Chihuly glass), and Tower Grove Park. We also accidentally ended up driving through a bad part of town, where most of the buildings were abandoned and collapsing.

Day 27 - On the drive to Kansas City, we stopped at the Warm Springs Ranch in Boonville to see the Budweiser clydesdales. Unfortunately it was by pre-booked online tour only. So I did a quick visit to the Truman Presidential Library in Independence (which also had an oval office replica). We then wandered around the gorgeous Spanish/Italian-themed shopping area at Brookside. Our Air BnB was in a house built in 1906 in a charming neighborhood.

Day 28 - It would be a long drive home. We broke up the day with a stop at Topeka to visit the Kansas state capitol building. We took an intense tour up inside the dome to the very top! In Goodland, we gazed upon the world's largest van Gogh painting. We then entered back into Colorado and arrived home with the setting sun. Total miles: 4,117!