Totally Awesome Vacation: On The Road Again in Tennessee

I decided to go to work for a few days after Dallas before I took off for Nashville and Memphis with the Little Truckers. I know that my bosses were grateful that I just came in. A tough life I live, indeed.

You must know by now that the Little Truckers go on one official trip together every year - The Annual Trip to Somewhere. This was our fourth trip and we had decided last year, while in Nova Scotia (one of our many many rules is that we decide where we are going to go the year before), that we would make an appearance in Tennessee this year.

We flew in late on Thursday the 10th within just a few minutes of each other (from DC, Boston and Seattle). That's how GOOD our trip planning has become. I am so proud. :) It was nice because we got to greet each other at the gates, which never happens anymore. Hayley was the last to arrive, which was very exciting because as we were all waiting at the end of the jetway, she announced her ENGAGEMENT TO JIM which just happened the night before! She told me earlier that day, so I took photos. Thanks go to Jim for allowing HT to celebrate with her! I love this picture of Tristan's "SHUT! UP!!" We're so very, very happy for both her and Jim. And, HT, I am coming to the wedding.

We RAN to get our luggage and the car because we had 30 minutes to get to The Spaghetti Factory, which is a beloved restaurant, before they closed. You must also know by now that we plan a lot of our trips around food. LOTS AND LOTS OF FOOD. We arrived just minutes before they closed, but they still managed to feed us.

The next morning, we started where everyone is supposed to start in Nashville - The Grand Ole Opry. Now, out of all of us, Trist might be the biggest country music fan, but it was still a lot of fun to visit such a uniquely American icon of music. We took a backstage tour and SANG ONSTAGE! Sure, it was singing Happy Birthday to Court (The big 3-0 in just over a week), but still, we sang onstage. Direct quote from Court: "I should have brought my BeDazzler."

Their museum was small, but really great. When I was a kid I remember watching Hee Haw, which was weird. Why did we watch Hee Haw and am I really that old? So it was neat to see some old sets and the displays on Minnie Pearl. Even if you are not a fan of country music, you have to appreciate what the music and the culture have added to our collective history. (NO, Scott, I am not suggesting that the Country Singer is an American Hero. P.S. I won the poll - see right- so take that.)

One of our other rules is that we also read a book set in where ever it is that we are headed. We've read 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' for Savannah, 'Anne of Green Gables' for Nova Scotia/PEI and 'The President's Lady' for Nashville. 'The President's Lady' is about Rachel and Andrew Jackson. Rachel Donelson Jackson's family were some of the first settlers of the Nashville area.

While the book was OK, it was wonderful to know more about the area and their story. It definitely makes traveling richer when you know more of the history of a place. Even street names take on more of a meaning as you're aware of the people they're named after. So, of course, we went to their home, The Hermitage, just outside of Nashville. It was pretty much like every other Presidential home I've been to, but it was still neat to know they lived there and it was well maintained. I have a thing about trying to visit every Presidential Homestead. I really should do an official tally. I am sure that I'm really racking them up.

The Hermitage did have some lovely gardens, where both Rachel and Andrew are buried. But again, I kinda lost focus because it was SO HOT. SO VERY HOT. Not as bad as Dallas, but I am a delicate flower, remember.

From here, we headed back to the hotel to change for THE TENNESSEE STATE FAIR! Yes, you read that right, we dressed appropriately for the state fair. For Trist, that meant a special outfit purchased for the occasion and for me, my brand new cowboy hat purchased in Dallas. We love fairs THAT MUCH. Rides kind of scare me, but there are some that I will go on. The midway guys are annoying and I usually don't get sucked in, but one guy was really good (i.e. manipulative shyster) and I got hosed in that stupid balloon dart game for $20! For two cheap stuffed animals that I ended up leaving in the hotel room. BOO! But it IS just a fun atmosphere. AND THE FOOD. We ate TONS of ridiculously bad for you food: corn dogs, fried chicken on a stick, fried pickles, fried Oreos, fried dough, roasted corn on the cob and shaved ice! I was pretty sure I was going to die. We got just enough fun in before a serious downpour.

Whenever the Little Truckers gather together, something wonderful happens called Little Trucker Luck - magic and sunshine just fall at our feet. While eating tons of the deliciously bad for you food, we were approached by the local CBS film crew who wanted to interview us about the obvious joy and grease covered faces. We convinced HT was the one they wanted and voila! Little Truckers - Famous the world over! You can see Hayley's ring about minute 1:50.

I will leave you with the ever appropriate and touching words of Willie Nelson:

On the road again / Just can't wait to get on the road again / The life I love is makin' music with my friends / And I can't wait to get on the road again / On the road again / Goin' places that I've never been / Seein' things that I may never see again / And I can't wait to get on the road again.
On the road again / Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway / We're the best of friends / Insisting that the world be turnin' our way / And our way is on the road again / Just can't wait to get on the road again / The life I love is makin' music with my friends / And I can't wait to get on the road again.