It's Not About The Destination - It's About The Journey !

What can I say about this place that hasn’t already been said a hundred times.  Walking around backstage was surreal.  You could almost hear the voices of the country music greats who have walked the hallways, from the famous “Howdyyyy” of Miss Minnie Pearl, to the “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash”.  I was excited and nervous at the same time, I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole time.  I kept thinking how much my Mom would have loved it.  The tour guide was great, a wealth of knowledge about the history and performers.  We walked through the studio where they filmed the latest episodes of Hee Haw, and then into area where the Grand Ol’ Opry members pick up their mail.  They each have a mailbox and pick up their own mail.  Down the hall where their names are on the wall, in the order of induction, to the dressing rooms.  I found myself staring into the rooms and imagining all the country music stars who have hung out there before going on stage. The waiting area where the performers along with their friends and family wait to go on stage still show the water line from the flood of 2010.  I had goosebumps as I stepped through the curtains to the side of the stage.  As I walked across the most famous stage in the world, to stand in the circle, where my favorites have stood I looked out at the empty seats and laughed out loud.  Pictures don’t capture the thoughts and emotions that run through you when one of your dreams come true….

If you ever get the chance to stay at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, don’t pass it up.  It is its own destination vacation.  Over 9 acres of indoor gardens, with waterfalls, a riverboat ride, indoor/outdoor pools.  Stores, 17 restaurants, coffee shops, gift shops and a golf course.  When we pulled up I was in awe at how huge the place was.  After checking in we had some time before we had to head over to the Grand Ol’ Opry, so we took a stroll around the indoor gardens, and jumped on the boat for a little tour of the place.   They had an Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland theme for part of the summer in the garden.  It was very cool.

The following morning I woke up early and took a nice walk around the rest of the gardens.  It was so peaceful and the folks were out feeding the Koi and watering the different plants and trees.  I had a really good time at this hotel and could have stayed for a week without ever having to go outside, if it I could just win the lottery.  Definitely worth it.

Nashville !!  First off I want to thank my brother, Rob and his wife Wendy for taking the time out of their schedule to show me around.  What can I say about Nashville Tennessee?  The streets are kind of stinky, and every other door leads to a bar.  All around you, the sounds of young artists, whose futures are tied to a guitar and a dream, come streaming out of open windows along the sidewalk.  While I did not have the time and or money to experience all that Nashville has to offer, I did hit some of the highlights and let me tell you it was nothing short of a dream come true.  Like my brothers and sister, I grew up in a house where country music was a staple of everyday life, especially the classics, Hank Sr, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, George Jones, etc.  Nashville is the Mecca of any country music fan.  It would be impossible to tell you about every single thing that we saw, so I’ll hit the highlights.  The Grand Ol’ Opry was so amazing, I’ll have to do its own separate post.

First stop was Cooter’s, The Dukes of Hazzard museum.  How crazy is it, that after all these years, people still flock to see the General Lee and all the memorabilia.  It definitely brought back memories…. and yes, my heart still fluttered seeing Bo and Luke Duke…even their cardboard cutouts are cute….

The Man in Black, Johnny Cash.  His museum was surreal.  I took so many pictures, I thought my camera was going to melt….lol….

Just up the stairs was the Patsy Cline Museum.  Looking around at all of her records, I could hear my Mom singing along with the radio.  Her amazing career was cut short with the plane crash that took her life.

George Jones, No Show Jones, his museum, showed how down to earth he was.  He mowed his own lawn, and once rode his Cub Cadet lawn mower 11 miles to get a drink, when they had taken all his car keys.  He was a conservationist, and a collector of fine guns.

Sightseeing can make a body hungry so we grabbed some lunch at the Wildhorse Saloon.  The food was delicious, and the service was great. The place was gigantic, with five bars and three floors, the place holds almost 2500 people.  Wow…..

We walked by Margaretaville, but we didn’t get a chance to stick around for the Sirius XM Friday Night Happy Hour show.  I also got to see the famous Tootsies, and Ernest Tubb Record Shop.  And of course souvenir shopping isn’t complete without the popular hat pictures….. Well, that is about it, I could fill the internet with all the pictures that I took.  Stay tuned for my next couple posts.  I still have to share my visits to the Gaylord Opry Hotel, the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ol’ Opry…….

From the early morning hours of Sunday, April 6th, 1882 through late in the day on the 7th of April 1882, on the fields and woods surrounding a little wooden church, on the banks of the Tennessee River,  23,746 men and boys lost their lives on the land that is now Shiloh National Military Park, Tennessee. 

After leaving Graceland and the hustle and bustle of Memphis, I decided to stop by Shiloh National Military Park since it was only a couple hours down the road and basically on my way back to Alabama, and my brothers place.  Driving up to the welcome center, I passed by several monuments and cannons out in a field and along the side of the road and woods.  I made a mental note to make sure I stopped and took pictures on my way out.  I was very impressed with the staff at the welcome center, who took time to explain just how the park was laid out.  A 13.4 mile driving tour with 20 scheduled stops all indicated on the map.  However, I was free to walk around as much as I like. They were getting ready to show a 45 min film Shiloh: Fiery Trial which would explain how the battle was fought.  Excellent film, well worth the time.  It was filmed on site so it was easy to envision how it looked back then during the tour.  With the sun shining and the heat hitting around 89 F. , and humidity in the 90’s, I started out on the tour.   Each stop along the way has an area to pull off the road and get out.  I could have walked around for 2 days and I don’t think I would have seen everything.  The best part is that they have placed large plaques on pedestals with significant information about which regiment or group of men, the number killed in that location and approximate time during which day of the battle.  These plaques are in fields, woods, along creeks, every where.  The actual tour stops were comprised of the significant portions of the battle.  As I drove from spot to spot it was hard not to imagine what the place looked like 135 years ago.  Almost all of the fields that were in use back then are still planted to this day, the Peach Orchard, is being replanted, and the Old Shiloh Church has been reconstructed in the same spot it was.  It was a very good day, the feelings you experience while there are unexplainable.  Of the many National Military Parks throughout the United States, I highly advise visiting as many as possible.

“The more you know about the past, the better you are prepared for the future” – Theodore Roosevelt…….

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Graceland ! !  The Mecca of all Elvis Presley fans, young and old….. No reservations, but I gave it a shot.  Pulled into The Guesthouse at Graceland around 11 on Tuesday morning.  The place was crazy busy, and I thought there was no way they would have a room available.  Wrong, I scored another military discount and ended up with a room on the 3rd floor.  Perfect… Great view of the pool and back courtyard.  Downstairs to the gift shop to get my tour tickets, and splurged on the Ultimate VIP package tour.  After grabbing the shuttle over to Elvis Memphis which is the center of everything, I checked in for my tour and still had time to grab my included meal at Vernon’s Smokehouse, and wander around some of the museum before the start of my tour.  Once again, I was sitting by myself patiently waiting for the rest of the tour to show and a young lady walks up and says, “Congratulations, it’s just you and me”…. What??? I just laughed.  Started with a souvenir picture and then past everyone standing in line for the shuttle over to Graceland, to my own VIP bus.  Private tour of the house and grounds with a tour guide, while most everyone else had the IPad audio tour.  My guide was awesome, she definitely loved her job and took time to tell and show me little things that made the tour that much better.  Things you don’t notice or hear about in the audio tour.  Tons of pictures later, she led me to the VIP section of the museum and handed me cotton gloves.  She opened a cabinet and handed me Elvis’ gold plated microphone.  Although thousands of people have held it, I still felt like a celebrity.  One of the highlights of my adventure.  Four hours later, I was back in the hotel and wandered into the EP Bar and Grill where I grabbed a BLGT (Bacon, Lettuce, Fried Green Tomato) sandwich and a beer for dinner and enjoyed an Elvis show in the lounge.  A little bit of an Elvis overload as every room, and outside area was playing only Elvis music, but the place was beautiful and most of the staff was extremely friendly and helpful…. I’m sure my Mom was looking down and smiling.  She enjoyed Elvis.  I did not get a chance this time through Memphis to stop at the Bass Pro Pyramid Store, as I wanted to make sure I made it to Shiloh National Military Park……   Elvis has left the building !!!!

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“Well, I was born a Coal Miner’s Daughter, in a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler.”  Loretta Lynn’s Ranch was absolutely beautiful.  If you are looking for a place to get away from it all, cute cabins, hiking, horseback riding, and special concerts and events throughout the year.  Very little cell service and spotty satellite reception, then this is the place for you!!!!  I had made a reservation for a cabin the day before, and they had a good military discount. It was an easy 2 1/2 hr. drive from my brothers place in Alabama, so I got there around 11ish.  After dropping my stuff off in my cabin I headed for downtown Hurricane Mills.  Loretta and Doo bought the entire town, which still has a county road running through it and the Post Office is attached to her General Store/Gift Shop.  I bought my ticket for the tour and had some time to kill before it started so I walked around her museum.  Wow…. amazing…. NO PICTURES/VIDEO  inside the museum and home… sorry.  So now it’s time for the tour… I walked over to the gazebo where I was told to show up about 10 mins before the tour.  I’m standing there looking around and I’m the only one there.  The tour guide walks over and says, “Hey, it’s just you and me”  Perfect !  I ended up with my own tour guide for the day.  There is a replica of the house that she grew up in and they filmed some of the movie in it…. I could see the movie in my head as we walked through.  Over at the big house I saw the 2014 Jeep that her daughter bought Loretta for her birthday, because that’s what she wanted.  Also some of the horses and animals that they have still on the ranch.  One of her grandsons takes care of all the animals, including her peacocks.  Inside was like a step back in time.  She keeps just about everything that fans send her and has a lot of it actually in her house, and she is a huge Avon fan, little Avon displays all over.  A while back they built another smaller house directly behind the big one, and Loretta lives there now.  The whole thing was surreal, and I kept thinking how much my mother would have loved to see all this.  She was on my mind a lot this week.  After the tour and some more wondering around the different buildings, and of course some souvenir shopping, I drove back to my cabin. Saw some Tennessee wildlife…. Big Black Snake ! ! ! No satellite reception, so I was left with sitting on the back deck and enjoying the sounds of nature while reading a good book.  I’m sure Mom was smiling……

Just when you think the last place you visited was amazing, along comes another spot even more beautiful.  Rock City TN…. From a top Lookout Mountain you can see 7, yes SEVEN different states!!!! The panoramic view was unbelievable!!  You walk through cool trails that have been combined to resemble a Fairytale city, round the last bend and there you are, witnessing some of the most incredible views.  From the swinging bridge to the Fairy Tale Caverns, there is something for everyone.  There are little gnomes all over the place tucked into cracks and ledges along the walking trails.

Wendy, Garrett and I had a blast.  Garrett tried his hand at rock climbing and missed making it to the top by mere inches.  Standing on Lovers Leap and looking straight down at the tops of trees was pretty crazy.  It is so hard to put into words just how wonderful this place is.  A definite stopping place if you are ever in the area…..

Wow… That’s about all I can say about Ruby Falls.  Chattanooga, Tennessee was our next stop.  As if Lookout Mountain wasn’t beautiful enough already, entering the cavern and making our way to the waterfall was gorgeous.  Although our guide probably makes the trip three or four times a day, he was very entertaining and answered everyone’s questions.  I have been to Carlsbad Caverns, and Howe Caverns and Ruby Falls was very similar with the exception of the gigantic waterfall at the end.  I really enjoyed hearing the history that went along with the development of the place and seeing how it has changed since it was first discovered.  Garrett was cracking me up the whole time, around every corner he would exclaim…”Oh my God, this is Epic !”.

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I made it to my younger brother Rob and his family’s place in Alabama on Sunday June 18th 2017.  First thing Monday Rob had to leave for two weeks for a business trip so his wife Wendy and my nephew Garrett decided to do some exploring on our own.  Our first stop was Russell Cave National Monument.  It is a nice quiet little park, with an easy trail to the mouth of the cave.  Due to erosion issues visitors are no longer able to actually go into the cave, but it was pretty cool to see.  The Park Ranger said that they have explored over 7.5 miles back inside the cave, and it still goes further back.  There was a nice nature trail loop that we hiked and Garrett was determined to find a rock to make a hatchet out of, so the search for the perfect stone was on.  He had seen some of the tools that had been excavated from the cave in the parks museum, and wanted to see if he could make one the same way.  He finally settled on one that he believes will make the perfect hatchet.  He has an extensive imagination and I do believe he’ll get the job done.  Reminds me of me…lol  Back on the road and who knows where to next…

Georgia…. What can I say? I had a great time during my travels through the Peach State!  While in Florida I made a trip to Northern Georgia to spend some time with my friend Kelli.  We had a really good time during my visit.  It started with a stop at Babyland General, the birthplace of Cabbage Patch Dolls !! It was every little girls dream.  We were even able to watch a brand new Cabbage Patch baby delivery.  Of course I had to adopt my own little Cabbage Patch baby boy…. Shane Walter – Born June 5th 2017.  We then went on up into the mountains and went to Anna Ruby Falls, and then into Helen GA for some sightseeing.  The whole town resembles an old German Town.  From the food and beer to the fudge and candy shops, it was a cool place to spend the day.  The next day, Kelli had to work, so I went exploring.  I found Sawnee Mountain Preserve, and hiked up Indian Seats Trail to the top of the mountain where I was amazed at the beautiful view.  I swear I could see all the way back up to NY from up there.  I could have spent hours up there.  I had stopped on the way back down the trail to take a break and convince my old knees that the trail wasn’t really that steep, when I was overtaken by a group of 4 and 5 year olds from the local summer camp program.  Yep, made me feel foolish watching these little ones walk by like they were walking through the mall, and I was standing there wondering if Uber had ATV’s to come get me down the rest of the trail.   On the way back south towards Florida I stopped at Warner Robins AFB to see my buddy Rick Gingras, who I was stationed with out in California. We had a really good dinner at a little Greek place, and spend the evening talking and reminiscing about old times and friends.  I did get the chance to wander around the Air Museum just outside of base. Brought back lots of memories working on different aircraft all over the world.