Day 62 - November 29, 2024

It is only a 3.5-hour drive from Memphis to Nashville, so we decided to make a stop at the Tennessee Wildlife Safari on the way. Interesting, but not special. Anyway, today we just got a couple rural Tennessee shots and a bunch from this drive through zoo.

This evening, we picked up a couple from Calgary, Vern & Brenda. We are looking forward to an interesting week in Nashville.

Day 63 - November 30, 2024

A late start today so we just went to “Hermitage”, the home of Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States. He was quite a character, winning the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812, becoming President and backing slavery. He purchased the land in 1804, and over the next several decades, built the mansion.  The Jackson family is the only family to have lived there. It was bought by the “Ladies Hermitage Association” in 1889, who have spent decades restoring and maintaining the mansion and the grounds. It has been a museum since 1889. Very cool.

This evening, we went to a show at “The Ryman Auditorium”, also known as the Mother Church of Country Music. It opened in 1892 as a church that wasn’t quite able to make it so it was used for all sorts of things until the Grand Ole Opry took over in 1943. It was home to the Opry until 1971. The acoustics in this auditorium are said to rival Carnegie Hall and the best music venues around the world. The show tonight proved that. The show was “Amy Grant & Vince Gill, Christmas at The Ryman”. Fantastic show, wonderful talent and great sound.

Day 64 - December 1, 2024

The day started off with a plan to drive past a few Nashville mansions. It started off OK, but we got sidetracked after the first one. Our journey just happened to take us past the Nissan Stadium (home of the Tennessee Titans of the NFL) and the Cumberland River across from the Nashville downtown. After a few shots there we continued on and found one mansion we could tour.

The Belmont Mansion was built in 1853 and expanded in 1860 making it the largest mansion in Tennessee built before the Civil War. It survived the war and the battle of Nashville and today is a stunning museum.

By this time, it was getting late in the afternoon, so we went for dinner, then toured a gorgeous district with magnificent homes, decorated for Christmas. The after dark we went back to the riverbank for some night shots of downtown reflecting in the river. Quite pretty.

Day 65 - December 2, 2024

A journey to Franklin, Tennessee today. Franklin is a town just a few miles south of Nashville. Very pretty, very quaint. It is also the site of a terrible Civil War battle. It was a decisive victory for the Union army and spelled the end of the war. While the war lasted another 4 or 5 months, the Confederate side was never able to recover.

After a brief walk around lovely downtown Franklin, we headed to Carter House. This was a farm that became the site of the battle, and the house became the Union headquarters with the Carter family (and slaves) hiding in the basement. General Sherman had taken Atlanta for the North and was heading to South Carolina. Instead of trying to head his army off, the South decided to capture Nashville (a railway hub), and cut off Sherman’s supply line. 40,000 men, dozens of cannons, and unimaginable carnage.  The Confederates almost broke the Union lines but ended up getting pushed back, and when the guns were silent, the Confederate army was decimated. Again, there is too much to go into here.

Then we were off to the Carnton Plantation. Unlike the Carter House, this is a mansion owned by a wealthy businessman. However, it also became a casualty of the battle. It became a hospital for the Confederate army. Hundreds of wounded soldiers were “treated” here. Many amputations, surgeries, and many died. When you tour the house, it is kept as close to the way it was just before the battle with many original pieces of furniture and decorations. But the blood stains can still be seen on the floors. It had soaked through the carpets and into the wood and remains visible 160 years later. As with Carter House, no interior photos are allowed.

Folks, the Civil War was unimaginable. This was one of hundreds of battles. Brutal, brother against brother, father against son. Somewhere between 620,000 and 700,000 dead.  25% of the US economy (WW II was 10%). When you visit these sites, it is overwhelming. And the battle sites are everywhere you go in the east and south. Moving, and so sad. I try to imagine it, but just cannot.

Day 66 - December 3, 2024

“Broadway” in Nashville is the legendary street where the action happens. About six blocks with a block on either side on the cross street that are filled with bars, restaurants and music museums and stores. It is something to see, day or night. Today was our daytime trip.

Our first stop was the Johnny Cash Museum. Interesting. Mr. Cash was a huge star, influencing many stars, past and present. Then we headed off to several of the bars for some entertainment and refreshments. Loads of fun.

Our evening was a trip to the Grand Ole Opry. The Grand Ole Opry is the longest running radio show in history. 99 years and counting. Again, loads of fun. Spoiler alert:  There might even be a couple Bud E. sightings earlier in the day.

Day 67 - December 4, 2024

We decided to take a little country drive today to Clarksville (yes, that song, “Last train to Clarksville” is now in your head) and then a short stop in Kentucky. It wasn’t as pretty as we hoped, but I got a few shots.

This evening, we went back down to the center of the action, Broadway in Nashville, for a few drinks and see the sights. Unfortunately, any of the bars with “names” attached to them, don’t allow professional camera use inside. They allow cell phones and video, but not decent photography. Weird. The smaller places seemed to have no problem with it. Oh well. A good time was had by all.

Day 68 - December 5, 2024

Our last day in Nashville was a good one. We took it easy for most of the day and in the afternoon, we went down to Printers Alley in downtown Nashville. Printers Alley is literally a back alley with bars that specialize in the Blues. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera (what’s up with that?!!??) so all photos today are cell phone photos.

After Printers Alley, we headed off to The Bluebird Café. The Bluebird Café was often seen in the TV series, “Nashville” and several stars have gotten a start here, including Garth Brooks. The Bluebird is a very small venue. Food, drinks, and a very intimate with great sound. We were only about 8 feet from the singer/songwriters. There were four guys (Mark Oriet, Bryan Frazier, Chris Utley and Nick DeLeo), each would tell the story of the song they were about to do, then play/sing it. Taking turns, lots of funny commentary and terrific music. What a great night.

Day 69 - December 6, 2024

Nashville to Atlanta. I reaffirmed why I like backroads and am allergic to “I” (Interstate) roads. First off, it is hard to see anything in 6 to 14 lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic at 70 miles per hour. Second, it’s impossible to get any photos. They do have some very nice “Rest Areas” but getting into and out of them can be a challenge. The shots of the birds and lake are from one of them. I did try to find smaller roads but there really wasn’t any that worked for us.

Next the traffic is nuts. What should have been a 4-hour drive turned into 6.5 due to construction. Atlanta is trying to rival New York and LA for traffic. At one point the freeway was 14 lanes across, with other freeways going in different directions parallel to the one we were one. Also, I will never understand tailgaters. 70 to 75 miles per hour, and a half a car length behind me in crazy traffic. It’s how multi car pileups happen. It’s not like they will get there any quicker by riding my bumper. IDIOTS!! Anyway, by the time we reached Atlanta, it was dark. We tried to get a couple cell phone shots while driving but the results leave a lot to be desired. BTW, it is warmer in Calgary than Atlanta.

Tomorrow, we fly out to Puerto Rico.