April 12, 2008 Nashville - Country Music Hall of Fame

We went to the country music hall of fame today. Pothoo, we had a great time and think that you and mom should take a vacation here. There is music playing all the time- in every restaurant. We went into a few of the bars, one being The Stage and listened to some bands play but the music was too loud for Sienna's ears. We decided that until we could get her earplugs, we would have to wait on live music in that kind of venue.

Today a musician (David Andersen) came over to our table in the Museum Cafe and played a song for Sienna. She began clapping her hands and reaching out to the guitar. The musician was very impressed that she was clapping to the beat. He said that he has taught a lot of children and the hardest thing to teach is the rhythm and that it is better if it comes naturally. He was also intruiged by her interest in the guitar and music and allowed her to strum the guitar for a second. We were pleased of course, very pleased. http://www.davidandersenmusic.com/index.htm

Tonight we are sitting at home, very tired from a day's exploration. Sienna is sleeping and we probably will be soon.

Tomorrow we are going to the "Little Opry" Nashville Nighlife Dinner Theatre. It is located right next to our campground. It has been voted Nashville's #1 Dinner and a Show. The theme is "The Best of Country Music Show." More on that tomorrow.

Living Wildlife Seen From the Road

Deer
Pheasant
Pronghorns
Longhorn Cattle
Armadillos
Road Runner
3 Coyotes
Jack Rabbits
Snapping Turtles
Wild Turkeys
Horses

You can be my cowboy...and

I can be your cowgirl

Cowgirl Boots

Sienna- still enjoying the ride

Marathon trip - 743 mi in one day

On Thursday we had to stop just short of Oklahoma City in a town called El Reno. The winds were 65 mph and too strong to travel safely. Once we got on the road Friday morning we realized that there is not much to see in Oklahoma or Arkansas and discovered that many of the campgrounds in Memphis were under water due to the Mississippi River flooding.

Along the way we saw many fields and roads that were under water. There were road signs and trees blown over and a few houses that had holes in them or the roof's blown off.
We saw the Ozark Mountains as we passed through Arkansas. The didn't seem like much compared to the Sierra Nevadas or Rocky Mountains.

The marathon day of driving was inevitable. We needed to make up some time so that we could enjoy ourselves in Nashville. We drove 743 mi. stopping 5 times for gas. Sienna was happy the whole trip! We arrived at our campground in Nashville at 12:30 am. The campground was filled to maximum capacity with only one site left. This site was left just for us. Thank you to MiMi T and PopPop T for campground help and MiMi B and Pothoo for driving directions!We are very happy with this campground.

We will be in Nashville Sat. and Sunday night. I hope we are able to see some bands play. I am really looking forward to this weekend! This is our last tourist stop before we arrive in MD. It is business from here on out.