DRINK PINK AND MOVE: Nashville, TN to Natchez, MS - June 30

Poppa, statue of Roy Acuff & Minnie Pearl, and Bella at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN

Well, we are back from our "mini" vacation and we had a blast. On Thursday, we drove to Nashville, TN and got there about mid-afternoon. Found the hotel, and when we walked up to the office door there was a piece of steel on the door that was used to lock it - I touched it and told Poppa that this wasn't looking too good. Note to self - always go with your first instinct, we should have canceled reservation and left. First, the hotel looked like it was in the ghetto and secondly, it was nasty on the outside and the office didn't look much better. We got checked in and went to the room. The first room was on the side of the interstate and you could hear the traffic even with the door shut, so we asked for a different room. The smell was like a strong scented disinfectant and I had trouble breathing. We left and went in search of food. And, as we were sitting at the restaurant, Caney Fork, we were looking at the hotels near by and decided that was more of an area where we wanted/needed to be. So, after we finished eating, we located a new room and went to retrieve our belongings and check out of the ghetto hotel before dark. We arrived at the newly found hotel, the Fiddler's Inn!!

Poppa & Bella at Caney Fork Restaurant in Nashville, TN

On Friday, we ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel, which was near the hotel. Then we headed downtown to the Ryman Auditorium. We got our tickets for the tour, even received a military discount, sweet!! It was awesome!! After the tour, we walked up one side of Main Street and back down the other side, until I couldn't walk anymore. We headed back over by the hotel to eat a late lunch at Caney Fork, and then headed to the hotel to rest a little before heading to the Grand Ole Opry.

Poppa & Bella at the Grand Ole Opry (before the show)

Poppa & Bella at the Grand Ole Opry (after the show)

At the Grand Ole Opry, we saw the JaneDear Girls, The Isaacs, The White Family, Bill Anderson, Little Jimmy Dickens, Connie Smith, Marty Stuart, Rodney Atkins, Darius Rucker!! It was much awesomeness!!

Little Jimmy Dickens (90 years old)

Rodney Atkins (was not on the list to be there-how awesome- he sang "Farmers Daughter")

Ricky Skaggs

Darius Rucker (he sang "Alright")

Marty Stuart

On Saturday morning, we checked out of the Fiddler's Inn and had a really nice chat with a lady that worked in the gift shop at the hotel, Shirley aka The Colonel (75 yrs. old)!! Shirley was a wealth of information and we wished we had met her when we first got to Nashville instead of when we were leaving. We left the hotel and headed for the Lane Motor Museum, we were there for a couple of hours, it was very interesting.

Bella & her next car (haha!!)

Poppa & race car

Car that can be driven from either direction!!

Off to locate Highway 100 to find the entrance to the Natchez Trace Parkway. After a misdirection on my part, we found Highway 100 and the entrance to the Trace. On the first leg of the Trace, we found a spot that had a Confederate Gravesite, with 13 unknown soldiers. I was surprised to find 13 individual grave markers at this site, I thought it would just be one marker stating that there were 13 unknown Confederate soldiers buried there. On our map, it showed as "Confederate Gravesites and Old Trace," but on the actual sign on the Trace it only said "Old Trace" and we almost did not stop, we actually passed it up, but decided to turn around and investigate and we were so glad we did. This spot is about 10 miles North of Tupelo. We stopped for the night in Tupelo.

Bella at entrance of the Natchez Trace off Highway 100 just outside of Nashville, TN

Poppa at entrance of the Natchez Trace off Highway 100 just outside of Nashville, TN

Tombstone of an Unknown Confederate Soldier (located about 10 miles North of Tupelo, MS on the Natchez Trace)

All 13 Tombstones of the Unknown Confederate Soldiers (located about 10 miles North of Tupelo, MS on the Natchez Trace)

Sunday morning we headed out again and on this second and last leg of the Trace, the most interesting spot and I am so glad we were able to locate it, was the spot that I had only heard my Dad refer to as "The Overlook" and he use to stop there and let us play in the water when we were kids. The spot is actually called the "Reservoir Overlook" and it was packed with boaters - I was really surprised. All those years ago, when we would be at the Overlook, we would be the only ones there. I think we spent the most time at this spot, it sure brought back a flood of memories.

Reservoir Overlook

Overlook swamped by boats

Most beautiful spot at the Overlook

Bella & Poppa at the Overlook

We got to Natchez, Mississippi and the end of the Trace about mid-afternoon and instead of spending the night there as was previously planned, we headed home, stopped in Monroe, Louisiana for supper and got home around 7:30 p.m. Not to shabby!!