October 6th we left Nashville and headed for Memphis. We made an unplanned side trip to the Battle of Shiloh, from the Civil War. It was a big battlefield and we drove all over seeing where the different soldiers stood and fought in those few days. Very moving.
We drove through Adamsville, home of Sheriff Buford Pusser (from Walking Tall).
The morning of October 7th we visited Graceland, home of Elvis. Being an Elvis fan this was very moving for me. We hadn't planned on it but drove all day, through Arkansas and Missouri, and made it to Branson.
We had a great room and saw several shows in the few days we were there. We had dinner at the Dixie Stampede (a Dolly Parton show), saw Paul Revere and the Raiders and then Bill Medley (the Righteous Bros.). Fun show. Next day we saw Shoji Tabuchi, a Japanese fiddler and comedian Jim Stafford that night. We haven't been out that much in 20 years.
We left Branson October 10th heading north. We were eating Breakfast in Springfield, Missouri and decided we were ready to head home so changed direction and drove all day to Council Bluffs, Iowa and spent the night.
Got up early on October 11th and headed through Omaha, Nebraska on through the rest of the state of Nebraska, into Wyoming. We are spending tonight in Caspar, Wyoming. We will head for Jackson tomorrow to visit our daughter and newest granddaughter for a few days before heading home a few days earlier than we planned. Can't wait.
Wayde and Barbara Dudley trip:
On October 3rd we took a trolley from our motel to Dollywood (Dolly Parton's theme park, for those of you who do not know). It was great. It is set in the Smoky Mountains and they have bluegrass music playing through the speakers. I can't ride most of the rides because of motion sickness but Wayde rode each one, including the roller coaster which is the biggest wooden roller coaster in America. We both rode the river rampage ride and got soaked. I walked around for several hours with wet pants. It was worth it. It was really fun. There were several local artists and craftsman, beautiful things to look at.
We went to the Apple Barn for supper that night. Fantastic food in an old farmhouse. We ended up buying several jars of apple butter.
October 4th we set out for Nashville. Nashville was big, noisy and had a lot of construction everywhere. We did go to a great supper that night at a restaurant called The Aquarium. Sitting opposite a 250,000 gallon tank filled with salt water and watching the fish made us feel right at home.
The next day I went to the Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson's home. It has been kept in woderful condition with most of the furnishings original to the house, even the wallpaper!
We went downtown that afternoon and toured the Country Music Hall of Fame. It was 3 floors of wonderful exhibits and music. Wayde and I are country music fans so it was very nostalgic for us.
Have to admit, though, won't feel bad about leaving Nashville.
From Wayde and Barbara Dudley:
If the last e-mail seemed to end abruptly it is because I hit the "Send" button rather than the "Save" button. We are having to use the wireless systems in the different hotels and they cut off after a period of time and you lose what you were working on and you have to save it frequently. That and having to work with the small keyboard on the laptop make it difficult for long e-mails. (Maybe that's a sign I'm writing too much). Anyway, please excuse any typing errors or other mistakes.
Anyway, we had some friends fly in to meet us and shoot the Glock match in Conyers, GA (outside of Atlanta). They live in Lebanon, Oregon. We got up early on September 30th and headed out to the range. The gun club had an "old western town" set up for the cowboy shooting so we had a neat setting for the match. The guys shot okay and had a good time.
That afternoon we drove out to Stone Moutain Park. Stone Mountain is the largest exposed granite rock in the world with 583 acres of exposed granite and it is over 800' high. Likenesses of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis are carved in the rock. The project was started in the 1920's by the same sculptor that did Mt. Rushmore and is a tribute to the fallen Confederate soldiers. It is really amazing. We took the cable car to the top and while everyone else got out to explore the rock, I got right back in the next cable car and went right back down. I was pretty proud of myself for even getting in th!e car in the first place. We rode the "Duck" which is an amphibious vehicle that rides on the land and then rushes at 15 mph into the lake. It was really fun to float around the lake in a "bus". We then toured the Plantation. I thought it was a huge reproductions when, in fact, they were all original buildings that had been moved to Stone Mountain. There was a log cabin fro the 1700's, a house from the early 1800's, slave quarters, a barn, cookhouse and an antebellue house from the 1830's. The furnishings were all either original or antiques from the same time period. It was wonderful.
We left for Pigeon Forge (Dollywood) on October 2nd. We paid $2.02 for gas. That has been a pleasant surprise on this trip, low price for gas.
We started climbing into the Smoky Mountain, went through North Carolina into Tennessee. Absolutely beautiful country. We were glad to finally see some mountains and to be able to see them in all their fall glory was really a treat.
Got into Pigeon Forge late in the afternoon. In the process of doing laundry (one of the real down sides to taking a long trip), we got the call we had been waiting for from our youngest daughter, Beth, in Jackson, Wyoming. Our prayers were answered and she had given birth to a sweet, perfect baby girl that afternoon. Mother and daughter, Sunny Day, are doing great. Can't wait to see them.
Looks like this e-mail is long enough so I will finish later. Hope you are all doing well. We miss you.
