Events of Wednesday, January 26, 2011

 

                The start of our seventh month on the road dawned dim, gray, and rainy. The weather didn’t bother us in our hotel room, however, as we enjoyed a bit of a relaxed morning. Showers, dressing, and morning preparations filled our time before a lovely breakfast. Although the meal did not include some of the variety of the other hotel breakfasts we’ve enjoyed, the bagels, cream cheese, donuts, cereal, and juice were delicious nonetheless. After filling our stomachs with carbs and sugar, we hurriedly packed the RV and zoomed off to the Sugarlands Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

                Although most of the park’s roads are closed due to ice and snow, this complex is one of the few spots still open. Before heading into the theater, we explored part of an intricate museum showcasing the many animals, plants, and ecosystems found within the park.

                The movie was quite interesting. It gave a few facts about the settlement of the region, the extreme deforestation of pristine old-growth forests, and what the park protects. It was fascinating to see all the species that call Great Smoky Mountains National Park home—everything from a black bear to a two-foot-long salamander.

                We read some exhibits about the park, toured the gift shop, and then headed through the rain to the RV. Next destination: Nashville. US 441 between Gatlinburg and Sevierville was overly commercial: mini golf, go carts, “adventure parks”, hundreds of motels and hotels, flashing lights, theaters. There was even an upside-down house. This was even worse than Niagara Falls and New York City!

                After lunch in a rest area, we drove on as the fog rolled in and the snow started dusting the trees. It was a great sight; everything was covered in a delicate lace of freshly-fallen snow. It was just two short weeks ago when we were wearing shorts in Florida! On this drive, we now are one time zone closer to home! Every little thing signals that the end of our American adventures is arriving, but it still seems so far away!

                Arriving at Nashville and Opryland, we parked in the bus lot and then headed out into the cold. Since our GPS last said our destination was a mile away, we wanted to spend as much of our route as possible inside the massive and deluxe Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Conference Center. This was a wrong turn, but after two helpful guides, countless map consultations, admitting that we were really lost a couple of times, and an hour of walking, we finally found the Grand Ole Opry House. This venue is the home of the longest-running live radio show in the US.

                As we stepped into the warm ticket office, we learned that the museum was closed for repairs, but a behind-the-scenes tour was available, so we signed up for the 4:00 tour. Soon, we were being ushered in and greeted by our enthusiastic tour guide, Jennifer. She seated us for a short video about the background of the Grand Ole Opry and the challenges it endured in the May 2010 floods. The stage, the entire orchestra level seating, and most of the ground floor facilities were under four and a half feet of water, but restoration and reconstruction were complete for the Grand Ole Opry House’s reopening in September.

                The tour took us through the House as if we were artists. We learned about the three levels of security just to get in the door (that’s way worse than DC!), the mailboxes for Grand Ole Opry members in the entryway, and the pieces of memorabilia lining the hallway. We saw several of the 18 finely decorated and themed dressing rooms, the green room where the stars await their turn on stage, and then were ushered onto the stage.

                Although the stage was being transformed into a dining room for a convention dinner, the sight was impressive. Surrounding the stage were pews—yes, pews from the show’s beginnings in a church—enough to seat 4,400 comfortably. In the center of the stage is a six-foot circle clearly different from the rest of the stage. The “Ryman circle”, which was cut from center stage at the Opry’s old home, the Ryman auditorium, symbolizes the unbroken circle of country artists from 1925 to the present. While on stage, we sang Happy Birthday to a visitor from England so we can say that we sang on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry House. Then we applauded and gave ourselves a standing ovation.

                We walked down to the lower level to see the stage from the audience’s point of view, and then explored the gift shop. Determined not to freeze for an hour on our return trip, we asked for directions before leaving. It turns out that our brilliant idea to go through the hotel took us a good distance out of the way. We took a relatively straight path across a footbridge and ended up back at the RV after only 20 minutes of walking! Back in the RV, we prepared and ate our dinner of fish tacos. Our plan was to go to Nashville Palace, a local restaurant with free music, for dessert. But since the performer was no one special and Dad’s stomach was upsetting him, we decided to just head on toward our boondocking spot for tonight.

                After a bit of searching, we found a Costco, Target, and Walmart generally in the same vicinity. We decided to do some grocery shopping and try Costco first, as it is one of our preferred boondocking locations. Although we haven’t had much of a problem getting permission before, this was the exception. According to the Costco manager, the police force in the area is very suspicious and will knock on vehicle doors in the middle of the night. Apparently, some delivery trucks that are just waiting near the delivery bay to unload even get questioned by officers. Sheesh! So we decided to head towards our destination for tomorrow morning, Loveless Café, and try to find a spot there where the police are nicer.

                After a bit of driving, Dad headed inside a Publix Supermarket to ask for permission. As we started making our beds, he returned with a mixed response. The manager has seen RVs park overnight before, but she did not have the authority to give a decisive response. We decided to stay, so we reparked, put out the slide outs, and cozied up for a night of sleep.