Monday, July 22, 2013

ROAD TRIP!!!!


Today, you get a two-fer! My Movie Monday post which I'd already postponed once should already be up, so scroll a little farther down for it. In addition you get the details of my trip to Nashville!!!


Road Trip, Day One

So DH had a conference in Nashville and invited me along, and I said YES!!! I hardly ever take time off work and show up when I'm sick, etc., etc., etc., so I thought this time I was gonna live a little. The travel and hotel is a business expense for him, so that part didn't really cost extra for me to go. Plus our anniversary was the 19th, so it seemed ordained for me to go.

It was approximately a 10 to 12 hour trip by car. We rented one as our employees needed ours for their client appointments. This is what we got:
 

 A Honda Civic. A nice little car, but not one I'd buy if in the market for a new car. First of all, not enough cup holders for the number of beverages I travel with!


I drove the first leg, from Fort Worth well into Arkansas. I enjoy driving through Texas and depending on which way you travel (north, south, east, or west) you're going to encounter a lot of different terrains. I wanted to get a picture of the "Leaving Texas" sign, but either I missed it, or there isn't one when when you head east on I-30 into Arkansas. Instead, DH took this:



And while driving along I-30/I-40 through Arkansas and into Tennessee was pretty because, almost the whole way, the highways are bordered by thick copses of trees, it quickly became monotonous because, well, the highways are bordered by thick copses of trees on both sides! I usually prefer wide open spaces like farm fields. Don't get me wrong--I like trees, but again the view quickly became tedious.

We did see a couple of cool things along the way however. Like a crop duster dusting a small field right along the highway:
 

And this... They're not the greatest pictures, but basically it's some sort of vine plant that's overtaken and overgrown the rest of the foliage. It looks like a huge slipcover or like topiary. I did learn that this vine is not native--it came from Japan or somewhere and takes over the other foliage. That's not so good, I guess, but it's very neat looking.



We hit Memphis shortly before rush hour and as this is a mini-vacation for me, I asked DH to stop for dinner. I mean we weren't visiting Memphis but the timing was fortuitous, so I figured we could at least eat there. So I did a quick search on the best places to eat in Memphis and decided upon:



It was just a little hole in the wall kind of place a couple blocks from the Mississippi River, but they had some awesome chicken and were voted the in ten best eats in Memphis at least in 2009 and 2011.

Rewinding just a bit...

Entering Tennessee means crossing the mighty Mississippi River!





We arrived at the hotel about 8:30 and got all settled in for the night. We're actually in Bell Meade rather than Nashville proper, but it's a very picturesque little suburb and I'm quite pleased with it.

I was a little worried about ten hours in the car with DH, but in light of my new-found life lesson on happiness it turned out fine. We talked about a lot of things, including said life lesson, and he was all for my decision to not let his irritation and grumpiness affect my moods--unless of course I'm responsible for his mood. Ninety-nine times out of one hundred, I'm not, so...

It was a lovely day for a drive, with gorgeous blue skies and scattered clouds all the way from Fort Worth to Nashville.


More details and photos of my trip on Wednesday!


Have you ever been to Nashville??

7 comments:

Regina Richards said...

Love a road trip! clears the cobwebs. Have fun!

Jaime said...

YAY road trip! I actually only live about 30 miles from the Tennessee border, though on the eastern half of the state, not the west. I've been to Nashville once when I was about 8 (figure skating competition.) I don't really remember much about the city, but I do remember the food being really good. LOL!

it quickly became monotonous because, well, the highways are bordered by thick copses of trees on both sides!
LOL! That reminds me of the trip to KY from Atlanta. After you get out of Chattanooga, there is pretty much nothing but trees until you get into Knoxville. East KY is even worse. It's pretty much: civilization, trees, civilization, trees. It's always a good idea to get gas before you leave a civilized area here; otherwise, you might be walking a good 20 miles... ;)

And this... They're not the greatest pictures, but basically it's some sort of vine plant that's overtaken and overgrown the rest of the foliage.
Kudzu? Atlanta is covered with it. There are huge areas of nothing but vines there, because the stuff grows about a foot per night. They've tried killing it out there, but it comes right back. *shrugs*

Jen FitzGerald said...

Thanks, Regina!

I thought of you, Jaime, when I left, wondering if I was going to be close enough to meet you!

Jaime said...

Not quite, sadly. Nashville is nearly four hours away. If you ever visit Knoxville, TN or even Lexington, KY, let me know, though - I'm only 100 miles out of either city (I very literally live in the middle of absolute nowhere.) :D

Unknown said...

My brother lives in Nashville--it's such a fun city to visit! I've driven there several times, and it is a pretty trip. Glad you had fun! :)

Clover Autrey said...

Getting away from work sounds like fun. I also take pictures of the state signs too.

Angi Morgan said...

Yeah, the vine is Kudzu. They brought it to be a land cover and it's quickly overtaking all the vegetation. Glad you had a great time.

~Angi