Little Rock, Memphis, and the Parthenon

Day 21 was another beautiful day, and we set out with anticipation. We'd be traveling into Tennessee, more new territory. We hit Little Rock at rush hour, and there was some brake-tapping, but it did not compare to Boston's traffic. It moved. The highway could have been in Massachusetts, with its similar trees, close to the edge of the road, and plentiful cornfields. There was a sign for Toad Suck State Park. That name is quite different from state parks at home, but had a catchy name.

The wildlife spottings had not ended because we were approaching home. I had to share a restroom stall in Arkansas with an entire family of mosquitoes. We reached Tennessee @ 9:30, and admired the architecture in Memphis, especially the pyramid and the Danny Thomas Research Center. There was no sight of Elvis. There was a turtle walking in the breakdown lane. His future was not looking bright.

The dance card had Cici's for lunch, but we knew supper would be a buffet, and we didn't want to overdo with salad, pizza, and dessert, even if it was only $5. Bonnie had spoken with the desk clerk at the Russellville Comfort Inn, and she recommended The Old Country Store near Casey Jones. It turned out to be a buffet of comfort foods, kind of like Cracker Barrel gone wild, and it was only $8. Once again, the amount consumed was greater than the need. Oh well, we walked around the gift shop for a while to burn some calories. Donald and Clyde had ice creams. Bonnie and I had fudge. We were back on the road just after noon, and it was a lovely 87 degrees.

After lunch we visited the Parthenon in Nashville, built in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. It is a full sized replica in pristine condition in a very pretty recreation area, Centennial Park, in the city. It provided some much-appreciated culture, photo ops, and a nice break from traveling. Inside was an art gallery and a 42 foot tall statue of Athena holding a six foot statue of Victory in her hand. She is gilt with more than eight pounds of gold leaf, and is one shiny goddess.

Next stop was Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. We had been to the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee a few years before, and enjoyed dining there and walking around the four acre lobby. The Opryland location had an even larger lobby, but no alligators. Instead there was an Irish step dance competition, and there were dozens and dozens of girls in curly wigs all over the place, many practicing their steps before their stage appearances.

We had arrived too early for dinner, and weren't all that hungry anyway, so Bonnie and I told Clyde and Donald that we were going to walk around the entire atrium and get some photos. The flora and fauna of Gaylord resorts are spectacular, and we set out to capture it all (in digital form.)

As 5:00, and the opening of the buffet approached, Bonnie and I made our way back to the men, who were still sitting on the bench where we had left them. Walking around to see the sights was not necessary for them at Gaylord, as there was a steady parade of scenery passing by them. We compared stories as we got in line for the buffet, then went down the stairs to the "riverside". We were lucky enough to get a waterside table, and watched the riverboats and Mallard ducks go by.

The dinner was excellent, our server mediocre, and it was an enjoyable meal. We would have spent the night at Gaylord, but the cost was equivalent to three nights at a Choice Hotel. So we headed out to the Sleep Inn in Nashville, where we watched some history in the making; the Michael Jackson memorial service.