http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from North America , United States , Tennessee en-us Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:21:13 +0000 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:21:13 +0000 We're here in Chatanooga TN....woohoo....The ride so far has been uneventful but thankfully safe. We headed out a little later than I would have liked today but still made good time. We arrived at the hotel around 5ish...Thanks Jeff We did stop in Roanoke VA which turned out to be a tremendous waste of time and I am currently penning a letter to the city of Roanoke requesting they give me 2 http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Chattanooga/blog-457819.html I have been travelling now for somewhere in the region of five to six weeks and am only now realising my longformulated plans of blogwriting. Better late than never I suppose. So I guess that I should begin with a brief introduction about my trip for the legions of fans that I'm sure this blog will captivate. Where to start In brief I am travelling through the Americas having begun http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Nashville/blog-453519.html We left Indiana after halloween with a week ahead of no college parties. They were great fun but to get back into tourist mode was great.We headed down to Memphis from Indiana hoping that it would take us around 5 hours it ended up taking about 10 and Norman was feeling pretty ropey shaking like a drunk in need of alcohol In the end we stopped just outside Memphis and checked into a super 8 mot http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Memphis/blog-452255.html I left my home setting my whell westward...back once more toward Greeneville TN with an intention of turning north on SR 70 and then looking for some new roads to explore.I'm sure we all have heard of the saying The best laid plans of men and mice...Everytime I run out this way I see the sign that points the way to lta hrefhttpwww.tennessee.govenvironmentparksDavyCrockettSHPgtDa http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Greeneville/blog-450495.html Mark postingAs Liz mentioned we had an exhausting day of packing on Thursday and we followed that up with a marathon day of driving beginning very early on Friday. More than seventeen hours after leaving DC we arrived in Memphis TN safely and with all our belongings in tow. We found our hotel the Holiday Inn Select with only a minor hiccup that being when the Garmin proudly announced we ha http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Memphis/blog-447971.html We drove up to ShelbyvilleTn from North Carolina hoping for better weather during our last three days and fortunately found it Got to our BB and found out that George Dickle distillery is closed on Sunday and Monday so if we wanted to visit we would have to make a mad dash for the last tour at 330 PM. Its in the town of Normandy so we stormed over with 15 minutes to spare. It a small batch d http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Nashville/blog-446496.html Hey all we've been home since last Wednesday but I haven't had a chance to post. So here's what happenedWe left Florence on Sunday morning under overcast skies and occasional sprinkles. As we headed downriver the sprinkles turned to drizzle and the drizzle to rain. We anchored again at Whetstone Branch thinking we'd be sheltered from the wind finding instead that the surrounding hills funn http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/blog-444802.html We left on Tuesday morning and stopped for the night at Marsh Creek an anchorage we'd always wanted to try. It was a beautiful spot quiet and off the river. There was a dredge working near the mouth of the creek but they quit around 430 and we enjoyed the peacefulness and the solitude. The next morning we were greeted with fog which cleared out by mid morning. We were surprised when we go http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/blog-441820.html ON THE ROAD AGAIN 2009 GREAT WESTERN ADVENTUREWEEK NINE NORTHBROOK IL TO SARASOTA FL THE LAST LEGTuesday July 21 There were fond farewells to Ellie and Lou as we took off mid morning for the table top flat land around the University of Illinois ChampaignUrbana. I had a delightful reunion when Dena Mandyrsquos nursery school teacher met us near I74 to give us a tour of the campus. The http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Nashville/blog-438315.html The Show goes on More merriment on stage. http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Gatlinburg/blog-434691.html Day 8I awoke in a dingy hotel room but then I went to sleep in one as well. The bed sucked and there was no matters pad just a too small too thin sheet. Alas that is all a distance nightmare tonight. Four states distance. I started in Missouri took a bridge into Illinois and another into Tennessee and stopped at the post office and the cross at Fort Jefferson Kentucky. This monument overlook http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Memphis/blog-433413.html How do you describe Nashville in one word Country As I arrive via Greyhound what else and start walking towards the hostel I realize it is just waaaay to hot. Hence I go to the Country Music Hall of Fame where you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about Country music and more. Getting to the hostel is not as easy as I had hoped though as it is a good half hour walk from downto http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Nashville/blog-432888.html Arriving in Memphis I meet my newest couchsurfing host Carolina. She picks me up from the station and takes me to her studio apartment. The next day is filled with downtown Memphis. Well that was the plan. What I didn't take into account was the heat. On the other hand sitting in a Memphis bar is not the worst thing in the world be it night or day. Later the visit to the Civil Rights museum http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Memphis/blog-432887.html Hi AllWe arrived in Gatlinburg on Sunday August 23rd. As I said in the last blog it was a long drive but once we settled in and explored the area we really liked it there. Our campsite was so nice. We were right on the creek with shade trees all around. It was a small campground but that was just fine with us. The worst part was getting to Gatlinburg through Sieverville and Pigeon For http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Memphis/blog-432692.html Southaven is where we stayed the night. It's just outside Memphis Tennessee. We left the hotel about 10am and arrived at Graceland at 1030.The 14acre estate features the mansion that was home to Elvis from 1957 until his death in 1977 as well as an Elvis Presley Museum stables and Elvisrsquo final resting place in the Meditation Garden..The white columned mansion seems almost modest from http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Memphis/blog-432081.html August 27th 2009Dorothy of The Wizard of Oz fame once said well actually she said it many times 'there's no place like home'. It was a sentiment at the front of my mind whilst sitting in my lovely hotel room in Amarillo TX about two weeks ago now. Whilst this trip has been amazing fascinating eyeopening sometimes I would just like to go home. You ever had that feeling Turns out someon http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Memphis/blog-431611.html Today I sit at my parents house in Clarksville Tennessee with less than 20 days away for my flight to leave the sweet ground of Nashville. I am excited because I will be starting a new chapter in my life book. A chapter in which i hope the pages are filled with adventure passion excitement and happiness. This summer has been a hard yet still amazing experience for me. For the first time in m http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Clarksville/Home/blog-431518.html Hello Monday today I dropped the family off to go shopping at Walmart while I went and had a yak to the local Dodge dealer.They have some really nice Dodge Challengers over here theyre like a charger but better. One he had on the lot had a 6.1L Hemi he reckons they sell one a week. Then I went and bought some stuff from home depot to build me a shelf in my cupbards on my side of the bed. Then http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Memphis/blog-430080.html Wersquove spent these past few days in Bloomington Indiana with my grandmother Anne. We ate more Laughing Planet burritos which I was so happy about. We ate Turkish and Ethiopian food which were both super tasty We got to see my Aunt Amy and my Uncle Joaquin and little baby Iago is adorable. One day Anne and I went to go to the movies and saw the new movie Bandslam which was good and http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Knoxville/blog-428779.html Hello again.On Sunday we got up early and headed into Pennsylvania to meet up with Trish and the kids as they stayed the night in a lodge up in the mountains called Great Wolf Lodge. Tommy stayed home as he hurt his back.We got there about 10am. What an Amazing placeIts a 3 stories high Hotel that has a forest theme.Like fake racoons in the rafters and scuptures of wolves all around the place. Th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Nashville/blog-428527.html