Music City USA

Chuck and Donna led our two coach caravan as we left America's Best Campground in Branson Monday morning. The weather was perfect for travel. Chuck had scouted out a re-fueling spot about two miles from the campground and we filled our tanks before heading north toward Springfield.

We decided to take US 60 east from Springfield to Paducah, KY. It was a good choice. The road was very good most of the way with stretches of two-lane highway connecting the four lane sections. Interestingly, the road from Sikeston, MO to Paducah crosses two rivers at Cairo, IL: the Mississippi and the Ohio. The bridges are the interesting story. They are extremely old and very narrow. It would normally be a white knuckle ride, but when you look up and see an 18-wheeler barreling the other way, tension rises. Chuck observed these should be called the "pucker" bridges.

Chuck had found a Wal-Mart near Paducah, but we agreed to keep going since we were doing well and did not want to stop so early. We reached Clarksville, TN around 5:00 PM. Clarksville is home to Fort Campbell and the Wal-Mart parking lot we chose was a beehive of activity. Chuck spotted an open area on the far side near the Garden Shop and we were able to navigate through many vehicles to find two very comfortable parking sites. An Applebey's Restaurant was in walking distance and we enjoyed dinner before making a shopping trip to Wal-Mart.

Tuesday morning we made a side trip to Fort Campbell. We were stationed there for three years and left in 1976, 32 years ago. We expected to find many changes, and we were not disappointed. There has been much construction of quarters, barracks, PX, Commissary, and new roads. Chuck and Donna went with us and patiently listened to our reminisces and about the people we knew and experiences we had. We couldn't find our way around so we picked up a map at the Visitor's Center, and we still had trouble. We eventually found the duplex we lived in; it looked better when we lived there. We probably looked better then also. The visit was a wonderful time to remember.

Back at Wal-Mart we connected the car to the coach and drove to Nashville. I-24 is the main route now and quite convenient. We are staying at Two Rivers Campground. It is centrally located and near to the attraction we wanted to see. We drove to the Opryland Hotel and toured that amazing facility in the afternoon. We ate dinner at a pub (fish & chips) in the hotel and made our way to the Grand Ole Opry House for the Tuesday show. While waiting, we toured the Opryland Museum. This was a delightful tribute to many legends of country music.

The two-hour show was a mix of eight acts made up of old time and younger members of the Opry. We enjoyed the show with a good crowd for Tuesday night. We were tired by our return to the campground and glad for a good night's sleep.