We left Russellville Arkansas and headed east. Destination, Nashville! Nice cool weather and light traffic. Cruising at about 80 in a 70, I spot an Arkansas Trooper on the median about 20 miles into the day's ride. Too late now. After we pass, I see the trooper pulling out. Ah crap, a delay. I keep watching my mirror and I see his lights come on but he's way back in the distance. Then I see he's stopping someone else. That'll keep him busy. I hit the resume button on the cruise control and we're rolling again. Everyone is minding their manners. They pass who they need to pass and then get back over in the right lane. The way it is supposed to be done.
We hit a construction zone in Conway but they only slow traffic down to 60 but they maintain 2 lanes and everybody just zips through the 8 mile stretch. Little Rock is a little more congested but it's still not that bad. We hit another construction zone about 60 miles from the Tennessee border and the light up signs are telling us to expect delays. They have it down to single lane and 55 MPH but they also give warnings about a mile before that the left lane is closed and they erect signs telling drivers to "MERGE NOW"! They mean it! Not like Ohio where they throw up a sign about construction and then a hundred yards later have a lane shut down.
We decide to stop for gas and put on helmets about 20 miles from the border so the next exit coming up has several gas stations. We get to the exit and there is no slow down lane! It's just veer right at 70 MPH and hit the curve on the ramp! I'm surprised there wasn't a pile of vehicles off the side of the exit from trying to take the turn too fast. We hit the Shell station right near the top of the ramp and start pumping gas. We could've watched grass grow while the damn thing pumped about 1/2 gallon a minute! We shut it down with less than a gallon in Marybeth's bike and head to the BP. Much better. Then I notice we're at the West Memphis Service Center and all thats around there is seedy motels and a few homeless roaming around.
We hit Memphis a little before noon and find one of our favorite eating spots in that city, Gus's Famous Fried Chicken. Usually there is about a 1/2 hour to 45 minute wait at lunch time but the hostess says 15 - 20 minutes. She was right on. The lunch was awesome. This chicken is juicy and the batter is crispy and spicy. Not ridiculous spicy, but just spicy enough with good flavor.
Now we're heading to Nashville and the roads are good and the traffic isn't too bad. As we're reaching Jackson, TN, we had planned on stopping at Bumpus Harley Davidson so Marybeth could pick up some new riding glasses since she had broken the ones she borrowed from me after breaking her own last year. It worked out well because the rain started right about a mile before the exit and stopped just as fast. It was still cloudy when we pulled out and a sprinkle here and there but it cleared up quickly.
Now we had the last stretch to Nashville. The roads started getting hillier and that means the trucks start trying to pass each other. Now if you are a trucker, or know a trucker, or are related to a trucker, please explain to them that no matter how fast they think their truck is, it's not that much faster than the truck they are about to pass and they probably won't get past the other truck before they reach the next incline. So it'll take them a good mile or more to make their pass and all they do is look stupid and piss other drivers off. I know the make America move by hauling our consumer goods but PLEEZ! Have some courtesy! And DOT, put in some truck lanes in hill country!
We made another gas stop about 40 miles outside of Nashville. When we're getting back on, we discovered the entrance ramp was very short and with a truck in the right lane, another truck driver decides to pass him so he can't get over so we end up running the berm for about a hundred yards before we can merge over behind the truck in the right lane. We hit Nashville and traffic is rolling nicely. As we approach the I-40/I-65 merge, I hear over the CB "Back it down boys, you're about to hit a parking lot through the middle of the city!". Sure enough, brake light start lighting up and a mile from our exit, the traffic comes to a slow crawl. Luckily I'm familiar with the area and we get off at the next exit, but not before the freight train passing under the bridge we're on blasts his horn a couple times and scares the shit outta me! Damn that was loud.
We get to within two blocks of the hotel and the secondary roads are gridlocked because of the I-40 backup and the idiots going in the opposite direction are blocking us and the cars in front of us from turning left to get where we need to be. These people are driving with blinders on and have no courtesy. The lady adjacent to me is waiving the driver behind me to turn left in front of her since the traffic in front of her has moved but lady, he doesn't want to turn there, he wants to turn where I want to turn but we can't turn because you got the street blocked up. Yes I called her a moron as I did several other drivers who I had observed blocking the intersection while we sat there in 90° heat, waiting to turn. Finally, we got moving again and made it to our Home 2 hotel.
This is the first time we've ever stayed at one. It's like an extended stay by Hilton complete with a dishwasher, some dishes, microwave and fridge with freezer. Kinda like a dorm room. We got settled and headed down town to Lower Broadway via the hotel shuttle. The driver was all full of himself, telling some young ladies in the van he had a doctorate degree and were thinking, "why you driving a damn hotel shuttle then?". He was impressing them with his knowledge of sensible shoes and eateries around downtown. He drops these 4 or 5 gals off right at the front door of the restaurant they're going to after getting out and opening the side doors for them and taking their hands to help them exit. We pull away and I ask him if he can drop us off by Roberts and the other couple asks to be dropped off at Margaritaville which are in the 4 and 500 blocks of Broadway. Nope! Can't do it. He'll drop us off at 2nd Ave and Broadway because the other is out of his way. He stops the van and lets us fend for ourselves to climb out of the van. I watch then as he turns to the west and drives right past where we wanted to go, you so of a bitch!
We hoof it to Roberts as we chat with the other couple who are visiting from Australia. Welcome to some southern hospitality courtesy of the van driver. We find our spots at the bar and Sammy and Cooper are tending bar. We order up a couple cold ones and a couple cheese burgers. Yum!
A while later Marybeth's cousin Tuffy shows up and then our Facebook friend David Brown from Indiana walks in. We spend some time chatting and watching the drunks before heading next door to Layla's Bluegrass Inn to listen to the remains of Slim Chance and the Can't Hardly Playboys with Josh Hedley on vocals. A while later, our friend who we met on our last Nashville trip, Loiusa, aka Baberham Lincoln, shows up. Louisa likes to dance and Marybeth musta been drunk cuz she got up to join her on the dance floor. We left soon after that and caught a cab ride back to the hotel.
Friday morning we were awaken at well before 8am by the garbage truck. Then at about 8 am, house keeping decides to do some big time wrestling or renovation in the storage room next to our suite. And about 20 minutes later, a couple housekeepers decide to have a meeting outside our door. I opened the door and politely reminded them that people were trying to sleep! Then at 10 am, a couple children began running up and down the hall and slamming doors. About the third time, I threw on some pants and went into the hall. A-HA! The room across the hall. I hear children talking and it sounds like they may be leaving soon. I wait. Out comes two little girls about 5 or 6 with their father. "Are you the ones running up and down the hall?" Again I politely remind them that this is not a playground and people are trying to sleep!
We finally get up about 11 and get ready to head to Willie Mae's in Springfield for some fantastic BBQ served up by Joe and Gail and we have lunch with David Brown before he heads home to Indiana.
Tonight, back down to Broadway and then to see the Hummers play
So after a dinner of Fried Bologna Sandwiches and sweet potato fries at Robert's, we mapped it out on the old smart phone and saw that the Zombie Shop was 5 blocks away but about a half mile walk due to the new Nashville Convention Center construction right between us and it. The Zombie Shop is located in the 500 block of 6th Avenue South, in the industrial area just south of the Convention Center. It's actually a
Saturday we headed out to Lebanon to visit with relatives, and then spent the evening saying goodbye to all our servers at Robert's and the Full Moon and were in by 11 PM for a 6 o'clock wakeup to head home. We grabbed breakfast at Noshville and when paying the check, our waitress told us about an armadillo under a car parked on the street outside. Now I don't know about you, but I'd never seen a living armadillo. The only ones I'd seen were laying on their back's along the roadways in Florida and Texas. I had to see this. We went outside and there he was. As I laid on my belly snapping pictures with my iPhone, Marybeth asks if they attack like opossum. I didn't think so but I didn't hang around to find out. We headed to the nearby gas station and gasses up and decided to put on the full face helmets and rain jackets. Good choice because when we pulled out from under the canopy, it was already raining. And it rained for the next 130 miles. Unfortunately, we didn't put on the whole rain suit so by the time we got home at 6:30, my socks were still soaked. Not bad though for a 4812 mile trip covering 15 states and that was the only serious rain we hit. Now it's time to start planning the next trip!
