Did I mention that Jett is a big fan of country music? Yes, she actually tears up when some of those heart-tugging, soul-rending ballads are played on the radio. I am less of a fan, but have to admit that I have learned to enjoy the genre. We even went to a Reba McEntire concert a few years back where we were surrounded by sing-a-long country mamas in short dresses, high boots and exposed bra straps. A night to remember, without the deck chairs.
And just to solidify my credentials I will mention that we have also seen Loretta Lynn. You don’t get more country than that.
So the second segment of our Planned Trip West will be pig heaven to Jett. We will hit Dollywood, The Grand Ole Opry, Graceland and Branson, with a few days in the backwoods of Virginia thrown in so we can develop a drawl. Maybe I should put a gun rack in the back of the pickup for this segment of 19 nights and 1,182 miles.
Segment 2 - 19 Nights and 1,182 Miles
This is planned for October, 2012, so the weather should be very nice. We probably won’t see much fall color going through the Virginia Appalachians, but that is OK – after living in New England for over 40 years I am pretty sure I know what fall colors look like.
This segment begins with what will surely be a teary farewell to Rita’s sons and grandchildren, then pointing the rig west to Branson, MO. The stops along the way:
B – A day trip of 190 miles will bring us to Natural Bridge, VA, where we will spend two nights. I don’t know much about this area, so we will probably spend the free day searching for interesting sights, shops and food. It appears that the name derives from – surprise! – a natural bridge formation. There are also caverns in the area and several museums, including a haunted one.
C – An easy jaunt of 101 miles will deposit us in Max Meadows, VA, where we will stay for two nights. This area appears to be very rural and is completely devoid of natural bridges, but does have a vineyard (West Wind Farm) which might be good training for later in the trip when we hit the Napa Valley. I expect that this will be a quiet day of rest before hitting Dollywood.
D – Pigeon Forge, TN, 184 miles west, is out next stop. We will spend 3 nights here and will spend one of the two days at Dollywood where we will try on some padded bras and blond wigs. Actually, Dollywood hires workcampers, so it might be good to see if it is the sort of place we would enjoy working for a season, maybe in 2013. This will be an expensive day – a 1-day ticket is about $45 and that just gets you in the door. But I think we will enjoy it. And it appears that Pigeon Forge has many other points of interest as well.
E – If we can extract ourselves from the gravitational force of Dolly Parton, we will next travel 195 miles to Nashville, TN, where we will stay 3 nights. We expect to have a very busy couple of days here, visiting the Grand Ole Opry and dining at a BBQ restaurant with live country music. I can’t hardly wait to taste some authentic Nashville ribs! I am also looking forward to staying at the Nashville Shores RV Resort which looks like one of the nicest RV parks that we will see on this trip. We might enjoy it so much that we will just hang out for a day.
F – We will have to leave Memphis fairly early as we have 227 miles to cover to get to Memphis, TN, and Graceland. We will spend just 2 nights here and will spend most of our travel-free day touring Graceland itself. But we won’t have to worry about finding a parking spot… there is an RV park just across the street from the mansion!
Branson, MO, is the destination for this segment of the trip and it is a long day’s journey from Memphis: 285 miles. But once we get there we plan to spend a week, so we will be able to rest. Maybe. We have never been to Branson and don’t know quite what to expect, but we understand that you can’t be officially retired until you have been to Branson. I think it will probably be like Las Vegas, but with more walkers and fewer hookers.
Speaking of Las Vegas, that is the destination of Segment 3 which will be a long, dusty trek though Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.