Well, much time has passed since last I posted a blog. Many things have changed in that time for all of us. We have been looking forward to a return to the US south for the winter for some time and now we have finally begun our journey. We had some last minute repairs done on the Motorhome before we left home and we have one issue remaining that we hope to have taken care of while we are in the South. We left home on October 24th. Our first planned stop was going to be at a Meijers in New Baltimore, Michigan but once we got across the border at Port Huron we just decided to keep going to our first overnight stop and pick up any groceries we needed. Our stop at the border was quite easy. Sometimes there can be many questions to answer but this time was simply a matter of showing our passports and a question about fruits and vegetables. Our first night’s stay was at a Walmart in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

In the morning we drove on to Noblesville, Indiana. We met up with my cousin Beth Mollet and her husband John for lunch. I hadn’t seen Beth in many years but we had reconnected in the last couple of years over the internet. It was a great visit, just chatting and reminiscing about old family tales and news. We visited for a couple hours and then got back on the road and headed to Bowling Green, Kentucky. We overnighted at a Cabela’s there. We had a nice spot on the edge of the parking lot with a big open green space and nice trees. In the morning we took some time to look around the store.

Back on the road, and this time the destination is Nashville. We had booked 3 nights at the Nashville Cabins and RV Resort. It wasn’t cheap but it is never cheap to stay in Nashville. Our first choice was to stay at Two Rivers RV Resort but it was booked up. We’ve stayed at Two Rivers before and it’s a great park. Nashville Cabins and RV Resort was very nice as well but a little pricier. Our first night in Nashville was Thursday. Friday morning we drove our car into downtown Nashville. Parking can be hard to find sometimes and expensive but I found a parking garage at the Nashville City Center for $10 for 5 hours and lots of spaces available. We strolled around downtown taking in the sights and stopped for lunch at Jack’s Barbq. The Barbq brisket is excellent and we did quite enjoy it. We have been to Nashville a couple times before so we’ve done a lot of the touristy things, but it is nice just walking around and listening to the bands playing in all the bars. We’re not really into the Nightclub/bar scene so we didn’t need to stay downtown into the evening. After a few hours of walking we headed back to the car.

Next stop was the Belmont Mansion. This house was built in the mid 1800’s before the Civil War. At the time it was the largest home in the Nashville area. It has been restored and is open to visitors. It’s a very impressive house. This is one of those places that’s worth seeing if you’re in the area.

Saturday morning we got in the car and took a drive. Our first stop was the top of a hill called Circle Drive which is supposed to be the highest point in Nashville. The roads are very narrow on the way to the top but upon reaching the summit it was a little disappointing. The actual center of the top, which is surrounded by Circle Dr. is fenced off and there is nowhere to stop on the circle. The view was obstructed by trees mostly. Ok then, off we go to the next stop. We drove down Belle Meade Boulevard to the end. Belle Meade is a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Nashville that is home to many very large homes. At the end of the street is a impressive set of stone stairs that lead up from the street. We decided to climb them and soon realized they were much longer and steeper than we anticipated. We pushed on and made it to the top. Then we decided we could go for a walk on the trail system that meanders through the hills. We eventually reached a very nice lookout at the summit that overlooked the city albeit quite a distance from the skyline. Since our plan was only to climb the stairs we didn’t bring any water with us and it was quite warm. The trip back down was much easier, of course, so we were fine. We had a little picnic lunch on a bench in the shade by the entrance and then off again.

We decided to travel a few miles on the Natchez Trace from the north end. We probably went 20 miles or so and then exited and headed towards Franklin. The Trace is beautiful and runs from just south west of Nashville down to Natchez, Mississippi for a total of 440 miles. There is controlled access to the parkway but there are many places to get on and off. The speed limit is 50 mph and no commercial vehicles are allowed, (all RVs all allowed on). The road just winds its way along following a route that was used by American Indians, settlers, slave traders and soldiers. Back in March of 2019 we travelled from Jackson, Mississippi to Nashville on our way home.

Our last “non” stop was Franklin as we discovered that there was a pumpkin fest happening and it was crazy crowded. We just passed on through and drove back to the park.

Monday morning we were back on the road and headed to Birmingham, Alabama. Overnight stop just north of the city at a Walmart. I sent off a text to my cousin Wes in Texas to let him know that we were planning to stop at his place soon but we weren’t sure exactly when at that point. He told us that the 1st Monday Trade Show would be starting on the coming Thursday and wondered if we might be interested. Well, that was a yes and so we changed our plans to arrive at Wes’ earlier. Our original plan was to head down to the Gulfport area of Mississippi for a few days but we decided to forego that and do 1st Monday instead. So Tuesday we started a long day’s drive (for us) to Shreveport, Louisiana. We stayed overnight on the north side of the city at Walmart.

This is the first installment of catching you all up on our travels….. more to come