The dot on the map tradition continued again this year, this time in the
highlands west of Nashville. Looking forward to visiting "The Home of
Country Music" and an assortment of other random places in the city, we
ultimately decided exploring the surrounding hills would be more interesting than battling throngs of people and excessive entrance fees.
We only paused for a couple of minor distractions along the way. Some
ancestors left a fort unattended in O'Fallon. It had had been taken over by
Christmas on the last visit, but this reconnaissance found it accessible with only minor foot traffic wandering about. The only other distractions involved gas and grub.
When attempting 1000 kilometers in one day, it is best to stick to the interstate and not dawdle too
much.
The last 80 km twisted and turned along back roads, making for slow progress
in the dark. While not particularly engaging, our patience was rewarded the following morning with a contrasting bright and quiet view from atop a ridge.
Humans could not be seen or heard.
Down the hill, Harpeth River Narrows waited to enable a minor adventure for the
day. The spot stands recognized today as an engineering masterpiece and
historical landmark. Almost 100 years ago, Montgomery Bell initiated a project that excavated a tunnel 2.5 x 4.5 meters wide, 88 meters through a limestone bluff, successfully diverting water from the
stream back into itself in order to maintain the stock of mermaids.
His namesake state park is just down the road a bit, promising a showcase of artifacts from the nearby mound excavations, as well as construction by the Civil Conservation Corp. It seemed reasonable enough to investigate and we also discovered a restaurant in
the park, which fueled the afternoon perfectly.
After spending the day in the
peacefulness of the surrounding countryside, arrival in eastern Nashville proved a bit of a culture
shock. The hoards promised by others that had been before were on full display and accessing the area of our intended destination for the evening proved quite the task. The mall associated with that region helped pass the time before the show though, offering up a
culture twist of its own, with delicious snacks and music.
The Grand Ole Opry was the real prize of the day though, and this first-time visit left a strong desire to do it again, in spite of the challenges in getting to the show. It lived up to
its own relative fame, cycling through a solid mix of old and new, gospel,
traditional, and popular country and folk demonstrations. The only downside to the situation was getting out of that area again.
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