Our last motel was a Comfort Inn - exercise room, pool and HOT breakfast- hey for a few bucks more, why not. Well we didn’t use the exercise room, though very nicely equipped, we just didn’t use it. The pool, was under repair and in fairness the registration clerk did mention that fact while we were signing in. The HOT breakfast was nice, scrambled eggs, sausage, 3 choices of juice, bagels, bran muffins, toast, 4 choices of cold cereal, oatmeal and waffles. We gassed up and proceeded to Atlanta.
On I 85 a tanker truck accident had closed the road for 2 hours but by the time we arrived it was only a 24 minute delay. I tried to take pictures as we rolled by but they did not come out too well. We pulled off at a pizza place that hit the spot and arrived in Atlanta a little after 2 PM, I think.
Bernie was in the middle of preparing a crab dip for us. Very nice. We settled in to our rooms (no purple this time) and the children, Jason and Jessica, arrived later on. Jessica seems to really like her job with babies. Can you believe they do IEP’s for 6 month olds and do report cards with parent teacher conferences. Different from when I was pre-school. Jason is about keeping the computer network running at Emory, Will, my nephew, does the same thing for Villanova. We went to a local spot called O’Charlies for dinner, which we all enjoyed even if some of us did not put dressing on the salad.
A good nights sleep and on the road to Manassas. The GPS, around Danville, suddenly added 2 hours to the arrival time. It was as if the “Great Leader in the Sky” had called all GPS’s to summon every one to Harpers Ferry (any reports of missing people?). Den check the route we had been assigned and realized it was not quite right. We started from scratch (GSP) with the destination of ‘Babs’ and the time adjusted back to 6PM or so. We arrived safe and sound. Had dinner of tuna casserole, talked a bit, said our good byes and turned in. Before I could catch Den, he was gone. I realized I had left my sunglasses in the car so in the morning I drove over to retrieve them. In trying to call Den I called my sister, which was nice to talk to her, but did get Den eventually. Goodbyes again and home I went.
All for this road trip, next year is “Ring of Fire” the casinos surrounding Vegas.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Biloxi to Montgomery
Biloxi is a nice place to sleep after a nights work. I guess the gulf air and quiet contribute to the sense of well being. I slept well. While getting ready for bed the night before I found a $5 chip in my pocket. In the morning Den insisted we return to Ilse to cash it in. Since we were at that end of the casino row and I had $5 extra, we went to the Grand Casino where I was fortunate enough to earn lunch.
On our last visit to Biloxi we had made a deposit at the Boomtown casino. It was time to make a withdrawal. Boomtown is on the island but the mainland side, in the shadow of a rather large Casino hotel called IP. We passed through the shadow and into the Boomtown parking lot. There were only 2 $5 dollar Blackjack tables and neither one really called out to me. I strolled around as Den went to work. I resigned for the Boomtown card and then heard the siren call of the Roulette table. I have been know to play and the time seemed right. I was the only player and was therefore able to ask 'silly' questions about the game and betting options. I bet my numbers 1, 4, 10 & 24. To complete the bet on the 'inside' I needed another number but decided to play the 12 bottom numbers instead. This is a significantly lower pay out but covers a lot more numbers. It proved successful as I did hit my basic numbers and the 12 high one enough to 'color up' at $3.50 more than I sat down with.
I had won lunch earlier so we went to the buffet which, on Wednesdays, is half price to seniors. I was able to get off cheap. Neither one of us filled up but did have wonderful ice cream for desert. Den had plain, I added chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and a cherry on top.
Returned to I10 heading for Alabama. Some of the roadway to Mobile is built over water. From the angle we approached the bridge over the Mobile river it looks like an M. I tried to catch the shot on the camera, we'll see. On hard ground I10 is like many I routes. Strip malls, motels, car dealers etc.. I was reminded of US90 the night before where all that was left of a small strip mall was the two pillar steel poles with signs announcing the business that had been there prior to Katrina.
I10 continues east, I65 heads north to Montgomery. We heard reports of 'Smokey' activity at mile tick 33 but when we arrived it was clear. Hang on there champ, in the high thirties, low forties there were many marked, unmarked light tan SVUs pulling over lots of four wheelers. Maybe I65 is an Alabama profit center?
Unknown to us Alabama does have casinos. We passed one on the way north. The motel clerk told us that there is another on the north side of Montgomery on I85, our route to Atlanta. We'll see.
On our last visit to Biloxi we had made a deposit at the Boomtown casino. It was time to make a withdrawal. Boomtown is on the island but the mainland side, in the shadow of a rather large Casino hotel called IP. We passed through the shadow and into the Boomtown parking lot. There were only 2 $5 dollar Blackjack tables and neither one really called out to me. I strolled around as Den went to work. I resigned for the Boomtown card and then heard the siren call of the Roulette table. I have been know to play and the time seemed right. I was the only player and was therefore able to ask 'silly' questions about the game and betting options. I bet my numbers 1, 4, 10 & 24. To complete the bet on the 'inside' I needed another number but decided to play the 12 bottom numbers instead. This is a significantly lower pay out but covers a lot more numbers. It proved successful as I did hit my basic numbers and the 12 high one enough to 'color up' at $3.50 more than I sat down with.
I had won lunch earlier so we went to the buffet which, on Wednesdays, is half price to seniors. I was able to get off cheap. Neither one of us filled up but did have wonderful ice cream for desert. Den had plain, I added chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and a cherry on top.
Returned to I10 heading for Alabama. Some of the roadway to Mobile is built over water. From the angle we approached the bridge over the Mobile river it looks like an M. I tried to catch the shot on the camera, we'll see. On hard ground I10 is like many I routes. Strip malls, motels, car dealers etc.. I was reminded of US90 the night before where all that was left of a small strip mall was the two pillar steel poles with signs announcing the business that had been there prior to Katrina.
I10 continues east, I65 heads north to Montgomery. We heard reports of 'Smokey' activity at mile tick 33 but when we arrived it was clear. Hang on there champ, in the high thirties, low forties there were many marked, unmarked light tan SVUs pulling over lots of four wheelers. Maybe I65 is an Alabama profit center?
Unknown to us Alabama does have casinos. We passed one on the way north. The motel clerk told us that there is another on the north side of Montgomery on I85, our route to Atlanta. We'll see.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Baton Rouge to Big Easy to Biloxi
Woke, Monday March 22, up at the Hollywood, while not the bait and switch bargain offered across the street, it was a nice room and they had a hot tub and pool. I swam in the morning while Den reviewed items on the computer. We packed,left under an overcast and foggy sky that turned to cloudy, partly cloudy, partly sunny, sunny, clear, sunny, mostly sunny to partly sunny and headed for the Great River Road (aka US61). We could not locate the Delta Blues Museum on the GPS but when we arrived in Clarksdale there were plenty of signs.
We took pictures outside. I was allowed to enter at the senior rate but Den paid full price, well worth the entry fee. The museum seems to have been updated since visiting it last year. The Muddy Waters film is far more professional this year. There is also an entire section devoted to Charlie Musselwhite, blues harmonica player. They also seem to have replaced some of the original guitars. Last year there were more Kenmore guitars. Some of the added guitars were made of metal or gas cans. We both picked up hand bills about a festival in April that we used to send postal cards home and had them hand canceled at the Clarksdale MS post office.
The Great River Road in upper Mississippi is straight as an arrow and flat. The Delta is FLAT! There is a sign in the museum explaining how the Great River has always done what it wants but only in the past hundred years or so have humans tried to tame her. We stopped in Cleveland MS at the Southern Grill, a local hangout. Nothing but pickups and our four wheeler in the parking lot. They feature a small buffet lunch but we have had enough of buffets for awhile. We had Chili, too bad it was from a can. Back to the Great River Road.
US61/US278 is mostly four lanes, divided and limited access in most of Northern Mississippi but through Port Gibson it is single lane through a developed section of town. There are signs on every house's lawn, “Save Church Street” (aka Great River Road aka US61/US278). Every denomination, it appears, has a building along the road. Many look like architectural treasures and I assume the project to widen this main thoroughfare would destroy some of them. If I may, let me put in a plug for Port Gibson and hope they are successful in detouring the road around Church Street. Just think is we asked our Representative to divert just 30 cents of our tax dollars for every person in the country Port Gibson would have the money to build a bypass and the historic Church Street will be saved. We continued toward the Louisiana border and Baton Rouge.
Too bad, we arrived after the Welcome Center closed and had to select a motel without benefit of coupon book. The master negotiator selected a Super 8, go figure, and received a more than fair price, We ventured out to find vittles stopping first at Cash's diner Casino but then moved on. Several closed restaurants later we returned to Cash's for a fine meal and six pack for the motel. I puffed on a cigar in the courtyard of the Super 8 prior to turning in for the night.
Tuesday morning we set out to tour the city. The Docent does not arrive at the Old Governor's Mansion until 10:00 AM but a nice lady pointed us in the direction of the State Capitol complex. We did the walking tour, Huey's grave, Pentagon Barracks, site of first US Air Mail delivery, and more. We then decided to go to work.
What a bust at the Hollywood Casino in Baton Rouge after a great tour. So dusting off our shoes we set out for the Big Easy. The posted picture is of me with a local street performer. The hat is a 'PIMP' hat and Den walked the distance of Bourbon Street, with me in the hat, back to the car near Harrah's. Oh, I forgot, Den cleaned up at Harrah's which, was good because it meant he bought lunch. We then walked to the ferry dock, took the Thomas Jefferson to Algeria and back. A four minute ride each way (not including docking, un docking). We walked to St Louis IX cathedral. There is a statue of Andrew Jackson out front with the inscription “The Union Must and Shall Be Preserved.” Back to I10.
Instead of I10 we choose US90 as our route to Biloxi. The Super 8 accepted our cheap coupon and also gave us a comp 2 for 1 at the Isle of Capri Casino. Even though that casino is 5 miles away, you can't just turn down a comp. I did well at the Black Jack table and Den was trying a system modification (chalked his poor performance to 'training'). We returned to the motel driving along US90 which follows the Gulf coast. A beautiful ride in darkness or daylight. The daylight ride did reveal some buildings that were still severely damaged by Katrina but for the most part the areas we saw are coming back strong.
We took pictures outside. I was allowed to enter at the senior rate but Den paid full price, well worth the entry fee. The museum seems to have been updated since visiting it last year. The Muddy Waters film is far more professional this year. There is also an entire section devoted to Charlie Musselwhite, blues harmonica player. They also seem to have replaced some of the original guitars. Last year there were more Kenmore guitars. Some of the added guitars were made of metal or gas cans. We both picked up hand bills about a festival in April that we used to send postal cards home and had them hand canceled at the Clarksdale MS post office.
The Great River Road in upper Mississippi is straight as an arrow and flat. The Delta is FLAT! There is a sign in the museum explaining how the Great River has always done what it wants but only in the past hundred years or so have humans tried to tame her. We stopped in Cleveland MS at the Southern Grill, a local hangout. Nothing but pickups and our four wheeler in the parking lot. They feature a small buffet lunch but we have had enough of buffets for awhile. We had Chili, too bad it was from a can. Back to the Great River Road.
US61/US278 is mostly four lanes, divided and limited access in most of Northern Mississippi but through Port Gibson it is single lane through a developed section of town. There are signs on every house's lawn, “Save Church Street” (aka Great River Road aka US61/US278). Every denomination, it appears, has a building along the road. Many look like architectural treasures and I assume the project to widen this main thoroughfare would destroy some of them. If I may, let me put in a plug for Port Gibson and hope they are successful in detouring the road around Church Street. Just think is we asked our Representative to divert just 30 cents of our tax dollars for every person in the country Port Gibson would have the money to build a bypass and the historic Church Street will be saved. We continued toward the Louisiana border and Baton Rouge.
Too bad, we arrived after the Welcome Center closed and had to select a motel without benefit of coupon book. The master negotiator selected a Super 8, go figure, and received a more than fair price, We ventured out to find vittles stopping first at Cash's diner Casino but then moved on. Several closed restaurants later we returned to Cash's for a fine meal and six pack for the motel. I puffed on a cigar in the courtyard of the Super 8 prior to turning in for the night.
Tuesday morning we set out to tour the city. The Docent does not arrive at the Old Governor's Mansion until 10:00 AM but a nice lady pointed us in the direction of the State Capitol complex. We did the walking tour, Huey's grave, Pentagon Barracks, site of first US Air Mail delivery, and more. We then decided to go to work.
What a bust at the Hollywood Casino in Baton Rouge after a great tour. So dusting off our shoes we set out for the Big Easy. The posted picture is of me with a local street performer. The hat is a 'PIMP' hat and Den walked the distance of Bourbon Street, with me in the hat, back to the car near Harrah's. Oh, I forgot, Den cleaned up at Harrah's which, was good because it meant he bought lunch. We then walked to the ferry dock, took the Thomas Jefferson to Algeria and back. A four minute ride each way (not including docking, un docking). We walked to St Louis IX cathedral. There is a statue of Andrew Jackson out front with the inscription “The Union Must and Shall Be Preserved.” Back to I10.
Instead of I10 we choose US90 as our route to Biloxi. The Super 8 accepted our cheap coupon and also gave us a comp 2 for 1 at the Isle of Capri Casino. Even though that casino is 5 miles away, you can't just turn down a comp. I did well at the Black Jack table and Den was trying a system modification (chalked his poor performance to 'training'). We returned to the motel driving along US90 which follows the Gulf coast. A beautiful ride in darkness or daylight. The daylight ride did reveal some buildings that were still severely damaged by Katrina but for the most part the areas we saw are coming back strong.
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Work Day continues, But Gets more Difficult
After leaving POD One we were running high on the confidence scale. Maybe too confident. We drove to Fitzgerald's a casino that sits by itself with one side next to the Mississippi River. Unfortunately the casino has sort of a run-down atmosphere and despite the promises plastered all over bill boards along the road to Tunica, Fitzgerald has no obvious system for honoring them.
We both played at a double deck table with a dealer who admitted he had only been dealing for the last two weeks. We both lost and were glad to leave. Even the view of the river was disappointing because of the weather.
POD Two has three older casinos, Sam's Town, the Resorts, and Hollywood. Our downward slide continued for both of us at Sam's Town. I took an especially bad hit that wiped out my winnings from earlier during the day. Mel lost some but was still ahead overall.
Resorts had three tables open for blackjack. A 3 dollar table, completely filled and paying 6/5 on blackjacks. A 5 dollar and 10 dollar table were similarly crowded. Although there were lots of people in the area now there were no tables to play at. We walked out without even bothering to get a player card. Since it was getting towards the afternoon we decided to check on hotel rooms and were told they were sold out. It was a disappointment because there were plenty of ads on billboards and at the hotel that suggested it would be a good place to stay and play but have neither a place to stay nor play.
We drove over to Hollywood casino and found seats at adjacent tables as soon as we arrived. I played for about an hour and just seemed to move back and forth between the line that divided winning from losing. Then the dealer changed and my luck changed dramatically. In a short time I accumulated a sizable win and decided to cash in. Mel was gradually accumulating a nice winning margin during his session. He reached his win goal and cashed in. The pit boss also awarded Mel two buffet tickets. The buffet was right next to the hotel registration desk and I stopped by to see if we could get a room at a decent price and was surprised that we did. The parking lot was completely filled and it is a big parking lot.
We both played at a double deck table with a dealer who admitted he had only been dealing for the last two weeks. We both lost and were glad to leave. Even the view of the river was disappointing because of the weather.
POD Two has three older casinos, Sam's Town, the Resorts, and Hollywood. Our downward slide continued for both of us at Sam's Town. I took an especially bad hit that wiped out my winnings from earlier during the day. Mel lost some but was still ahead overall.
Resorts had three tables open for blackjack. A 3 dollar table, completely filled and paying 6/5 on blackjacks. A 5 dollar and 10 dollar table were similarly crowded. Although there were lots of people in the area now there were no tables to play at. We walked out without even bothering to get a player card. Since it was getting towards the afternoon we decided to check on hotel rooms and were told they were sold out. It was a disappointment because there were plenty of ads on billboards and at the hotel that suggested it would be a good place to stay and play but have neither a place to stay nor play.
We drove over to Hollywood casino and found seats at adjacent tables as soon as we arrived. I played for about an hour and just seemed to move back and forth between the line that divided winning from losing. Then the dealer changed and my luck changed dramatically. In a short time I accumulated a sizable win and decided to cash in. Mel was gradually accumulating a nice winning margin during his session. He reached his win goal and cashed in. The pit boss also awarded Mel two buffet tickets. The buffet was right next to the hotel registration desk and I stopped by to see if we could get a room at a decent price and was surprised that we did. The parking lot was completely filled and it is a big parking lot.
A Day of Rest, A Day of Work, POD one
Sunday morning was dreary, wet and cold. We left the Memphis hotel and found our way to Graceland. We never planned to tour Graceland just a drive-by and photo op but with the rain and windy cold weather it was even difficult to get out of the car to grab some pictures of the mansion from the sidewalk. After a call to his daughter Megan who was celebrating her birthday, Mel did brave the weather and grab some shots. His recklessness actually encouraged another passer by to do the same thing.
We quickly found our way to US 61 South (or as we call it, Highway LXI) and headed on our way to Tunica.
We arrived at the first casino area which we call POD one and which contains, the Roadhouse, the HorseShoe and the Gold Strike. Our first stop was the Roadhouse. It was still early, before 9 am when we arrived and the tables were mostly empty. The gambling started at a table that was completely empty and was right next to a second empty table. The dealers were assigned single deck low limit tables that had a 6/5 payout on black jacks instead of the usual 3/2 payout. The trend towards using a 6/5 payout on low limit tables has been sighted in Vegas and reportedly also occurs now in Atlantic City casinos as well. The return of the low limit table, maybe a result of the economy but is also an opportunity for people to learn the game, 2/3 dollar tables can be an expensive way to spend an evening but it makes a lot more sense to be a newbie there than at a $15 table that had become the norm in AC. It is irritating that the casinos feel they need an incentive to sponsor that type of table by cutting the payout but it also teaches players to earn money in non-blackjack situations.
Our first round turned out well. Although I don't like single deck or even double deck games, Mel believes there is a Karma when you handle your cards. We both did very well at the table and attracted a crowd until the table was completely filled. This led the dealer to shuffle after every hand and in a few minutes I decided it was time to cash in and move on. Mel joined a few minutes later and we walked over to the HorseShoe.
The HorseShoe is a local favorite and even though still early there were a lot more players and tables open. I grabbed a seat left vacant when a player got up just as I was walking up-always a good sign-I was meant to be there. The dealer Jimmy was an entertaining guy who kept up a steady repartee some of which was even pretty funny. He missed a bet I made, thinking I wanted to double down a pair of fours instead of splitting them. But the casino's pit boss was called and quickly rectified the situation. With thousands of hands being dealt a dealer will make mistakes especially a dealer who keeps the game moving. Good casinos can fix things so no one feels cheated and the HorseShoe certainly had a good system. Later in the session I got another pair of fours and Jimmy smiled and asked sarcastically what I wanted to do. I left a winner and so did Mel, we had played almost two hours and the pit boss gave me two buffet tickets. We had brunch and left for the third casino, the Gold Strike.
GoldStrike which according to an Arkansan who we met later in the day has the best food in Tunica was crowded and the Sunday visitors to Tunica were mounting. We both found seats though and both won again. Our first work sessions had resulted in a rare occurrence, a double hat trick, we both had three winning sessions in a row at three different casinos. So rare in fact that neither of us could remember it ever happening in over 20 years of playing.
We quickly found our way to US 61 South (or as we call it, Highway LXI) and headed on our way to Tunica.
We arrived at the first casino area which we call POD one and which contains, the Roadhouse, the HorseShoe and the Gold Strike. Our first stop was the Roadhouse. It was still early, before 9 am when we arrived and the tables were mostly empty. The gambling started at a table that was completely empty and was right next to a second empty table. The dealers were assigned single deck low limit tables that had a 6/5 payout on black jacks instead of the usual 3/2 payout. The trend towards using a 6/5 payout on low limit tables has been sighted in Vegas and reportedly also occurs now in Atlantic City casinos as well. The return of the low limit table, maybe a result of the economy but is also an opportunity for people to learn the game, 2/3 dollar tables can be an expensive way to spend an evening but it makes a lot more sense to be a newbie there than at a $15 table that had become the norm in AC. It is irritating that the casinos feel they need an incentive to sponsor that type of table by cutting the payout but it also teaches players to earn money in non-blackjack situations.
Our first round turned out well. Although I don't like single deck or even double deck games, Mel believes there is a Karma when you handle your cards. We both did very well at the table and attracted a crowd until the table was completely filled. This led the dealer to shuffle after every hand and in a few minutes I decided it was time to cash in and move on. Mel joined a few minutes later and we walked over to the HorseShoe.
The HorseShoe is a local favorite and even though still early there were a lot more players and tables open. I grabbed a seat left vacant when a player got up just as I was walking up-always a good sign-I was meant to be there. The dealer Jimmy was an entertaining guy who kept up a steady repartee some of which was even pretty funny. He missed a bet I made, thinking I wanted to double down a pair of fours instead of splitting them. But the casino's pit boss was called and quickly rectified the situation. With thousands of hands being dealt a dealer will make mistakes especially a dealer who keeps the game moving. Good casinos can fix things so no one feels cheated and the HorseShoe certainly had a good system. Later in the session I got another pair of fours and Jimmy smiled and asked sarcastically what I wanted to do. I left a winner and so did Mel, we had played almost two hours and the pit boss gave me two buffet tickets. We had brunch and left for the third casino, the Gold Strike.
GoldStrike which according to an Arkansan who we met later in the day has the best food in Tunica was crowded and the Sunday visitors to Tunica were mounting. We both found seats though and both won again. Our first work sessions had resulted in a rare occurrence, a double hat trick, we both had three winning sessions in a row at three different casinos. So rare in fact that neither of us could remember it ever happening in over 20 years of playing.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
We Arrive in Memphis
More raisin bran for breakfast for me and half a waffle for my cousin, pack, EZ on to I 40 west and off we go again. Signs on this part of the interstate is mostly religious or super adult book. Seems curious to me but who am I to question Clear Signal folk have to eat too. The CB was extremely quiet even when we did spot Smokey the bear. The sky was mostly cloudy with the prediction of T storms for the evening and night. That's okay because we plan to begin work tomorrow. The stone strata where the engineers had blasted out the rock for the roadway ,was interesting. It looked like one inch strips laid one on top of the other for the most part with an occasional layer of a foot or so. My cousin, the former Land Mine Inspector of the US explained that in this part of Tennessee the rock layers have a lot of sulfur in between them. When exposed to the rain sulphuric acid is formed causing sever environmental problems. In some areas, he pointed out, a high carbonate fill is spread to help neutralize the acid. I guess it is never easy. I saw my first flowering tree and then more. I believe they were crab apple.
We stopped for information at the Memphis Visitors Center, exit 25. I think each state knows what they're doing when they hire folks to work in these center – They are always helpful and nice. The lady suggested a place called Corky's (note that is a 'C' not a 'P') where we had a pulled pork or smoked sausage sandwich, hmmm good. We left Corky's and headed for Yvette's.
My daughter has the most wonderful sister-in-law! Yvette and Derick, her husband, and Dori's in-laws (who were also there) welcomed us like long lost kinfolk. It was good to see them. Yvette obviously had read my medical report where the doctor had said “Mr. Benson is well nourished.” She intended to keep me that way. It was a birthday party for Derick and many friends were coming over. The good things kept on coming. One of those items was fried cat fish, something I really enjoy. We both had a great time and hated to go but we had 'work' scheduled for Sunday in Tunica, MS. We also wanted to see Graceland before we went to work.
Tomorrow, Sunday, we will see if we can start paying for this Road Trip.
We stopped for information at the Memphis Visitors Center, exit 25. I think each state knows what they're doing when they hire folks to work in these center – They are always helpful and nice. The lady suggested a place called Corky's (note that is a 'C' not a 'P') where we had a pulled pork or smoked sausage sandwich, hmmm good. We left Corky's and headed for Yvette's.
My daughter has the most wonderful sister-in-law! Yvette and Derick, her husband, and Dori's in-laws (who were also there) welcomed us like long lost kinfolk. It was good to see them. Yvette obviously had read my medical report where the doctor had said “Mr. Benson is well nourished.” She intended to keep me that way. It was a birthday party for Derick and many friends were coming over. The good things kept on coming. One of those items was fried cat fish, something I really enjoy. We both had a great time and hated to go but we had 'work' scheduled for Sunday in Tunica, MS. We also wanted to see Graceland before we went to work.
Tomorrow, Sunday, we will see if we can start paying for this Road Trip.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Gatlinburg
On the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the town of Gatlinburg. When we arrived most of the population of the Old South was there to greet us. The streets were bustling with people and the cars on the street were from every southern state, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia. The terrific weather probably helped bring people out as well and almost everyone was in short sleeves and some even in shorts.
We patrolled Gatlinburg for most of the afternoon spending time at some special shops like the Harley Davidson clothing store, in case Peg and Lori drag us back to Sturgis for another bike week. The sreets of Gatlinburg are narrow and with the pedestrian traffic merging in the same space as cars was nerve wracking but became downright exciting when a few fire engines decided to join the party.
Apparently there has been a rock slide somewhere on US 40 that is preventing cars and trucks from using it; also there appears to be lots of stimulating money-road construction going on in Pigeon Forge so when you follow your GPS to get out of the area and in our case to start on our trek to Memphis you can get into trouble. The local traffic engineers were helpful in pointing out that their new temporary roads had rendered everyone's GPS as "wrong". Partially as a result of following the road signs and partially relying on the Garmin we got out of the area and onto the road to Memphis. We stopped at Cookeville for rest and food for the night. A Chinese buffet recommended by the hotel staff served us well for food.
Tomorrow we embark to Memphis and a visit with some of Mel's daughters in-laws. Saturday is the last non-work day before we open up our visit to the Route 61 casinos starting in Tunica, MS on Suncday.
We patrolled Gatlinburg for most of the afternoon spending time at some special shops like the Harley Davidson clothing store, in case Peg and Lori drag us back to Sturgis for another bike week. The sreets of Gatlinburg are narrow and with the pedestrian traffic merging in the same space as cars was nerve wracking but became downright exciting when a few fire engines decided to join the party.
Apparently there has been a rock slide somewhere on US 40 that is preventing cars and trucks from using it; also there appears to be lots of stimulating money-road construction going on in Pigeon Forge so when you follow your GPS to get out of the area and in our case to start on our trek to Memphis you can get into trouble. The local traffic engineers were helpful in pointing out that their new temporary roads had rendered everyone's GPS as "wrong". Partially as a result of following the road signs and partially relying on the Garmin we got out of the area and onto the road to Memphis. We stopped at Cookeville for rest and food for the night. A Chinese buffet recommended by the hotel staff served us well for food.
Tomorrow we embark to Memphis and a visit with some of Mel's daughters in-laws. Saturday is the last non-work day before we open up our visit to the Route 61 casinos starting in Tunica, MS on Suncday.
Super 8 - Kingsport to Super 8 - Cookeville
Another BEAUTIFUL day and no clouds late in the afternoon. On our last visit to the Great Smokey Mountains when we drove through the National Park it was rainy and overcast, but not today. Just spectacular views, vista, snow covered mountains, and short sleeve weather. But I'm getting way to far ahead of myself.
We left Kingsport after a Super 8 breakfast of raisin bran for me and biscuit and gravy for Den with coffee, of course. We entered the new I26 at mile post 0. We found a great difference between original I routes and a new one like I26. Wider lanes, broader medians or higher Jersey barriers. Tennessee controlled the truck speed by keeping everyone at 50 and NC upped it a bit to 60 but also supplied “run-away” truck ramps. It is a bit hilly and the road engineers must have loved cutting through mountains and building bridges across the gorges. We pulled of onto a overlook with a magnificent view of the valleys. We needed to take US19 for awhile that increased our appreciation of the I routes.
We wanted to get back on the Blue Ridge Parkway but, alas the Park service had it closed. A quick push of the Garmin (GPS) detour button and back to US19 and 441 to Gatlinburg. The indicated extra time was only 5 minutes but it did take us through Cherokee and is far more twisty that the BRP.
We passed through Maggie Valley, yes I did stop and pick up stuff for Maggie, on the way to the entrance to the National Park. The ride up the mountain is wonderful. The water flows against you in the stream along the roadway. Over rocks, meandering here and there. The higher we got the more snow there was on the ground. The forest is unspoiled and doesn't inhibit the beauty. As we rose in elevation the reason they are called the Smokey's is clear (pun intended) as you look out you can see row upon row of mountain tops each a little grayer than the row closer to the viewer. Down the mountain you have become acclimated to the beauty so you just want to get to the end. Slower cars tend to annoy you and the river is now flowing with you but just as pretty.
We left Kingsport after a Super 8 breakfast of raisin bran for me and biscuit and gravy for Den with coffee, of course. We entered the new I26 at mile post 0. We found a great difference between original I routes and a new one like I26. Wider lanes, broader medians or higher Jersey barriers. Tennessee controlled the truck speed by keeping everyone at 50 and NC upped it a bit to 60 but also supplied “run-away” truck ramps. It is a bit hilly and the road engineers must have loved cutting through mountains and building bridges across the gorges. We pulled of onto a overlook with a magnificent view of the valleys. We needed to take US19 for awhile that increased our appreciation of the I routes.
We wanted to get back on the Blue Ridge Parkway but, alas the Park service had it closed. A quick push of the Garmin (GPS) detour button and back to US19 and 441 to Gatlinburg. The indicated extra time was only 5 minutes but it did take us through Cherokee and is far more twisty that the BRP.
We passed through Maggie Valley, yes I did stop and pick up stuff for Maggie, on the way to the entrance to the National Park. The ride up the mountain is wonderful. The water flows against you in the stream along the roadway. Over rocks, meandering here and there. The higher we got the more snow there was on the ground. The forest is unspoiled and doesn't inhibit the beauty. As we rose in elevation the reason they are called the Smokey's is clear (pun intended) as you look out you can see row upon row of mountain tops each a little grayer than the row closer to the viewer. Down the mountain you have become acclimated to the beauty so you just want to get to the end. Slower cars tend to annoy you and the river is now flowing with you but just as pretty.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
A Drive to Kingsport, TN
10:30, or so, we kissed Barbara Hunter (Aunt to me, mother to Den) goodbye with instructions to be good, safe, and careful on this adventure. Naturally we agreed and off we went west on I66 to I81 south. The rolling hills of VA on this cloudless blue sky day were far more vivid than the rain I had driven through just the weekend before. I noticed the first set of cattle were lying on the ground. My kids use to say that meant rain because the cattle could predict the weather and wanted a dry spot to lay in. No rain this day and as we drove on more and more cattle were standing. There were many mothers and calves in the fields. I did notice many of the farmers had spread feed on the ground, undoubtedly distributed when there was snow on the ground, that left trails the cattle followed to feed on.
The sun on my hands was warm, even hot. It reminded me of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico just a week earlier when my hands and face were the only exposed body parts and both had been weathered by the days outing. The sun was welcome, the ride was good, not too much traffic and no pressure to get somewhere on time. The sky did partly fill with white puffy clouds after 4:30PM.
We punched in a Super 8 motel address in Kingsport, TN arriving about 7PM. We had already stopped at the Tenn. Welcome center to pick up a coupon book for appropriately priced motels and this fit the bill. The young lady was quite pleasant until we flashed the coupon. “It's race weekend. The best I can do is $99, the coupon was $45.”
“Goodbye” was my comment.
Den was more in a negotiating mood and suggested she offer us the government employees rate.
She said “really the best I can do is $64.”
There was give and take, we mentioned it was after all Thursday, not Friday and the race in Bristol was Saturday and the parking lot was empty (well maybe 10-15 cars for a 3 story 50 room motel). She blinked and said the big race was Sunday and she was going Saturday.
We received the room for the coupon rate. Then asked about a couple of BBQ joints we had passed on 11W on the way in. She liked Pratt's and that is were we went and had the Tennessee Triple (ribs, brisket, pulled pork with 2 sides). Good stuff along with the local beer from Jonesburg, TN. The young lady that served us could not recommend the beer, she was underage, but it did compliment the meal. She look like she should eat a little bit more than she did. We returned to the motel to plan (yeah, right) our travels in the morning.
The sun on my hands was warm, even hot. It reminded me of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico just a week earlier when my hands and face were the only exposed body parts and both had been weathered by the days outing. The sun was welcome, the ride was good, not too much traffic and no pressure to get somewhere on time. The sky did partly fill with white puffy clouds after 4:30PM.
We punched in a Super 8 motel address in Kingsport, TN arriving about 7PM. We had already stopped at the Tenn. Welcome center to pick up a coupon book for appropriately priced motels and this fit the bill. The young lady was quite pleasant until we flashed the coupon. “It's race weekend. The best I can do is $99, the coupon was $45.”
“Goodbye” was my comment.
Den was more in a negotiating mood and suggested she offer us the government employees rate.
She said “really the best I can do is $64.”
There was give and take, we mentioned it was after all Thursday, not Friday and the race in Bristol was Saturday and the parking lot was empty (well maybe 10-15 cars for a 3 story 50 room motel). She blinked and said the big race was Sunday and she was going Saturday.
We received the room for the coupon rate. Then asked about a couple of BBQ joints we had passed on 11W on the way in. She liked Pratt's and that is were we went and had the Tennessee Triple (ribs, brisket, pulled pork with 2 sides). Good stuff along with the local beer from Jonesburg, TN. The young lady that served us could not recommend the beer, she was underage, but it did compliment the meal. She look like she should eat a little bit more than she did. We returned to the motel to plan (yeah, right) our travels in the morning.
Afternoon on the Roanoke River
After lunching on Famous Anthony's sandwiches in Roanoke VA, Mel observed that we were pretty close to the Blue Ridge Parkway and we should try to get on it to see the scenery. We reset the trusty Gamin and drove through Roanoke to the Parkway's entrance. We headed South on the Parkway in search of scenic overviews.
In about five minutes we arrived at the Roanoke River View and parked to venture by foot down the small path to the river views. We met a local fisherman along the path. He suggested we to to the “overlook” which was a different and shorter path than the “river”. The path lived up to its word and while narrow was clear and easily walkable, at least as we were headed down hill. We checked out the highway support girders, the river's rapids, a local woodpecker and on the return trip, we stopped at the Niagra electric plant.
Returning to the car we made some additional stops at over views with increasing elevations, snapping some digital records of the journey. After a while we decided it was time to return to the business of getting to the Mississippi by Saturday and returned to I81 enroute to our first night stopping point, Kingsport, TN.
In about five minutes we arrived at the Roanoke River View and parked to venture by foot down the small path to the river views. We met a local fisherman along the path. He suggested we to to the “overlook” which was a different and shorter path than the “river”. The path lived up to its word and while narrow was clear and easily walkable, at least as we were headed down hill. We checked out the highway support girders, the river's rapids, a local woodpecker and on the return trip, we stopped at the Niagra electric plant.
Returning to the car we made some additional stops at over views with increasing elevations, snapping some digital records of the journey. After a while we decided it was time to return to the business of getting to the Mississippi by Saturday and returned to I81 enroute to our first night stopping point, Kingsport, TN.
Packing
You all know that I don't pack, Peg does it for me and what a GREAT job she does too. Having said that "I'M ready and waiting for Den to arrive so we can get on our way.
Know why we altered our original plan to head south instead of the original "Northern Lights tour?" If you live in one of the 50 states then you know we had enough of the white stuff this year so south warm sounded much better.
You may remember we did not visit New Orleans on the first trip - Why? Me! Remember after Katrina and how the rest of the country opened our hearts and homes to those who were suffering? Well my city, Philadelphia, was no exception. We took in folks, sent supplies, money, volunteers, etc.. The FORMER mayor, Ray N. even visited us and said all the right things in public while in our city. Then when he returned home he was asked about Philly and replied in very dispariging remarks that our city was ... well dirty, you know Philly ... Okay Ray as long as you're Mayor and the people reelected you, you don't need my money in your city. Another election, a new Mayor and here I come.
Know why we altered our original plan to head south instead of the original "Northern Lights tour?" If you live in one of the 50 states then you know we had enough of the white stuff this year so south warm sounded much better.
You may remember we did not visit New Orleans on the first trip - Why? Me! Remember after Katrina and how the rest of the country opened our hearts and homes to those who were suffering? Well my city, Philadelphia, was no exception. We took in folks, sent supplies, money, volunteers, etc.. The FORMER mayor, Ray N. even visited us and said all the right things in public while in our city. Then when he returned home he was asked about Philly and replied in very dispariging remarks that our city was ... well dirty, you know Philly ... Okay Ray as long as you're Mayor and the people reelected you, you don't need my money in your city. Another election, a new Mayor and here I come.
Off we go!
Mel and I are packing, getting together the necessary supplies and readying our road trip vehicle for the mad dash to the Mississippi and Highway US 61. We intend to meet the great road in Memphis and wander down to New Orleans then across to Biloxi and finally back to Northern VA via Atlanta.
We are looking forward to visiting with some relatives and friends along the way as well as earning some money at some of the casinos that have graciously offered to let us play blackjack.
Hope you enjoy the ride!
We are looking forward to visiting with some relatives and friends along the way as well as earning some money at some of the casinos that have graciously offered to let us play blackjack.
Hope you enjoy the ride!
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