It is difficult to summarize the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in a few words because it is so large and involves so many features. There are rivers running many places. There is intense growth of thick trees. There are mountains that are quite steep. It overlaps into both Tennessee and North Carolina. There is wildlife. There is hiking. There are roads. There are people.
I loved listening to the water runningThis is Cataract Falls. Not too mighty right now.
I now understand why so many people visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is beautiful! Every trail head I saw was overflowing with cars for people wanting to hike. The campground sites were all full. The parking areas along the main road were filled with cars of people wanting to see such beautiful views. It is hard to describe the grandeur because the views are so wide in scope. I thoroughly enjoyed my time today!!
The views are beautiful! The trees are so dense!I loved a!ll the variations in green treesBeautiful vistas in all directions!It is interesting to have a national park sit right on the border of two states.
This was an excellent distillery tour!All the Jack Daniel’s whiskey sold anywhere in the world is made in tiny Lynchburg, Tennessee!
I spent a wonderful afternoon learning all about Tennessee whiskey. When I went on several distillery tours in Louisville, Kentucky three years ago, several people told me how much they enjoyed the Jack Daniel’s distillery tour. It has been on my list of things to do and finally, today, I made it to Lynchburg, Tennessee.
When alcohol was illegal, they made money with a hardware store.
This whiskey is primarily corn-based, and it is filtered with charcoal. The process of making the whiskey was interesting to learn about. It was also interesting to learn about the history of the company. At the end of the tour, we had a tasting of five different whiskeys. I almost bought a bottle of single batch, but they also sold some unique products only available in Tennessee. I decided to try one that was partially stored in a wine barrel to give the whiskey a different added flavor. I really enjoyed learning about the whole operation.
This unique whiskey finished in red wine barrels is what I purchased. I hope it is good. It is only available in Tennessee.
During the tour, they made it a point to note the fire trucks and showed us two of their old fire trucks. Since alcohol is very flammable and whiskey is stored in wooden barrels in wooden storage structures, the fire risk is very real and it is very important to minimize this risk.
Obviously, this is their extremely famous logo.
I knew there were many distilleries throughout Kentucky. What I learned today is that there are also quite a few distilleries throughout Tennessee. Maybe I will be able to visit another one along the way?
This is titled “Jack on the rocks!”This was my favorite whiskey from the tasting of 5 different whiskeys.
Today was a busy day! We drove from Nashville to Memphis, visited Elvis Presley’s mansion (Graceland), and went to Rendezvous restaurant for some of the very best barbeque in my life!
Elvis’ grave
I was not sure what to expect with Graceland, but I must say I was quite impressed! It was very well done and fun to walk through Elvis’s home. It was fun to learn about the impact Elvis had on music and culture in the US. It was sad he died at age 42.
I loved being able to have dinner with Valerie and Taylor!
Today was very special as I was able to have dinner with my cousin Valerie and her daughter Taylor! Charlene was not feeling well, so she thought she should stay in the motorhome and rest. One of the especially nice things about traveling is being able to see friends and relatives around the country. Valerie has lived in Nashville for many, many years, yet until today, I was never able to see her in her own “hometown.”
Taylor is a junior in high school and she is beginning to look around at different universities. She will be going on a road trip this month to see a number of different campuses in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Many famous musicians have a strong, important presence in Nashville.
I really like Nashville. Next time we are in town, I would like to spend more time here so we can see more sites.
We love our spacious RV site that comes with a swinging bench and a table and chairs!
Today was a big driving day. We started out in Asheville, North Carolina and went west through Appalachia and about half way through Tennessee. We stopped in Nashville and want to enjoy this “music city.”
The drive sort of wore us out, but Nashville is such a nice city, it is nice to be back. I have always enjoyed visiting Nashville. The last time I was here, John was a senior in high school and we came to Nashville to watch the Tennessee Titans play the Indianapolis Colts. That brings back very special memories!
John’s favorite NFL team is the Tennessee Titans, based here in Nashville!
Fiesta on Wheels 