WOKE UP TO A DISMAL DAY IN TENNESSEE... WHILE I WAS ONLINE THE POWER WENT OUT IN THE HOTEL; AND DUNKIN' DONUTS WAS CLOSED!! OH NO! NOT TOO BAD THOUGH, POWER CAME BACK ON IN ABOUT A HALF HOUR AND I GOT MY COFFEE... TOOK A RIDE NORTH THROUGH THE CITY AND VISITED THE CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE...THE ONLY OTHER TIME I SAW THAT MUCH ORANGE WAS WHEN I WENT PUMPKIN PICKING! THE NATIVES ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR VOLS!! THAT'S WHAT THEY TALK ABOUT AND THEY WEAR THEIR ORANGE PROUDLY. I BOUGHT A T-SHIRT ON CAMPUS AND HAD A HEATED DISCUSSION ABOUT COACH FULMER AND THE TOUGHNESS OF THE S.E.C. (I HELD MY OWN IN THE EXCHANGE)...GOT OUT OF THERE WITH A "GO VOLS" YELL AND HIT THE HIGHWAY TO NASHVILLE...
RAIN AND MORE RAIN COMING THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS ON I-40 TO NASHVILLE. THIS LEG WAS ONLY 175 MILES SO I HAD PLENTY OF TIME...(CHECK IN WASN'T UNTIL 3 AND I GAINED AN HOUR TODAY...CST)... THE RAIN WAS STARTING TO LET UP WHEN I SAW A SIGN FOR ANDREW JACKSON'S HOME (THE HERMITAGE) ON THE WAY INTO NASHVILLE... I FIGURED I WOULD DRIVE OVER AND SEE IT... WHAT A GREAT IDEA. IT WAS A COMBINATION OF MOVIE PRESENTATION, GUIDED TOUR THROUGH THE HOME AND WALKING TOUR OF THE GROUNDS WITH AN AUDIO PACK AND HEADPHONES... ALL FOR $16.00...(WHICH I PAID FOR WITH A TWENTY DOLLAR BILL IN HONOR OF MR. JACKSON)...WHAT I THOUGHT WAS GOING TO BE A DRIVE BY THE HOUSE AND TAKE A PICTURE TURNED INTO A GILLIGAN-ESQUE ADVENTURE BACK IN TIME (3 HOUR TOUR FOR THE YOUNGSTERS)... I SPENT SO LONG ON THE GROUNDS THAT THE WOMAN WHO GAVE ME THE HEADPHONES SENT OUT A SEARCH PARTY! I WAS IN MY ELEMENT... (HISTORY MAJOR'S DREAM!)
LEFT "OLD HICKORY'S" HOUSE AND DROVE INTO THE GAYLORD OPRYLAND RESORT AND CONVENTION CENTER...WHAT A COMPLEX! A CITY WITHIN ITSELF AND ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR!! GREAT ROOM AND EVEN BETTER IN-ROOM DINING (JUST BECAUSE ANDREW JACKSON LIVED SIMPLY DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE TO...) I HAVE A 10:10AM TEE TIME AT THE RESORT COURSE TOMORROW AND AM GOING BOOT SHOPPING TOMORROW AFTERNOON...GOING TO FIND A PLACE TO WATCH THE WORLD SERIES AND VOLS GAME TOMORROW NIGHT (FUNNY STORY: WHILE BUYING MY TENNESSEE T-SHIRT A WELL-DRAWLED MAN ASKED ME IF I WAS A VOL FAN---I REPLIED NOT REALLY "BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN IN ROME..." TO WHICH HE REPLIED "THIS AIN'T ROME, IT'S KNOXVILLE!"... TENNESSEE,TENNESSEE, THERE AIN'T NO PLACE I'D RATHER BE, BABY, WON'T YOU CARRY ME, BACK TO TENNESSEE! (MY APOLOGIES TO THE GRATEFUL DEAD IF I QUOTED THE WRONG SONG LYRICS)...
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