On Friday afternoon we went to check out another Nashville tourist haunt, this one out of town. Loveless Cafe is located by the Natchez Trace Parkway, a road that follows the ridges of the watershed divide and was once a bison migratory route between Mississippi and the Cumberland Plateau. Later the trail became a Native American foot path and finally was turned into the national park that it is today. We drove a bit of the road after our ginormous lunch. But back to Loveless Cafe: this place has been a fried chicken and biscuits institution for sixty years. It is exceedingly popular and is often frequented by the stars visiting Nashville. In fact, we had a Chelsea Clinton sighting during lunch! As expected, the chicken and biscuits were mighty fine.
That night we got all gussied up to go the Grand Ole Opry, another long lived institution. The Opry began in 1925, soon after the birth of the radio, and has been showcasing country western talent ever since. We parked in the Opryland complex and proceeded to get lost in the cavernous hotel. We passed through several atriums with fountains and restaurants before realizing that the herds were heading to the shuttle bus for the Opry. We followed along and made it to our seats just in time. Little Jimmy Dickens was one of the hosts. Talk about a long life, he is 92 years old! Little Jimmy was really on it for his age, and his jokes were naughty in a sweet old man way. Not all the music was to my liking. There was more than a little mention of God and Diamond Rio isn't really my speed. But it was very special to experience the Opry and soak up the history. It was definitely worth the price of admission, even though we had to leave half way through to get Lukas home to bed.
Saturday had more of a food focus. We were craving something fresh and healthy and our search led us to a sushi place in downtown Nashville. Reviewers warned that the chef is not very friendly. The listed address was not correct, so we wandered the area for fifteen minutes before finding the unassuming restaurant. "Sam's Sushi" was empty, yet he almost threw us out because we weren't regulars. It's true, he had a "regulars only" sign on the door that we had chosen to ignore. We were also told not to sit at the bar. We would be given two rolls each. He said he would not make edamame for Lukas, though a couple minutes later we saw him boiling up an entire bag. The rolls were huge and tasty. Sam insisted we eat everything and refused a tip. That was the cheapest and most filling visit to a sushi place I have ever experienced. And definitely the rudest. But I can see why people go back.
The next food adventure of the day really needs no explanation, the picture says it all.
Evening plans took us to Leiper's Fork, a historic town from the late 1800s whose block long main street has been preserved. We parked in a grass lot that had been freshly mowed and was dotted with alfalfa bales, then wandered up the hill to the block long main street. The town has a free outdoor concert every Saturday, followed by more music in the general store/restaurant/bar called Puckett's Grocery. This Saturday the free tunes were gospel music. I have heard some amazing gospel in my life, but this quartet was not it. Their performance was more of a sermon interspersed with songs about God. We couldn't hang and went for dinner at Country Boy restaurant instead, chuckling at their motto: "Release your inner redneck, y'all!" Later at Puckett's it was more rock and roll than gospel, but one of the singers sang about a transvestite, leading to hoots, hollers and table slapping in the bar. I found myself longing for an SF crowd where there hoots would be replaced by whistles of appreciation, and the singer would be a tranny herself. Lord help me, that singer's next song was about God.
From Nashville we went to Cumberland Mountain State Park for a couple nights. We did the campfire thing and tried numerous times to rent a paddle boat but never pulled it off. It was nice to get away from the RV parks for a few nights and enjoy the katydid chorus and dry lightning show.
Despite it being the summer holiday, there were plenty of open sites and few people to deal with. However, the few people I did speak to fell into the same pattern I had noticed throughout Tennessee. It's not that people are rude, they just don't go out of their way to be friendly or helpful. For example, if I asked the woman at the state park office where she would recommend I take Lukas (given that the paddleboat plan failed due to the park's short staffing) she would likely look at me like that was the dumbest question she'd ever heard. Then she would probably say in a slow drawl, "There's a playground..." and dismiss me in favor of addressing the otherwise empty room. At least that's how I interpreted this conversation and many similar interactions throughout the state.
Lukas is not known for his desire to walk long distances and he's getting heavy at almost three years old, so we knew that hiking would not be part of our equation in the Smokies. Instead we opted for the six mile Roaring Fork Motor Trail. It was a tiny one way road with a 10 mph speed limit, no trucks or RVs allowed. We saw some beautiful forests and nice views and a babbling brook and some old settler's houses. For all it's popularity I was a little underwhelmed with the Smoky mountains. I'm sure it would make for a great hike and a fun weekend of backcountry camping, but be sure to bring your bear and tick sprays!
Holy Moley, we left Tennessee without being adopted into the Church. And what a treat awaited us. Asheville, North Carolina. Portland of the East. A city for road weary foodies to replenish their taste buds. The vibe is independent, local, sustainable, vegetarian friendly, artsy and more than a little hippie. The town is in the Blue Ridge Mountains and as such is cooler than most of North Carolina. We wandered the downtown, ate at a veggie restaurant where they not only recycled but also composted, ordered a few hipster t-shirts at a printing shop run by a local artist, bought some recycled yoga mat sandals, and ended our trip at the slow food chocolate shop that serves microbrews and port. I could have visited Asheville for another week. It didn't hurt that we were staying at one of the best RV parks we had experience thus far. But we only had two days to get to the coast of North Carolina, so we had to keep moving.
RV PARK REVIEWS
Nashville KOA, Nashville, TN: B
Close to Opryland, short drive to downtown, pool, laundry, Wienermobile visit, crowded.
Cumberland Mountain State Park, Crossville, TN: A-
Nice forest, lots of space between spots, good shade trees, no sewer connection, trucks speeding on roads, pool and boat rental closed on Mondays.
Smokey Bear Campground, Cosby, TN: B-
Pool, playground, shade trees, short walk to trail in national forest, tight spots, biting gnats, staff really hung up on their previous high ratings, self described as "top of the line", given a hard time for not making reservations.
Campfire Lodgings, Asheville, NC: A+
Beautiful spot in the forest with a view of the Blue Ridge mountains, wild turkeys hanging out behind RV, tastefully decorated store and bathroom area, lots of forest trails, close to town.
Florence RV Park, Florence, SC: C+
Right next to highway, pond with ducks, pool, separated into areas for long-term residents and visitors.
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