Month 3 - THE AMERICANA KITSCH AND CULTURE TOUR

Day 57 – Jun 28 WEEK 9 – Tue

Drove most of the day through Tennessee, heading West. Got the lotto ticket in Knoxville by the series of guided moves from the guides.  Stayed the night in Manchester at a KOA that was right on the freeway.. ugh.

Look at our wee baby truck, in with the big boys

Day 58 – Jun 29 – Wed

In the morning we went to the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg. It was very hot. We then went and poked around the small village there.. kind of weird. Lots of biker/s energy.. makes my skin crawl. I hate the whole energy with it. Then onto Nashville. We are staying at a nice KOA here. On the highway but good sound wise.

Aaron playing checkers with one of the 'old boys' from the distillery

 

Day 59 – Jun 30 – Thu

Aaron ran into Wayne Carter, CEO of Smith and Smith. Then Auntie Joys estate paid out just over another 3000.00, lovely. And Gails wanted us to go to Thailand with them. Aaron went and got car and we drove out to Spring Hill. Went and saw Rippavilla Antebellum House and it was lovely. Very elegant, airy and open. Then a slave hut. Miles away from the big house and very small, horrible. Then over to Spring Hill itself, to go to Carter House. More civil war stuff, kind of over it. And the house was nothing much to look at. A bit disappointing. Then went and got a picture of Carnton, then came back here and went and had drinks with Wayne and Lesley, and Matt and Debbie, at their RV which was
'really nice.

One of those Plantation house I love so much

 

Day 60 – Jul 1 – Fri

Went to see Cooters Garage, just around the road from where we were. Quite fun. Lots of the General Lee and Dukes of Hazard stuff. Then onto lunch at The Pineapple Room at Cheekwood. Not particularly impressive. The fried green tomatoes were the best thing we had. Not very elegant or refined. Screaming kids.. Ugh. Then on to see the Parthenon – very impressive structure. Into town on Broadway in ‘The District’ and got Aaron a cowboy hat. It looked really, really good. Then we came back to the camper for a break. Got changed and went back into Broadway. Ate dinner at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville. Good food, lots of it and well done for basic American food. Gave our leftovers to a homeless guy and his dog. Then went to The Duelling Piano bar upstairs on Broadway. Fantastic. We had a ball. We both wore cowboys hats. Great fun.

Nashville, TN. Absolutely fabulous

 

Day 61 – Jul 2 Sat

Drove all day to Memphis, TN. Picked up the rental car in Memphis and then drove just over the border to Marion, Arkansas to another ‘ye olde Rv park.’ Very hot and very sticky. Started to come down with a really awful sinus headache.

Day 62 – Jul 3 Sun

Stayed in bed all day. Aaron went to the Memphis Zoo. 
 

Look at these guys, having a wee swim

 

Day 63 – Jul 4 Mon – end of WEEK 9

Still stayed home and rested. Aaron went and did some shopping

Day 64 – Jul 5 Tues – WEEK 10

Got up early and went to middle of downtown Memphis. Very quiet. Not sure if it was a public holiday or what? Went to the Peabody Hotel and had breakfast. Very beautiful old hotel. Very ornate. Lovely. Saw the Peabody Ducks at 11.00am. They came down from the roof top in the elevator, and sprinted across the red carpet to their fountain they paddle around in all day. At 5.00 they go back up to the Duck Palace on the rooftop. It’s just gorgeous.

After that, we went to Sun Studio, just up Union Street a bit more. This was the studio that recorded the first of Elvis, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. It was a really good tour actually. I had no idea that’s where they all started. Lots of old photos and records, Very cool. Great wee tour. We got to see the studio they all recorded in and the history. It was excellent. It’s just a small old brick building on the corner but way cool.

Then off to Graceland, which was fabulous. Wow… And we got such a good insight into Elvis’s life. What a nice man. His house is not all glitzy and tacky. It’s rather nice actually. And has a nice feel to it. We got to see his house, his records, clothes, his gravesite, very emotional, his cars, planes… it was just lovely.  We came away from there with a totally new appreciation of Elvis, even though I have always liked him. It was very wow…

Aaron at Sun Studios in the very spot Elvis recorded one of his records

Day 65 – Jul 6 Wed

We went to the Civil Rights Memorial Museum at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was killed. We went this morning and it was riveting. So emotional. And to see what people went through. My god… horrific. We both came away from there very, very somber. It was an amazing museum. What a lot the African-American people have had to go through. We left there, came back, packed up the camper, dropped off the car and headed north to Kentucky. We are now at The Land Between the Lakes… A Kenpark or something state campground. Very nice, 20.00 and very peaceful. I like the state parks.
 

This man is one of my heroes. This is outside the Lorraine Motel Memorial Museum in Memphis, TN

Day 66 – Jul 7 Thu

Had lunch at the Penny Sue diner in Aurora or close by… where ‘she done drug her workmates into that’ Yesssss. Then continued on north through Kentucky to Louisville. Stayed just outside near the Fort Knox area. Pretty average.
 

We had this on the side of the camper. Getting a new sticker was a great thrill. :-)

Day 67 – Jul 8 Fri

Went into Louisville itself and went to the Louisville Slugger baseball museum and factory where they make them. Went on a wee tour there and got a free wee bat, very cool. Very, very hot and muggy in Louisville. Went out to an RV park just across the river in Indiana. Met some very nice people there Dawna and Todd, had drinks with them and a chat. That was our sign to keep holding out for the dream. She was born in South Carolina, brought up in Kentucky and he LOVED Seattle… thank you… about time I got a sign… yayyyyy

Aaron with the giant Louisville Slugger bat. Great place to visit

 

Day 68 – Jul 9 Sat

We slept late, went and picked up the baseball bats for the Glass boys and traveled all day. Finally staying at a State Park in Illionis somewhere near Ina.

Krispy Kreme donuts. Aaron had never had one, so we got a whole boxful. Custard filled and jelly. Yum.

 

Day 69 – Jul 10 Sun

Arrived in St Louis, MO just after lunch. Stopped to see the Gateway Arch. My god, the fucking heat and humidity. It was ghastly. I could barely breathe-quite literally. I have no idea what the humidity rating was, but my lungs could hardly take in air. It was horrible. We got talking to some Utah truck drivers Bob and Larry and went to the museum with them. The Arch is very impressive from the outside. Very disorganized on the inside. We waited for ages once we got tickets and then waited again. We finally went up and it was horrible. Very claustrophobic tiny wee capsules up the arch… once at the top… you get onto the top of the arch and that’s confined as well.. you look out very small windows and it’s narrow and uphill, downhill.. awful. We only stayed up there for a few minutes… ugh… Then staggered out into the wet heat again… ghastly. I felt awful. Then we headed out of town. Stopped at Joes Crab Shack for tea… so hot.. I was gasping for air.. had tea there and found a camp place in Jonesboro or something near Danville in Missouri to stop.
 

The reflection on the Mississippi from the St Louis Arch

Day 70 – Jul 11 Mon – END OF WEEK 10

Had a swim this morning in the pool. Not quite as humid up here. The river – the Mississippi made it unbearable yesterday in St Louis… I’m amazed, we didn’t pass out. Stopped at the Nostalgia Store at Exit 148 and that was fun. Then drove across Missouri today and stopped just out of Kansas City at Lawrence for the night.
 

Nostalgia Store was a fun stop

Day 71 – Jul 12 Tue – WEEK 11

Went to the Air Command museum at Topeka, KS, which was really good. Damn hot though. Then drove forever to get out of KS and up into NE. Stayed at a fucking freeway park AGAIN… in Lincoln, NE… Jesus.. Freeway on THREE sides. Way over that.
 

One of my shero's - Amelia Earhart

Day 72 – Jul 13 Wed

Had lunch at Red Lobster, then drove through Nebraska for hours and hours and hours… Very boring. Way over the Mid-West right now. We stayed the night at Ogallala in NE and went to a local show at ‘Front Street’. It’s an old west façade and the local high school kids put on a western show each night. Very fun. Tells the story of Ogallala back when it was a cattle town, with lots of saloons and girls and cowboys…
 

This was really fun. They do it every Summer and it was a hoot

Day 73 – Jul 14 Thu

Seemed like a long day because we got up early. We went into town and had breakfast at a REAL local place… Elvis and 50’s galore but the food was good. Then we went to the Standard Oil Gas Station, then up to Boot Hill. Drove to Carhenge near Alliance in NE. Ate too much dairy food… had a fight.. Then drove to Hot Springs in SD. Long day… boring. Plug fried itself on the main thing for the camper. Aaron fixed it! Very good

Carhenge, Nebraska.

 

Day 74 – Jul 15 Fri

Well, the camper died… the transmission sprung a leak in the heat and we are stopped in Rapid City, SD. Oh shit, oh dear. But before that, we got the new plug for the campers main electric – yay. Then went to Bear Town USA – fabulous place… the bears… OMG… amazing. The camper overheated and we got towed in… Now at a Motel 6.

They had the black and the golden bears here. I'd never seen a golden one before.

Day 75 – Jul 16 Sat

Felt stuffed… so spent all day doing nothing. Aaron went and saw Transformers… Dark of the Moon.

Leo thinking, 'What's that man doing to our camper?'

 

Yes, that's what he was doing to it. Poor Charlie.

Day 76 – Jul 17 Sun

Aaron was stuffed.. so I went into town and got books and perm solution. We went later to the movie. Harry Potter in 3D, very good. Had Taco Johns for dinner

Day 77 – Jul 18 Mon – END OF WEEK 11

Started out going to Badlands, had big argument. Horrible day.

Day 78 – Jul 19 Tue WEEK 12

Went out to Mt Rushmore, very nice but a bit sterile.. Then on to Crazy Horse Monument which was way cooler… Spent quite a bit of time there. Very hot today but ok. Camper fixed.. pick it up tomorrow.. Aaron permed the top of my hair.. it looks excellent. Had a defining moment talking to Donnie tonight… where I realized that I what I really want is an A class camper and to go on the road for at least another 5 months… It seems much clearer now and I feel much more focused and better.
 

This is an extraordinary project. Well worth the visit. Crazy Horse Memorial, Black Hills, South Dakota

Day 79 – Jul 20 Wed

Got our camper back today – yay…. It is soooo nice to be back on the road. It seemed to take all morning to get our act together. But we finally got out of there just before 2.00. We drove East on the 44 towards the Badlands, SD. And stayed the night in Interior, right in the Badlands. Nice soothing energy here. Claire has called the baby Nikita – I am glad. Kit – Kitty Cat. Excellent. We had amazingly good fry bread taco for dinner and fry bread cinnamon sugar… Yummmm. We are feeling much more human back in our camper. Heading to Washington State. Talked to Uncle Ash and Vikki today.. going there for a few days in Port Townsend. Good.
 

A giant grasshopper or variation, thereof. Well, he looked giant by the time I'd enlarged the photo.

Day 80 – Jul 21 Thu

 

Headed out into the Badlands this morning and it was still as cool as I remembered it… such majestic scenery. Then to Wall, to see Wall Drugs…- good lord, it exploded… not the same place it was at all.. didn’t enjoy it at all. Then came through West again and into Deadwood, SD for the night. Aaron had to do a Kenny on the toilet. All that shit energy from the transmission… hmmm.
 

Aaron and I with the Badlands in the background

Day 81 – Jul 22 Fri

Superhero Aaron/Kenny fixed the thing on the toilet!!! Fantastic. Got the part first thing in the morning. Went into Deadwood and went to St Moriah Cemetery – saw the gravestones of Buffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane. Got there just in time to hear the bit from the tour guide. Very good. Then on into Wyoming – had a beef pastie… soooo good. Went and saw the Devils Tower – very cool. Was in Close Encounter of the Third Kind. Bear Claws down the side of it – very neat. Drove to Buffalo and stopped for the night.
 

Devils Tower, WY - think Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Day 82 – Jul 23 Sat

Drove the 16 from Buffalo to Worland – absolutely gorgeous. So scenic. Even saw snow. Then pushed on from there, through Greybull – speeding ticket – ugh. Then on to Cody and stayed at Wapiti for the night up the road from Cody. The altitude got to me and I felt so ughhhh.. Crashed out about 10.00 and woke up at 8.00 this morning. Tried to have a meal in the restaurant but so slow … so gave up.
 

Coming up into the mountains of Wyoming. Rather beautiful

Day 83 – Jul 24 Sun

 

Had a fantastic day. Got up early and headed into the East Entrance of Yellowstone National Park.. wowww. Gorgeous place. Got to see some Bison/Buffalo up close. Gorgeous things. Very majestic and HUGE. Did the circle loop… going up through Hayden Valley, to Canyon, Upper Falls there, had lunch at Yellowstone Canyon. Then picked up some young Asian hitchhikers and took them to Norris. Stopped there and saw a blue pond and geyser stuff. Then down the road to another Geyser section. Very orange around the pond. Walked the boardwalk, saw bubbling mud, steamers etc. Onto to Prismatic Pool – wowww… All different colours and blue steam coming off it… really wowwww.. Then from there, into the Park HQ and just missed Old Faithful going off but kind of done by then. Left there and saw Bison and Elk on the way out… wow… Fantastic day. Stayed the night at West Yellowstone in Montana.
 

Prismatic Pool. The colors in these pools were astonishing

Day 84 – Jul 25 Mon END OF WEEK 12

 

Went into West Yellowstone town and stopped at the Kiwis Takeaway – run by NZer Alison. We got talking to her and then she got really busy, so we started helping here, taking orders, filling up waters, giving out orders. J Very fun.  We got pies and sausage rolls, fish and chips. The fish and chips were not great. The sausage rolls though were really good. Had a lot of fun doing that. Then drove up through Montana, arriving in Deer something last night. Stayed at an RV park there.

Alison's wall in her Kiwiz Café. All Kiwiana things and the map of our country

 

Typical bloody Kiwi. LOL.