Gail's Place: Tennessee Christmas

I started out for Nashville on the 23rd of December.

Had to stop in Columbia to deliver Povatica to Scott.

(I was not happy with the "do" this year-everything was going well until I tried to lift the roll off the table. It sort of ended up Povatica scramble instead of this! It tasted just fine though!

Somehow, I missed the turn in St Louis for the new bridge over the Mississippi (okay, I didn't set my GPS, my bad!) and ended up nearly lost and just headed for here!

Jefferson Expansion National Memorial-or as commonly called "The Arch."

You can see it from all over so it's easy to get there.

Quinn and I got out and had a nice walk around the grounds.

This is the Mississippi Landing from the park around the arch.

When we had had some exercise-met a few dogs etc then I SET my GPS and once again started for Nashville.

The rest of the trip down was uneventful even if the GPS took me YET another route to Rob and Tanya's house! ( I swear it takes me a different way every time I go!)

It always amazes me how much empty space there is in this country even east of the Mississippi! There is a serious lack of decent eating options, I was really glad I had packed snacks!

Christmas came, all were happy with their gifts including me!

I mean who would not be happy with Sheltie socks?!

On the 27th I headed for eastern Tennessee on a little fact finding trip.

I stopped for gas only to realize I'd left my Driver's license and credit cards in my coat pocket back at Rob's! (It was so warm I didn't need my coat!) Panic ensued.

Until I realized I had that "Other" credit card-the one I never use tucked away in my purse-gas was purchased. Then I called Rob to be sure it was there and he wanted to meet me half way to rescue me! Which he did-He really wanted to try out his new car on the highway!

That night was spent in Knoxville.

I planned to go to Gatlinburg to see a cousin but she was ill and even though it probably wasn't THE VIRUS I elected to postpone that trip until the next time. I mean I go to Nashville every year and it isn't that far.

Eliminating that trip meant that I started the next morning for Kingsville, Sullivan County, Tennessee. I wanted to see the geography there on the border between Virginia and Tennessee. My Hickam family lived there and while most of them moved on, one brother remained in Virginia. A generation or two down almost all of the descendants were in Sullivan County. Now I know why! Sullivan County is much more suitable for farming than Scott or lee Counties in Virginia. Once you cross over the border into Virginia you are driving in the mountains. I had my first argument with the GPS between the two states! I won, simply by muting it! I judged it as similar to driving in the Rockies. It was beautiful and there was no place to safely stop for photos. After Kingsville, I was headed for the Cumberland Gap-the problem with these little jaunts I take is that you can drive for what seems like forever and find that there is nothing much to see once you get there! Such was the case with the Gap. I did get a better idea of why that was the route used to cross over the mountains.

After that I started back to Nashville, a day early.

After driving and driving on two lane country roads (which I generally enjoy and usually choose) where I didn't see much except a few houses and the Dollar General (every 25 miles-not kidding.) I had my second argument with the GPS! Stopped to read the map as it was getting quite dark and I couldn't even FIND the road it said to turn onto! I chose a way down to the Interstate and again muted the GPS! I think I've have turned it off but I need it in Nashville.

Crazy trip but I learned what I went to learn.

On New Year's Eve we went to Cheekwood to view the holiday lights and tour the mansion.