Day nine...

Cripes have i been on the road that long?

Hello there everyone, and a special hello to Peekey Pirate whos birthday it is today!!!
Happy birthday buddy. (well, er..technically its tomorrow in the US. ak ak ak!)

Well i Left Nashville this morning but first i went across town just to see the Grand Ole Opry in Opryland. It was kinda tricky to get there cos Nashvilles full of roadworks too!
But i did get there early enough, it didnt open up till another hour and i couldnt wait around,
Its a massive place with plenty of room and theres shows there every weekend!

So all you Country fans out there, you have to visit this place!

I was off early again about 5am as today i had to get to another state.
But i called into the former Presidents house a few hours later for some mid-morning tea, law-dee-daaaw!
He didnt turn up though, Well, in fact he hasn't turned up there for about 150 years because it was President Andrew Jackson who was the 7th President of the USA (no i didnt know that either!)
So he too lived in this big Plantation house with his family and slaves.
And like Elvis, hes buried out in the back yard by the shed. (although its some shed!)

Again the crickets or whatever they are were going nuts in the trees (they are quite loud actually) but it really adds to that great hot Tennessee athmosphere!
The guides were wearing all the old gear and inside the house was nice too,
great old practical designs.
No pictures allowed in the house though or they would send you to work for a week or something.
So i had to crack on then and get some more miles done,
(im nearly up to 3000 already with my occasional ...er...dusty detours here and there.)

So Im heading East right through Tennessee for ages looking at peoples houses and loads of old car wrecks that havent moved in ages getting rusty.
I'm coming close to the Smoky Mountains and i know i'm near Dollywood so i have to check it out.
I have to look at this slice of Americana while i'm so close!
It's a wildwest type theme park that's run by Dolly Parton who everyone knows. Hopefully its open 9-5 (arf arf!) *Closes at 6pm actually!

Its Brilliant and Amazing. I highly recommend it.
Its like a Country and Western Disneyland in Tennessee!
There's absolutely loads of things to see and do, Along with the fast rollercoaster rides theres even a real working steamtrain that runs through it!
I spent most of the day here on the rides, I wish I could come back tomorrow, I didn't get to see all of it as it's a big place.
I got to see a museum about Gospel music which was kinda good, and theres recreations of old diners and shops all over and C&W bands twanging on banjos here and there.
No sign of Dolly herself though.

Plus there was a real nice old Car with Fins! Now this is what i wanted to do my roadtrip in! Oh yeah!

So i finally got out of there and was heading back through the town of Seviere where Dollywood is near
and theres these big wide streets there and all along the streets were all these old cars on show from the 50s onwards. Ah they were great! I dont know if it was a show or they do this every weekend but it is a big touristy area.

I got back on the road again, i had to change a few interstates today as i head more North,
I also crossed another timezone so an hour was instantly zapped off from my day!
No wonder im always late!
But i crossed the state line into Virginia tonight and im staying here at a motel which is the first one-horse looking town in Virginia and also happens to be called Bristol! I had to stay here!!!
So im in Bristol tonight all you Bristolians in the U.K! heheh, i might try and find my house tomorrow! I wonder if theres the Welly nearby?!?!?

Anyway got to go now and figure out where ill go tomorrow,
I got more of the pictures from yesterdays post up so go back one day to check em out!

Ive got a few more non-map dirt roads and Interstates to figure out tomorrow, no doubt driving blindly north-eastwards
for a while tomorrow!

G'nite y'all from Bristol,Virginia,USA.

Shea.