Tennessee (Part 2 of 2)

9/12/26 - Rain thwarted our plans to hike a 2nd time in Great Smoky Mountain NP. I spent the day reading my dad's extensive writings about his life and travels. In the evening, we ventured out for pizza at our favorite chain (Mellow Mushroom) and we saw a beautiful rainbow on the way back to the RV.

9/13/26 - Before we left our site, I took the truck to drop off some mail. On my way back, I saw a good-sized black bear running down the sidewalk that Pat and I had been using for our runs.

It looked over this 3.5' wall (there is a large drop to the stream on the other side) several times before finding a spot it deemed OK to climb over and lower itself down. I got a pretty good video but I don't know how to post it on my blog!

We stopped at a Buc-ees "gas station" on the way to Nashville. We've been to one before and it didn't disappoint!! Fuel at >100 pumps, fresh BBQ, shopping experience, and a huge selection of jerky and snacks.

Our RV park was next to a large reservoir on the outskirts of Nashville so we had a wonderful view

9/15/26 - We started the day by visiting the state capitol building (downtown Nashville).

We had a good tour of the relatively small and somewhat-plain building

We had lunch at the nearby farmer's market. Most of the outdoor stalls were closed (it was a Tuesday), but the indoor food market provided some fun options.

Our next stop was about 45 minutes southeast for a Nissan Factory Tour.

Although we enjoyed our tour, this plant seemed significantly less technologically advanced and dirtier than the Toyota plant we toured in Kentucky. They were both built in the 1980s.

After that, we returned downtown to take in the scene on Broadway.

We passed by Dolly Parton's hotel and museum, which was scheduled to open in the next 1-2 weeks

We enjoyed cheap beer and excellent country music at Robert's Western World

We stopped at a few other places for music, drinks, and/or food before walking over the bridge that spans the river in town

Nighttime view of downtown Nashville

9/16/26 - We hid in the RV and enjoyed the lake view due to upper-90s heat and humidity! We can't wait to return to the dry heat of Arizona!! LOL!!

From here we will start traveling towards Colorado, where we will 1) visit with Pat's brother and wife and 2) check out Colorado Springs. We will stop briefly for a half marathon in Nebraska (our last of the summer).