Day 15: The End of the Road

Lebanon TN to Orangeburg SC

 

We left Lebanon, TN, at 7:30 central time after breakfast and began our drive home. We passed through Knoxville, Asheville, and then Spartanburg. In Columbia, we got caught up in the massive congestion left from a tanker fire that happened earlier this morning on I-26. We finally reached Orangeburg at 5:00 in the afternoon. I was of mixed emotions: glad to be home but a little sad that our trip was over. We traveled a total of 2819 miles and saw many new things. I think I'll be up to another road trip in a year or two!

Day 14: Nashville

Goodlettsville TN to Lebanon TN

We didn't want to leave too early in fear of getting caught in the Nashville traffic coming from the suburbs into the city, so we left the hotel about 8:45 after breakfast. It took us about 30 minutes to drive to downtown and park in a public parking garage near the famous Ryman Auditorium. I knew it was where WSM broadcast the Grand Ole Opry back in the day, but I didn't know that so many other famous people of all types performed and spoke here as well. It looks like a church because it was a tabernacle in its earliest days, including the pews.

After our tour of the Ryman, we drove northeast of Nashville to tour the Hermitage, the 1821 Greek Revival homestead of President Andrew Jackson. We arrived at 10:30. The visitors' center had good exhibits and didn't avoid the controversial subjects of slavery and Indian removal. As we all are, Jackson was a man of his time and place with corresponding views, perhaps a little more extreme. Jackson and his wife Rachel are buried in the garden.

 

 At 12:30, we ate at the cafe at the visitors' center and then drove to Lebanon, TN, to stay at a Sleep Inn, again much cheaper than a downtown hotel. Naps in the afternoon. Took out a pizza from a Bellacino's in the same interstate interchange as the hotel.

Day 13: Converging Rivers

Linn MO to Nashville TN

We got up fairly early for our 400 mile drive, and after breakfast at 7:15, we continued our travels east and south: US 50, I-44, I-55, and US 60. The US 60 bridge across the Mississippi River was closed due to repair work, so we passed through the now dismal town of Cairo, Illinois, via I-57 and got back on US 60 to cross the Ohio River. Before we did, we stopped at Fort Defiance State Park at the very southern tip of Illinois to see the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and the point where the states of Missouri (the tip of land in the mid-distance to the right), Illinois (where I'm standing), and Kentucky (in the background) come together.

We joined I-24 east at Paducah and continued to a Hampton Inn outside of Nashville, TN, arriving about 2:30. We decided not to pay the expense of a downtown hotel but to drive into town tomorrow. For dinner, we made the mistake of not heeding the bad reviews at the local Shoney's (we had very little to choose from in the area) and added another bad review of our own here. Although not having much experience, I would say it was possibly the worst Shoney's in America.

Days 11 & 12: Remembrance and Reunion

Stilwell KS to Marshall MO

We left Stilwell about 10:00 and began our drive back east by taking the loop around the city and heading to Marshall, MO, via I-70. Marshall is the area of Missouri where many of my mother's relatives are from, so I feel like I am entering ancestral homelands. Ridgepark Cemetery is located in Marshall and is where many of my relatives are buried, including my father. Mom and I placed stones on the graves as a symbol of remembrance, but instead of a stone, I placed a golf ball at my father's grave. I think he would have appreciated that.

 

Marshall MO to Linn MO

After we left Marshall, we got back on the interstate and ate a packed lunch at a rest stop. At 1:00, we started for Linn, MO, where many of my father's relatives are from and where we are spending the next two nights with his sister and brother-in-law. Because this is Memorial Day weekend, we went to the Linn Public Cemetery to visit the graves of some of my father's side of the family. My aunt and uncle took us out to dinner at a small restaurant in Westphalia, MO, a small town near Linn. We ordered fantastic fried chicken, moving to #2 on our list.

On Sunday, my aunt invited cousins and in-laws to her house for an informal family reunion during the afternoon. It was good to see the family again.

Day 10: Kansas City, Redux

We spent the morning in Stilwell, and then after lunch, Mom and I drove back into Kansas City, MO, about 12:00 to visit the National World War I museum, which is the official national WWI memorial and museum dedicated to that war. The Art Deco style memorial was built in 1926 from funds collected from the residents of Kansas City, and the memorial, museum, and park grounds continue to be maintained by the city. The top of the tower is more than 200 feet with great views of the city, and we reached it by an elevator.  It was appropriate that we visited during Memorial Day weekend.

 

After we toured the memorial and museum, which had excellent exhibits, we walked down to adjoining Union Station, which was built in 1914 and was a bustling train station in its day, a palace of train travel. Then back to the car to drive to Stilwell by 4:00.

 

Day 9: Kansas City

 Kansas City MO

We stayed close to home today. At 9:00, we drove the few miles into downtown Kansas City, MO, from Stilwell, KS, to the 18th and Vine district, which was once the center of social life for African-Americans living in Kansas City. The main commercial drag has been restored, featuring The American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. We toured the museums until 12:00.

It was time for lunch, so we ate at Arthur Bryant's Barbeque restaurant near the museum. We ordered sliced beef sandwiches and french fries.

After eating lunch, we drove back to Stilwell. We relaxed in the afternoon and evening.

Day 8: Walmart and Rival Fried Chicken

Little Rock AR to Bentonville AR

 

Today we have to travel 400 miles, so we got an early start and left the hotel at 6:45 after breakfast. We woke up to a thunderstorm and heavy rain which let up a little but continued a couple of hours into our drive. We continued to travel west on I-40, basically going around the Ozarks along the southern and western edges. The highway follows the Arkansas River which was full to bursting because of all the rain this area had been getting. The land is hilly, and after we turned north on I-49, we had some beautiful views. Our destination was Bentonville, the world's headquarters for Walmart, the retail behemoth. In the charming downtown next to the square is the Walmart museum at the location of Walton's 5&10, Sam Walton's first store in the chain that later became the Walmart we know and love today. Sam Walton is a revered figure in the museum's story, of course.

At 11:00, we turned around and traveled south to eat at AQ Chicken House in Springdale, AR. (The "AQ" is an abbreviation for "Arkansas Quality." They are known for their fried chicken and batter-dipped french fries. (Think of a fried shrimp and substitute the shrimp with a french fry.) Although the Arkansas chicken was flavorful, the consensus was that the crunch of the Georgia chicken put it over the top in a competition. We left the restaurant about 12:30.

Springdale AR to Stilwell KS

Continuing to head north into Missouri and then into eastern Kansas, we made good time driving up US 69 and into Stilwell, KS, at 3:30. Stilwell is an exurb south of Kansas City, where Mom's sister lives. She invited her daughters and in-laws and other family members from the area for a little family reunion and good conversation. We will stay here for three nights before moving on. It will be nice to leave the hotels behind for a few days.