Travel trip # 12: stop and smell the roses!

When in the course of normal travel there lies a tendency or a natural inclination to just MOVE! We feel that we have got to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible because there is no way we could possibly know what waits for us at the other side of B. However what is really the most important about travel is smack dab in the middle of point A and B.

A journey is what happened while you travel and not where your GETTIN TO!

Yesterday I had a great experience traveling back from memphis to Nashville - a 3 hr strait shot drive.

Kirsten was asleep in the front seat of the beastly rental truck and I was listening to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes when I saw an exit in-front of us for Jackson Tennessee, I had Heard of Jackson Mississippi, Jackson Hole Wyoming, but never thought of any significance in a small town of Tennessee.

Rationalizing my sense of adventure with the need to fill the big ole truck full of gas I pulled over and headed for the nearest station to fill up the tank.

Upon filling up the tank I noticed an old fashion steam locomotive reminiscent of one of my favorite Buster Keaton black and white silent films called "The General" a story about a confederate soldier whose job it was to conduct trains through the south during the civil war. 

As I approached the train I noticed a sign saying that the train and all the area around it was a museum dedicated to non other than CASEY JONES! 

For anyone who doesn't know who he is Casey was a rail way engineer who was made famous in literature and folk legend for losing his life while saving an entire train full of men women and children from a tremendous train wreck. The train in the movie Dumbo was named the Casey Jr. after the iconic american hero. 

At this location there was an amazing general store which was made of buildings reaching back to the early 1800's

This general store was awesome, and there was a candy shop, a real deal Soda Fountain and a world of antiques and interesting americana. 

We found the prettiest little chapel which made us want to get remarried..........

But kirsten settled for preaching her own sermon instead.......

This vest apparently belonged to kit carson who was the mountain man that Carson City was named after, he also discovered the Truckee meadows which is where I lived. 

Kirsten kicked my butt at a game of bottle cap checkers, and then gloated about it for hours.... Shame Shame!

Anyone want candy!

My wife kirsten is an epicurean of pecan pies, and she found the world smalles pecan pie ... Then DEVOURED IT!

I found one of those cigar holding "Native Americans" that used to stand outside drug stores.

Earlier tha day we had visited Graceland the Mecca for all things elvis, and I took some pictures with the KING!

We topped the day off with a visit to the Grand Ole Opry to see Carrie Underwood, Mel Tills, Josh Turner and a few other bands perform a great night of country music. This day was full of just taking it slow and seeing those things that Make Tennessee what it is. 

Sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses and in my experience you will find things that you never even knew were there. 

I even picked up some Cowboy boots, Im liking the feel a lot.