There and back again

We left our beautiful anchorage in Dover…destination Clarksville Marina. The boat Calypso (the talented trumpet player) and Amy Marie also joined us at this marina. Amy Marie was part of our first tug group. Enjoyed a good meal at the restaurant overlooking the marina with Beth & Mike (Amy Marie). Early to bed as we planned to head out early.

Only one lock on our trip to Nashville which was open upon arrival. So glad we didn’t have to wait hours like we have at other locks. We arrived in Nashville late afternoon to a dock that looked like it was full. Tim did an awesome job of backing the boat into our spot, only to be told we needed to move to the end of the dock because bigger boats needed that spot. We ended up having part of our boat sticking out past the dock….but the dock people gave us a free night so it paid off.

Nashville–Music city….but so much more. Our dock was across the river from downtown Nashville with a pedestrian bridge that connected our side with the city. Downtown Nashville was full of people, loud music and not very clean. Here’s what we packed into the 2.5 days in Nashville.

Sunday: Martin’s BBQ–on the recommendation of someone. We even beat the crowd of hungry people. Next, on the recommendation of one of the waiters, The Station Inn. Sunday nights are for Blue Grass jam sessions for artists who are the best in the business but don’t want to travel with bands. The circle of artists continued to grow during the evening as did the talent. We ended up standing right behind the circle to get an up-close-and-personal view of the talents. I loved how the group worked as a whole, but catered to each individual artists for solo parts. As we walked back over the pedestrian bridge we were able to see part of the Elton John concert in the stadium. The music from the concert could be heard on our boat for at least another hour.

Monday: We took the Old Town Trolley Tour to get the some history of the area and what we wanted to visit. The tour ended on 2nd street which is when we decided we were hungry and need to visit an iconic Nashville eatery, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken. So we walked from 2nd street to 19th street because that’s what tourists do, right? It didn’t live up to my expectation, but we can say we’ve eaten there now. We did drink lots of liquid to try to soothe the burning on our lips. Our next stop was Marathon Motor Works and then back to the boat. Time for a nap and supper.

Tuesday: We walked back into town and toured a replica of a riverside fort. We also walked Printer Alley, which was mostly deserted because of the morning hour. We toured the Ryman Auditorium, 5th home of the Grand Ole’ Opry. We toured the dressing rooms/backstage and then the actual auditorium. So many artists have come through this venue, many of whom I have never heard of. We were told that artists love this venue because the acoustics are so good due to the wood. I sat in the pew (the venue was originally a church) just to feel the history and image enjoying a concert. Next we walked over to the Johnny Cash Museum for a look around. I forgot to mentioned that we ate lunch at the Miranda Lambert restaurant on Broadway (the main tourist street). Have I mentioned how bad my feet hurt from all the miles we walked in Nashville?

To finish our last day in Nashville we had supper with Ann, at Peg Leg Porker, another Nashville staple. Ann owns a company in Nashville similar to Customusic. Conversation was mostly about work, but it was good to connect with Ann.

Finally back to the boat and put my feet up. We sure packed a lot into our days in Nashville.

Wednesday morning we headed back to Clarksville Marina, to the peace and quiet of the river.

We have seen a few of these ferries. The car hauling part goes strait across the river so you drive on and straight off the other side. The tug part is hinged to the barge in the middle and swings back and forth for each crossing so it is always pushing.

Thoughts on Nashville (or America as a whole)…Why is alcohol such big business?