Nashville, TN: Day 1

This morning, I took the Nashville Downtown Shuttle to explore downtown. The shuttle provided stress free transportation for a $15 fee; it ran frequently until late at night. I called the day before to make sure there was a pickup at the KOA. Upon boarding, paid cash to the driver who gave me a wrist band, good for the day. During the 30 minute ride downtown Debbie, our driver, who had a wicked sense of humour, gave us tips on where to go for what, and told stories about Nashville.

After the drop off downtown, I went to the visitor center a block away to get maps and information. The day started to get hotter. Went for an early lunch at the iconic Hattie B's Hot Chicken. I sat at a tall table next to the window looking down on Broadway, while enjoying crispy spicy fried chicken: couldn't get a better lunch experience than that.

I enjoyed the Country Music Hall of Fame more than expected. I'm not a fan of contemporary country music but it had enough historical exhibits I found interesting. There was a wing dedicated to Dolly Parton, who passed away a week later.

I had decided to get an add-on pass for the RCA Studio tour. The small group of us boarded a minibus for the studio, with a perky and enthusiastic guide who gave us the studio's history. Inside, we heard stories and sound clips of singers who recorded in the same space where we were standing: Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Charley Pride, etc. We saw the piano Elvis played on. It was a touching experience and I enjoyed it a lot more than expected.

Evening found me walking along Broadway. I look at cowboy boots in stores (should have bought a pair for line dancing), and listened to music outside honky tonks. Finally went into Roberts Western World for dinner; ordered their Recession Special just because I'm a tourist. I stayed a long time because the music was good, traditional country. The second band played a lot swing feet tapping tunes.

By 9 pm, I was ready to go back to my RV. Waited with a few visitors in front of the Hall of Fame building for the shuttle to take us back to the campground. It was a full and tiring day, but very enjoyable. It would be nice to return Nashville when it is cooler.

Casey Jones Village, Jackson, TN

The Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum in Jackson, TN, made a good stop half-way between Little Rock and Nashville where I was to camp next. I thought this would be an interesting and historical place to visit.

First, I checked in at the visitor center. Ken, the staff at the counter, suggested getting the Casey Jones Village Fun Pass that included entry and audio guide to the museum, lunch buffet at the Old Country Store across the parking lot, and a few other perks. That sounded like a good deal to me. Ken asked what I knew about Casey Jones. I told him I used to sing the famous ballad in middle school choir. He was tickled that kids in Malaysia knew the song: he belted out the chorus and I joined in with what I could recall. Spontaneous and fun!

Since I was hungry, I decided to go for lunch first before visiting the museum. The buffet in the Old Country Store lived up to its reputation on social media. The restaurant was filled with well dressed folks who came in after Sunday church. There was quite a spread, amazingly good Southern comfort food. My favorites were fried catfish, fried green tomatoes, fried chicken liver, boiled turnip greens and boiled cabbage. I ate way too much, tried not to think about the calories.

After lunch, I went back across the street to visit the museum and Casey Jones' house. I found the exhbits very interesting and at times, moving.

Then, it was back on the road to Nashville where I had reserved a site for 3 nights at the Nashville KOA Resort.

Start of 2026 Road Trip, Little Rock, AR

The week after San Miguel de Allende was spent loading Roxie (my RV) and preparing for the next adventures. It was hot, hot, hot in Plano, and I expected more of the same until I get to Michigan. I had made reservations for campsites with electric hookups so that I could run AC in Roxie (nice rhyme there). My two new lithium coach batteries did not have enough power to run the AC.

Finally took off yesterday, Aug 14, to Little Rock, AR. Camped 2 nights at Maumelle Park, run by the Army Corps of Engineers (COE); only $15 a night, with my America the Beautiful Lifetime Senior Pass. It was a very well kept, quiet campground; spacious sites and nice views of the Arkansas River with ocassional barges passing through. Too hot to go fishing. Below is Roxie at site E07. My neighbors two sites over camped in a converted schoolbus. We chatted for a while: I wanted to take a photo of their schoolie. They insisted on being in the photo with their dog and gave permission to post it in this blog. The heat did not seem to bother them, they were sitting outside most of the day (yes, they were from AR).

This morning, I drove into Little Rock to visit the Bill Clinton Presidental Library. Found a great shady spot for Roxie at the end of the huge parking lot. At the entrance I discovered that today was the former President's 80th birthday. There was a huge sign and a schedule of commemorative activities although the President himself was not expected. Entrance was free for the day, with a coupon to pick up a whole watermelon after the visit, donated by a local farm. I regretfully declined the gift since there was no way I could handle and store watermelon in the RV.

I spent about 3 hours in the air conditioned space, joined an ongoing guided tour, took my time through the exhibits which were very well done, watched performances in the auditorium by the jazz and marching high school bands from Bill Clinton's alma mater.

Then it was time to get out into the broiling heat. I made the questionable decision to walk to downtown which was just 10 minutes away, in search of lunch. Despite using an umbrella for sun protection, it was hot and humid. Checked out the local eating places, including a food mall that looked promising. But the heat had zapped my energy and appetite. Decided to go back to the campground instead, and spent the rest of the day relaxing with the AC on.

Last Day in SMA, Mexico

We visited two wineries on our last day in San Miguel de Allende. Rosa hired a driver to take us to the wineries that were located just outside of SMA. The first was Vinedo San Miguel, a pretty large vineyard with an impressive showroom and a well organized itinerary. We opted for the tour with 5 (or 6?) tastings plus a cheese and charcuterie board. The price per person was very reasonable. Since it was hot and sunny outside, we took an umbrella from the stand before our guide led us out for a tour of the vineyard. The tour continued inside: we saw where harvested grapes were pressed, transferred into barrels, fermented and then bottled. The grand finale was the tasting. It was a very enjoyable experience.

The next winery was the Viñedo Los Remedios, a much smaller operation than the first. The tour was not as extensive but it was still a pretty winery. We tasted a few wines with snacks. It was a very relaxed group that went back to the villa!

Dinner that evening was leftovers, followed by cocktails on the terrace to watch the sunset. Then we had to pack for our flights back to the US, although Susie was staying an extra day. What a trip this has been! We discussed coming back to SMA again, perhaps during the Day of the Dead festival.