Friday, July 30, 2010

Wasatch Crest Trail, UT

Some of you may have expected to see posts from Colorado... But, alas - we didn't get there. Who-da-thunk we needed to make RV park reservations more than 6 months in advance... Which we didn't. So we couldn't get a single place to take us for more than a day or two. So here we are in Park City, Utah.

We've been here before - so we knew the mountain biking was EPIC. Today we did
a trail we'd never done, which is one of those MUST DO trails: The Wasatch Crest Trail. Here are some pics from our 29 mile, 3100+ feet of climbing, primarily singletrack, most excellent day!




Saturday, July 24, 2010

A Bit Of Nostalgia

As we journeyed back towards the west, we made a brief stop to visit a close friend that lives in Kansas, not too far from where Brian spent his formative years...
Brian's childhood home: I wanted to knock on the door and ask if we could look inside and also check out the backyard; but Brian was too shy.

Brian said the house looked smaller, and the trees on the block were way bigger.
Ahh... High School. Brian said it looked exactly the same except for the new swimming pool. Also, the ball fields used to back up to farmland and endless greenery; and now there are just endless strip malls. Well, they say you can't go home again...

Sunday, July 18, 2010

St. Louis, MO

We're here in the St. Louis area for four nights. It's HOT and muggy... but we're making the best of it.

We rode 50+ miles of the Katy Trail- America's largest rails-to-trails path. It's 225 miles stretching from just outside Kansas City to St. Charles (20 miles from St. Louis). Over half of the trail follows Louis & Clark's path up the Missouri River.


Who could resist Grandma's cookies in St. Charles? Not us! Honestly, three of the BEST cookies we've ever had. Delicious, soft and YUM!
Brian feeling small next to the greatness of Lewis & Clark, who started their journey right here in St. Charles, MO.
Riding along the Missouri River.
Can't come to St. Louis without experiencing the Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tour. One of many of the Budweiser Clydesdales. They're HUGE!
One of Lance's yellow jerseys on display in the Anheuser-Busch tour museum.
Brian is smiling because there's FREE BEER at the end of the tour!
The Arch. We didn't go to the top because it was insanely busy and the wait was over 2 hours! Oh well! It was cool to see from the outside.
We next visited the City Museum, which is sort of a museum, sort of a crazy playground for kids. The gist of the museum is to display artifacts, statues, signs and other quirky things from St. Louis and other cities in the U.S. It was wacky!
Artifacts from historic buildings demolished because they didn't meet ADA requirements. Sad. Very sad.
Brian on the wheel. He didn't last long. He said it was a barf machine.
Brian's probably too young to remember Bob's Big Boy - but I got a kick out of this shot.
The City Museum has all sorts of crazy slides, ladders and things to climb on; most of which would make personal injury lawyers drool.
Brian at the end of the 10 story slide... A spiral from the top of the museum that made both of us a little dizzy.
For dinner we went to the Iron Barley, which was featured on BOTH "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" and "Man vs Food." Thanks to the Travel Channel for this great find! The food was excellent and unique and the service was friendly!


Saturday, July 17, 2010

Nashville

Here's a quick summary of what we did and saw in Nashville:

The Hermitage: Home of our 7th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson.
The Parthenon: A replica build in 1897 - and the centerpiece of Centennial Park.
We ate at Jacks Barbecue. Yum!
Country Music Hall of Fame.
Belle Meade Plantation: The birthplace of American thoroughbred breeding and racing.
Riding the Natchez Trace Parkway: A 444-mile road with awesome scenery and 10,000 years of North American history. Virtually traffic free!
Cheekwood Mansion - Museum & Botanical Gardens: Home of the Maxwell House family.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Grand Ole Opry!

Because the newer Grand Ole Opry House was heavily damaged in the May 2010 flood, the radio show has been temporarily moved to the Ryman Auditorium, home of the Opry from 1943 to 1974. It's a beautiful historic building and also where Johnny & June performed!

What a great experience to be in the audience of the live radio show! And what spectacular entertainment!

The Tuesday Night lineup was: Riders In The Sky
Chris Young
Jimmy C. Newman
Mark Chestnut
During the intermission, we explored the Ryman Auditorium. There's some great memorabilia from Johnny & June. An extra treat!

Jeannie Seely
Montgomery Gentry

Charlie Daniels was incredible. A great performer and a true patriot.
Charlie Daniel brought down the house jamming on the fiddle in The Devil Went Down To Georgia.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Tourist Trap

Once upon a time, Pigeon Forge and Gatlingburg were quaint country towns - the "Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains." Not so anymore. We spent over 1.5 hours driving the 11 miles from Sevierville into Pigeon Forge just getting to the RV Park (and as many leaving town yesterday). Traffic is bumper to bumper getting to the National Park. It's absolute insanity. While we're glad we saw the Smoky Mountains, we honestly couldn't recommend a visit to this area, especially during the summer. Check out the touristy ruin that's now the town of Pigeon Forge:
Pigeon Forge is the Miniature Golf Capital of the World, with more than a dozen options on the main drag.
There's no end to the choices of dollar sucking junk "entertainment."
Choose from at least 5 cart tracks.
Another Mini Golf.
Kiddie rides galore! What parent could say NO to little Johnny?
Chotchskies galore. (For those who aren't familiar with that word, it means "a small piece of worthless crap, a decoratve knick knack with little or no purpose.")
Good to know you can be saved at the Three Bears General Store!





I guess all of this was a great job creator for local folks who lived near these mountains in poverty. But UGH, the blight....