Day 44 -- May 14, 2003 -- Wednesday

Rain. On the road for 43 days without any real rain, and it was really raining today.

Lee Ann and Bill at the Fairfield Inn went above and beyond to confirm that the Cottage Restaurant was opening at 10:30, and they provided great directions. They didn't know the address of Prince Mongo's Castle, so I'll have to try to catch his place next time. Prince Mongo is apparently the most visible eccentric in Memphis. He's not really a prince, and his home isn't really a castle, but he puts all kinds of funky stuff in his yard. And that's just a small part of the Prince Mongo story....

The Cottage Restaurant was great. I was quite the celebrity there. The ladies really got into the book and their mention in it. I met Mary, Gloria the Pie Lady, Miss Annie the Nana Puddin Lady, Helen, and Linda. The Cottage Restaurant is a classic local cafe, and the place opened at 10:30 and was packed for lunch by 11:15. I enjoyed Fudge Pie and some Nana Puddin, but the ladies there were what made it so special. When in Memphis, make a point of going to the Cottage Restaurant!

With the rain and the late start due to the late opening of the cafe, I drove the interstate to Nashville. I encountered the same signage problems when I hit Nashville. A sign on the interstate indicated there was a Visitors Center at the next exit, but I never found one.

I made my way straight to the Country Music Hall of Fame, and I took the tour. It's a very impressive museum and Hall of Fame. There was no photography allowed. There are all types of artifacts and exhibits of various types...and a lot of great country music. I enjoyed an excellent video about country music on TV for the last 50 years. I Met Michelle, Kelly, Louise, and Melanie.

Unfortunately, the Grand Ole Opry is open only on the weekends (and some Tuesdays). I really wanted to go, but on this Wednesday, I had to settle for the museum and Hall of Fame.

I drove to Second Street, parked, and walked around the bar and restaurant areas in downtown Nashville. I met a lot of policemen; it seemed to me that the police maintain a high profile in the area to keep the tourists safe. I took photos of Karen and Rita and their horses. I met Arnold from Boston and had a nice chat with him. I really enjoyed speaking with Katmandu, Roger, and Sheila -- three street people. Katmandu told me a great story about the Biker "Babe" in Uncertain, Texas who had his scoot (bike) repossessed. He invited me down to the river to see his shelter. I didn't go. Roger said they are starting a band called "Street Trash" and go on a tour called the "Need Gas Tour." There were a lot of street performers in Nashville. I suspected that many of them were homeless.

Ryman Auditorium was home to the Grand Ole Opry for many years, so I enjoyed seeing it. I saw the famous Ernest Tubb Record Shop and a number of great old buildings and well-known clubs.

Two bicycle policemen responded in unison when I asked where the best place was to eat -- "Jack's Barbeque." It was great. Jack's offers a number of sauces, and I especially liked the "Tennessee" sauce.

I learned a lot about the early days of country music today. I learned that the Grand Ole Opry is only open on the weekends. I learned that as you get closer, you get anxious to get home no matter how much you are enjoying your trip. And as Dolly Parton said: "If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."

The Daily Journal of Round America:

Each day, we collect our thoughts on a web page just like this. We drop in some of the photos from the day. Our goal with the Daily Journal is to write about the towns we visit, the sights we see, the people we meet, and the pie we eat. We write about where we are, where we've been, and where we are going, but we also make observations about what we've seen and done as well as about life in general.

You can follow our travels from the Daily Journal section of this web site. Other pages of interest include the running report of "vital statistics" on the Trip Scorecard, our nominations for the Best & Worst of the trip, as well as a rating of the pie we eat. If you'd like to see information for a specific state or town, click here, and then click on the state of interest and the full itinerary is shown.