New Meadows Writer’s Coast to Coast Travelogue
I recently took a coast to coast trip that I thought you might like to hear about. By coast to coast, I mean, I flew to California and then flew to Georgia! I’d been to the Pacific Ocean before, in 2010, but never the Atlantic (unless you count the Gulf of Mexico in 1998).
The reason I went to California first was to meet up with a couple ladies. One was my sister-in-law, who is like a sister to me, so from here on I’ll just call her my sister. The other was her lovely daughter, my niece. We went to the airport together to start our girls trip to Nashville and then on to Savannah!
While waiting to board the plane, we were in line to get coffee. Our section was called to board. My niece stayed behind to gather the coffees. We boarded but there was still no sign of her. Finally, here she came empty handed. “I was afraid to wait any longer!” she said. My sister went to the front of the plane to see if she had time to go grab our coffees. The pilot happened to overhear her and said, “I’ll go get them.” - and off he went! We were waiting in our seats when the pilot came walking down the aisle and handed us our coffees! We properly thanked him and will treasure that memory.
Once in Nashville, of course we went to the Grand Ole Opry! Along with some other famous entertainers, we got to see the Riders in the Sky, who still sound awesome, dance and crack jokes! We also took a tour backstage, got to see the stars’ dressing rooms, and got a picture onstage! An interesting note, did you know that members of the Grand Ole Opry are inducted by invitation only and there’s only been one exception in all these years.
The next day, we went to the spectacular Dolly Parton, My Life in Rhinestones exhibit! We saw her fabulous dresses and watched a video about the people that create them.
Next, we walked up and down Broadway Street, including Honky Tonk Highway, popping in and out of various famous saloons, restaurants, and shops. We even got in on the Grand Opening of Garth Brook’s Friends in Low Places Bar & Honkey Tonk. Every venue had live music and if there was more than one floor, there was a different band on every floor! It was amazing! The music started in the morning and continued all day.
We tried some local foods like Fried Bologna Sandwiches, Fried Green Tomatoes and Hot Chicken. All were delicious!
Our last morning in Nashville, my niece and I went to the Johnny Cash Museum while my sister went upstairs to the Patsy Cline Museum. By the way, Patsy Cline is the one exception to being invited to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. She was so passionate about her craft, she confidently stepped up and asked to be granted membership!
It was then off to the airport again, taking off for Savannah. But, that’s another story!
