Day 1: Go West, Young Woman

Madison graduated from college (ahhh!!!) and, just like one of her idols, Walt Disney, she’s heading to LA with “a suitcase and a dream.” Plus a car full of stuff and a six month internship.

She needs a car in LA, since to be without “is like having your legs cut off,” to quote Joe Gillis. We thought briefly (very briefly) about shipping her car, but with all her stuff, too, we ultimately decided to just make the drive.

This is our THIRD time driving across the country, but our first time where the goal is just to get there. And in less than a week. I plotted it out multiple ways, but we finally decided to just break it up into four equal 9-10 hour days. The challenge is that the further west you go, the smaller the towns. And further apart. The easy part is that we just get on I-40 and keep driving to the end.

We left this morning about 9:30. We’d considered leaving earlier, but I didn’t want to rush out in a panic and likely forget something. For that reason, departure went very smoothly.

Marsha and I are both working in the car to conserve vacation days for when we get there and go apartment hunting. We look a bit like the Beverly Hillbillies (and heading to the same location, no less!) with so much crammed in the car.

We’re also taking turns driving, so that makes it more of a challenge to work. Day 1 went well, but I suspect we’ll have to take a half day or two when we get out West and the cell service isn’t as good.

The drive itself went well today. We drove in a monsoon through Nashville and lost some time having to slow down. Plus there was the Nashville traffic. But I managed to keep up with every time the highway split off (chock that one up to experience) and was glad.

We made it to Memphis around 7:30 and had dinner at Rondezvous, which is famous for its dry rub ribs. And I do not exaggerate on the famous part. They told us people driving down 40 pull off to eat there (we did) and I think there was a bus load leaving when we did, too. We’d eaten there many years ago on a previous trip to Memphis and just had to go back!

Afterwards, we walked down to Beale Street for just a minute. They had it blocked off for a car show. It reminds me a lot of Broadway in Nashville. Then we strolled through the lobby of the Peabody. Too late to see the ducks, but that is one beautiful hotel!

And we were stunned to see a giant, life-size pyramid which is actually a Bass Pro Shop! Marsha had to look that one up. We were tempted to stop just out of curiosity, but it was getting late and we have another long day in the car tomorrow!

Day 5: Pardon Me Boy, Is That The Chattanooga Choo Choo?

After leaving the Parthenon, we hit the road and drove southeast to Chattanooga. We'd never been there before, but our friend, Oscar had recommended it, and it was relatively convenient to both Nashville and home.

I was most excited about our accommodations: Oscar had also suggest the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel which has been converted from an actual historic train station. What's even better is that you can even sleep in actual historic railroad cars. The main building has regular hotel rooms, but there was no way I was missing out on staying in an historic sleeper car, even if it wasn't moving. I've been wanting to do a long train ride with sleeper cars for years, so that and my love for historic hotels made for the perfect combination. We'd planned to stay two days, so that we could take in the other sights, like Lookout Mountain, Rock City, and the Moon Pie factory.

Our only mistake was timing. It started snowing on the way to Chattanooga and was already a few inches deep when we finally made it that night. What's more, while the train cars were well heated, they weren't all that well insulated, so you had to stay in the center of the car to stay warm. Marsha and Madison took the big bed, which was in the center, while I got the smaller bed next to the wall.

Since it was so cold out, they opted to stay in the train car and watch a Project Runway marathon while I braved the cold to go out and explore and get something to eat.

They "rail yard" has some cool little shops, most of which were closed due to the hour and the time of year. We weren't exactly there during peak tourist season. My hope was to complete the experience and eat in a dining car (another item long on my wish list), but no such luck. Both of the dining cars were closed. Luckily, the Station House restaurant was open (and not surprising, mostly empty), which is famous for its singing wait staff who take turns taking the stage.

Afterwards I braved the cold again to explore more of the hotel, especially the lobby which was the original station and just amazing. I definitely wanted to explore more the next morning when most everything was open, especially the model train museum.

Since it was so cold out, we opted to cut our trip short and come back when it was warmer. We did manage to explore the shops, the rail yard, and most everything else the next morning.

The model train museum was amazing! It reminded us of Durango, but was much bigger. It runs the length of two long rooms and there's just no way to take it all in. Some of it re-creates parts of Chattanooga itself, and you can easily get lost in all of the little details. Just incredible.

Our last stop before hitting the road was brunch. We'd found a little spot just around the corner, The Bluegrass Grill, thankfully within walking distance. There was a bit of a wait (also thankfully, it had warmed up some and stopped snowing), but it was well worth it. The blueberry pancakes easily made my top three list (the other two are The Okd Fashioned in Madison, WI, and Linda Jeans in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard). 

So Oscar was right. We can't wait to go back to both Chattanooga (and the Bluegrass Grill). When it's warmer.