Road Tripping 2022

Natchez Trace Day 2

After leaving the Elvis Birthplace Museum, I returned to the Natchez Trace Parkway -200 miles to Nashville! The weather was not as cooperative day 2 – intermittent showers, occasionally accompanied by thunder, chased me along the route. I enjoyed a few breaks to get out, stretch my legs and learn some history. 

My first major stop was the Colbert Ferry and Stand. George Colbert was born to a Scottish father and a Chickasaw mother, and made the most of both sides of the family. As the son of a white man, he was a land (and slave) owner. As a member of the Chickasaw Nation, he could control the crossing at the Tennessee river in Chickasaw territory (and charged Andrew Jackson $75,000 to ferry his army). Although neither structures remain, excellent documentation of the stand and ferry landing allow us to “see” what the land looked like in the early 19^th century, and the pull-off offers a great place to sit and have lunch overlooking the Tennessee River. 

My only other historical stop along this part of the journey was the Meriwether Lewis Monument, erected a few yards from what once was the Grinder Stand. 

Lewis had been granted the Governorship of the Upper Louisiana Territory by Thomas Jefferson. Unfortunately, the Madison Administration had different ideas of governing the west, and created very strict reimbursement protocols, forcing Lewis to take on much of the territories’ debt as personal debt. He decided to travel to Washington D.C. to appeal for the funds as well as to place his notes from his historic journey into the hands of Thomas Jefferson. Lewis had a long history of severe depression, and while en route became despondent. On the night of October 10, 1809, two shots rang out inside Grinder’s Stand, and the famed explorer died early the next morning. There was very little doubt (though some still question) that the shots were self- inflicted. 

Still chased by rain, I made it to Nashville in time to get a good meal at a vegan restaurant – 4 blocks from my AirBNB (a lovely apartment near Music Row and only 1 ½ miles to the Country Music Hall of Fame) followed by a Jazz performance at the Hutton Hotel’s Analog lounge (Lisa Stewart – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNPMB2gzeqI ) – not everything in Nashville is “country”. 

Before heading Eastward for the Friends and Family part of my road trip – I had to see the Country Music Hall of Fame. Basic admission is $28 for adults, $68 if you want to do the Studio B and the Hatch print tours. With limited time – I went for the basic admission. In a lot of ways, it is set up to highlight the progression from mountain spirituals and “Hillbilly” music through to modern day country with exhibits showcasing modern stars like Chris Stapleton. One of my favorite bits was the “Taylor Swift Education Center” – on a wall you can put up an idea for a country song – or add a line to someone else’s as a collaborative effort – I added the second line.

The Museum has many displays about Willie Nelson – my favorite bit was the story of how he ended up leaving Nashville. His ranch, a few miles out of town, caught fire on December 23, 1970. Willie arrived with the fire raging – he pushed past the firemen, running in to save his beloved Martin acoustic guitar, and the trashbag containing his marijuana. An Austin artist made a rendition of the scene (minus the hash stash). 

Other displays included historic instruments – including “The Log” – the original Les Paul electric guitar assembled in 1941, 

and Maybelle Carter’s Gibson (which she bought in 1928 for $275 – a very princely sum for the day). 

The late morning walk back to the car showed me another staple of Nashville – the bachelorette party. It is popular to rent a large open-aired vehicle to drink and dance around the streets. None of my pictures came out well – the vehicles always seemed to be ahead or behind me at lights- but you get the idea. 

Now – Eastward Ho!