Shoeing the Toad and Nashville Tour

Thanks to the attentive tire engineer who camped next to us, we learned a tire on the Toad had to be replaced.  Neil had plans to replace all of the Subaru Toad tires at Les Schwab at the end of the month when we get back home, but he noticed that the front passenger tire had worn to the point that the steel belts were visible.  So, we diverted today to a Discount Tire store and bought a new tire for the Toad.  We learned that front tires on vehicles under tow endure more wear and tear.

At $85, and one hour of our time, it was cheaper than a blow out or road side assistance call, but we had hoped that the tires would have lasted another 2400 miles to home, but such was not to be.  Neil plans to turn it into a full size spare tire if he can get it to fit into the spare tire spot in the back of the Subaru.  He found out that the "donut" spare tire that came with the Subaru cannot be used on the front tires, and you have to disable the all wheel drive system if you install it on any wheel.  Crazy!

The "Batman" Building in Nashville

We got into downtown Nashville a bit later than planned. We chose to take the Old Town Trolley (hop-on and off)Tour through Nashville as a good way to see the city.  What we did not count on is all the construction in downtown Nashville disrupting traffic and moving the shuttle stops around.  We wound up waiting for 45 minutes before we could get on the bus, and the other stops were so crowded with people trying to get on that we just stayed on the bus for the hour and a half round trip.

We Spent a Hot Afternoon on One of These!

We also did not count on this is Nashville's the third busiest weekend of the year or the temperatures of 90 degrees--and the shuttle was not air conditioned!  The commentary was mostly about country music, country stars, country recording studios, and a little bit of other history thrown in.  We would have to give the tour a grade of 'C' overall.  We got off the shuttle and walked through downtown Nashville with the open air bars and restaurants on all sides competing with each other as to who could have the loudest, live country music. 

Dinner Location

Can You Guess the Song Title of the Meal?

We were hungry and decided to stop in at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville restaurant.  We were able to get a table in the very back away from the singer, where we could actually hear each other. Pamela had a yummy frozen margarita and "Cheese Burger in Paradise", named after one of his famous songs.

Neil had peel and eat shrimp and BBQ ribs.  Everything was good, but we sure missed hearing Jimmy Buffet's music. Watching the large video screen of Buffet restaurant events and Buffet Tailgate parties, we did have a great idea for Friday night camping trips in the future.  After dinner, we were kind of wiped out by the heat and humidity so decided to head home.  We did not see everything that we thought we might, but found out that all of the attractions were sold out because of the busy long Columbus Day weekend.

Music City Statue of Bill Monroe

The Grand Old Opry began and still is a radio show. The location of it has moved at least nine times around the city. We did see the historic Ryman Auditorium, which was built to be a "tabernacle for music".  Today, the Opry radio show takes place every day at the new Opryland resort, which is 10 miles north of downtown, surrounded by several large hotels and three large RV resorts.  If you go to a show, we were reminded that for the hour that WSM Class Country 650 AM is broadcast, you also will hear the announcer reading the commercials every eight minutes.

Ryman Auditorium--One of the Older Venues for Grand Old Opry

We got out of Nashville in some pretty heavy traffic and stopped at a Kroger (Fred Meyer affiliated) grocery store for travel supplies and filled up the Toad with gas for the trip north and west.  Tomorrow, we plan to drive into Kentucky (KY) as we head north towards St. Louis and a visit with cousin Brian Kelly.

Neil and Pamela