Trip Report: June 29, 2008-July 13, 2008 --  Summer vacation this year was dedicated the exploration of the musical influences in Tennessee and the beauty of the Smoky Mountains.   We booked a week at the Smoky Mountain Wyndham Vacation Resort in Sevierville, Tennessee using my parents' membership.  We took our time travelling and planned sightseeing along the way.  We stayed at a variety of discount motels on the way to and from Sevierville.

Initially I had planned to trailer the Ninjette II and explore one of the motoring based tours documented by Mad Maps but high fuel pricing put the quietus on that.  I soon realized that renting a motorcycle once in the area was more economically feasible than trailering a motorcycle for a one day tour.  Eventually even that plan was placed on the wayside as family obligations took priority.

Our first stop was the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.  We enjoyed a very good lunch at the Blues City Cafe and then toured the one of the most significant recording studios in the history of both the Blues and Rock and Roll, Sun Studio in Memphis.  Sun Studio, originally called Memphis Recording Service, was opened by recording pioneer Sam Phillips.  Phillips originally conceived the recording service to promote blues artists.  The early fifties saw Howlin' Wolf, Junior Parker, Little Milton, B. B. King, James Cotton, Rufus Thomas, and Rosco Gordon recording at Sun Studio.  The first rock-and-roll single, "Rocket 88", by Jackie Brenston and the Delta Cats' (with Ike Turner on piano) was recorded at Sun in 1951.  Also during the early fifties artist such as Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded at Sun Studio for the Sun Records label.  Contemporary artists such as Irish rock band U2 have taken advantage of the unique acoustics of Sun Studio to achieve the Sun Studio "sound" in their music.  U2 recorded "Angel of Harlem", "Love Rescue Me" and "When Love Comes to Town" (with B. B. King) for their "Rattle and Hum" album.

We spent the night at Jackson, Tennessee and partook of the very good evening buffet severed at the Old Country Store Restaurant located in Casey Jones Village at only $6.00 each due to a coupon at the hotel.

The following morning we continued motoring east and toured the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Museum and the notable RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee on the way.  RCA Studio B, built by Dan Maddox in 1957, recorded significant works of such country and rock luminaries as Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins, The Everly Brothers, Donna Fargo, Waylon Jennings, Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Charley Pride, Jim Reeves, Sons of The Pioneers, Ernest Tubb, Porter Wagoner, and Dottie West.  The tour was very informative with the guide high-lighting various antidotes relating to the artists that recorded at Studio B.  Our guide for example pointed out the site where Dolly Parton, long on enthusiasm, but short on driving experience upon arriving for her first recording session drove her car into the side of the building.

From Nashville we continued east and dined at Cracker Barrel #2 in Lebanon, Tennessee.  Cracker Barrel #2 is the second oldest store in the chain.  The original location located in Lebanon, Tennessee is now the location of a gas station.

Once in Sevierville, Tennessee we settled into the Wyndham Vacation Resort and began to seek out local color.  We visited the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community near Gatlinburg, Tennessee and enjoyed chatting with a variety of artisans and store proprietors.  The Incredible Christmas Place located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee was an obvious tourist trap, but we enjoyed the enormity both the store and inventory.  The primary criticism was that, also incredibly, Christ was under represented.

One local attraction we had predetermined to visit was Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  Dolly Parton is a very shrewd business woman in addition to being a gifted song writer.  In an effort to provide economic opportunity for the Sevierville area where she was reared she has been instrumental in developing the tourism industry of eastern Tennessee.  She knew well that preserving the culture and character of the region depended on providing a means of economic advancement through honest work and entrepreneurship and not welfare-like programs.  Dolly Parton is highly revered in southeast Tennessee.  Joleen and I enjoyed a variety of country and bluegrass musical shows while the kids rode rides to their hearts content.  I was impressed with the breadth and depth of talent displayed by the performers.  Interestingly the food was not typical theme park fare, it was actually very good.  Dollywood additionally contains the Southern Gospel Hall of Fame and Museum and a very good museum displaying Dolly Parton memorabilia.

The evening of July the 4th was a treat as we had the opportunity to enjoy numerous public and private fireworks displays from our the view of our fourth floor balcony.  There were times that there were 20 to 30 active fireworks displays over the panoramic view of the mountains.

Sunday Morning July 6th we set out on a short tour of the southern portion of the Great Smoky Mountains National Forest and the northern Nantahala National Forest.  From Sevierville we took US 321 south to the Foothills Parkway and then US 129 south to drive the Escort down the Tail of the Dragon.  Once again (see the 2006 50cc Quest) I am amazed by the roads in this area.  Many roads wind their way along the banks of creeks and rivers.  Virtually flawless high quality asphalt (none of that chip-seal garbage like back in north Texas), properly banked ribbons wind their way through the beautiful landscape of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina.

While traveling down the Tail of the Dragon we got quite a scare as we came around a tight bend a black Harley Davidson crossed fully in to our lane. Apparently H-D in this case stands for "Hunker-Down" as I brought the Sport 'Scort to a rapid but controlled stop in order to provide enough room for the reckless rider to get back in his lane without low-siding his cruiser.  Fortunately the cruisers behind us were paying attention and were able to stop in time.  Craig Parton of Zee Foto captured the action on film.  (Unfortunately, I was been unable to contact anyone at Zee Foto to collect pictures of the mishap).  After such a close call we needed to recover and pulled off the road right by Craig's SUV.  Craig mentioned the Harley rider had entered the turn too hot and was afraid he was going to end up down the mountain.  We chatted for a bit more and then continued on our way.  Unfortunately there were other close calls; predominantly with SUV driver's sloppy control causing their vehicles to encroach into our lane, and by the time we reached Deals Gap Joleen had enough of tight twisting roads.  As she was feeling very apprehensive and physically ill we headed back to Sevierville instead of continuing the Mad Maps route.  We continued on US 129 until we reached US 19 and then turned north to Cherokee, North Carolina where we caught US 441 back to Sevierville.

The morning of July 7th the brood wanted to sleep in so after working out I took a loop down US 441 then west on Little River Road to Cades Cove Road.  I misread the map and failed to take TN 337 and continued on Cades Cove Road to Cades Cove which turned out to be a real treat.  Cades Cove is a park which allows one to explore the life of the area's settlers.  The park consists of an 11 mile scenic loop that winds its way from pioneer cabin to turn of the century church to valley meadow to cabin and so on through it's course.  After exiting the park I back tracked down Cades Cove Road to TN 337 and then took US 321 back to Sevierville.

Monday evening July 7 we partook of dinner at the Great American Steak and Buffet Company and then enjoyed some more local talent at the Tennessee Shindig in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  The Great American Steak and Buffet Company was first and foremost a buffet, a very large buffet but still a buffet with all the problems that are associated with buffets.  While decent for a buffet it was only a little better than a Golden Corral or a Ryan's.  Much better fare can be had for much less money at most restaurants.  If we had not paid half price the meal would have likely soured my stomach.

The Tennessee Shindig was wonderful.  Solid vocal talent was backed by a very good band.  The show had some very interesting historical tidbits and made cleaver use of multi-media through out the program.

On the return trip Home we stopped at a very good Mexican food restaurant and market in Cookeville, Tennessee.  The El Milagro Market just north of Interstate 40 uses goat cheeses and authentic ingredients blended to create a very delicate and flavorful signature.  This is not your typical over bearing Tex-Mex which relies mostly on cheddar, chili, and cilantro.

Once again spent the night in Jackson so we could tour the Gibson Guitar Factory in Memphis, Tennessee.  Once more we took advantage of a coupon for the very good evening buffet severed at the Old Country Store Restaurant located in Casey Jones Village for the evening meal.  The food once more was very good.  

We got up early and headed for Memphis to tour the Gibson Guitar Factory.  We arrived early enough to take in the Memphis Rock 'n Soul Museum located right across the street from the Gibson Guitar Factory.   The Rock 'n Soul Museum, a Smithsonian Institute affiliate, is very informative and contains well presented displays.  The Memphis Gibson Guitar Factory makes hollow and semi-hollow body guitars.  The tour was very interesting and underscored the amount oh and work involved in creating these instruments.

Interstate 40 is positively littered with the debris of tractor-trailer rig tire blow-outs.  Scarcely 5 miles would pass before we would see yet the evidence of yet another tire failure.  I suspect that with fuel prices at an all time high truckers are running their tire well past where they should.  There were several occasions where large sections of tread were thrown, knocked, or left in our lane and we had to take evasive action.  We were thankful for the Lord's watching out for us and the suspension and brake modifications the Escort had.

We ran into some rain coming out of Memphis.  The number of trucks on the road created a visibility issued that caused some other motorists to suddenly slow even n the passing lane.  Trucks are simply a safety hazard during rain and concern at all times due to the tire blow-out issue above. A solid case for revitalizing our rail infrastructure can be made if one considers the amount of freight moved per gallon of fuel when combined with traffic safety and the damage heavy trucks do to road surfaces.

We stopped to eat supper at the Brown's Country Store Restaurant located in Benton, Arkansas on the way home as we traveled through Arkansas.   We enjoyed the fare and ate too much as usual.  The Old Country Store Restaurant and the Brown's Country Store Restaurant are two of a very few establishments that have managed to do a buffet right -- with consistently high quality cuisine severed at appropriate temperatures.

We returned to Trenton just long enough to regroup and travel to Colby, Kansas for Joleen's family reunion.  Mow the lawn, weed the flower beds, water the flowers, get the car inspected, register the car, clean the house, wash some clothes, pay some bills,  pick up the mail, and pack Nathaniel for Boy Scout Camp.  Whew!

We left Trenton about 4:30 AM on Friday, July 11, 2008.  We stopped for breakfast at a  Cracker Barrel in Norman, Oklahoma and then at a Mexican buffet in Salina, Kansas.  We arrived in Colby, Kansas at a little before 5:00 PM.  

The trip consisted of mostly Interstate with bit of rural back road travel sprinkled in.  The weather varied from very pleasant and calm to blisteringly hot, windy, and sunny.  Fuel mileage per fill-up for fully loaded Escort was in the low 30s.

 

The Scort is east of the Mississippi for the first time.

 

Elvis at the Memphis Visitor Center.

 

B. B. King and Lucille grace the main portion of the Memphis Visitor Center.

 

Posing in front of the Memphis Visitor Center.

 

The Memphis Pyramid.

 

The Lorraine Hotel -- The National Civil Rights Museum

 

Beale Street.

B. B. King Blues Club

 

B. B. King's "note" on Beale Street.

 

Blues City Cafe Exterior.

 

Blues City Cafe Interior.

 

Nathaniel, Joleen, and Victoria at the Blues City Cafe.

 

The FedExForum Sports Arena in Memphis.

 

Sun Studio Exterior.

 

Sun Studio interior.

 

Sun Studio Memorabilia.

 

The tour guide at Sun Studio is an accomplish bassist.

 

The recording studio at Sun Studio.

 

The ceiling at Sun Studio.

 

Guitars line one wall of the recording studio at Sun Studio.

 

One of the microphone Elvis and others used at Sun Studio.

 

The recording engineer room window at Sun Studio.

 

The original "fabulous four" Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash at Sun Studio.

 

Exterior of The Country Music Hall of Fame Museum.

 

The Country Music Hall of Fame.

 

The Ceiling at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

 

The "Sources of Country Music" at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

 

The lobby at the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum.

 

Music posters line the walls of The Country Music Hall of Fame Museum.

 

Gold Records Display at The Country Music Hall of Fame Museum.

 

Bassist display at The Country Music Hall of Fame Museum.

 

Owen Bradley Office Display at The Country Music Hall of Fame Museum.

 

Owen Bradley plaque at The Country Music Hall of Fame Museum.

 

An evolution of sound mixing and recording at RCA Studio B.

 

The sound engineer's room at RCA Studio B.

 

The recording studio at RCA Studio B.

 

The piano at RCA Studio B.

 

Cracker Barrel #2 in Lebanon, Tennessee.

 

Our condo at the Sevierville, Tennessee Wyndham Vacation Resort.

 

The view from our condo balcony.

 

The Incredible Christmas Place.

 

Joleen leaves the Incredible Christmas Place a happy shopper.

 

Great American Country Show at Dollywood.  (Photo by Victoria Yeager)

 

Nathaniel at Dollywood.

 

Nathaniel, Evan, and Victoria at Dollywood.   (Photo by Joleen Yeager)

 

View from the Foothills Parkway.

 

A view along the Foothills Parkway.  (Photos by Victoria Yeager)

 

Nathaniel being Nathaniel at a scenic overlook.

 

US 129 just after the Harley incident.

 

Victoria, Nathaniel, and Craig Parton of Zee Foto.

 

Craig Parton of Zee Foto.

 

The 'Scort at Deals Gap.

 

View from US 129.

Evan trying to get the shot just above.  (Photo by Victoria Yeager)

 

The creek running along US 129.  (Photo by Victoria Yeager)

Little Princess Restaurant in Cherokee, North Carolina.

 

Magnolias along US 441.

 

View from US 441.

 

Early morning view of Gatlinburg, Tennessee from US 441.

 

Early morning along US 441.

 

Morning Along Little River Road.

 

Magnolias Along Little River Road.

 

Little River Road.

 

The Little River near Sevierville, Tennessee.

 

The 'Scort on the Little River Road.

 

View from Cades Cove Road.

 

The view along Cades Cove Loop.

 

Memphis Rock and Soul Museum.

 

Gibson Guitar Factory Memphis Main Entrance.

 

Gibson Guitar Factory -- Memphis.

 

Gibson Guitar Factory -- Memphis.

 

Gibson Guitar Factory Reception Desk.

 

Joleen, Victoria, and Nathaniel pose in front of the Gibson Guitar Factory Reception Desk.

 

Gibson Guitar Factory Memphis Retail Shop.

 

Ready for the Gibson Guitar Factory Tour.

 

Shaping guitar sides.

 

Our tour guide explains the details.

 

Assembling the sides using clamps and jigs.

 

Guitar body assembly jigs.  (Photo by Victoria Yeager)

 

A cart of Guitar bodies.  (Photo by Victoria Yeager)

 

Binding to set the glue while attaching the front and back to the sides.

 

Wrapping the binding.

 

Attaching the neck to the guitar body.

 

Assembling the fret boards and attaching them to the neck.

 

Sanding and shaping.

 

Final sanding and sealing before painting.

 

Painting the assembled guitars.

 

 Freshly painting guitars.  (Photo by Victoria Yeager)

 

Buffing.

 

Cleaning the fret boards after painting the guitar.

 

Ready to be inspected.  (Photo by Victoria Yeager)

 

Final tuning and quality control check.

 

A Chevy HHR Bus.

 

Posing at the Tennessee Shindig.

 

  Nathanial gets to dance at the Tennessee Shindig Detail.  (Photo by Victoria Yeager)

 

Outside Brown's Country Store Restaurant in Benton, Arkansas.

 

Building pinewood derby cars at the Segeman Family Reunion.

 

Aaron, Nathaniel, and Victoria at the Segeman Family Reunion.

 

Preparing lunch at the Segeman Family Reunion.

 

Playing cards at the Segeman Family Reunion.

 

Eating at the Segeman Family Reunion.

 

The younger generation and their electronics at the Segeman Family Reunion.

 

Visiting at the Segeman Family Reunion.

 

Family members come in all shapes and colors at the Segeman Family Reunion.

 

Pinewood derby cars on display at the Segeman Family Reunion.

 

 

Pinewood derby races at the Segeman Family Reunion.

 

Ricky Deibert starts a Pinewood derby race at the Segeman Family Reunion.

 

Pinewood derby race administrators at the Segeman Family Reunion.

 

 

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The Yeager's 1993 Escort LX Wagon

 

 

God Bless America

 

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