Our plan was to start our journey west on February 20th so we could get to our reserved Arizona campsite by March 1st. This allowed 10 days to make the 1,850 mile journey with a few 2 night stops along the way. I did all the logistical planning & have a massive google sheet to prove it. Our planned stops along the way were Hot Springs, AR, Rice, TX home to Casita, Carlsbad, NM & Alamogordo, NM. This allowed us to visit three National Parks along the way & see the new four season Casita that they announced late last year.
Usually Kentucky winters aren't terrible but this one was different. We got a big snow/ice storm late January followed by some brutal cold by Kentucky standards. We had snow & ice on our roads until the middle of February. Typically when it does snow in Kentucky, it's gone in a few days, maybe a week. As February 20th got closer I was a bit nervous we wouldn't be able to leave on time. Our theme for the trip was AMAZING weather. The cold broke a few days before we were scheduled to leave which gave us just enough time to get everything packed & loaded.
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| February 1st in Lexington |
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| February 20th - All Loaded, Hitched & Ready to Roll |
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| Adventure Awaits! |
- Miles: ~366 miles
- Left: 9:05AM Eastern Time
- Arrived: 2:30PM Central Time
- 4 Pit stops
- Weather: Partly sunny, breezy, mid 60's. Rain overnight
We had all our gear, food & our two dogs loaded up & were officially on the road by 9:05AM. I had a few Harvest Hosts ideas for places to stay outside of Nashville but I didn't want to reserve anything until we had a few hours behind us. First few days can take a bit of adjustment. We made a few extra stops early to make sure everything was secure. We ended up taking off the bike cover at one of those first stops because it was flapping so bad & was blocking our rear camera.
One thing that was not trip related but something I desperately wanted to work out that morning was snagging Bruce Springsteen tickets to his newly announced Land of Hopes & Dreams tour. I started listening to Bruce Springsteen when I was 10 and had been a fan ever since but have never seen him in concert. I was kicking myself for not getting tickets for last years tour. Having just read Tonight in Jungleland & recently watching the Road Diary documentary, I really didn't want to miss this chance to see him.Tickets were going on sale at 10AM central time for the Chicago show. I knew based on the time we left home we would still be on Bluegrass Parkway but hopefully close enough to E-town to have enough cell service to navigate the Ticketmaster app. The app was slow and it took at least three attempts but by some kind of miracle I was able to secure 2 tickets in the upper level of the United Center. Our trip was off to a fantastic start!
Shortly after noon we made it through Nashville & booked a Harvest Host. I decided to request a stay at the West Tennessee Delta Museum Center / Tina Turner Museum. Within an hour they accepted our request. Since we crossed into the Central Time Zone we gained an hour & arrived at the museum at 2:30PM CT.
This particular Harvest Host is a parking lot spot, no hook-ups. Once we got setup & dogs walked then settled in the camper, we went to tour the museum. The museum is a free self guided tour & consisted of four active exhibits: Tina Turner Museum, Sleepy John Estes Home, West Tennessee Music & the Hatchie River exhibit. We spent close to an hour going through each exhibit. It was a interesting place & if it weren't for Harvest Host, we would never have known to visit the museum.
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| West Tennessee Delta Museum |
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| Tina Turners Childhood School |
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| Sleepy John Estes Last Home |
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| Simply the Best! |
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| Fantastic Quote! |
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| Home for the Night |
For dinner we decided to go into downtown Brownsville so we unhitched the truck & locked the dogs in the camper. It definitely felt weird to drive off leaving our dogs in the camper sitting in the parking lot but all was fine. We ended up at Livingston's Soda Shop for dinner. It was a Friday evening & apparently a spot all the locals go to as everyone seemed to know each other. The restaurant was recently remodeled to have the look & feel of a classic 50's diner. The food was decent & the service was great. Everyone was really friendly.
The first few days on the road can be a challenge until everyone, including the dogs, gets settled into their new routine. This trip was no exception. The first night there were definitely shenanigans. This time with the dogs, in particular, Sammie. She is an older dog & we knew traveling was going to be a challenge with her and she did not disappoint. She is older & having poop issues. Before we left, the vet suggested we try probiotics. Well, lets say they worked too well & she was shitting with gusto. Not only that, the urge came on fast & she was having trouble making it outside. That first night, we were up multiple times before she finally had one last poop & we all were able to get some sleep. At 1AM I was questioning our decision but after 5 hours of sleep, I felt better and hoped things would improve once we stopped giving her the probiotics. Thankfully, that was the worst night of the entire trip and things got better from there.
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| Tight Quarters - Everyone had their spot |
Next up: Hot Springs, Arkansas
