Driving to Nashville

Rice Fields
Memphis on the Mississippi
Nashville
Downtown Nashville with Dick & Jan

After we left Fordyce on Thursday morning we took good advice and avoided the I-40E highway from Little Rock to Memphis as it is chockabloc with large semi-trailers. The alternative route we took along highway 79 E was very scenic and we passed numerous rice fields. Gustav had left a trail of destruction though, and the rice looked flattened in some fields. We stopped and Murray chatted to a local farmer who said so long as the fields got a chance to dry out, they would be able to harvest the crops. Many of the rice crops had already turned yellow and they usually have 10 days after it ripens (turns yellow) to harvest it. I hope they get some dry weather real soon. We drove over the Mississippi River and took the above photo of Memphis but kept going - we had visited Memphis on a previous trip and toured Graceland and checked out Heartbreak Hotel. Plus we were heading to meet up with our long time US friends Jan & Dick from Maryland. They were flying into Nashville to spend the weekend with us. We spent a night in a very basic RV stop in Jackson, Tennessee and then reached Nashville on Friday, not long before Dick & Jan arrived. They had picked up a hire car and we drove into Nashville for dinner. The rain continued though, and our visit to downtown Nashville including dashing in and out of the rain. We had ribs and pulled pork at the renowned Jack's BBQ, and walked past the famous landmarks of the Orchid Lounge and Legends Bar. Tomorrow night we visit the Grand Ole Opry.