♫♫♫i'm gonna go to west memphis and look for my joy♫♫...♫....(Lucinda Williams)

2 November 2011 - Big drive 530 miles (853 kms) to Villa Rica (Atlanta - Georgia). During the drive we found a radio station that played only Christmas Carols - November 2nd?????   Goodness! Also as we approached Atlanta there were about 24 million billboards along the roadside. Some with very interesting messages.

 We got in late and stopped for petrol and decided this particular area wasn't where we wanted to be. The petrol station had bars around the cashier and while I was waiting for Lee to pay for the gas a guy knocked on my window and furtively flashed a Camcorder and asked if I wanted to buy one cheap. When I said no he ran off. I saw police cars flitting all around. We decided to go look for another motel and on the way got stuck in a traffic jam that went for miles - a semi trailer had caught on fire and there were fire trucks and police cars everywhere. Finally parked in Wal Mart at Villa Rica.   Bugs #1050    OLD $3.00

3 November 2011 - Today we drove on to Nashville.  I loved Tennessee as soon as I saw it but the rain was torrential and our Semi driving friends however must have thought it was a pleasant spring day. They drive like lunatics and the proof of the pudding came as we rounded a curve and saw a semi had gone off the side of the  road bridge and was down a gully. Police were there but we don't know if it was a fatality or not. For a while after that the other semi drivers seemed to take things a bit more cautiously - but not for long. :(  Stopped to take this photo - Fireworks and Petrol surely don't mix. I told the cashier she was very brave but she didn't seem to see the issue. Fireworks are legal to buy here for anyone and there seems to be factories everywhere.

When we got to Nashville we went to see the Grand Old Opry - Keith Urban there next week.

Finally managed to find a T Mobile to find why my phone hadn't been working for the last two days. The Sat Nav is very unreliable with that type of request - sending us on wild goose chases. Anyway - turned out my sim card was kaput. All fixed now and back on the air.  We went to  "Honky Tonk Row" (Broadway) and went to a couple of bars with VERY LOUD MUSIC. I had a few O'Doul beers (non alcoholic) and progressively got deafer as the night went on. My ears are still ringing 24 hours later but they are gradually getting better. The result of perforated and scarred ear drums in the past - they don't work the best when subjected to noise. One girl singer in particular hit just the note that set my head vibrating - lol - so finally had to leave.

"Honky Tonk Row"

"Tootsies"

"Tootsies"

Spent the night in another Wal Mart in Nashville.   Miles# 353.9 (570 kms)   - have done a lot of miles last two days. Bugs# 1070  OLD $3.00

4 November 2011 - Left Nashville heading to Memphis. Stopped at Jackson and saw the Rock a Billy Hall of Fame.

Took a photo of a van that looked like it could mate with ours.

The owner was Nathaniel Levi - a country singer who has done the rounds but not "made it" in his words. He seemed to be a genuinely happy soul and he gave us some of his CD's and we gave him an Australian flag sticker and some other bits. He put the sticker on the back of his van. After we left him we played his songs and they are really quite good - sort of country & gospel.  Lovely man.  We went on arriving in Memphis in the late afternoon, surprising ourselves as we didn't realise West Memphis is actually in Arkansas. Very excited that we are just a few hours away from Kae & Ang. I have known Kae for about 10 years on line and it's going to be great to meet her in person. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   :)
Had a disgusting dinner at Waffle House and have done my laundry and am showered and jammied in a motel close to Gracelands. Looking forward to visiting Elvis tomorrow.   Miles # 353.9 (570 kms)    Bugs# 1086
OLD $3.00   - it's not paying off being old so far :(