Nashville to New Orleans

Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26 - We spent a total of three days on the Natchez Trace Parkway, driving from Nashville to Jackson, MS.  We will leave the last +/- 100 miles of the Natchez Trace (Jackson to Natchez) for another trip.

It was a wonderful drive full of beautiful scenery and interesting history.   We saw where Tobacco grows and Tobacco drying in a barn.

We saw Meriwether Lewis's (Lewis & Clark) grave.

We saw Elvis Presley's birth place in Tupelo, Mississippi.  We spent a night in Tupelo.

Sunday, November 27 - Today we drove from Jackson, MS to New Orleans.   We are staying on the "West Bank" of the Mississippi River, across from New Orleans at Bayou Signette State Park.  For those of you with RV's, make note of this park.  It's a lovely place and you can drive a few miles down the road and catch the Algiers Passenger Fairy, which takes you to the foot of Canal Street in New Orleans.  The French Quarter with no parking and no traffic hassles!   We went into New Orleans this afternoon and Mom and Dad went to a show at Preservation Hall.

They said the music was awesome.  The Ferry stops running at 6:00 pm on Sunday, so we drove into the French Quarter.

They went to a restaurant called Tableau.  It is one of Dickie Bennan's restaurants.  At least that is what it said on the "to go" bag that they brought back, that I didn't get.  They had fun and said that it was good.

I sat in the Jeep while they were in the Quarter.  They parked in the warehouse district next to the French Quarter.  Fortunately, my knees have stopped shaking, so I can type about it.  It was scary.   I'm SO glad they came back.

Monday, November 28 -  Today I hung out at the park with my new friend Andy Armadillo.  He lives here around Site #15 at Bayou Signette State Park.  He doesn't seem to mind that we are invading his space.  He likes to dig bugs in the dirt outside our front door.

The first time Mom saw him, she thought he was a statue, until he moved.  She says that he is the first 3-D Armadillo that she has ever seen.  Armadillos tend to be one dimensional on the roads in Texas.  

Today, Mom and Dad drove to Algiers and took the ferry into the French Quarter.   Mom took this photo of the Ferry, with the riverboat Natchez in the background, while they were waiting in Algiers.  

                           

She took this photo while they were crossing the Mississippi.  If you noticed that it looks stormy, Mom says that you are very perceptive.  She was nearly blown over taking the photo.  It was REALLY windy!!!

They had a fun time in the Quarter and had a late lunch/early dinner of Creole Food before they came home to me.  I'm just glad that they came home and made dinner for me.

Tuesday, November 29 - Today we drove to Grand Isle, Louisiana.  Grand Isle is a barrier island south of New Orleans.  It was a pretty drive through marshes and over causeways.  It's kind of Louisiana's version of driving to Key West.  When we got to Grand Isle, Mom and Dad let me run on the beach, which is on the Gulf of Mexico.  I've been to the Gulf of Mexico before, but it's been a year, which is a LONG time in Dog Years.  It was fun.  Dad threw my ball and I ran after it.

Mom and Dad bought shrimp from one of the shrimp boats.   This is what Dad made for dinner (for him and Mom, not me).  

It's called Firey Cajun Shrimp.  You can Google it.  It's Paula Dean's recipe, although Aunt Mary has a similar recipe, which gave him the idea.

Here is a map of the places we have been lately.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wednesday, November 23, 2016 – Glad that Dad came home from his business trip last night.  I was SO glad to see him.

 

Today we went to The Hermitage.  That was Andrew Jackson’s home.  He had a big plantation.  Mom and Dad toured the house, grounds, and museum.  Then, they walked around the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and looked at the Christmas decorations.   The Hotel is a huge place.  It has 2888 rooms and covers 47 acres, including three domed atriums with gardens.   Mom said that it was pretty amazing.

Thursday, November 24, 2016 – This morning we left Nashville and started a drive down the Natchez Trace Parkway.  

We saw a really cool bridge

And lots of pretty scenery

I have a lot to be Thankful for.  I found a bone today!!

We saw lots of wild turkeys today, but we didn’t catch any and my pictures didn’t turn out.  Instead, Dad is currently working on Filet Mignon with fresh broccoli and baked potatoes for him and Mom.  I get kibble and afterwards I’ll dream of my bone.  Unfortunately, I had to drop it outside the door of the motor home and when I went back out to look at it, it was gone.  I'll keep checking every time I go out, no matter where we are, to see if it has reappeared.

Mammoth Cave National Park to Nashville, TN

Thursday, November 17 - We didn't go in any caves today, but took a hike on the surface of the park.  It was a beautiful day and lots of nice fall color.  This is a picture of our camp site.

When we left Mammoth Cave National Park, we drove to Nashville.  On the way, we stopped in Bowling Green, KY and took a tour of the General Motors plant that builds all the Corvettes in the world.  Mom and Dad thought the tour was very interesting.

Friday, November 18 to Sunday, November 20 - We spent three days seeing the sites of Nashville. Mom and Dad took a bus tour to see sites around the city.  They went to the Grand Ole Oprey on Saturday night.  They toured the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, took the back stage tour at the Grand Ole Oprey, saw a replica of the Parthenon, and toured Barbara Mandrell's former home, a cozy 27,000 square foot log home.  Yes, I got the size right.  It was gigantic!

They also spent some time downtown listening to live music at some of the establishments on Broadway.  Here are a few pictures.

Nashville's new rising star...

Sunday - November 20 to Tuesday - November 22 - Over the last couple of weeks, Dad has been talking to a potential new client.  Everything came together last week and they hired him.  They wanted him to come out and meet with them right away, so Sunday afternoon, Mom and I took him to the Nashville Airport and he flew to San Jose, California to meet with them.  

Mom and I have been having some bonding time.  She's been doing some prep for year end for a few of her clients, caught up on the laundry and did some cleaning of the motor home.   We will pick Dad up from at the Nashville Airport on Tuesday evening.

Frankfort, KY to Mammoth Cave National Park

Last time I wrote, it was November 9 (the day after election day) and we had just arrived in Frankfort, KY.  I didn't mention it at the time, but Mom and Dad were both barking.  At first I thought it was cool that they were trying to speak my language.  Then I realized that they weren't speaking MY language at all.  While it was barking, it was the "cough" dialect, and I don't speak that.

I'll try to catch you up on what we've been doing.

Wednesday, November 9 - Tonight we met Mom's friend Ann and her family for dinner.  Mom and Ann went to High School together and Mom was a bridesmaid in her wedding.  They've only gotten to see each other a few times over the years, because they live so far apart.  Mom said that they had a good time catching up.  Mom and Dad met Ann's youngest two children, who weren't even born the last time Mom and Dad visited Ann.

November 10 to November 16 - Since Mom and Dad weren't feeling well, they decided to just settle in to one spot for several days and take a few day trips.  If we had to have downtime somewhere, this was a good place to do it.  This was the view out our window.

One day trip we drove to Louisville, about an hour from Frankfort.  Mom and Dad went to Churchill Downs, which is the horse race track where the Kentucky Derby is run.  They toured the Museum and got to watch a couple of horse races.  Dad said that before the first race, Mom said "#6 is going to come in last".    She was right.  If only she could pick winners as good as she can pick losers.  That's #6 bringing up the rear.

Mom even got into the spirit of the Derby.

Another day, we drove into Lexington, about 1/2 hour from Frankfort.  They toured an art museum, went to a brewery, and out to dinner.

Another day, we took a drive around the countryside and looked at the beautiful scenery.  We even went to a Civil War battlefield.

Of course, we couldn't go to Kentucky and not spend a little time on the Bourbon Trail.  Mom said that she tasted for medicinal purposes only.  Ha Ha!

Wednesday, November 16 - Today we left Frankfort and drove about 2 hours to the Southeast to Mammoth Cave National Park.  Mom and Dad took a tour of the cave.  They said it was pretty cool, but didn't see any Mammoths.  There weren't any in the campground either.   

Well, that's all for now.  I try to write tomorrow to bring you up to date on what else we've been doing.

Geneseo, IL to Frankfort, KY

Sunday, November 6 - The weirdest thing happened.  Last night, before we went to bed, we set our clocks back because of Daylight Savings Time.  This morning we turned them ahead again, because we crossed the Illinois/Indiana border and entered the Eastern Time Zone.  This is SO confusing.

We spent most of the day driving about 275 miles from Normal, IL to Cincinnati, OH.  I slept most of the way, so don't have much to report.

Once we were in Cincinnati, we settled into the campground at FMCA National Headquarters. FMCA stands for Family Motor Coach Association and is one of the camping clubs that we belong to.  They have a really nice campground.  

Once we were set up, Mom and Dad decided to go to Jungle Jim's, it's a really BIG and unusual grocery store in Cincinnati.  They have heard about it from several people, so decided to check it out for themselves.  They didn't take any pictures, but had lots of fun looking around.

Monday, November 7 - Today we drove about 50 miles to Dayton, Ohio.  Mom and Dad went to the National Museum of the US Air Force.  It was a HUGE place and they were in there all day.  I thought I was going to pop :-(

They picked out a plane while they were there.

Tuesday, November 8 - Today we drove the jeep from Cincinnati to Columbus, Ohio.  That is where Mom's friend Mavis lives.  Mom and Mavis were good friends when they were in college and Mavis was in Mom and Dad's wedding, but they lost touch for several years when Mavis was living in South Carolina and Mom and Dad were moving around.  

Anyway, Mom, Dad, and Mavis had lunch together.  Mom and Mavis agreed that they need to find a way to get together before another 27 years goes by.

Tuesday - November 9 - This morning Mom and Dad worked on their computers and then we left Cincinnati and drove the motor home to Frankfort, KY.  We plan to camp here for the next few days.  We have a really pretty spot that is next to Elkhorn Creek.  Look forward to doing a little exploring of this area.

In the last few days, I've added 3 states - Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky - to the places I've been.  I've also seen another major river, the Ohio.  That brings me to 22 states and 4 major rivers.

What I’ve Learned About Farming

Some of you have asked questions about the farm.  I thought there might be more of you who are curious, so I’ll try to answer in the blog.

Even before we got to Illinois, I knew that my Mom was smart, but since we’ve been here, I saw firsthand that she is “Out standing In Her Field”. 

Thought I’d start with a little farm humor.  Ha Ha!!   

Just to the right of her is her childhood home.

As you can see, corn is a very tall plant and usually has 2 ears per stalk.  Here is Mom with some corn that was still in the field.

This year Midwest farms have been very productive.  In fact, so productive that the grain elevators and on farm storage isn’t enough.  We’ve seen piles of grain like this in several places.  This pile is about the length of a football field and is about the size we’ve been seeing in other places.  A few have been even bigger.  The sides holding this pile are about 12 feet high.  As you can see, the grain is deeper in the middle.

The bad thing for farmers is that the price that they are getting per bushel is WAY down. In 2011, they were able to sell their grain for as much as $7.50 Per bushel.  If they sell now, they will get about $3.15 Per bushel.  Much of the grain that is going to the elevators now has been sold ahead on contract for “fall delivery”.  Farmers who sold in April for Fall Delivery are getting around $3.50.   At first I thought that most people would sell ahead because that seems like the thing to do.  However, I learned that isn’t always the best.  Some years, the price goes up closer to harvest, so it’s better to wait.

Besides selling ahead for “fall delivery” (September-November), farmers choose to sell ahead on contract for delivery in a future month.  That may be for delivery as soon as December or even into 2017.  That can get them an additional 20 cents or more per bushel but requires on farm storage.  Some years, there is an even greater difference between fall price and price for later delivery.  The man that will be farming some of Mom’s land next year built additional storage at his farm this last summer.  The big bin stores 150,000 bushels of grain.  He has room for three more bins like that and hopes to build them over the next few years.  He farms a lot of land besides Mom’s.  About 7,000 acres in total.

I thought the process of harvesting the grain was pretty interesting.  Almost all corn these days is shelled as part of the picking process.  A combine goes through the field and draws the ear and the rest of the stalk inside.  The corn kernels get separated and go into a hopper behind the cab and the rest is waste that goes through a chopper as it comes out the back.  The stalks and cobs have nutrients still in them and they are composted back into the soil.  Here is a picture of a combine as it is finishing a round in the field.  This combine can pick 12 rows in one trip across the field.  A new combine like this has a list price of around $500,000.  A new 12 row head (the front corn picking part) is priced separately and has a list price of over $100,000.  Some combines can do as much as 30 rows in one pass across a field. 

 This is a picture of a field that has been picked with the chopped stalks and cobs on the ground.

When the hopper gets full (300-400 bushels on a combine of this size), some farmers stop to empty it into a parked grain cart (wagon) or semi and it gets hauled to on farm storage or to a grain elevator.  Sometimes a 2^nd person will drive a tractor pulling a grain cart alongside the combine and the combine will unload the grain as it continues picking more.  This is a combine that is still picking, as it is also unloading into the cart.

The big thing that I learned is that a farmer's Pot of Gold is at the end of the Rainbow.

Our Week in Geneseo

October 31 to November 5

We had a fun week in Geneseo.  We took Uncle Gary (Mom’s brother) out to lunch every day. 

One day we took him to Long John Silver’s for Fish and Chips.  That is one of his favorite places to go.  Afterwards we went to John Deere Headquarters in Moline, IL.  It’s an interesting building and the trees were beautiful. 

Dad and Uncle Gary looked at tractors.

Mom and Uncle Gary checked out the combines.

Another day we went to a place where you can sit outside and look at the Mississippi River.  It was 75 degrees, which everyone tells me is almost unheard of in Illinois in November.   You may notice that I’m not in the picture.  That’s because I had to stay in the car, but I had a nice view of the river from the parking lot.  We saw barges moving down the river full of grain and empty barges moving up the river to fill with grain and take it back down the river.

A lot of the time, Mom was busy meeting with people on business related to the farm she and Uncle Gary own.  She seems to think that it all went well and she is looking forward to the year ahead.

This week, we also got to visit a lot of Mom’s relatives.  Monday, October 31 was Mom’s birthday.   Mom and Dad spent the evening at Mom’s cousin Gregg’s house with several of Mom’s cousins.  They had cupcakes and Mom got to blow out a candle and everyone sang to her. 

One night we went to Cousin Jane’s house.  Jane is Vinnie’s Mom and I got to meet Vinnie.  He’s a cool guy.  Even taller than me and I’m pretty tall in the Poodle world.  We had a fun evening together.  He even let me chew on his bone.  We were such good boys that Jane gave us Oinkers.   Here is a picture of me with Cousin Vinnie, Vinnie's Mom (Jane) and my Mom. 

We had a great time camping on Kevin and Karen’s farm.  I enjoyed being off leash, barking at the barn cats, and running in the corn fields.  Here is a picture of our spot in front of the corn crib and next to the barn.

I’ve learned a lot about farming.  I’ll tell you all about it in another post.  The one thing I didn’t learn is how to slide the barn door open far enough so that I could get to the cat food.  After the first time I got the cat food, the humans ganged up on me and kept the door closed almost all the way.  The cats are skinny and could still get in, but I didn’t fit.  Gotta work on a plan before I go back.  If anyone has any ideas, drop me an email.

Saturday, November 5 – I had a great time visiting everyone in Geneseo and living on the farm but today it is time to move on.  Today we drove to Normal, Illinois.  Yes, seriously, there is a city in Illinois called Normal.  That’s where our cousins Carol and Mel live with their daughter Kris.  Mel and Carol came to visit me in Washington when I was 2.  I never thought that I’d ever get to go to their house and meet Kris.  I really enjoyed my visit with them.  Mom and Dad went out to dinner with Carol and Mel and we spent the night in Normal. 

Here is an updated map of our journey.

View Full Size Travel Map