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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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May 04, 2012 04:00 PM Kansas City. The well-done steak is obligatory!
I am already in the State of Kansas! On the way to Kansas City we made the stopover in Wichita. Reason? They have a Cowtown on the bank of the river!
Cowtown is a replica of the wild west town from 19th century. You see horses on the streets, some staff work in the costumes from the old era... You can visit all houses, public buildings, workshops to see, how it was in the past... (but first you have to pay 8 USD entry fee). It is worth to be here.
Proceeding to Kansas City we paid for for the first time for the highway. Because there was "turnpike" highway on the road. You have to study the route before you go. Maybe it will be cheaper to drive the other way... We paid 2 USD from the border to Wichita plus 6 USD Wichita to Emporia.
Can you imagine that most of the Kansas City is not in the Kansas State, but in the State of Missouri? Funny isn't it? I found this city very difficult to drive - the multi - level highway system is very complicated. Well, Kansas is another cowboy state and they have plenty of cattle here. The well-done steak is obligatory for the evening meal!
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May 03, 2012 04:00 PM Real Sheriff on the way to Oklahoma!
On our way to Oklahoma City we decided to make the short stopover in the border town of Van Buren - on the Arkansas side... They advertise they have interesting "old district" in the town. Yes, they have, and also old train station where you can board excursion train in the season...
We were walking the streets taking pictures. Local sheriff in the uniform stopped the car next to us. -Why you are taking the pictures of the cars and buildings? Dont you think it is stupid question in the democratic country?... After polite explanation we boarded our car and drove fast to Oklahoma.
If in Oklahoma you have to go to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Entry cost already 12 USD, but you can spend there hafl a day studying the West from Indians to western movies and rodeo... In the big hall they built a part of the old cowboy town so you can walk house to house in the evening's lights...
I like Oklahoma City...
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May 02, 2012 04:00 PM Did you hear about Arkansas?
In the past this was the country of cotton and slaves... Who knows about Arkansas now? Mr Bill Clinton - they love him here despite his love affairs. In the capital city of the state - Little Rock he has the library named after him and the the front street which goes close to the river...
In the Little Rock I saw the great capitol building. On the northern suburb I also found the old mill, who played the role in the famous "Gone with the wind" movie. Do you remember Scarlet O'Hara? I like this story and I was very happy to spend there few quarters - far from the noisy streets.
Motel6 where I stay offers free wi-fi internet. Tomorrow in Oklahoma I will be probably forced to pay 3 USD to get a password from the reception...
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May 01, 2012 04:00 PM Are you lonesome tonight?
Memphis in the Western Tennesee is known as a bithplace of the blues... But many people from all over the world dream to come here to see Graceland - the home of Elvis Presley. It is converted into museum of the famous singer and his grave is also in the Graceland garden...
Do I like Elvis? Yes, but not his hard rock pieces but the charming ballads. Well, who does not like "Love me tender" or "Sentimental me..." ? Graceland is now prosperous institution - they charge 10 USD for parking and 32 USD for the last expensive tour around the property. Video cameras are not allowed.
I was a bit surprised: Graceland is very small regarding the fame of Elvis - just few rooms! You are walking around listening to the comment from the audio set which is provided. But you also listen to many songs of Elvis. In the courtyard buildings there is enormous collection of his gold and platinium records, his costumes and pictures.
In the evening I went to the famous Beale Street to listen to the blues. Nice atmosphere, but the performance for me was too noisy.
I did not find any restaurant or a cafe with Elvis songs. So coming back to the motel by foot before 11 pm I was singing for myself: Are you lonesome tonight?
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Apr 30, 2012 04:00 PM Nashville - the capital of country music
Do you like country music? I do! It is very relaxing... Especially I like Jim Reeves...
I am in Nashville - the world capital of country music. On the lower part of the Broadway there is a "District" - a quarter of music bars, restaurants, cowboy shoe shops...
As you walk the sidewalks the music is coming from every door. Just go in and listen... There are also amaterur singers performing on the corners, expecting the tip, horse carriages wondering around and from time to time harley-davidson motocycles passing by (I hate them!)
Most of the bars have stages inside and some of them advertise themselves: *live music day and night!*. I spent few hours in different places. Probably the best is "Stage" they do not push you inside to buy beers or food. But from time the musicians ask for a tip... There is great atmosphere - people are singing and dancing country songs. That's what I expected!
But Nashville has also other places then "District" to see: they built in the Centennial Park a full-size copy of the Parthenon of Athens with a gold-covered Athena statue inside! And there is state Capitol since Hashville is the capital of Tennesee.
It was warm evening when I was strolling along Cumberland river with a head full of country... Good night!
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Apr 29, 2012 04:00 PM Chattanooga Choo - Choo!
I love this Glen Miller's melody! Do you?
Can you believe I am in Chattanooga?
Chattanooga is a lovely city on Tennesee River. Yes, there is an old railway station (now converted into Holliday Inn hotel) and on the platform you can see and enjoy the old Choo Choo locomotion... A picture with Choo Choo is obligatory. I will bring you one!
For the railway fans there ale old carriages on the platforms to sleep. Not very luxury, but what a place!
After a visit to Choo Choo we went to the Lookout Mountain for the great view of the meandring river and the downtown.
But the real highlight of Chattanooga is underground Ruby Fall.
It is under the Lookout Mountain. First you have to pay hefty 18 USD of entry fee, then you will board the elevator to go 260 feet down. Then there is a 700 - m walk throu the stalactite and stalagmites rooms. Finally you will enter in the dark a high hall. They will switch on the music and color lights and you will see in front of you 44 m high underground waterfall. Oh, yes! I saw many caves in my life but I did not see such a high underground fall. They say it is one of 7 tourist wonders of the USA. Definitely worth 18 dollars ticket!
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Apr 28, 2012 04:00 PM In the Great Smoky Mountains
It is only half an hour drive from Knoxville, where we spent the night. Green mountains are up to 2000 m high. Entry is free. We started from Sugarland Visitors Center where they have little nature museum where you can get the map and excellent info from the rangers.
Then we started the walk (medium, half an hour walk each way to the Laurel waterfall. Nice! It has two drops 40 feet each. One more waterfall to my collection!
Then we moved to the other area again to take half an hour walk to Grotto Fall - different, but also interesting... Can you imagine - we saw on the wat young bleak bear sleeping on the branches, up on the tree?
It a windy road to the Mountain pass and then on the ridge to the parking lot at the bottom of Clingmans Dome - the most high mountain of the Smokies. There you have 20 minutes to climb to the observation tower. The view is great - you will see that Great Smoky Mts are smoky...
Cherokee village in North Carolina State...
A long ant tiring to drive Skyway Scenic Road took us first to the clouds then down to the valleys. It was already dark, whan we reached Chattanooga...
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Apr 27, 2012 04:00 PM Cincinnati and Kentucky - but without chicken...
The speed limit on the Indiana highways is 70 mph so we are driving faster here. In the late morning we crossed the border of Ohio State and reached Cincinnati.
Is is different. Located on the hills Cincinatti had a pleasant quareter of 19th century houses aroun Findlay Market. Some of them are run down, but this area still has the athmosphere from the past. It is worth to climb the streets of Mt Adams quarter for the nice view of the downtown and the river. I liked it!
On the other side of the river is already Kentucky State.
We went there, going south. In the mid-day we reached the capital of Kentucky State - little and cozy Frankfort. They have a railway track going in the middle of their Broadway, the state capitol on the hill and many old buildings in the Main Street. Frankfort was worth a 22-miles detour from the interstate 75. I did not see any KFC in Kentucky, is this possible?
Then we passed by Paris and London... (they like here the names of the European cities! It was late afternoon when in the grat landcape of the fresh-green forested hills we crossed the border to Tennessee state.
We stay in the Motel6 in Knoxville. Three, even four US states in one day? Yes, it is possible due to the excellent free highways system!
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Apr 26, 2012 04:00 PM Indiana - do you know the place?
We are driving east! At 11 am we crossed the border of Indiana state. Landscape changed: from flat fields of Illinois to the green hills covered by forests. Spring is around! Sunny day.
Just after the state border we stoped at rest area to get free map of the state. It is also nice that the facilities here are free and clean!
Indianapolis - the capital of Indiana in the central point has a Monument Circle - a huge and ornate monument of the war heroes with the statue of Indian girl on the top. They call her Miss Indiana. On the outskirts of the town is the nice park they have the Art Museum (free) with the nice collection of the old European paint masters. Interesting and free!
And there is of course famous Speedway - the racing course for formula1 cars, but I did see it only from outside.
Too much homeless people on the streets of Indianapolis. Is this rich America?
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Apr 25, 2012 04:00 PM Saint Louis on Mississippi River
In the morning in all Motel 6 they offer free coffee to the guests. But this is an American coffee - rather weak so you have to drink say 3 cups to feel what you expect.
Then we drove our first 500 kms to Saint Louis on Mississipi River - all through the flat terrain of the Big Plains. No traffic congestions on the I55 highway - everybody drive politely with the allowed speed of 65 mph!
We reached our motel6 at 1 pm, left the stuff in the room and went to see St Louis City. I like it! Especially the main city landmark - St Louis Arch. They call it The Eiffel Tower of America. Can you imagine 210 m - high steel structure in the blue sky? You can get up to the top by tram for 10 USD but all tickets for today were sold out. There are steamboats on the Mississippi. The St Louis Cathedral, nice Forest Park - enough things to see till the evening. It is better to buy the fuel in the big cities then on the highway - we paid in SL only 3,69 USD per gallon.
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