I was wrong to think that our trek from Santa Fe to Oklahoma was the longest drive of the trip. This voyage from OK City to Nashville was going to be approximately 11 hours. On top of it all, Jason and Natalie informed me that the next day’s trip was also going to be about 11 hours.
Even though I can’t really complain, as Jason and Natalie keep me really comfortable with my bed, feed me endless supplies of treats and water and occasionally let me up into the passenger seat onto Natalie’s lap, that’s a long time for a pup like myself to hang out in a car!
Ok, enough venting – this drive to Nashville was actually pretty interesting. Natalie took the wheel for the first time since she and Jason started out together, so, this gave Jason an opportunity to rest and continue playing around with the advanced media system we have in this Ford Explorer.
Even though I don’t understand all the terms, I do get that the iPod can be played through the system and phone calls can be made through the car stereo – this seems to be Jason’s 2nd favorite feature. Jason’s absolute favorite feature is getting the SF Giants game through the MLB application on his iPhone, which he can stream through the car radio.
The drive between OK City and Nashville included crossing all the way through Arkansas. Arkansas was a beautiful state and we did enjoy a very nice drive and lunch in Little Rock. Little Rock is very green and lush and we had almost forgotten that our 42nd president was once governor of Arkansas until we crossed through a street named after President Clinton!
(Entering Arkansas!)
Jason and Natalie dined at Za Za Pizza and Salads and enjoyed prosciutto pizza, shrimp salad and Blue Star beer (which is from Mendocino, CA – one of Jason and Natalie’s favorite NorCal vacation spots.) I got samples of shrimp and prosciutto and can say that the meal was quite tasty. Dessert included some refreshing gelato for the road.
We crossed over the Mississippi river when entering into Memphis and the state line. I was definitely hanging out the window at that point thinking of all the great frisbee that could be played in this large body of water!
On our way into Nashville, a lightning show made for an interesting, yet ominous evening drive and luckily, by the time we arrived in Nashville itself, the rain and lightening had subsided. We arrived into the City at around 10pm and enjoyed a late meal at the Blackstone Brewery in the middle of town.
Since Natalie ‘got a little too adventurous’ at lunchtime after having the flu, she decided to take it easy and ordered what turned out to be a delicious homemade pretzel and vegetable soup. She also ordered the brewery’s golden ale. Jason ordered pork tenderloin with asparagus and smoked gouda grits and he had the Brewery’s IPA. Since I hadn’t eaten dinner yet, Jason gave me a few forkfuls of grits and a couple pieces of pork to hold me until mealtime.
The hotel we stayed at was in Franklin, Tennessee, which about 15 miles south of Nashville. The hotel is called “A-loft” and is affiliated with the W Hotels. Jason and Natalie got a chance to do some laundry and again, we all got a very good nights sleep.
The next morning, which was sunny and had perfect weather, Jason and Natalie treated me to a visit to Shelby Dog Park in Nashville. The park was a very large fenced in area that had plenty of room for me to meet other dogs and chase the frisbee. I had a great time catching frisbee and stretching out in preparation for our final long drive of the trip.
(Some great pictures from Shelby Dog Park!)
Overall, Nashville was an excellent city to visit. Even though our time there was short, it is clear there is much more to explore of Nashville and we look forward to coming back - between the fantastic food, the country music vibe, a beautiful landscape, and the perfect dog park, there is something for all of us to enjoy and we'd highly recommend visiting this great city.
After Jason and Natalie made a trip to Starbucks, we headed out to our next and final destination before NYC - Alexandria, Virginia.
Paws,
Sabrina
P.S. - there are no pictures of entering Tennessee. Natalie was a little too late snapping the shot on her iPhone - again, if I only knew how to take pictures, this would not be an issue!
No comments:
Post a Comment