We Have Arrived In Nashville!

Well, updating the blog as we drove across the country was a fail, but I will do a recap of our drive now. If you want to just read about since we have been in Nashville you can skip to the bottom!

Day 1 Oakdale, CA to Las Vegas, NV

Friday morning we packed up the car and headed south! We took 99 South and were able to have lunch with Gavin's little brother Cody. It was great to be able to visit and have great a tri-tip lunch at the Dog House Grill (basically the same restaurant as Firestone). We were on the road again after that!  

I’m not going to lie; the rest of the drive was fairly monotonous.  It was pretty much desert the rest of the way. I had never seen Joshua Trees and there were lots of them along the way. They are kind of these funky looking trees. 

Joshua Trees along the side of the road

We finally got into Nevada and as soon as we did there were casinos and one of them even had a roller coster. I was a little surprised that as soon as you crossed the state borders there were already casinos.

The Nevada State Sign

The Casino with the Roller Coaster

We got into Las Vegas around 8pm and Gavin’s Great Aunt and Uncle had dinner for us. We ate and watched the end of a Giants game. After that we went down to the strip and explored some. I had never been to Las Vegas before, so that was a cool experience for me. We really only went around a block on the strip, but it still was so much to take in. The Bellagio has an amazing atrium that they decorate according to the seasons and it was all decorated for fall. 

The talking tree at the Bellagio

We watched the fountains at the Bellagio a couple times as well. Then we went up in the Eiffel Tower at Paris to get an amazing view of the strip and the fountains. We were only down at the strip for a couple of hours because we needed to get some sleep before the next morning of driving, but the little taste of everything makes me look forward to going back sometime.

Panoramic from where we watched the fountains

Views from the Eiffel Tower 

Day 2 Las Vegas, NV to Albuquerque, NM

The next morning we got up and were on the road again! The day’s itinerary included a stop at the Grand Canyon and then staying with Gavin’s cousin in Albuquerque. The drive between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon had some scenery that was actually pretty scenic. The red rocks were amazing and unlike landscape I had ever seen before. 

The lake that the Hoover Dam is on

The Grand Canyon was amazing and I am so glad that we made the 3-hour detour! If you are ever in the area or will be somewhat close to the Grand Canyon I would highly recommend visiting! It truly is a natural wonder. 

We drove down through Flagstaff and the scenery there was not what I would expect in Arizona. There are so many trees and it reminded me of Oregon.  The sun was setting right as we got into New Mexico and the sunset was pretty amazing. It was great to visit Gavin’s cousin and her family and meet all of them. 

Driving down through Flagstaff

Sunset as we drove into New Mexico

Red rocks like this were everywhere

Day 3 Albuquerque, NM to Shell Knob, MO

Again the next morning we were up and on the road! This day was our longest drive of the trip. We would go through New Mexico, the top of Texas, Oklahoma, the Northwest corner of Arkansas, and then stay with Gavin’s Brother-in-Law’s Parents in Southern Missouri. The drive through the rest of New Mexico and Texas was less than exciting. I don’t know if I would ever choose to live in either state, but we got some decent Mexican food in Texas and listened to Amarillo Sky by Jason Aldean while we drove through Amarillo. 

Oklahoma was a little better to drive through because if had some trees and was a little green. By the time we got into Arkansas it was dark, but from what we could tell the scenery looked really beautiful in Northwest Arkansas. We got to Gary’s parents’ house around 11pm and we were so glad to get there! They live on a lake in the country so getting there in the dark without getting lost was a pretty big accomplishment! We were able to visit for a little and then we headed to bed. We slept so well because we were so tired from the long day of driving! 

Day 4 Shell Knob, MO to Nashville, TN

The next morning we got up and were able to have a more relaxing morning, which was a really nice change of pace.  After we had breakfast Gordon, Gary’s Dad, showed us around and we went down to the lake. It was so beautiful and I can see why they decided to move there. He also showed us his shop where he makes beautiful benches, tables, beds and all sorts of things from trees he cuts down himself. I was so impressed!! The picture of us with Loretta, Gary’s Mom, is at a table that he made. After consulting the map for the best route to Nashville we were on the road again and our final destination was our next stop! 

The Lake

The highways in Missouri were not as big as we are used to, but there was hardly any traffic so we were happy campers. We crossed the Mississippi River and were technically in Illinois for about 5 minutes before we crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky. 

The whole drive that day was beautiful because the trees were the vibrant colors of fall and they were always lining the highway or freeway we were on. We got into Nashville a little before the Giants game started. We were able to check into our hotel room in Brentwood and then go find a local sports bar to get some food and watch the game!

The sunset in Tennessee as we made our way to Nashville

Overall it was fun to be able to see a lot of the U.S. that we had never seen before. Some of the states we don’t really feel the need to go back and visit, but then again you never know where life might take you! 

Well, just recapping our drive ended up being a really long post, so I am going to do a recap of our time here in Nashville in my next post! Promise it won’t take me so long this time!!!

P.S. If you want our new address feel free to email/call/text me! I just don’t want to post it on the interwebs for anyone to see