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Today in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky it rained.  We left our hotel after grabbing a quick bite shortly after 8 this morning.  It was raining, not overly hard, but with lots of traffic it wasn’t that much fun.  I realized that people in Arkansas have not discovered the turn signal in their vehicles yet either.  I thought for a minute that one of them had, but that person turned out to have a Michigan license plate.  I also noted this sign while getting gas.  Will Smith and a mix of 80′s music helped us finish off the rest of Arkansas.

Soon we found ourselves in West Memphis and crossing the Mississippi River.  Memphis apparently has a Pyramid, where the Grizzlies play.  We had our hearts set on Nashville and so we got out some country music for the journey.  It is a little over 3 hours from Memphis to Nashville, and of course it rained the entire way.  Once we got to Nashville, we stopped at the Parthenon, a full size replica of what the one in Athens looked like in its heyday.

The front of the Parthenon

The side of the Parthenon

Inside the building there is a museum.  The basement is a museum telling the history of the Nashville Parthenon, as well as art by local artists.  The second floor contains busts of statues from the original Parthenon.  There is also a model of what is on the East and West Pediments.

Replica of the West Pediment

The Goddess Athena was inside the building, she is 42 feet tall.

Athena, Nike is in her right hand

Her shield alone is 6 feet in diameter.

Athena's shield

After visiting the Parthenon we stopped at a Krystal and I had 4 sliders and fries.  We continued on to the Grand Ole Opry.  We were able to see the building but were unable to stop due to traffic and lots of closures caused by prior flooding.  We then decided to end our Nashville venture.  As we headed out of Tennessee on I-65 we listened to Bob Dylan and AC/DC (always a favorite).

We were able to get relatively far into Kentucky, despite the rain continuing.  The music of choice for Kentucky consisted of Alice in Chains, the Beach Boys, and more Bob Dylan.  We drove through Louisville, got onto I-71, and continued on until La Grange, Kentucky.  This La Grange is unfortunately not the one with the Chicken Ranch.  We stopped for the night at the Best Western.  Upon checking in we learned that there was a Beef O’ Brady’s nearby.  Having watched the Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl the past two years, I was excited at the chance to try out this restaurant.  The food was good, but I was disappointed in the lack of Irish choices, for what I expected to be an Irish Pub.  I had Barbecue wings, onion rings, and Miller Lite, not the typical Irish fare I was hoping for.  Tomorrow, we plan on driving across Ohio and stopping in Clarion so Chamara can catch up with his brother.

Chamara’s approximate mileage: 0 + 420 miles previously = 420 miles

Tom’s approximate mileage: 551 miles + 2,465 miles previously = 3,016 miles

Total mileage today: 551 miles

Total mileage for the trip: 4,389 miles

North Little Rock, AR to La Grange, KY