Helicopter, Car & Boat...Nashville, TN to Gulf Shores, AL...

It was time for an adventure. Our 51st anniversary happens on February 13th. We like to make a little trip about that time each year to celebrate... especially to somewhere warm. However, with Covid-19, I was feeling very concerned about doing this. The numbers had risen greatly after Christmas and New Year's. We talked of places and Claude seemed to favor Florida. I had a bucket list item to see Avery Island in Louisiana where they make Tabasco sauce. I researched places along the Gulf Coast and we landed on something we both felt good about and a way to do it that was as safe as staying at home. This Blog post will be from my notes of our trip. 

We left Sadieville Thursday morning, January 28th. We had ice and then snow during the night. Not a lot of snow. The concerning thing was a healthy layer of ice. It crunched under my feet as I walked out the driveway to get a picture before we left. We had mail to leave at the post office in Sadieville. The Eagle Bend and Sadieville streets clearly had been worked on. Hwy 32 was an absolute mess. It was like nothing was done. We drove through Georgetown to get a biscuit for breakfast and then out the other side to get to I-64. The scene was eerily beautiful. All the low places with little creeks or streams were full of fog and it was out onto the fields from there. When we got to Frankfort, the trees were laden with ice with snow on top. This is always beautiful. The roads were in good shape for the rest of the journey. 

I made reservations to take a helicopter flight over Nashville. We have been to Nashville several times. So looking at it from the sky seemed like a good idea. I reserved us a flight and we were looking forward to it. Then I received a phone call saying the flight I picked out was not one they could do that day due to some issue with flight patterns. For a little more I could take a different flight. The first flight I booked was to take us over an old abandoned prison that was used to film part of the Green Mile. The new flight would take us over downtown Nashville. With all set in order, I received an eMail that I needed to print my itinerary. The eMail didn't have anything to print. I received a second eMail and printed their version of a ticket. 

The day before we left, I received an eMail telling me to pick up our vouchers at a resort by Wyndham. They suggested I be there four hours before our flight time. Well, that wasn't happening as we were driving to Nashville (3 1/2 hours) that morning. We went to the Wyndham property and I went into the lobby where one would check in if one were staying there. They directed me to what was probably the clubhouse a little further into the property. I went into this second building and spoke with Yakeema. She was a cheerful soul and I explained I was there to pick up my flight voucher for our helicopter ride. This is where she informed me for the first time that I needed to listen to a 90 minute presentation...Good Grief. For that we would receive a $100 gift card. We had time with no where to go so I told her we would listen. I explained this was a 51st  anniversary trip to which Yakeema said she would help us celebrate by adding $50 more dollars to this gift card. I was pointed back to the first building I entered and Claude and I drove there and parked while explained what was happening. 

We donned our masks and went in for this presentation. I must say the people were very friendly and polite. The program they were suggesting we purchase was an excellent deal. We were not going to purchase it though. I was watching my cellphone for time and we had 30 minutes to get to the helicopter flight. When planning the trip, I checked timing for travel to the helicopter flight. I knew it was 20 minutes.  I told them we needed to finish so we could get to the flight. They assured me it was only 10 minutes and we had plenty of time. Off to view their high end rooms at this resort we went. Back to the table to discuss with the manager. A little more pressure. We politely refused. A little more pressure. I looked the manager in the eye and picked up the two pieces of paper with two offers for us to sign. I held them up and said to the manager, "Look, this is NOT going to happen. We need our vouchers so we can take our flight." That ended that. 

As we left, we went back to the check-in desk and were given our voucher which was what I had printed at home. I looked at the lady and said, "We were to received a gift card for $150..." She quickly produced one. If we had known all this salesmanship was going to happen, we might have come prepared to listen and deal. We only came for a helicopter flight which I booked with no mention of it being attached to this sales pitch. My first hint this flight was a hook to get you to listen to a spiel was when Yakeema mentioned it. We left and made it to the helicopter right just in time. Ugh!!

Brook was our helicopter pilot. He was sitting in the waiting room and was surprised we were on time. It seems he has to wait for late people a lot! He told us that a tornado came across Nashville a few years back and completely demolished their hanger and offices. We would get in his personal car and go to where he had his helicopter parked. Brook was a very nice man and we greatly enjoyed his company for this flight. As it turns out, we would fly right over the abandoned prison. Go figure. We would see the prison, an old rock quarry, a tower with an elderly gentleman painted on it (Brook said this was an actual man from that neighborhood and was painted to bring the generations together), the Parthenon, the Cumberland River that flows through Nashville, Ft. Negley and a huge water reservoir container. We really enjoyed seeing Nashville from the air. 

Next on our agenda was to find the Parthenon. Nashville is a Sister City with Athens, Greece. For Tennessee's Centennial, they constructed a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Greece complete with Athena, the Greek goddess for whom Athens gets its name. They made an huge park with several large buildings. The park is still there. The buildings are mostly gone. You can see the park area in the helicopter picture above. We found the Parthenon and walked around and through it. First we found a spot across the pond and took this picture. 

Then we drove around to a parking lot on the side of the Parthenon and parked there. We started at the west end. Claude is in the red jacket and it was freezing cold. 

The West pediment depicts the contest between Athena and Poseidon to determine who will become Patron of Athens. Athena won. More about this later.

On the grounds of the park is a monument to John Thomas. He was president of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition which resulted in securing this park for Nashville. 

When standing in front of the John Thomas monument, if you look to your right you see the stadium for Vanderbilt. 

After taking pictures of the west end, we walked between the columns of the building to get to the east end of the Parthenon. On the basement level is an entrance to the museum. We would buy tickets and visit the museum. It contained photos with explanations about the Tennessee Centennial Exposition as well as artwork of various artists. 

After viewing these things we climbed a flight of stairs to visit Athena. This is one very big chickmaiden. She has a statue of Nike in her right hand. The Nike statue alone is over six feet tall. This gives you a feel for how tall Athena is. Athena is covered in gold. 

The back of this floor contains a room with life size replicas of the figures on the east and west pediments of the Parthenon. These were used to make the figures you see on the outside of the Parthenon. 

The East End Pediment represents the birth of Athena. She sprang forth as a full grown warrior from the head of her father, Zeus. Nike, the goddess of victory, is placing a wreath on Athena's helmet, commemorating Greece's real-time defeat of the Persians. This made the Parthenon an offering of thanks to their Patron, Athena. 

Across the room is the West End Pediment representing the contest between Athena and her uncle, Poseidon, to determine who would be the Patron of Athens. Each deity offered the city a gift. Poseidon struck the rock with his trident and salt-water came out signifying a powerful navy and sea trade. Athena struck the rock with her spear and an olive tree sprang up signifying olives, wood and oil. The citizens found Athena's gift more valuable and voted her the Patron. 

This is a 1/10th size model of the crane used by the Greeks to make the Parthenon. Archeological evidence indicates the existence and use of use of temporary structures like this crane to build superstructures in Greece back to the 5th Century BCE. 

Time to find dinner. When we visited Natchez, Mississippi some years ago, we found a restaurant and ate there. We really enjoyed that meal. The restaurant was Cock of the Walk. A few years ago while attending a Goldwing rally at the Opryland Hotel, we learned Nashville also had a Cock of the Walk restaurant. We took some of our friends there for a meal and again enjoyed our experience. It just made while in Nashville to visit Cock of the Walk again.

You eat your meal from a tin pie pan. You drink from a tin cup. I am remembering glass pint canning jars before. The food is mostly fried. I will post the front and the back of their menu. It will explain why the name Cock of the Walk. 

After dinner we hopped on the Briley Parkway and followed it to I-65 South. I had a hotel on the south side of Nashville so we could leave easily the next morning for Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Friday, January 29th, we left the Holiday Inn south of Nashville. As we showered to get ready, I had a revelation. I did not pack my curling iron. Ugh!! There was a CVS Pharmacy in the shopping center next to the hotel. However, after blow drying my air, I opted to not purchase another curling iron and just go natural for the rest of our trip. 

I also noticed how nicely housekeeping folded our washcloths. Presentation is everything. However, I took this picture and assured our family I would not be doing this for them when they stayed at our home!

We had about 7 hours of driving this day. As we entered Alabama, we passed the first rest area. The decoration for this rest area was a rocket!

Further down I-65 we crossed the Tennessee River. Very pretty. 

Lunch was had at a Burger King drive thru. We also scored gas for $1.99 per gallon. Sweet.

At 3:30pm EST about mile marker 84 on I-64 near Castleberry, Alabama, a car pulled into the left lane in front of Claude. A rock flew out from under their car and left a nice cracked place on my windshield. Another Ugh!! 

At 3:40pm EST we started getting loud alerts on our cell phones. They were an Amber Alert. 

I loved the fact that my USB drive was playing all the old songs Claude and I love. As we drove, it would come to a particular favorite and we would sing along. Great fun.

We arrived at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Gulf Shores, Alabama about 5pm. We were given Room 509 to be our home-away-from-home for the next three nights. We had the gift card which was an American Express gift card. I tried to use it to pay for the room and their system couldn't accept it. I was concerned when I realized the gift card was American Express. The best credit card for travel is a Visa followed by MasterCard. Our room had a nice balcony with a view over the Gulf of Mexico. It was night and we were able to see the moon rising in the sky. 

I just want to remember that the beds in the room were exceptionally high. Claude suggested we buy me a ladder to get into bed!! They were comfortable but there were concerns about falling as one gets out of bed in the middle of the night. 

Claude wanted Mexican for dinner. I asked the front desk clerk if there was a Mexican restaurant anywhere nearby. She told us of one and we headed in that direction. It was not opening until February. Fortunately, there was what appeared to be a dive of a place in the same shopping center area. We opted to try it. The food was good and they accepted that American Express gift card. Thank you Mexico Lindo.

The entertaining part of the evening came later as I watched Claude try to learn how to use the television. I never really understood why it was so difficult but it had some system to it that made it difficult for the big guy. It did keep him entertained till time for sleep.