Aug 29, Saturday - TN

Phew, it’s even hotter this morning 90F.  Adjacent to the Grand ole Opry is the Opry Mills Shopping Centre – over 300 shops including a BassPro for Kim, so that is our destination this morning.  At some stage during our shopping expedition the heavens open and a lot of water suddenly appeared.  Dammit  we left some windows open in the coach – oh well can’t do much about it now so continue shopping.  Hail a cab back to camp, not much rain came inside happily, but the grounds were pretty damp.

Aug 30, Sunday TN – KY

Everyone tells us we have to see the Gaylord Opryland Hotel so we break camp and trundle off down the road a mile and find some RV parking on the premises - that was unexpected and made it nice and easy for us.  To park a car in the carpark was $23 but nobody was collecting money in the RV park.  The hotel is truly amazing, huge and built inside a massive glass atrium over eight stories high.  The gardens – ferns, lillies and orchids, the waterfalls and water features, including a gondola were all amazing, so glad we came.

Opry Hotel, gondola in background

   

We head north back across the state line to Kentucky, we don’t feel we have done the state justice yet.  We have picked an area to camp - Land between Two Lakes and it looks gorgeous, surrounded by water..  We cross one very high, very skinny, very low sided bridge and we are in the land in the middle.  This piece of land is about 8 miles across. There are a few parks and campgrounds and just a few houses on the road across and there is one trace road running north and south.  Then just before we get to the second bridge, we come across road works and sit for about half an hour before the word travels back down the line that the repairs to a steel plate in the middle of the bridge will take another two hours.  The steel plate on the first bridge wasn’t that flash either!  So we back up a quarter of a mile or so until we can turn around to head back the way we came, along with every other man and his dog.  Dash it all - we have to cross the very high, skinny low sided bridge again! 

Skinny low sided bridge

There was a state park not far back so we drive through that to see if we can stay.  The signage wasn’t that good in the park and we end up going down a steep dead end track which does in fact end in a launching ramp - no warning, just road then water.  Just as well we stopped a little ways back where we could turn around - a reversing four point turn on the lumpy grass.  All to find the prefect camp site, but there’s not one here.  Decide to move on.  The sky turns black, lightening blazes across it and thunder booms, followed immediately by a solid downpour.  We stop at the very next place, any campground will do at this stage of the game.  It is still raining when we arrive and although it looks like a pretty camp with a lake and a pool we have trouble finding the positives in the current weather.  It wasn’t cheap either for a one night stay in these parts.

August 31, Monday KY

Feeling better about it all this morning   Once again we take our lives in hand and cross the high, very skinny, low sided bridge and get to the second bridge which is now open.  It also is a very high, very skinny, low sided bridge but only one lane is open as they are building a new bridge.  The truck in front couldn’t keep it in the lane and hit the side, yikes!  

Wide truck in front crossing skinny bridge

Anyway we make it across without event and check out the Kerlake State Park on the other side – our destination the day before.  It’s a beautiful park right on the lake, but the sites are too small for us and not at all level.  Plus the noisy new bridgework is going on right next door on the lake.  We stop for a coffee and to enjoy the view  before we drive on a bit further.

Coffee Stop at Kerlake State Park

We drive on go past the Lakeside Campgrond and Marina - we stop down the road and decide it is worthy so we u-turn and book in for a couple of days.  Glad we did, we choose our own site and are right on the lake front.  There are lots of seasonals here but there are no people as its mid week, they will be coming for the long Labor Day weekend though which is this one coming up. The owners are very friendly and have had several kiwi holiday makers here before and they like us!

We seem to be are the only people around and so have the pool to ourselves  – just the way I like it!  And it’s hot, did I mention that?  

Lakeside Campground & Marina KY