20th Anniversary Adventure 2016 - Day 10

The Johnny Cash Museum, Nashville, Tennessee

Somehow, Anniston, Alabama, a tiny community that we initially thought was nearing ghost town status, has a 56-room boutique hotel that rivals many of the trendy big-city hotels we’ve seen. It’s an old Victorian home that was built in 1888, but newly remodeled into this sleek and modern hotel that just re-opened in March. This morning we ate our complimentary breakfast buffet off white china dishes on a covered patio and pretended we were fancy. There were actual fancy people eating their breakfast at the same time as us, and we sat as far away from them as we could. I overheard a woman’s one-sided phone conversation while I poured my coffee (I’m an eavesdropper) and she reminded me of one of those reality TV show housewives. She was mean and cold and nasty. I could’ve listened all day.

After our southern feast (grits are growing on me) we went back up to our room and stayed there until check-out time. We talked about coming back to Anniston for our 40th anniversary, but something tells me the town might not exist in 20 more years.

We plotted our route to Nashville, deciding to stay on as many backroads as we could. The first hour was spent trying to pick an audiobook to listen to on the 4-hour drive. Chad convinced me to listen to Old Yeller by Fred Gipson because he loves the story. I, on the other hand, have avoided both the book and the movie my whole life because I read Where the Red Fern Grows in 5th grade and it wrecked me forever. And I know this book is equally devestating, but I agreed to listen to it anyway.

I pushed play and the narrator started the story. Exactly 18 seconds later, I burst into tears. Here is the sentece that did me in: “He made me so mad at first that I wanted to kill him. Then, later, when I had to kill him, it was like having to shoot some of my own folks. That's how much I’d come to think of the big yeller dog.” Chad laughed at me as I cried and we drove for hours listening to the story.

Our room at Hutton Hotel

Chad picked Hutton Hotel as our home for the next two nights. After 9 hotels in 9 nights spanning 6 states, we’re glad be in Nashville until Saturday. Pulling up to the hotel’s valet, we had to wait for the drivers of the porsche and corvette in front of us to drop off their cars before we handed over the keys to our sweet Chevy Malibu. We checked in, got ready for the evening, and took the hotel’s complimentary shuttle, a big black van, to the The Johnny Cash Museum.

The museum was fascinating and, at times, quite moving. We both grew up with Johnny Cash’s music, and his songs resonate with us deeply as they do with most people on earth. The museum has an incredible amount of documents, personal belongings, clothing, and instruments on display. Some of the descriptions are even written in Johnny Cash’s own hand. The history of his life, his music, and his legacy was powerful. We bought Chad a t-shirt in the gift shop when the museum closed and then walked through the rain (imagine that, another storm) to the George Jones museum for dinner.

The amp and guitar that recorded "Folsom Prison Blues"

"Folsom Prison Blues" handwritten by Johnny

The clothes June and Johnny wore
when he performed at the White House for Nixon

We passed throngs of people wearing Hawaiian shirts and leis because Jimmy Buffett is playing at Ascend Amphitheater tonight. They were pre-funking in the street. We saw Jimmy Buffett play The Gorge in 1996 and I was pretty excited to see all the Parrot Heads in town. They're usually in their mid-sixties and sometimes I feel like so am I.

The first floor of the George Jones museum is a restaurant called Choices, and we sat near a wall of windows that opens like garage doors offering a view of the Cumberland River. We ordered fried green tomatoes for appetizers, and dinner was a wedge salad, bbq salmon, and braised pork with white beans. 

After dinner, we walked through Nashville and music poured out of every bar or restaurant we passed. As the people on the streets got louder and were unable to walk in a straight line down the sidewalk, I became uncomfortable. When a couple passed us carrying enormous, live boa constrictors around their necks I was just annoyed. Chad called our hotel for the shuttle. 20 minutes later a new, red Tesla pulled up where our shuttle was supposed to meet us. Chad pointed out that the driver looked a lot like our shuttle driver from earlier. Oh. Our hotel shuttle is a Tesla. Of course it is.

The only picture we took of Nashville

It was only 9:30 when we were back at the hotel and ready for bed. The rest of the guests are downtown having the time of their lives, I'm sure, and we are in bed watching TV. Jimmy Buffett is staying at this hotel tonight. I’m thinking maybe I’ll set my alarm and try to “bump into him” as he returns from his show. But I’m actually kind of tired. Maybe I should just get a good night’s sleep.

I hear the train a comin'

It's rolling round the bend

And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when,

I'm stuck in Folsom Prison, and time keeps dragging on

But that train keeps a rollin' on down to San Antone.

     - Johnny Cash

- Rachel