July Journey: Day 2
CHATTANOOGA -- There was no dawn's early light on this Fourth of July, as a steady stream of showers plagued us most of the day. While we ourselves avoided trouble on Tennessee's highways, we also took notice of those who weren't as fortunate -- particularly, a jackknifed tractor-trailer in downtown Nashville.
After straining to see the Nashville Sounds' (in)famous guitar-shaped scoreboard through the rain and closed gates, we made our way downtown to the Country Music Hall of Fame for a hour's view before scoping out Vanderbilt's campus. This was all prelude to what Chad had intended to be a visit to one of his as-seen-on-the-Travel-Channel haunts, the Pancake Pantry.
However, I had made my own plans, as I had earlier invited along a couple of high-school classmates (a married couple, to be precise) who lived in Nashville for lunch. After assessing the line, the weather, and the necessary table for 8 -- me/Chad, Mike/Carrie, Mike's parents, and the kids -- Mike came up with a suitable substitute within walking distance: The Dog wasn't your average hole-in-the-wall hot dog place; I ordered today's featured "hot dog of the world" from Argentina, with the expected spices. Chad ordered two, the more memorable of which was honestly called "The Diet Starts Tomorrow."
While I had grown up with Carrie -- her dad was Chad's math teacher -- this was a good opportunity to meet Mike's parents; Mike didn't join us until high school. And for the second time in as many trips, we got to love Lucy. But instead of a wacky redhead with her madcap antics, M&C's six-year-old was much more sedate by comparison.
With goodbyes exchanged -- and an extra thank-you to Carrie for herding the kids in the rain -- Chad and I headed south, with a brief stop to the Murfreesboro campus of Middle Tennessee State, another newbie to Conference USA. (After I planned this trip, I learned that Chad ordered a ticket to the Marshall/MTSU game in October. At least he knows where the stadium is.)
The rain teased us in Chattanooga; the game started off nicely enough -- wheelchair parking is valeted -- but it started raining in the top of the sixth. We spent nearly an hour under the stands on a catwalk connected to the wheelchair-friendly elevator before the game was called. Chattanooga defeated Jacksonville, 2-0.
With the fireworks postponed due to the rain, we returned to the hotel to celebrate the 4th the only way we knew how: ordering up room service and watching the Winnipeg/Montréal game.
After straining to see the Nashville Sounds' (in)famous guitar-shaped scoreboard through the rain and closed gates, we made our way downtown to the Country Music Hall of Fame for a hour's view before scoping out Vanderbilt's campus. This was all prelude to what Chad had intended to be a visit to one of his as-seen-on-the-Travel-Channel haunts, the Pancake Pantry.
However, I had made my own plans, as I had earlier invited along a couple of high-school classmates (a married couple, to be precise) who lived in Nashville for lunch. After assessing the line, the weather, and the necessary table for 8 -- me/Chad, Mike/Carrie, Mike's parents, and the kids -- Mike came up with a suitable substitute within walking distance: The Dog wasn't your average hole-in-the-wall hot dog place; I ordered today's featured "hot dog of the world" from Argentina, with the expected spices. Chad ordered two, the more memorable of which was honestly called "The Diet Starts Tomorrow."
While I had grown up with Carrie -- her dad was Chad's math teacher -- this was a good opportunity to meet Mike's parents; Mike didn't join us until high school. And for the second time in as many trips, we got to love Lucy. But instead of a wacky redhead with her madcap antics, M&C's six-year-old was much more sedate by comparison.
With goodbyes exchanged -- and an extra thank-you to Carrie for herding the kids in the rain -- Chad and I headed south, with a brief stop to the Murfreesboro campus of Middle Tennessee State, another newbie to Conference USA. (After I planned this trip, I learned that Chad ordered a ticket to the Marshall/MTSU game in October. At least he knows where the stadium is.)
The rain teased us in Chattanooga; the game started off nicely enough -- wheelchair parking is valeted -- but it started raining in the top of the sixth. We spent nearly an hour under the stands on a catwalk connected to the wheelchair-friendly elevator before the game was called. Chattanooga defeated Jacksonville, 2-0.
With the fireworks postponed due to the rain, we returned to the hotel to celebrate the 4th the only way we knew how: ordering up room service and watching the Winnipeg/Montréal game.