Canyonland and Back Tour: Breaking up is hard to do

Part 1 (by Doug)
Well, today was the day that we would officially leave the tour. Nan & I will be heading directly home to make plans for the return trip to Memphis to trailer our Model A home. Bruce& Trish and Lou & Rose will complete the remainder of the trip and we wished them a wonderful time and happy travels.

Video - Saying Good Bye Again

Part 2 (by Bruce)

left our hotel in Nashville Tennessee by 8:30 a.m. the Rain of the previous day had stopped during the early morning hours. We wiped the cars down and cleaned the windshields. We also did the usual checking of the oil and the coolant in the radiator.

Turning right out of the parking lot we emerged into busy morning traffic and lots of traffic lights for the next 10 miles. Eventually the traffic lessened, the roads smoothed out and the traffic lights became fewer. At about 9 a.m. we stopped for gasoline and at 10:30 a.m. we stopped at Wal-Mart to "resupply" and refresh ourselves. While in the Wal-Mart parking lot we were approached by the usual assortment of locals and travelers asking about our trip and the cars. One 89 year old guy told me his father had a Model A like mine that they used on the family farm in Minnesota during the late 1930s. I mentioned that Minnesota was the land of "10,000 lakes" and he said "yes except when it rains and then there are 40,000 lakes."

We eventually drove into Cumberland County and through the mountains going up and down hills and twisting along curvy roads. We had lunch in Rockwood, TN and afterwards rolled into Oak Ridge a city built during WW2 as part of the top secret Manhattan Project. The work there resulted in the production of the first nuclear bomb and atomic reactor.

The rest of the days journey was an uneventful trip through Knoxville, TN and the smooth ride to our hotel in Strawberry Plaines.

After arriving at the hotel and checking in, Lou and I did some light maintenance on the cars including adjusting the ignition points on the two cars and cleaning the windshields.

Tomorrow will bring us through the Great Smoky mountains and onward to Boone, NC in the Blue Ridge mountains.