DaveInTN

No, I read it right.  My brain just fixed it.  

I vote for a joint theater for Morocco and Germany.  They could stage the all new off-Broadway show "Belly Dancing in Dirndls".  It's a celebration of world piece.  
 

I vote for a joint theater for Morocco and Germany.  They could stage the all new off-Broadway show "Belly Dancing in Dirndls".  It's a celebration of world piece.  
 

This certainly looks like a man who would enjoy bacon cheeseburger mac n cheese.  

I vote for a joint theater for Morocco and Germany.  They could stage the all new off-Broadway show "Belly Dancing in Dirndls".  It's a celebration of world piece.  
 

Lapu Lapus now available for breakfast! 
https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2018/02/01/news-tambu-lounge-now-offers-morning-drinks-at-disney-worlds-polynesian-resort/

I vote for a joint theater for Morocco and Germany.  They could stage the all new off-Broadway show "Belly Dancing in Dirndls".  It's a celebration of world piece.  
 

I hope so too.  And it feels comforting that I have a GAG prescription from none other than Dr. Mo.  
Thanks Ray.  
Yes, I absolutely recommend Dolly's DreamMore resort.  Fantastic hotel....very homey, good food, great rooms.  Can be pricey during certain times, but if you are flexible on timing they have some good deals.  

108 and 109 are quite deep, and fairly wide for Preferred.  Here is a pic of my 36' motorhome in 109. And a second pic showing that there is a fair amount of pad outside the mh door.



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It's a short strol to the marina.   Most MK boats can accommodate chairs.   It's the smaller resort boats to the lodge and contemporary that cannot. 

Really??  That thought never occurred to me.  
Ok, yes it did.  

Ok folks, it is past due time to move on to our sixth and final trip of this report.  I was traveling this past week and never had time to post an update, but I'm enjoying a quiet Saturday morning with Anna, have a fresh cup of coffee, and am ready to roll.  So, let's go.  
Trip #6 - Thanksgiving at The Fort
Once again, I had hopes that we would  be planning a trip to the Fort for all 8 of us, including son in law.  And they were on board too, so I planned accordingly.  I purchased a new tent to put up behind the motorhome for them, and had a Preferred site booked (I normally prefer 500), in part because that's the only level available but also because the pad would be better for a tent.  And then, just weeks before departure, SIL started a new job and couldn't take off.  Again, DD opted to stay back with him.  So, we went from 8 to 6.  And similar to the Dollywood trip, INC had a conflict on the Saturday before Thanksgiving that she needed to be in Nashville for.  My plans were to leave after school on Friday.  Should we delay our departure by 24 hours, shaving a full day off of our reservation?  Nah!  I booked her a plane ticket for Saturday evening, figuring we would arrive Saturday afternoon, get set up, and she would come in via Magical Express that night.  So, with that all laid out, let's get to departure day.  
In years past, I would typically yank the kids from school in the early afternoon to hit the road early.  But oldest DD works as a Special Ed assistant for the school district.  It's one thing to yank a student early, but she needed to be there for her kiddo, and she works until 4pm.  She then had to get to her home, pick up her bearded dragon Khaleesi to take to her sister's house (who since she wasn't going was babysitting Khaleesi), and then drive out to our place for departure.  I knew all of that would take until around 6, and being late November it would be dark by the time we left.  Driving the motorhome on the narrow, winding country roads we live on is never fun, but doing so in the dark would be even better.  The only thing that would make this better would be if it was raining.  Oh, guess what?  It rained.  LOL>  
Anyways, while waiting for DD to arrive that afternoon, I pulled the motorhome up front and was fully ready to hit the road as soon as she pulled in.  You can see that the sun was already pretty low in the sky.  


After DD11 got home, she was excited so we grabbed a selfie while we still had daylight.  

Poor DD arrived and I hurried her into the motorhome so we could get moving, as the rain was just starting to come down.  I never even let her go inside the house.  After we were on the road, she said she had had to pee so bad....lol.  Fortunately being in a motorhome has its advantages, so she didn't have to hold it.  
I had made a reservation for an overnight campsite at Harvest Moon in Adairsville, GA, around 4 hours south of us.  But after only 45 minutes on the road, I was wondering if we'd make it.  When we got to Murfreesboro, at the junction of I-24 and 840, we hit a standstill due to a large accident.  The combination of being Friday evening, in the rain, the weekend before a holiday, combined to royally screw things up.  We sat there for an hour before getting moving again.  Then, we had to go over Monteagle in the wind and rain.  I have arthritis in my hands (yes, early onset....I'm not THAT old), and I was hurting from grabbing tightly to that wheel.  Traffic in Chattanooga was its usual mess as well.  We made a quick stop in a rest area to eat our dinner, then pressed on.  I was exhausted, but we kept going and finally made it to Adairsville at close to midnight.  I figured I'd get Anna tucked in her bunk (she somehow had never fallen asleep during the ride), and I'd collapse to sleep.  Well, Anna and everyone else got tucked, and I went to bed.  But...I didn't sleep.  No idea why, but that does happen to me from time to time when traveling.  I laid all night without getting any sleep, so by 5 I figured I'd make some coffee, and hit the road.  The nice thing is, that took us through Atlanta early on a Saturday morning, so we just breezed on down the road.  The rain had ended, and it was smooth sailing.  
We hit the Fort by mid-afternoon, and got site 109, which was my first request.  



I got things set up.

After setting up and hanging out relaxing for a bit, we checked in down the loop with fellow Fiends Jason and Kelly....the GA Dawg fans.  This was the second time in the last 3 years that we've camped in 100 with them, so we were looking forward to that.  We chatted briefly, and then it was time to head to our arrival day dinner ADR at Trails End.  
We hadn't had dinner at TE in a number of years, and I figured not having INC with me, it would be easy just to stay put and walk over there for dinner.  When I made the reservation I didn't at all focus on the price range noted on the Disney site.  As you know, buffet prices fluctuate quite a bit based on the day, and my recollection was that dinner there was somewhere in the $18-20 range.  Well, let's just say it's no longer in the $18-20 range.  Dinner for the 5 of us (4 adults, 1 child) came to over $150!  I was glad I had Disney Rewards dollars to use.  Regardless, the buffet was good and everyone enjoyed their dinner.  
After finishing up at TE, we wandered back to 100, where Kelly and Jason were outside hanging out with ACinA2 (or something like that) Aaron and his family.  I was really hoping to get to meet them this week, and here we were lucking out and meeting them on the first night.  This trip, despite the rocky first travel night, was starting out awesomely!  
After visiting for a bit, we did a little bit of looping, but then we were all pretty tired from the drive, my lack of sleep, and getting set up, so we headed back to the RV to settle in for the night.  I didn't want to sleep as I wanted to wait for INC to arrive later that night.  She wasn't due to arrive at the Fort until around midnight, but I knew if I went to sleep I might not get up to go get her, and I wanted to pick her up on the cart rather than make her ride the bus.  After she landed at MCO, I stayed in touch and tracked her location to know when to head up front.  I saw that her bus was coming up Bonnet Creek toward Vista, so I figured they's make the left on Vista and head right to the Fort.  I headed up front in the cart to get her.  Well....the bus did turn left on Vista, but it buzzed right past the Fort.  It turns out they were first dropping guests off at the Lodge, and then the Poly, before coming to stop at the Fort.  What the Fort!!  I knew we were less important, but to drive right past the Fort like that was stupid IMO.  
Well, I had time to kill, so I tried to get a "midnight at the Outpost" picture.  That's not so easy on a phone, but it's not terrible.  

 I was still tracking her location, and had seen them stop at the Lodge and the Poly and then head back up World Drive and down Vista.  So I wasn't surprised to soon be seeing this.  

INC wasn't the only Fort guest to get off the bus.  There were some with luggage, so I assume they were cabin guests.  INC had the benefit of not having to travel with any luggage, since we brought everything with us.  So she hopped on board the cart and we sped back to 109 for a well deserved night's sleep.  
Coming up...we experience the Three Major P's of Fort Life!!  Stay tuned....you won't want to miss that.    
 

I'm guessing Gatorland 
TCD

Won't the "rare birds-eye view of the World Showcase" be of the backs of the pavilions?  I'm not sure how magical it would be seeing a Sysco truck delivering rice to the Japanese pavilion, or snooty French kids taking a smoke break behind France.  

For an additional $69 per person per day, you can add a My Disney Health Plan to your Magic Your Way Vacation Package. 
#yearofamillionschemes

I'd love to see the look on the housekeeper's face that enters your room and finds the bed already made.  

Trip #5 - Fall Break at Dollywood
Our kids typically get 3 days off in October for fall break, which makes for a 5 day weekend.  Not long enough to head to the Fort unless we pulled them out of school, but perfect to head to the Smokies and visit our favorite fun lady, Dolly.  
I've shared our visits and opinions on Dollywood many times in the past, so I won't rehash all of that.  I'll just say this....Dollywood is probably my favorite park anywhere, Disney included.  So I am always excited to plan a trip here.  And I was particularly excited about this trip, because I had planned it to include all 8 of us, son in law included.  Since we have 3 kids in public school this year, and our other 2 girls both work in Special Education for the school district, all 5 girls had the same break.  We had hoped that we would all get to the Fort for our March trip that I covered earlier in this trip report, but that didn't work out.  So this was a do over.  
Well...as we got into fall, plans started to fall apart.  First, INC had a major conflict.  She either wasn't going to be able to go, or at the very least would have to be home by Friday evening.  Since break started on Wednesday, that really put a crimp on things.  Then, it turned out that our son in law was not able to get time away, and our daughter decided against going without her husband.  That I understand.  So, this trip was looking unlikely.  But INC suggested that, perhaps, I go and take the remaining kids less Anna....since the rest of us are the huge coaster fans.  She figured she'd stay back and keep Anna so that we could hit the park hard.  Ultimately, DD17 decided to stay back as well and work.  So, this trip will only include me, and DD21 and DD11.  Those two are my biggest ride fans, and while I wanted to ride the coasters, I also wanted to take in some shows and entertainment, so this would work our nicely.  
I made a reservation at the Pigeon Forge KOA, as it's walking distance to the trolley depot where we could easily hop the trolley to Dolly.  We've stayed here a couple of times before, and it's proven a good base camp for Dollywood.  We left our home Wednesday morning, arriving at the KOA by mid-afternoon.  After checking in, we headed to the trolley to head to the park for the remainder of the day.  I had purchased  3 day park tickets via an online special they offered....if I remember right I paid around $99/person for those tickets.  Not a bad deal.  We headed in, and immediately we were immersed in the Fall Harvest and Gospel Festival....a festival focused on food, fall decor, Gospel music, and FUN!  

Even though there were many, many things I wanted to see, do and eat, we had a mission to jump immediately on upon entering the park.  We needed to get in our first Lightening Rod ride!  
If you aren't familiar with the Lightening Rod, let me first tell you that it is the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever gotten from a ride.  It is a wooden coaster that opened in 2016, and is the World's first launched wooden coaster.  It is also, with a peak speed of 73 mph, the world's fastest wooden coaster.  The ride was built in the Jukebox Junction section of the park, which has a 50's theme that feels kind of like Back to the Future.  I think they did a phenomenal job theming the ride....this is where you enter the queue.  

We got a ride in, and this thing is insane.  You leave the boarding area, and the cars launch up the first big hill at 45 mph.  When you crest the hill, you get airtime for the first of 12 times during the ride.   12!!  It feels like you spend more time off of your seat than on it.  The ride lasts 3 minutes and 12 seconds according the website, but it sure feels shorter.  It's a blast, regardless.  
After riding the Lightening Rod, we did some exploring before it got dark.  We were excited to see the park after dark, because they were advertising the Great Pumpkin Luminights as part of the festival this year.  But we first wanted to check things out in the light.  


We made our way to the Mystery Mine, which is one of the girls' favorite rides.  

This is a really cook dark ride coaster through an abandoned mine, with completely vertical hills.  
Waiting to ride....

We grabbed dinner in the park, then wanted to experience the Lightening Rod in the dark.  We had a Dollywood cast member pull off an outstanding photobomb.  

Bravo to that young man.  
I thought the Lightening Rod was insane in the daylight.  It's is beyond insane in the dark.  I wasn't exactly sure whether we'd survive.  Not being able to see the hills or banked turns was wild.  But still, we loved it.  Funny thing was, being that there were 3 of us, and you sit 2 across on the ride, we were paired with another rider.  It was an old woman dressed in a pant suit, jewelry and full face of makeup.  Before leaving the station, we chatted for a moment, and she told us that her grandchildren were riding and, rather than walk back down to the exit, she figured she'd just ride down.  She said she'd never ridden a roller coaster before.  I chuckled and said, "and THIS is the one you picked?".  LOL.  She looked nervous, but it was too late.  As I mentioned, the ride was crazy, and the poor woman looked shell shocked at the end.  I felt bad for her.  Bet she never rides another coaster again.  
We headed back to the KOA, and rested up for a full day at the park on Thursday.  
In the morning, we had a quick breakfast at the camper and headed to the trolley.  Those clouds looked a bit fall like, but the temps were blazing hot.  It was in the mid-80's that week, and very humid.  

We got to the park in time for rope drop, and where do you suppose we headed first?


After that ride, the girls went off to ride some more coasters, while I wanted to just explore the Craftsman Valley and listen to some live music.  


I decided to go see the Birds of Prey show, which showcases Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, Owls and other birds that reside in a sanctuary at the park . 


The show features some endangered species, but none are more endangered than the Silverbellied American Flip Phone.



The culmination of the show is the American Bald Eagle, of which quite a few reside in the park at the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary.  


That's probably enough bird pics.  
I made my way to the grist mill to get some of that famous Dollywood ooey, gooey cinnamon bread.  




I wish I had some right now.  That cup of icing on the side, melted into the crevices in the bread....oh my.  
Ok, moving on.
I also got myself some fried green tomatoes. 

I met back up with girls and gave them some of the cinnamon bread.  What, you think I ate the whole loaf myself??


I'll leave it here for now.  
Coming up, some music.  And some Great Pumpkin Luminights.  
  
 
    

Trip #5 - Fall Break at Dollywood
Our kids typically get 3 days off in October for fall break, which makes for a 5 day weekend.  Not long enough to head to the Fort unless we pulled them out of school, but perfect to head to the Smokies and visit our favorite fun lady, Dolly.  
I've shared our visits and opinions on Dollywood many times in the past, so I won't rehash all of that.  I'll just say this....Dollywood is probably my favorite park anywhere, Disney included.  So I am always excited to plan a trip here.  And I was particularly excited about this trip, because I had planned it to include all 8 of us, son in law included.  Since we have 3 kids in public school this year, and our other 2 girls both work in Special Education for the school district, all 5 girls had the same break.  We had hoped that we would all get to the Fort for our March trip that I covered earlier in this trip report, but that didn't work out.  So this was a do over.  
Well...as we got into fall, plans started to fall apart.  First, INC had a major conflict.  She either wasn't going to be able to go, or at the very least would have to be home by Friday evening.  Since break started on Wednesday, that really put a crimp on things.  Then, it turned out that our son in law was not able to get time away, and our daughter decided against going without her husband.  That I understand.  So, this trip was looking unlikely.  But INC suggested that, perhaps, I go and take the remaining kids less Anna....since the rest of us are the huge coaster fans.  She figured she'd stay back and keep Anna so that we could hit the park hard.  Ultimately, DD17 decided to stay back as well and work.  So, this trip will only include me, and DD21 and DD11.  Those two are my biggest ride fans, and while I wanted to ride the coasters, I also wanted to take in some shows and entertainment, so this would work our nicely.  
I made a reservation at the Pigeon Forge KOA, as it's walking distance to the trolley depot where we could easily hop the trolley to Dolly.  We've stayed here a couple of times before, and it's proven a good base camp for Dollywood.  We left our home Wednesday morning, arriving at the KOA by mid-afternoon.  After checking in, we headed to the trolley to head to the park for the remainder of the day.  I had purchased  3 day park tickets via an online special they offered....if I remember right I paid around $99/person for those tickets.  Not a bad deal.  We headed in, and immediately we were immersed in the Fall Harvest and Gospel Festival....a festival focused on food, fall decor, Gospel music, and FUN!  

Even though there were many, many things I wanted to see, do and eat, we had a mission to jump immediately on upon entering the park.  We needed to get in our first Lightening Rod ride!  
If you aren't familiar with the Lightening Rod, let me first tell you that it is the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever gotten from a ride.  It is a wooden coaster that opened in 2016, and is the World's first launched wooden coaster.  It is also, with a peak speed of 73 mph, the world's fastest wooden coaster.  The ride was built in the Jukebox Junction section of the park, which has a 50's theme that feels kind of like Back to the Future.  I think they did a phenomenal job theming the ride....this is where you enter the queue.  

We got a ride in, and this thing is insane.  You leave the boarding area, and the cars launch up the first big hill at 45 mph.  When you crest the hill, you get airtime for the first of 12 times during the ride.   12!!  It feels like you spend more time off of your seat than on it.  The ride lasts 3 minutes and 12 seconds according the website, but it sure feels shorter.  It's a blast, regardless.  
After riding the Lightening Rod, we did some exploring before it got dark.  We were excited to see the park after dark, because they were advertising the Great Pumpkin Luminights as part of the festival this year.  But we first wanted to check things out in the light.  


We made our way to the Mystery Mine, which is one of the girls' favorite rides.  

This is a really cook dark ride coaster through an abandoned mine, with completely vertical hills.  
Waiting to ride....

We grabbed dinner in the park, then wanted to experience the Lightening Rod in the dark.  We had a Dollywood cast member pull off an outstanding photobomb.  

Bravo to that young man.  
I thought the Lightening Rod was insane in the daylight.  It's is beyond insane in the dark.  I wasn't exactly sure whether we'd survive.  Not being able to see the hills or banked turns was wild.  But still, we loved it.  Funny thing was, being that there were 3 of us, and you sit 2 across on the ride, we were paired with another rider.  It was an old woman dressed in a pant suit, jewelry and full face of makeup.  Before leaving the station, we chatted for a moment, and she told us that her grandchildren were riding and, rather than walk back down to the exit, she figured she'd just ride down.  She said she'd never ridden a roller coaster before.  I chuckled and said, "and THIS is the one you picked?".  LOL.  She looked nervous, but it was too late.  As I mentioned, the ride was crazy, and the poor woman looked shell shocked at the end.  I felt bad for her.  Bet she never rides another coaster again.  
We headed back to the KOA, and rested up for a full day at the park on Thursday.  
In the morning, we had a quick breakfast at the camper and headed to the trolley.  Those clouds looked a bit fall like, but the temps were blazing hot.  It was in the mid-80's that week, and very humid.  

We got to the park in time for rope drop, and where do you suppose we headed first?


After that ride, the girls went off to ride some more coasters, while I wanted to just explore the Craftsman Valley and listen to some live music.  


I decided to go see the Birds of Prey show, which showcases Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, Owls and other birds that reside in a sanctuary at the park . 


The show features some endangered species, but none are more endangered than the Silverbellied American Flip Phone.



The culmination of the show is the American Bald Eagle, of which quite a few reside in the park at the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary.  


That's probably enough bird pics.  
I made my way to the grist mill to get some of that famous Dollywood ooey, gooey cinnamon bread.  




I wish I had some right now.  That cup of icing on the side, melted into the crevices in the bread....oh my.  
Ok, moving on.
I also got myself some fried green tomatoes. 

I met back up with girls and gave them some of the cinnamon bread.  What, you think I ate the whole loaf myself??


I'll leave it here for now.  
Coming up, some music.  And some Great Pumpkin Luminights.  
  
 
    

Not sure how many people would get that reference.  
 

Trip Four - The Great American Eclipse
Monday, August 21, 2017 was a day I had looked forward to for a LONG time.  Like years.  Ever since witnessing a partial solar eclipse as a kid in the late 70's, the allure of a total eclipse was overwhelming.  I'd seen pics, videos, and read articles about total eclipses.  But as you know, they aren't exactly common, and in particular if you aren't willing or able to trek across the globe to view one, you may have to wait decades for the opportunity.  And what made this year's eclipse more special was that it was coming to my area!  No long travel needed....just a plan.  
Falling on a Monday, I knew that this would involve pulling the kids from school.  That was easily decided, as I felt the value of witnessing the eclipse was more valuable than a school day, in particular as our home sits a hair outside the path of totality.  The edge of the path of totality happens to go right through the parking lot of our church...but we live southwest of there placing us outside.  And for solar eclipses, being 10 feet outside the path of totality may as well be 100 miles outside.  Totally different experience, and not nearly as special.  
So while we could have simply driven to our church to view, or a bit further into Nashville, there is another factor to determine where best to view a total eclipse.  The closer to the midline of the path of totality you get, the longer totality is.  For instance, in our church parking lot, we may have witnessed 15 seconds of totality.  Pretty cool, but perhaps not enough to fully appreciate and witness all the incredible natural phenomena that comes with totality.  I knew that I would prefer to get close to the center line, but try to avoid huge crowds such as would be present close to downtown Nashville.  So I consulted maps online, and I quickly realized that the center of the path of totality was going to pass right through Carthage, TN.  Which, besides being the home town of Al Gore, happens to also be the home of Defeated Creek COE Campground.  One of our alltime faves, and the site of many epic Fiend Grand Gatherings!  I searched the Defeated Creek site for availability, an lo and behold there was one site available, and right on the lake shore....perfect for viewing the skies.  Plus, we were not far from the longest point of totality in the entire United States, which was just a bit northwest over southern IL and western KY.  At that location, totality would last 2 minutes 41 seconds.  At Carthage, totality would last 2 minutes 39 seconds.  I couldn't complain about that!    
Before getting to some pics, let me just warn you that I have zero pictures of the actual eclipse.  That was by design.  Since I don't have a camera that could take worthwhile pictures of an eclipse, and I knew that the internet would provide all the pictures of this event that anyone could ever hope for, I decided that once the moon began crossing in front of the sun late Monday morning, the phone was getting put down and I was simply going to enjoy the show.  
We arrived on Sunday to enjoy the afternoon and evening at the site.  Totality was scheduled for around 1:30 the next afternoon, and checkout wasn't until 3pm, so this would work out nicely.  We set up our site, and soon were sitting lakeside enjoying some beers, and watching Anna collect leaves.



I have been camping here regularly for over 10 years, and I never tire of this view.


Is that enough Anna pics?  
Maybe one more.

The next morning was spent sitting under the awning, enjoying coffee, and waiting for the action.  None of us truly knew what to expect, but I had read enough that I tried to prepare INC and the girls for some things to look for.  For instance, I was hoping that we would be fortunate and see the elusive "shadow bands", which occur just before and just after totality, and look like thousands of snakes wriggling along the ground.  We also, of course, wanted to see the famous diamond ring, and I also wanted to be prepared to see the 360 degree sunset, plus to aware of the changes in ambient sounds from animals, insects, etc.  There would be a lot to observe and experience in 2 1/2 minutes, so we needed to be prepared.  
We tried on our glasses....which I had purchased a year in advance, fearing there would be shortages.  Which there were!  And these were certified, unless those phony ones being sold in the weeks leading up to the eclipse.  


Excitement Selfie!

Now...you may notice there aren't pictures of Anna wearing eclipse glasses.  We debated over that for some time.  She won't keep glasses on easily, much less dark ones that you cannot see through in normal light.  So we were fairly certain she wouldn't keep them on.  And since we were all staring at the sky, we were fairly certain she may have looked at the sun without protection, which could have catastrophic results for her eyesight.  Furthermore, her cognitive level is such that, even if she could view the eclipse safely, she would have no understanding of what was going on, and it could possibly be fearful for her.  So we decided that the safest approach for her was to keep her inside during totality, doing what she enjoys doing, like coloring and watching a movie.  So, here's Anna in her eclipse position.  

That's actually all the pics I have.  The eclipse began around noon, being the point when the moon began crossing in front of the sun.  Totality was approximately 90 minutes later.  We casually watched during the early phases, keeping an eye on the sky, and sitting and visiting.  As it got closer to 1:30, things really got interesting.  The world began changing, even several minutes before totality began.  The lighting got weird, animals quieted down, and there was a general stillness setting in.  
Within the minute before totality, what we were observing was similar to what we could have seen if we'd stayed at our house.  It was really very cool.  And if we hadn't seen what was yet to come, we would have thought that it was worthwhile to witness this.  But then, totality began.  
If you've witnessed totality, you will understand what I mean by this.  It was the most incredible thing I've ever witnessed.  You could say it was life changing, but that might be a stretch.  But it's certainly something I or the family will never forget.  For 2 and a half minutes, the world changed.  We did witness the shadow bands, both before and after totality.  We saw the 360 degree sunset all around the horizon.  The sun itself was amazingly beautiful.  The diamond ring was very cool.  The world was still, and eerie, yet gorgeous.  I'll never forget it.  And I want to see it again.  Which we plan to do in 6 years.  Yes, that's right.  There is another opportunity in 2024.  This one will run a path of totality from Texas up to northern New England.  It will cross directly over Buffalo and Niagara Falls.  I think it would be cool to witness this in my home town, so we may travel up there to see it.  The path of this next one makes it accessible to the vast majority of you in no more than a day's drive.  If you haven't seen an eclipse before, or even if you have, I highly suggest you make plans to get yourself into the path of totality on April 8, 2024.  You won't regret it.  
 

Let's move on and wrap up this Father's Day weekend.  
I do all the cooking when we camp, and being Father's Day, that wasn't going to fly.  And also being Father's Day, I got to pick where we were going to eat.  I also got to pay for it, but what's new.  LOL . 
I knew that a new restaurant had opened at the Opry Mills that I wanted to check out, and they took reservations.  Being Father's Day, I wasn't sure how busy restaurants would be.  Turns out...very busy.  But having the reservation got us in with no wait.  
So where are we going??

That's the Bavarian Bierhaus!!
It might not be Oktoberfest, but I was willing to give it a try.  
This place is set up in the usual bierhaus way of long tables and benches throughout the middle, plus smaller tables along the perimeter of the place.  And in the middle is a stage, and a dancefloor.  
This pic shows the general look of the place, plus some of the German dancers.  

When we first were seated, an accordian player was on stage.


Our waitress came to take the drink orders.  I just ordered water.  
The water in Nashville is REALLY yellow.  They must need a new water treatment plant.  

Ok, that's Spaten.  
This place is really authentic German.  The dancers could even be relatives of me.  

I don't know why that cracked me up, but it did.
Maybe I should have ordered a Kirin.  
As typically happens in these situations, Anna soon found herself on the dancefloor.  








That was pretty awesome!!
Before too long, the accordian player left the stage.  I was afraid we had timed things poorly and would be without music for the rest of our meal.  But within a few minutes, those fears were laid to rest.  A band came out to play!

They were flippin awesome!!  
That gal could entertain.  She sang, and played the accordian.  And the rest of the band was great too.  They really got the whole place dancing, including standing on the benches and stomping their feet.  

For my dinner, I chose the Schweinebraten.  That was a German pork roast, potato dumplings, sauerkraut, red cabbage and gravy.  It was delicious.  

Everyone seemed happy with their meals.  So my restaurant choice was a good one.  
We made our way back to the KOA and hit the hay with full bellies and good memories.  And tired dance feet!  
The next morning, we were heading home.  It was a nice morning to enjoy coffee under the awning.  
And I had someone peeking out at me.  

After coffee, we held off on breakfast as I had other plans.  We packed up the campsite and pulled out of the KOA, and down the street to the Waffle House.  

We filled out bellies again, this time on waffles and hashbrowns.  Delicious.  And has become our custom when dining at the Waffle House (which we only do occasionally when camping), we secretly picked up the tab for another family in the restaurant.  That happened to us once when traveling home from the Fort many years ago, and we try to pay that forward when we can.  We've never forgotten how that gesture made us feel, and hopefully it has brightened some other families' days and perhaps they've paid it forward as well.  
After breakfast, we headed back home.  Sometimes it is nice camping only 45 minutes from home.  
Coming up, I'll share some pics of a late summer trip to Orlando.  Then, we'll take a look at the Great American Eclipse.  It was a busy year, and I'm enjoying reliving it. Thanks for sticking with me.  

There was a fat old Japanese lady in a dirndl.  You can thank me now for not showing that to you.  

That actually looks pretty good. 
Please let me know who to turn in my man card to.  

That actually looks pretty good. 
Please let me know who to turn in my man card to.