3 October Tuesday - near Chattanooga, TN

Well folks, we have hit a new level in camping. A never-before-experience in RV life. We are next to the "permanent" campers - no hookups, no noise, no early / late departures. In short, these folks are here for eternity.

Yes, our RV site is next to a cemetery. We are in site 5, they are in site 7 - right across the road! Don't know how we got so lucky!

Other events of the day:

Intelligent travelers that we are, we wisely(?) took the by-pass around Nashville. But after several miles of smooth freeway, we encountered CONSTRUCTION! Margaret, bless her soul and driving talent, was able to maneuver around concrete barriers, rapid lane changes, and inconsiderate drivers. We questioned our decision until we got back to I-24 on the southeast of Nashville, and encountered hordes of semi's and other semi-literate drivers. Not sure who won that battle.

During our by-pass of Nashville, Margaret decided (on the spur of the moment) we should visit a place she had just read about - The Widow of the South, Carrie McGavock - in the book. Sounded interesting but the road, named McGavock Pike, we took kept getting narrower and narrower and narrower. But all ended up ok as we made the great circle and came out at the on-ramp we'd just left (by coincidence, at the Grand Ole Opry). Once back on the Interstate, Margaret decided she'd had enough fun, so we pressed south towards Chattanooga.

Other items of interest in the last few days:

Chocolate chip cookies in the convection oven are setting a new record bake time, but the last batch attempted was a disaster with holes burnt through the center. Have hopes for a different, delicious outcome.

Let's see -- heard Canadian geese honking this early this morning. We have seen many ragged V's in our trip across country and one large group circling to get their bearings before heading south. There were also many many blue birds here at the campsite in KY.

The traffic today was horrendous. We got spoiled in the west where most trailers are hauled by the railroad, then taken to the roads for short distance deliveries. Here it is all interstate! We saw a Batesville Casket Company semi, with the slogan "Drive Safely, heaven can wait." Saw our first tobacco field. Many fields have been planted again for another autumn harvest, in contrast to the northern states in the west who had gather their last bounty for the year. The landscape has been rolling, treed, lushly green, or cultivated plots. No pastures filled with fat brown cattle or free ranging horses.