We rented our second car in Minneapolis, this is it. Same as the one out of JFK, just not as black and sparkley, but hey, it goes.
Leaving the city, we drove East until we reached highway 61, which follows the Mississippi for several hundred miles South. This great river originates to the North of Minneapolis and is narrow and fast flowing. It's great to think that by they time we reach New Orleans we'll have driven almost the whole length.
A narrower Mississippi.
Highway 61 passes through some great little towns, one of which was Redwing. Now for those of you that don't know, back in the day I worked in the oil industry and the main footwear available were Redwing boots. Lo and behold, this is where they come from. The whole town is geared toward the manufacture and distribution of these boots and shoes and it was interesting to be in a place that had connections to my past life.
Our first overnight stop was in Dubuque. A nice small town with a mix of old and new.
We went for a couple of drinks in the evening and on leaving one bar, were chased along the street by the young lass who had served us. Thinking I had forgotten to pay, we were amazed when she presented us with a T shirt from the bar as a reminder of our visit. Some folk are just so nice.
Continuing on the next day, we stopped for lunch here, they had never had any tourists in the bar before! We were the first Brits the owner had spoken to.
This poster was on the wall of the bar.
Still following the river, we came across the first of our animals at the side of the road stops. Why a pink elephant? Who knows, it's just there.
As much as possible, we want to stop in strange places and we couldn't have got much stranger than the Chateau Hotel in Bloomington. This was built as a 'replica' of what the owners guessed a French Chateau looked like both inside and out. It was fabulous and cheap when compared to a basic Holiday Inn or the equivalent.
The hotel.
The reading room
The reception area
Jake confessing all.
After leaving Bloomington in the morning, we continued our drive down until we reached Indianapolis and our stay with Bob and Cindy.
Leaving there after a few days it was back on the road, highway 31, through Louisville until we reached Bardstown. This is halfway to Nashville.
Our overnight stop was at an old stagecoach station, the Old Talbott Tavern.
This was another great wee place to stay and the rooms were spacious and wonderfully fitted with old stuff.
There was a thunderstorm while we were in Bardstown.
All in all, the drive down to Nashville was brilliant. We do not drive on any Interstates (motorways), but stay on the older Highways and byways. The roads for the most part are empty as everyone is in a rush to get places and avoid these slower meandering roads.
Speeds limits! So before we left the UK, I couldn't understand why the speed limits were set so slow in the US. Now I understand. Driving here there are no real rules. People pull out in front of you on any road at any speed. They pull across in front of you when approaching from the opposite direction. Indicators (flashers) are not used at all, in fact I don't think most drivers here know they have them on the car. But no-one goes fast. The traffic police seem to be everywhere, stopping folk all over the place.
I am quite satisfied to put the car on auto pilot at 50 mph and just sit and watch the world go by.
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