It's been a minute or two! I returned from the great road trip adventure last Monday but I haven't been able to do much since them. I came home with a massive head cold and spent this last week in the recliner. I'm on the mend now and the cold didn't damper the fun of the trip. Today's post is all about the trip. We left Richmond early on the morning of the 30th and our ride was Anne's party van. We took this photo at the last stop in Denver. We had the best travel companion, Ouiser. Hours of riding had to be miserable for her but she was a trooper. It was funny on the first night when, during the night, she jumped in bed with me. I thought she was being sweet. It turned out she was looking for protection because she had a little accident in the other room. She didn't sleep with me again the rest of the trip and we were all happy about it. Our first stop was Knoxville, TN. Neither of us had ever been to Dollywood and we decided to start here to see the Christmas decorations. The decorations were amazing. I could have taken a hundred different photos. These are just a few of my favorites. The park is so well run and very clean. I'm not a big theme-park person but I'd go to this one again. After Knoxville, it was a short drive to Nashville to spend New Year's Eve in party city. We had a drink and listened to some music in a bar on Broadway before heading to the Ryman. The Ryman has to be one of the coolest theaters in the US. There's so much music history there. Several years ago, Chris and I saw Vince Gill and Amy Grant there at Christmas about 5 years ago. There can't be a cooler show at the Ryman than Old Crow Medicine Show on New Year's Eve. I haven't seen a more energetic show since Earth, Wind and Fire. It was an absolute blast. The next day we were off to Mammoth Cave National Park after a 45 minute search for the perfect chicken sandwich. We did two tours at Mammoth Cave, the Frozen Niagra and Mammoth Passage. I would love to come here again. Aside from over 400 miles of mapped caves, there are miles of above ground hiking trails too. I expect this area is absolutely beautiful in Spring and Summer. If you ever get a chance to visit this park, do it. But plan ahead, the tours fill up fast. You can get on a notification list for openings and they do add tours throughout the day. Of course, you can't go in the caves without a tour. January 2 started the long driving part of our trip. We spent the evening of the 2nd just west of St. Louis and headed to Lincoln, NE on the 3rd. The stop in Lincoln was to visit the International Quilt Museum. Unfortunately, our timing couldn't have been worse. They were preparing 3 galleries for new exhibits. But we did get to see this very cool exhibit of quilted sculptures by Susan Else from Santa Cruz, CA. After Lincoln, it was an 8 hour drive to Denver and the weather was like this most of the way. On this adventure I did get to do some of the driving and this day/evening was the most stressful. But the van performed great. We had to stop a few times to scrape the windshield and lights but it was never slippery at all. It's convenient to have a van with a microwave. We could heat water to pour on the wiper blades and lights. This photo was taken in Kearney, NE to send to my husband. Chris has hunted near Kearney for 30 years. Most of Nebraska and Colorado looks just like this. There's a lot of space in those states! This was my favorite sight. We arrived in Denver about 8pm and we were ready for a night where we could sleep in. On Sunday, we headed to Empower Stadium to watch the Broncos play the Chiefs backups. It was freezing cold but a beautiful day. It was a fun ending to a great trip. On Monday, Anne and Ouiser left for the mountain and a winter of skiing. I packed my two little remaining bags and came home Monday night. I packed for the trip in a way that I could throw out almost everything I packed. Occasionally I like to use travel to purge my wardrobe and it worked great on this trip. It's a really good way to travel to a quilt show. You can replace your clothes with fabric for the trip home.
Now we start getting ready for our drive to Tucson next week. I need to get the farm quilt bound before I go which means that I need to get a piece of fabric dyed for the binding first. I'm glad I'm feeling better.
9 Comments
1/12/2025 05:22:58 pm
well that is a neat idea to toss out old clothes you no longer want as you go. I am so familiar with Nebraska - on that photo that you show with the big building across the interstate did you see that it is a travel stop/museum? you can go in one side and walk across looking at displays and there are windows you can look out at the interstate from. Mike grew up in Nebraska so we have been there a lot. Nice van for driving - were you lucky to have bathroom in it too? Now your friend drives all the way home by herself and you flew home?
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Mary Anne
1/12/2025 05:42:34 pm
Hah - I like the 'replace your clothes with fabric' idea! Looks like it was a great trip but sorry you came home with the plague. Hopefully you don't share it with Chris before your next trip.
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I think Nebraska is the flattest state to travel through and so far between any sign of life. I traveled through it a few times in the 1970s on the way to Denver and once to Montana. It looks like you had a lot of fun along the way. Sorry you caught a bad cold. I hope you recover fast and will be ready for the next trip.
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Alycia Quilts
1/12/2025 07:41:25 pm
What a fun trip - and man - you got here with all the crazy weather didn't you? Glad you had a good time. Great idea on the way to pack!!!
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Gene Black
1/13/2025 07:18:47 am
Ha ha, purging the clothes- I do that with undergarments and occasionally a couple of shirts when I travel.
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beth h
1/13/2025 07:58:53 am
I recognized Kearney NE! I have also lived in NE, about the same distance as I am from the caves. Where did you find the perfect chicken sandwich? Very curious!!!
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patty
1/13/2025 08:28:25 am
I am glad you are feeling better and the weather was not a huge factor. This is a rough time of the year to be traveling west. Sounds like you have a great time! You should have warmer weather on your next road trip although my sister in Georgia and brother in the Dallas, Texas area had snow last weekend!
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1/13/2025 09:31:15 am
Oh, my, two cross country driving trips would do me in! Looks like you had some fun on the way. Safe travels to Arizona.
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I'm Vicki Welsh and I've been making things as long as I can remember. I used to be a garment maker but transitioned to quilts about 20 years ago. Currently I'm into fabric dyeing, quilting, Zentangle, fabric postcards, fused glass and mosaic. I document my adventures here. Categories
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