Post IronMan Allene immediately had to fly out for work.
Pfffft. Work. Always getting in the way of life.
Kathey had a few time owing holodsys to burn so we spent a few days tooling around Tennessee.
While some of these already made ot over onto my RunKevinRunDotCom Instagram feed, here are some photos from our quick two day road trip:
There’s a joke that has as a punchline: “Pardon me, Roy… is that the cat who ate your new shoes?” I don’t remember the setup, but it’s the payoff based on the song.
Backstage Pass, y’all! It only cost us $31 (an that’s WITH the AAA discount).
I wonder if I’m supposed to be standing there for the selfie photo.
This was our tour guide. She was a HUGE Keith Urban fan. And anytime she described something in the Grand Ole Opry, she’d tell us something about her boyfriend, fully acknowledging it had NOTHING to do with the tour. And I LOVED those stories more than anything else on the tour.
I like to think this explained our tour guide’s take on Ketih as her BF.
Oh, yeah.
There was about a 15 minute virtual reality movie hosted by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood with background. Seemed like A LOT of the tour was spent here but it was informative and, well, it was kinda high-tech cool.
Roy Acuff and Minnie Peal – worthy tributes to be sure.
Spoiler alert! This birthday cake was for the celebration the next day.
This shirt is bedazzled with Swarovski Crystals. I have no idea why that makes this t-shirt worth $120.
HEE HAW!
Every member of the Opry has their own mailbox. You could literally put a letter in the mail to say Keith Urban, C/O Grand Ole Opry without ANY other information and it’d get to him here…. or so says our tour guide.
Blake Shelton was the first inductee to ask to put up his own plaque and since then it’s been a tradition… although Blake hung his askew and the maintenance team had to straighten it out the next morning.
The dressing rooms.
Roy Acuff’s former dressing room’s door is ALWAYS left open as a tribute to his open door policy.
The NEW (as of 1974) Grand Ol Opry stage (albeit, the DOT COM came later obviously).
The door to where it happens.
Kathey on the circle floor brought over from the old Grand Ole Opry in the Ryman Auditorirum.
I’m there!
A view from the church pew seats… although they added PADDED seats in the last round of renovations.
Our hotel in Nashville — when you forget the very best… or at least the reasonably priced and now thanks to supply and demand will SERIOUSLY overpay for the needed.
The Ryman Auditorium, home to a church that became the Grand Ole Opry in the 1940s.
Ryman himself… and his church cum Opry auditorium.
I would KILL at Beetlejuice trivia.
Broadway in Nashville.
I don’t know if you can see it, but this dad was a couple of “road sodas” in his kid’s stroller.
A tribute to my brother — it’s essentially a vodka tonic with soda water instead of tonic.
Onion rings. Southern fried.
Kid Rock’s establishment in Nashville. Our tour guide said he’d NEVER be admitted to the Opry because he’s not wholesome enough… though she did like his music. Not as much as Keith Urban’s obviously, but, ya know…
Kid Rock also had The Steve Drink.
I went with a pinot noir… in a plastic cup. Very Kid Rock I thought.
I assume this is if you eat the entire Kid Rock steak, including the fat, a la that scene in THE GREAT OUTDOOTS.
Spotted along the way at a convenience store on our way to the Great Smoky Mountains.
What the hell is an air door?!
The TN tax code is BANANAS!
Ate myself a chocolate b’ar when I was only three…
Self explanatory.
After a marathon run, I too would like to sit on a couch and revegetate with a Criterion Channel movie… or maybe Arnold’s THE RUNNING MAN. Depends.
Sorry, folks. Trail’s closed. Great Smoky the Bear should’ve told you (not to be confused with Smokey the Bear).
And yet, we persisted.
Along only ONE of the trails in the Great Smoky Mountain.
