Ryan, Ally & Makinlee DeClerck: Ab-a-lama baby!

Ryan and I got to take a week off work and go on a real Vacation. Until we go somewhere warm and tropical, im going to pretend that this trip was our honeymoon because it was awesome.

Through Ryan's job at Bushwhackers we have met a lot of great people and made some really great new friends. This trip was with some of those very people. Walt lives in Oregon and works for Boeing and his brother lives in Huntsville Alabama. which works out pretty great for the rest of us.

We left bright and early Tuesday morning (3am) for Nashville TN. Because Walt works for boeing, Amy and I got to go up in the cock pit of the airplane and feel like little kids. it was amazing. Im really kind of suprised that after 9-11 they still let people do that. I guess because Walt built the plane the pilots didnt seem to think we could hurt anything.

(Walt, Amy, Giant cooler, Ryan).

I have never felt more like a walking Jeff Foxworthy skit in my life than I did this week in Nashville. Thats right, we packed a giant white cooler on rolling wheels. that had to be opened and re-taped shut about a hunder times at each airport. the only thing missing was the bermuda shorts and black socks with sandals.

The first day in Nashville was full of renting our Curise America RV that we would spend the next week living in. It was relatively comfortable. Ryan and I slept in the front up above the driver, Amy and Pete slept in the back in the RV Queen bed, Pete's dad Bob slept on the bench couch bed thing and Walt slept on the table bed. So for the most part it was close quarters but it was cheaper than renting a car and a hotel for every night.

The first night in Nashville we went to dinner at Hooters, I know, Classy right? Then we went to explore Downtown Nashville. There is a street called Broadway that is about 5 city blocks long that is lined on both sides of the street with Bars. Each bar has a stage in the front and every single night in every single bar there is a live musican or band playing trying to get noticed and be heard and become famous. Its the craziest thing to experience. As you walk down the blocks you stand out side the open doors and listen to decided of the signers are good enough to listen to and you either walk in and sit for a while or move down the block 10 feet to the next open door. We saw a lot of great bands play and by far my favorite two places were The Stage, and The Wildhorse.

Ryan and I in one of the many Broadway street bars.

Amy was trying to take a group photo and this guy was like the manager of the band that was playing, he walks around the bar with a large bucket asking people in the crowd the TIP the band, anyways. this dude just jumps in our picture. I wish i would have caught the name of the band. This might be worth big money one day. Ha ha right?

There are these random artist sculptures all over the sidewalk along Music row that have pictures of old country greats. And what better way to prove im a tourist than to pose next to it and have my picture taken?

The next day we went to the Grand Ole Opry. So much history and amazing people have sang and entertained on the opry stage. it was great to get to see it.

Our Group L-R Bob, Walt, Ryan, Me, Amy, Pete, inside the Opry Museum.

One of the very first Opry Awards given to people that were inducted into the family at the Opry.

Giant Gitar outside the Opry.

We couldn't have timed this trip any better. We were in Nashville April 21, 2010 and on May 3, 2010, a week later, nashville and the opry complex are completely under water.

This picture was taken off of MSNBC of the Grand Ole Opry under water.

This is what it looked like when we were there. Crazy!!

Downtown Nashville completely under water.

Our last night in Nashville!

Our trip continued and we headed south towards Alabama and stopped in Lynchburg TN and took a tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery. Interesting story. Lynchburg is a dry county, meaning that the laws are such that you cant drink, buy or sell alcohol. It was made a dry county before prohibition in the united states because as it happens Lynchburg is also in the middle of the south and its a big part of the "bible belt" of the country. Very religious people and more churches than i ever thought possible to see on one street. anyways, Lychburg went dry, then prohibition came and went. Lynchburg never voted to become a "wet" county again and now, in order to vote for a change in this type of law a city has to have 2,500 people in it. Lynchburg only has a proud 361 people. it will never again be a "wet" county. Funny huh?

Here are some great pictures of the tour and the distillery.

The visitors center

Jack's office

The mash house where they take the spring water and add the mash of barley, oat and grain.

Inside the barrel house where the barrels of Jack sit and wait 7 ish years to be the perfect color and taste.

A bronze Jack, true to size. man was he a little dude.

We had a great time at the distillery and learned so much. After we left Lynchburg we continued south on the Huntsville Alabama where we picked up Walt's brother and his two sons and we drove to Talladega Alabama for the Nascar weekend.

The houses in this part of the contry are all made of brick. its an amazing thing to drive in the neighborhoods and look at all these amazingly beautiful houses. There is a city law that your garage can't face the street becasue people don't want to drive down the street and see all the cluttered garages so all the house's have them on the side or in the back of the house with these long driveways. its so weird.

Its all brick, and look, no garage seen here!

Ryan and I with the Talladega sign, about 3am

We had a camping spot on the inside of the track, "the In-field" and the tunnel under the track is only 9ft tall. so all campers and 5th wheelers have to enter the track in the middle of the night and they set up a ramp that you actually drive on the track.

So if your looking at this picture and see the blue star, we were in the little red semi-circle to the left. we could see turn 2 from our camp site.

Friday was beautiful weather and we got to watch all the cars qualify for sundays race and watch them practice bump drafting, where one car or more follows right behind a lead car, like inches from each other, in the thought that 2 cars are faster than one because the lead car is blocking all the wind for the other cars that are essentially pushing the lead car. its crazy, no wonder nascar has so many crashes.

The people camped next to us brought out there 42" LCD tv and watched the coverage on TV while we were camped in the middle of the track.

The cars as they practice on Friday afternoon

And then saturday came. We were woken up about 630am with a weather warning, we were under the Tornado Warning, 80 mile an hour winds and rain. The tornado that touched down in Mississippi that killed 10 people, thats the storm we got on saturday. All the races were cancelled and we spent our day trying to entertain ourselves.

We started by blowing up the raft that was going to save all of us from the rain that was flooding our camp site....

And we made sure that Waren had his life vest on.

Sunday was back to beautiful weather and they decided to do both saturdays race and the big NASCAR race on sunday so we didn't miss anything. They set up a giant TV screen on the middle of the infield so all of us sitting in the grass can see all of the race. We did almost as many loops as the cars, turning from watching the tv to watching the cars come around turn 2 and down the sraight away live.

The grand stands in front of the start line

The cars as they start the race!

I dont even know who won the race but I can tell you that it was an experience i am so glad i had the chance to have. Being at a NASCAR race with all the redneck fans was awesome.

Ryan's birthday was the day after we got home from the race, and i was able to work out a secret plan with the other people in our group and i got ryan a birthday cake complete with candels and a card and i suprised him with it on our last night! it was such a great trip!