Day 6 - Grand Ole Opry - Lynchburg - Chattanooga

Today we said goodbye to our beautiful campground and continued south. But before that, we made a stop at the Grand Ole Opry, about 2 miles from our campsite. It is a concert hall that is considered the mother of country music. Even Elvis Presley had a performance there in his early years and was advised to go back to driving trucks... probably a misjudgment that only applies to the country genre. We didn't buy tickets, as I think the taste we got in Nashville was already very good. Nashville was so cool that I can imagine being here again in my lifetime.

Then we continued our journey. Today, we took a detour from the interstates and got to see some beautiful impressions of life and landscapes. The influences of the southern states are impossible to miss. The farms are getting bigger, with the well-known white fences in front of them, and the simple plots have no boundaries, just like anywhere else in the states. The houses are adorned with ornate columns that sometimes reminded me of the mansions from 'Gone With the Wind'. Wonderful.

First stop was in Lynchburg, where the famous Jack Daniel's Whiskey is made. We parked at the Visitors Center and gathered some information. There was a super long line for the 4 different tours available. All tours are guided. The shortest one only lasted 30 minutes, including tasting one whiskey variety for the impatient ones. Then there was a 1-hour and 30-minute tour where you could taste multiple varieties. We chose the 1-hour and 10-minute Dry County Tour, where there was no tasting. It would be unfair to drink in front of the drivers. After a while of waiting, Guide Ben picked us up and we had a special tour just for the 6 of us. I tried my best as a translator, and it went pretty well. We were introduced to the secrets of whiskey production and even got to try 85% raw whiskey (a privilege of an exclusive tour). We walked by the production of 'Select' whiskey, although today was a quiet day because Jack Daniel's doesn't work on Sundays... quite commendable, says the union representative in me. It was really fascinating, and I'm glad we made a stop here, even though according to Ben, the world-famous 'old No.7' whiskey, which accounts for 97% of all Jack Daniel's whiskeys sold, is only of average quality. In the 60s, the company was bought for 'only' 20 million US dollars, a good investment back then for sure.

Then we continued our drive towards Chattanooga. For the first time, we drove through more mountainous areas. It became very beautiful in the evening (unfortunately, it was already dark) when we crossed the Tennessee River and accompanied it until Chattanooga. According to lucky people, you can also see black bears from here. Luckily, we didn't encounter any today. Now we found another Walmart, quickly bought the essentials, and will soon go to sleep... tomorrow we'll be up early again. Until then,

Your Daniel