Epic Road Trip

[Geoff B]

Hello fellow Cafe members.

I am going to be spending the last week of October in a pilgrimage of sorts to the South. I will be traveling on I-70 East from Denver, then heading to Nashville. Spend a day in Nashville, then down toward Atlanta, then back through Birmingham, Memphis, Little Rock and back home.

I will be camping to cut down on costs and generally plan on the following:
night one: camp outside Kansas City somewhere
night two: camp outside Nashville somewhere, or I may be able to find a bed that night
night three: Nashville again
night four: friend in Atlanta
night five: camping outside Little rock somewhere
Driving back home after that.

The big stops for now are:
St. Louis - St. Louis Arch
Nashvile: Gibson Factory, Gruhn's Guitars, Big Joe's, Grand Ol' Opry (Del McCoury is playing the 28th when I'll be there!)
hopefully visit a luthier or two in TN
Atlanta- I'm sure there is something to see there...
Birmingham jail where Dr. King wrote his famous letter
Columbus, MS- visit childhood home of my grandmother
Memphis: Graceland
Arkansas: Blanchard Caverns

I guess I'm writing mainly to share what will be an epic adventure for myself, but also if anyone thinks of a place I am missing in my visits, or would have a couch for me to crash a night (will be solo) in the general areas above. Being a part-time mandolin builder I figure I need to go down to where bluegrass lives and a part of the country I've always wanted to visit.
Feel free to share places I need to check out, and PM if you'd open up your home to a lonely traveler.
Thanks!
Geoff

[Geoff B]

a map of the proposed trip

[KanMando]

Geoff,

Close to Kansas City your best bet for camping is near Lawrence, Kansas, either at Lake Perry or Clinton Lake. Clinton Lake is just outside town and has easy access from I-70. That way you can visit Mass Street Music in Lawrence.

Bob

[KanMando]

Geoff,

I forgot to mention that when you go to Blanchard Springs Cavern, allow enough time to take the short tour, and then follow it up with the longer, more "strenuous" tour to see the parts of the cave not covered in the short tour. It's well worth it and not really strenuous.

Sounds like a great trip.

Bob

[Tracy Ballinger]

I would suggest a stop at the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, KY (http://www.bluegrass-museum.org/index.htm)if you can fit it in somewhere. You'll love it.

[Geoff B]

Is Bill's mandolin still in the Country Music Hall of fame? I did a quick search and that was the last place listed...

[D C Blood]

Hey Geoff B. My wife and I would be happy to put you up for a night or two during your Nashvillee portion...I can also show you around the places you want to see. We live in Madison, about a twenty minute ride to downtown, and are very familiar with the things to see, including all you mentioned. Let me know.

[Dano Reible]

Hey DC;
Very nice of you and I checked out your page and you guys have a great sound. I very much enjoyed it.
Thanks

[Big Joe]

I would love to have you visit our facility. You are welcome to play everything, visit our repair/building area, and just have a great time with us. We feel like everyone who visits is family and are so greatful they come to visit! Have a Great Trip! My wife's sister lives in Lawrence, KS so we do get that way sometimes. Nice area...for flatland :) .

[Geoff B]

Wow, thanks everyone!
Bob- Clinton lake was on my radar, I'm glad it come suggested too!
Tracy - Owensboro is actually right on track so I'll be sure to drop by the Int. Bluegrass museum.
DC - I got the night in Nashville figured out, but thanks for the offer! I'll be at the Opry that night, we could grab a beer before if you like
Big Joe - I've got a 10:00 engagement in Hendersonville, but should be in back in your area in the afternoon of the 28th. I would love to take a tour and meet you etc. Thanks!

[Timbofood]

How wonderfully generous of you members! I am impressed again with the caliber of the membership. If anyone is headed to Kalamazoo to see where "they used to be made" You can park at my house and I will be happy to show you the building. If you want to see the famous "stack" the lettering is failing rather rapidly.
Geoff, Make sure to build in enough time for barbecue and the associated clean up!

[mandoeuro]

Howdy!

I recommend a stop at Sun Records in Memphis. That's a place with a lot of history. I went down to Memphis from Nashvillle to spend a day at Graceland, but I had some time to spend when I got back to Memphis so I went to Sun Records. I'm so glad I got to see that place. Ask for Honky Tonk Angel to be your guide there. Great girl with a lot of knowledge and the best tattoo ever.

Have a safe trip and take care!

By the way: If you stop by Gruhns you might see a guy on Broadway playing the mandolin. That's Mandolin Mike. He has been on Broadway and playing mandolin for ten years! He is a really nice guy and a great picker who is living his dream. Please say hi to him from me; Ken the norwegian, and tell I'm sorry that I didn't get to show him my new Collings.

[Geoff B]

So I'm roughly 1300 miles into the trip, arrived in Nashville last night. It's been cool so far, I slept one night at a rest stop somewhere in Missouri, then a hotel room last night. Brought tools and stuff to get a mandolin ready to take around Nashville. I get to meet Ronnie Reno this morning, then see Del McCoury tonight at the Opry, and the middle will be filled with Gibson tours, Gruhns, Big Joe's and hopefully others. Life is good...

[Dan Adams]

While your out on your road trip, you and your class at RRCC have become a topic in the Builders section. Even when you're not around, you are still present on the Cafe. We went to visit the Stone's Creek battlefield when we were down in Nashville last February. That was my first expereince with a Cival War battlefield site. I would have liked to see Big Joe's shop, but now I have another reason to spend some time in Nashville. See you when you return! Dan

[PaulO]

No mando content, but when you get to Monteagle take a right and drive through Sewanee: University of the South, you'll never regret it. I'm sure I've made it up I think the top of the Cumberland Plateau is Rocky Top. I could tell you a shortcut to Atlanta, but...

If you are young enjoy the adventure. If you're an older type, I'm jealous.

Paul

[recon]

Geoff,
While in Georgia you could visit Bob Altman, Melvin Tucker and/ or Randy Wood. All three would require you to continue east past Atlanta. Altman and Tucker are in the general vicinity of Athens, GA and Wood is further east still and is near Savannah. I hope this link to Map Quest works.
Georgia Builders (http://www.mapquest.com/mq/7-kVHZGb7lXRAdBVs2RgCY)

Altman is A, Tucker is B and Wood is C on the map

[MacNichol]

Is Bill's mandolin still in the Country Music Hall of fame? I did a quick search and that was the last place listed...

I was at the Hall in June and Bill's mandolin was there.

Here's a pic:

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/8ff3670f2f6e0774dde8fc156f2ad29e020c28da.jpg

[Bob Wiegers]

yeah, it's there (got a friend who's a curator at the HoF...he's got some stories to tell!)

say hi on your way through Chatty...and maybe next time plan a stop. a lovely town, if I do say so myself.

[Geoff B]

I think this thread will be supplemented with many pictures when i get back and can get them all sized down. Today i got to meet and talk with Ronnie Reno and Robin Smith, even went out to lunch with them. fine gentlemen, truly cool for me.

Then I got to meet Jackie Miller and Danny Roberts at the Gibson plant and they gave me a bunch of time to talk and play and show and tell etc. Very cool.

Last personal visit was I went to Gruhn's and met George Gruhn--one of whose books inspired my initial journey with guitars and lutherie. He was nice enough to sign my book and pose for a photo.

Finally I went to the Opry and saw a whole slew of bands, Del McCoury (and Ronnie in particular) was the only one that really stood out to me.

here's some of the folks I got to meet today...

[recon]

Geoff,
If you are in Atlanta on Thursday you can check out the Red Light Cafe. Thursday is bluegrass night. There is a jam beginning at 7 p.m. with a bluegrass band to follow.
Red Light Cafe (http://http://surfmind.com/rlc/calendar/index.cfm?FuseCalendar_ID=2835&CurntDate=10/29/2008&FuseAction=ShowEvent&FromTemplate=dsp_ShowCalendar)

Other things to do in Atlanta might be The World of Coke and the CNN Center.

[Joel Spaulding]

One of the lesser known stops on Geoff's journey was the this Mandolin hotspot in Elizabethtown, KY. :grin:
Geoff was able to join my wife, daughter and me for a little conversation and victuals before he hit the last 150 miles to Nashville and I headed off to work for the evening . What a fantastic journey!

Truly a pleasure to finally meet the builder of my second "child"!
Me and iii# 17, Geoff with an unstringed iii #18 A-style.

[jim_n_virginia]

Hello fellow Cafe members.

I am going to be spending the last week of October in a pilgrimage of sorts to the South.
Thanks!
Geoff

GEOFF!!! WHAT SOUTH? YOU MISSED VIRGINIA! Home of the Stanley Bros, Carter Family and the Crooked Road! :mandosmiley:

On your next epic adventure plan to stop where a lot of he bluegrass music originated and heck I'd put ya up too!

Looking forward to more pictures. :popcorn:

[first string]

Definitely catch Del McCoury Band if you can. Just saw them this past Saturday, and they were amazing. I tend to be more of a Newgrass/Newacoustic/Chambergrass/what have you kind of guy, but Del McCoury Band is phenomenal. They are definitely the real deal. Also (and I have no idea whether this is true) there is a rumor going around that Del will be retiring soon. So it may be that if you want to hear them truly together, that there aren't many chances left to do so.

I had seen them once before at Telluride, and it was a lot of fun, but it was nothing like seeing them up close and personal.

...Ooops. Should have finished reading, or at least noted the post dates. Glad you had a good time.

Cheers.

[Geoff B]

Just returned home about 30 minutes ago...
since the last check-in I was able to
1) meet Lynn Dudenbostel,
2) meet the owner of my 19th mandolin,
3) see the 16th st. babtist church in Birmingham,
4) see the childhood home of my grandmother in columbus, MS,
5) drive 30 feet up the driveway of Graceland to have a nervous security guard announce that I am not supposed to do that and that no, I may not 'just drive up to the house take a picture and leave' but I snapped a picture as I was turning around
6) hit a deer on the highway (holy cow, I hope i never experience that again! for the deer or my sake...)
7) camp outside Russelville, AR in the Ozark National Forest
8) Drive 13.5 hours back home to Denver

#1 and 2 were on Thursday
#3 - 7 were on Friday and #8 was today. I'm all tuckered out

[wannabethile]

im glad that you're back safely, dude!! it was really great meeting and jamming with you. how did you and your wheels hold up from hitting the deer?