We woke up after far too little sleep in Nashville this morning with another long day of driving planned, but wanted to see a couple things in the daylight before we left town. We went by and snapped a picture of the Nashville skyline in the morning sun and a picture of LP Field, home of the Tennessee Titans. Our final stop was to the Nashville Farmers Market to grab a fresh lunch before hitting the road for Joplin, MO to hug an old friend and have dinner with her.
The Nashville Farmers Market is huge, with five buildings in total. Two "Farm Sheds" contain stalls for local farmers to sell fresh produce and feature everything from turnip greens to fresh peaches and heirloom tomatoes. In the middle is the Food Court, an enclosed building that is home to several permanent restaurants, an international foods market, and quite a few temporary food booths selling everything from handmade pastries and gelato to traditional Indian and Jamaican foods.
The final two structures are the "Flea Market", featuring booths from dozens of different vendors. Here you can find all kinds of thins from clothing to household goods and designer fragrances.
In the Food Court we decided on a crepe from Music City Crepes. They intrigued me with hot savory crepes filled with meat and cheese. I had mine with ground beef, cheddar cheese, olives, onions, and fresh spinach. It was a nice refreshing yet substantial meal to hold us through the 600 mile drive planned for the day.
From Nashville we headed out on our long drive to the Southwest corner of Missouri. Crossing the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and the Ozark mountains.
Our route took us to one of the biggest river joinings in the world. In the span of two miles Route 51 took us across the Ohio River from Kentucky into Illinois, then across the Mississippi River from Illinois into Missouri just a mile north of the point where these two mighty rivers join. You are in Illinois so briefly that the only indication is a sign saying you are on the Lincoln historical trail just before you leave while crossing the Mississippi.
The Ohio River looking from Kentucky to Illinois
Bridge over the Ohio River on Rt. 51 North of Wycliffe, KY
Bridge over the Mississippi River on Rt. 51 just south of Cairo, IL
A large storm was moving in as we were crossing Missouri. It went from bright daylight to dark in less than 15 minutes.
By the time we got to our destination in Joplin, MO the storm had passed and the sun was back.
We checked into the Holiday Inn in Joplin and then met up with Katie, a good friend who lives just west of Joplin for dinner at the Steak n Shake before calling it a night. It was a long drive but worth it to have a few hours catching up with an old friend and having a meal together before heading to bed for Sunday's journey.