First Stop, The Volunteer State

We made it to our first destination this afternoon, Nashville, TN. The drive was actually easier than we had both anticipated; good weather and not a lot of traffic. Bradley slept almost the entire trip and we only had to stop once! I was so proud of our boy!

We are staying the night at the Loews Vanderbilt. It is one of the nicest hotels we have ever stayed in. We chose it because it was pet friendly and Bradley is loving it! Upon arrival, he got his own doggy bowls and doggy mat, as well as yummy treats and bones! Of course, there are special doggy services available as well. When we got here, however, we stuck out like sore thumbs, Dan said it was like we were straight from a scene in National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation. We had parked the car in the garage first, before we unloaded the car, so we began our journey down one elevator into and through the vast lobby, (complete with art galleries and a restaurant,) and into the elevator that took us to our room. Dan had the dog, a huge bag of dog food, a backpack, and a couple other bags hanging from his shoulders. I have several bags of my own, one of which being an overly stuffed and unzipped duffel bag with some of Dan's underpants hanging out, (this, of course, was the first problem that was handled later!) Halfway through our hike, my strap on the duffel bag broke, and I was just waiting for the underwear to fall on the floor! Luckily we made it to our room with only a few stares from the guests and workers! We definitely did not fit the description of the typical guest, and I am sure Bradley is only one of a few mutts to be staying here!

Dan's good friend and old roommate, Patrick, and his friend, Michael, took us to a local place for dinner. The food was great and it was fun catching up with Patrick. After dinner, Patrick took us to find a new duffel bag and then we stopped at Ben and Jerry's to pick up some delicious ice cream! It was a great way to end the day. In the morning, we will be heading for Topeka, Kansas. It will be a much longer driving day than today!