We left Hamilton, MO headed for Columbia, MO on Wednesday, October 6th for a one night stop. It was only about a 3 hr. drive so it made for an early day. We stayed at Cottonwoods Campground where we have stayed before about 4 years ago. It's a nice CG and we had a long pull thru with easy access to get back on the road. Since we arrived early and didn't feel like cooking we looked around for an close, easy place to get something to eat. We decided to try a Bar B Que place nearby called Como Smoke and Fire. They did not disappoint. We both ordered their brisket and it was perfect and plenty of it. It was very tender and had no fat, perfectly cooked. It's not easy to find brisket this good and they had a good selection of sides. After that we were done for the night. Excellent brisket.
The next day would be a longer drive, so we got an early start. We were headed for a new CG (to us) in Grand Rivers, KY called Tween the Lakes Campground. It sits between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake south of Paducah, KY. It is a popular destination for fishermen and water recreation.
We drove through St Louis headed east and the traffic was congested.
Nicky and Bentley decided to share the bed on the dashboard even though they were too big for the 2 of them to fit. Bentley is perfectly content to sleep there alone, but Nickie has to be with his bro.
I guess at some point it became just too much.
The Tween the Lakes Campground was not great, but it had FHU which is what me needed. We could get some TV, but the internet wasn't accessible. There was no office. We registered online. They assigned us a site with our name on it. They texted me the CG info and a map and directions to our site and that was it. It was actually less time consuming than having to stop and go inside to register especially since I had already paid. It had a concrete pad, a picnic table and a fire ring and it was only $30 for the night. Good Deal !
One reason to stop at the Tween the Lakes campground was to go to dinner at Patti's 1880 Settlement.
We ate there once before and the meal was excellent. We thought it would be a fitting last meal for the end of our vacation. Patti's was only about 3 miles from our CG.
Patti's did NOT disappoint. You really need reservations to avoid waiting as they are always busy, even for a Thursday night. The female wait staff is dressed in long dresses of the 1880 period and the men in overalls. It looks pretty hokey, but that's the way they do it. They had expanded since we were there and they even had their xmas decorations up.
I ordered the bacon wrapped filet with a fully loaded baked potato and a salad. It was the best filet I have ever had and I've ordered a lot of filets.. The meat was perfectly cooked and was so tender. It melted in your mouth. Even the potato was superior to others. David ordered the salmon and he said it was fantastic. We ordered a piece of Kentucky chocolate pecan pie to go, topped with whipped cream which as also very good. They are known for their mile high 6-8" meringue cream pies, but we decided to share this one later at the MH. We were so stuffed and miserable the rest of the night. That was one perfect meal.
The next day we headed home (or to the storage lot). The traffic on I-24 going thru Nashville was bad, and going down Monteagle is always scary. When you are coming downhill on a steep grade in a HM, towing a car with all the big trucks around you and the runaway truck ramps all around it is one scary ride. As bad a s the traffic was around Nashville it was HORRIBLE as we neared Chattanooga near Bennet Lake and the Tennessee River. We didn't know what the hold up was, but it went all the way thru on I-24. We decided since our storage facility was off of 153 we would avoid going I-24 thru Chattanooga and go up 27 as soon as we could to save time. We got home over an hour later than expected.
But it sure was good to see the lush green mountains around Chattanooga and the Tennessee River.
It was good to be home. The kitties were all back to their favorite spots in the house and loved being able to sit outside on the screened in porch whenever they wanted.
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