Day 9- Jacksonville, FL to Nashville, TN

On Saturday we were up early and out the door to our final stop on the trip: Nashville. We wanted to get an early start because it was about a nine hour drive and we wanted to explore Nashville a little bit while we were there. The easy part was crossing the Florida-Georgia border. The bulk of the drive was through Georgia, land of billboards.

By the time we reached Atlanta, I was sick of seeing the giant signs for adult stores, strippers, fireworks and pecans (and those damn signs teasing me with advertisements for Georgia peaches, which aren’t in season until May). The billboards didn’t get much better once we crossed into Tennessee. We encountered some weird stuff, here are a few amusing examples:

1. The Mug Shot. Driving through Tennessee, there was a billboard for a hair regrowth service. The before shot of the man looked like a mug shot, he wasn't only balding on top but the outfit he was wearing and the background just looked like a creepy photo. The after looked like a completely different guy with a full head of hair and a mustache. Probably worst ad for hair products I have ever seen.

2. The Stopwatch. Right outside Nashville (we saw two of them), was an ad for a medical clinic and the ER waiting times. They were bragging that the wait was just five minutes and later in the night the wait was about four minutes. The number was like a digital clock with the ability to change with the waiting time.

3. The Text Warning. Earlier in the trip, as we made our way through southern Illinois, we laughed at the "Rest Area = Text Area" billboards, and the rest stops that advertised the fact that they had vending machines.

4. The Gun. After we drove through Champaign, Ill., we came across what has become my favorite billboard--not so much because it was appealing, but because it was more appalling. The billboard said: "Guns even the score" and immediately after a second one read "Guns save lives." Really?

5. The Religious Ads. Driving through the South there are a lot of signs praising Jesus. However, as we rolled through Kentucky, I saw one asking me to "Believe On Jesus..." instead of "in." Yikes.

6. The Classic Indiana. On our drive back to Chicago on Day 10, I spotted a billboard in Indiana that said: "Illannoyed by the new taxes? SouthernIndiana.com." Very clever. Except right across from that billboard was a giant sign advertising for a wanted muderer and a number listed for anyone with information to call. I'd rather pay the higher taxes.

Stay tuned to Day 10 for the best billboard story. In the meantime, to sum up our very brief stay in Nashville...

After arriving in the early evening and settling in, we decided to head out and explore. First on the list was to find our way to the Grand Ole Opry and check it out. Turns out there was a Carrie Underwood concert there that night. I was jealous and Ally and I both agreed we should have planned better so we could have gone! After playing tourist, we headed downtown for some dinner, enjoying our last taste of BBQ before returning to the Midwest.

I really wish we had had more time in this city because it is one I've always heard great things about and wanted to visit. While we were able to get a little taste of what the area is like, the outside of the Grand Ole Opry and dinner downtown was about the extent of our exploration. The city looked pretty all lit up at night with the lights and it seemed like it would be a lot of fun. However, we were both so exhausted and kind of adventured out, and we also wanted to hit the sheets early so we could get a jump on driving home the next day.