KOA - East Nashville/Lebanon, TN

A bit of detour along the way - we're taking a Northern route so that we can stop in Nashville for one of our favorite vices - specialty bourbon.  We're staying close to the city so that Saturday I can run over to the bottle shop at Belle Meade Bourbon and pick up a bottle of their recent Craftman Cask Collection: Black Belle.  We did a weekend road trip a few years ago when they released their first Honey Cask - and WOW - it's worth the drive.  I was so excited that they did a digital/reservation release for this one and that it lined up with our cross country travel.

Tonight we're staying at the East Nashville/Lebanon, TN KOA.  Barb, from the front office, called us yesterday to let us know that the office would be closed for Christmas, and we'd find our reservation in the late check in box on the side of the office.  What's interesting about staying at a KOA is that you don't know your site number until you check in.  

We were in site #25 at this kampground.  Crushed gravel for the pad - and not terrible level, we ended up just keeping the truck and camper hooked together (we were seriously only going to be here for less than 24 hours, a side from the quick trip over to the distillery).   In our welcome package we also found this note:

And no kidding - it was going to be one of the coldest nights we've ever camped, and we thought we were prepared - we had bought a heated water line, a few extra blankets for the couch and bed; even Diesel got a heating pad for his fluffy bed.

THIS was EPIC cold.  And we had eeeeepppiiiiiccccc issues... I'll give you more on that in another post. 

We called up to the office in the morning - we were going to need a few extra hours in the site, and were willing to buy another night, but Barb told us they were booked full.  Crap.  I asked if there was any way to get a late checkout, and she said she could coordinate for us to stay till check-in from the next guest (from 11 to 12, so one extra hour).  We ran our errands, and as we were on our way back, she called to say that the guest who was coming in to our site was arriving later, and we didn't "need to drive at break-neck speed" to get back and get out.  Such a small thing, but after the long hard cold night we'd had, oh it so warmed our hearts to have that little bit of extra hospitality and warmth from her.  Barb, if you're reading this: THANKS AGAIN!

It was a cold, cold, COLD night and day. But on we went, heading towards our next stop in Anderson, NC.  Or so we thought.....