"Thanks to all for another wonderful tour!"

- Tim & Susan

Epilogue

Over eleven days in June, we walked, climbed, sailed, shopped, ate, and sang our way through the southeastern United States. We traveled over 2,600 miles on buses, trains, shuttles, boats, horse drawn carriages, and roller coasters. We descended nearly 300 feet into Mammoth Cave, ascended over 3,000 feet into the Blue Ridge Mountains, swam in the Atlantic Ocean at Tybee Island, learned country line dancing steps in Nashville, went on a ghost tour in Charleston, traveled back in time to 18th century Virginia at Colonial Williamsburg, stood atop Lookout Mountain in Tennessee, listened to the sermons of Dr. Martin Luther King in the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, met Thomas Jefferson at his home at Monticello, and watched the sunset as we cruised Charleston harbor. We saw alligators & peacocks on a South Carolina plantation, horses in the bluegrass hills of Kentucky, and aquatic life at the Tennessee Aquarium. We met LCC alumni at our concerts, more National Park Service Rangers than we can remember and tour guide, Joan. (Is someone talkin' over me?) We ate BBQ in Nashville & Charleston, shrimp & grits and Leopold's ice cream in Savannah, game hen in Williamsburg, Italian food in Lexington, countless boxed lunches and more desserts than we care to admit. From Mammoth Cave to Northbrook United Methodist Church in Roswell, Georgia to the Savannah Voice Festival at Christ Church Episcopal to historic St. Philip's Church in Charleston to Jefferson's home at Monticello to a log cabin in Appalachia to Wesley Village in Wilmore, Kentucky, we gave nine scheduled concerts and numerous impromptu performances. We touched people's hearts with our music throughout the southeast and in return, they touched our hearts as well. We made new friends, rekindled old friendships, and made memories that will last a lifetime. But most importantly, we made music together. "Kings have riches, widely lain. Lords have land, but then again, we have friends and song no wealth can buy." Here's to a great tour and here's to song...Tim & Susan

Day Eleven

Continuing a tradition begun on our 2007 tour, we crowned a new Pigtail Princess at our farewell dinner on day ten (thanks Princess Jessica; welcome Princess Shae) and greeted our final day of tour with braids, ponytails, and souvenir T-shirts. After loading our overstuffed suitcases onto our motor coaches for the last time, singing happy birthday to chaperone Aaron (the big 5-0), and thanking our Imperial Travel drivers, Keith & Sonja, for a job well done, we set off for Kings Island and our final activity of the tour.

Though the weather forecast wasn't promising, there was only a brief shower in the morning and the overcast skies and cooler temperatures kept the crowds low. Many of us were able to ride several of the park's famous roller coasters including Diamondback with its 215 foot drop and speeds up to 80 mph, the Vortex with its loops and corkscrews, the pitch black Flight of Fear (also known as Kings Island's version of Disney's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster or Space Mountain) and the 40 year old classic (and best ever) wooden roller coaster: The Beast. Those who weren't ride enthusiasts spent the day playing arcade games, watching shows, walking around the grounds, and eating our way through International Street. After a fun-filled day with choir friends, we loaded the buses one more time and headed for home where friends and family were waiting to greet us at LHS and hear all about our adventures first-hand.

It's been an incredible eleven days of attractions, fun, food, and song. Thanks to all of our tour participants who made our Southeastern Tour such a success. We appreciate that everyone was punctual, courteous, and kept a positive attitude throughout the tour. And the singing was pretty fabulous, too! A huge shout-out to our chaperones who gave up eleven days of their summer to keep track of our 35 singers and keep the whole tour running smoothly - and who were so willing to step in and help whenever help was needed! And, of course, thanks to our choir members who sang so beautifully and touched the hearts of all who heard them. You are incredible ambassadors for LCC and the Logansport community. Best wishes to our high school graduates and eighth grade boys as they move on to the next chapter of their lives (and try to figure out what to do with themselves from 3:30-5:00 on Wednesdays.) And for the rest of our singers, we look forward to the 32nd season of LCC to begin in September! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Day Ten

The penultimate day of the tour began much in the same way as the previous days: making waffles and discovering what sort of egg concoction this particular Hampton Inn devised (scrambled with ham & cheese). After loading our bellies and our buses, we set off from (almost heaven) West Virginia and headed for the Kentucky Horse Park. Upon arrival, we got a group photo in front of a statue of Secretariat and then we set off to meet his equine friends. Many of us took a tour of the grounds in a trolley pulled by massive draft horses. Several of us attended the Hall of Champions show where we were able to see former Kentucky Derby & harness racing winners who now make the horse park their home. One of the most interesting shows of the day was the Parade of Breeds where costumed riders ride horses from all over the world, enabling visitors to see the many varied breeds and their unique colors, size, and gait. After the show, visitors have an opportunity to meet and pet the horses (and take lots of pictures). For those of us who went to the draft horse demonstration, we were able to get up close and personal with these giant animals and learn more about them, including the harnessing process, what they eat, and how much they weigh (1,400-2,000 pounds). After the morning shows (and a brief downpour), we made our way to the park restaurant where our boxed lunches were waiting for us. Our free time after lunch was spent walking the grounds, watching a short video about horses in the Visitors Center, touring the International Museum of the Horse and viewing the impressive collection of racing trophies from nearby Calumet Farms. A couple of our members even took the opportunity to ride horses themselves!

After leaving the horse park, we drove to our final hotel, checked in, quickly changed into our formal outfits and headed off to our farewell concert venue at the Wesley Village Senior Living Community in Wilmore, KY. We couldn't have asked for a better or more appreciative audience for our final concert of the tour! The crowd was large and seemed to enjoy all of our selections - even though Here's to Song turned into a bit of a sob-fest as we said goodbye to our seniors, Jessica, Piper, & Natalie and our 8th grade boys, Ben & Dakota for the last time. After the concert, we enjoyed cookies and juice provided by the staff at Wesley Village and had time to meet some of the residents, take pictures, and enjoy the fellowship with our friends and family. Luckily, we didn't let the cookies spoil our supper because we were soon off to Bella Notte Italian Restaurant in Lexington for our farewell tour dinner.

Our final group dinner of the tour was one of the best as we enjoyed salad, bread and delicious Italian entrees in a beautiful setting surrounded by our choir family. Everyone had plenty to eat - almost too much as several of us had to take our dessert back to the hotel for a late night snack! After one last song for the waitstaff, we climbed aboard our motor coaches and headed back to our hotel. With ongoing renovations at the hotel, the pool was closed, but we spent the rest of the evening playing cards, trying out various facial masks, and chatting with our friends.

We'll be off to Kings Island for our final day of the tour (fingers crossed that the predicted rain doesn't last all day!)

"Music...this is the favorite passion of my soul."

Thomas Jefferson

Day Nine

It was an early start for our group on tour day nine! After a delicious breakfast at our hotel at Colonial Williamsburg, we loaded up the motor coaches and headed across Virginia to the home of the author of the Declaration of Independence and our nation's third president - Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. We took shuttles up to the top of Jefferson's "little mountain" and with the views from the house and gardens at the top, we could see why he chose this spot on which to build his plantation home. During the house tour, we were able to learn more about Jefferson and the interesting artifacts in his house. From elk antlers from the Lewis & Clark expedition, to his writing desk which duplicated a letter as he wrote it, to his dumb waiter system that brought wine straight up from the cellar to his dining room, it became obvious that the man who occupied this house from the end of his presidency in 1809 until his death in 1826, was one of the most brilliant men of his time (or possibly any time).

After our house tours, we assembled on the steps of the house, overlooking the west lawn where we gave a short concert for visitors. As we were taking pictures after our performance, Thomas Jefferson himself greeted our group, complimented our performance, and asked us if we would be "willing to take the opportunity to have his image rendered in a portrait with our group". It's not very often that you get to take a selfie with our nation's third president (or at least the man who has been portraying him for over three decades), so we were honored to do so.

After pictures with the former president we made our way back down the mountain, stopping at Jefferson's grave in the cemetery where some of his descendants are also buried. Upon reaching the Visitors Center, we enjoyed our boxed lunches at the cafe, spent a few minutes in the gift shop and then headed down the road to drive a portion of the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway.

Stopping at the Humpback Rocks Visitors Center, we met National Park Service Ranger Bill Jones who graciously welcomed us to the center and offered to take us on a private tour of the historic buildings that had been moved to this site in the 1950s when crews were working on the parkway. To thank him for his hospitality, we sang the Appalachian folk tune, Bright Morning Stars (while standing on the steps of an Appalachian cabin) and our tour arrangement of Shenandoah (since the Shenandoah valley was just over the mountain from our location). He was very touched by our selections and plans to add a video of our performance to the National Park Service website soon! After leaving the visitors center, we continued our drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway for about 40 miles, stopping at some of the scenic overlooks along the way to marvel at the incredible views of the mountains & Shenandoah valley and snap a whole lot of pictures. (Kudos to our motor coach drivers, Keith & Sonja, who had to back the buses out of one of the overlooks that didn't have a separate exit!)

After rejoining the interstate and a supper stop along the way, we arrived at our hotel for the evening, tired, but ready to make our way closer to home with a visit to the Bluegrass State of Kentucky on day ten.

Day Eight

On the morning of tour day eight, it was time to say goodbye to a few adults who joined us just for the Savannah and/or Charleston portions of the tour as well as bid a fond farewell to Meg Andrews, our Music Contact International tour planner & guide for those cities. (Thanks for your help, Meg! We had a great time!) After a busy weekend in Charleston, we were all looking forward to relaxing on one of our longest drives of the tour - eight hours of travel time to Colonial Williamsburg. We passed the time with a couple of movies, a few snacks, a lunch stop, and A LOT of napping. Once we arrived at the Williamsburg Woodlands hotel, we checked in, got lost trying to find our rooms (we finally found them), and then walked to the adjacent Visitors Center to catch the shuttle into the Colonial Williamsburg historical area.

We managed to cram/stuff/squeeze the entire group onto one shuttle where we were dropped off not far from our meal location. After a short walk down the historic streets, filled with both original and reproductions of colonial buildings and homes, we came to the King's Arms Tavern where our group was divided into two rooms and enjoyed a delicious meal of chicken, turkey, or prime rib with a scoop of ice cream for dessert. To thank the waitstaff for the meal, the older choir members serenaded the workers on the upper floor and then joined the rest of the choir on the main floor to sing for the guests & workers there.

Upon finishing our meal (and taking the obligatory group picture in front of the restaurant), we made our way down Duke of Gloucester Street (the main thoroughfare of the historic area) as we watched the ominous storm clouds gather. After a song for the guests awaiting the start of the walking tours, we met up with our authentically costumed guides and set off in three groups to tour the artisan shops and learn more about some of the different trades and businesses in Colonial Williamsburg. We made it about halfway through the hour long tour when the storms could hold off no longer and the deluge began. Luckily, having endured the monsoons of the NYC tour in 2017, we came prepared and were able to throw on our ponchos and open our umbrellas and forge ahead with the rest of the tour. (Unless, of course, you were a middle school boy and decided to stand in the pouring rain getting drenched without benefit of either umbrella or poncho.) Blessedly, the rain only lasted about 10 minutes (and lowered the temperature by about 10 degrees) and we were able to finish our tours of the printing shop, book binder, silversmith, and millinery with clear skies - but very wet feet. At the conclusion of the tours, our groups boarded shuttles to travel back to the hotel where we were able to enjoy the rest of the evening playing table tennis, chatting with friends, and drying out our clothes and shoes in the hotel laundry.

Despite the rain, we had a short but enjoyable visit to Colonial Williamsburg. We'll continue our 18th century theme on day nine at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello!

Day Seven

Taking advantage of a later-than-usual departure time, everyone had a chance to get a bit more sleep before having breakfast at the hotel, donning our formal concert outfits and heading off to St. Philip's Church for their 10:30 morning service. Upon arrival we sang a quick warm-up and received instructions on where to stand/sit during the service. We began the service by singing a prelude in the Narthex, near the front doors of the church and then processed to our seats in the front choir stalls. Not only did we help lead all the hymns and service music, but we also sang choral pieces at the offertory, communion, and postlude. The congregation was very welcoming (and very well dressed - most all of the men wore suit jackets and ties while the majority of the ladies were in lovely summer dresses. It all seemed VERY southern.) After the service and a quick change of clothes, the church provided a delicious lunch for our entire group. We certainly appreciated the southern hospitality of St. Philip's music director, Pat Gould, the Rev. Brian McGreevy, and the rest of St. Philip's Church congregation who were so gracious in making us feel at home.

After lunch, some of our group headed back to the hotel to relax and/or swim while the majority of our group stayed in Charleston for some last minute shopping and sightseeing. Several of us walked through the beautiful neighborhoods to get a closer look at some of the homes we saw on our carriage tours, some chaperone groups went on tours of some of the homes, some sat along the riverfront and enjoyed the breeze, and still others checked out the Charleston City Market one last time to pick up those last minute souvenirs - and a few bags of sweets from one of the many candy shops found in the area. (And at least one person sat in an air conditioned dessert shop and ate strawberry gelato while working on this blog...) While the afternoon was increasingly hot and humid, everyone was in good spirits as we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for our evening dinner cruise.

After having a chance to relax and freshen up, we all donned our nicest dresses, jumpsuits, ties, and even a couple of suit coats (the boys must have been inspired by all the men at church this morning!), took a quick picture of all the dads and their singers on the tour (Happy Father's Day!) and boarded our buses for Patriots Point and our evening dinner cruise. Upon arrival, we posed for pictures and selfies, marveled at the size of the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier docked in the harbor, boarded the Spirit of the Carolina, and set sail for our 2 1/2 hour cruise in Charleston harbor. The waters were calm and the four course meal was delicious (she-crab soup, salad and entrees ranging from shrimp & grits to salmon and New York Strip steaks - yum!) We had a great time listening to live music, hanging around with friends on the upper decks, capturing the gorgeous sunset, and watching the lights of the shore and the full moon illuminate the harbor.

It was a great way to end our visit to Charleston. We'll be headed north to Colonial Williamsburg for tour day eight!

Day Six

A beautiful, sunny morning greeted us as we set out for a day in Charleston on tour day six. Upon arriving in the city, half of our group boarded horse drawn carriages while the other half got to explore the artisan shops of the historic Charleston City Market. (And then we flip-flopped that order so that everyone got a chance to take a carriage ride.) The carriage tours were a wonderful way to see the old historic homes, churches, and neighborhoods of Charleston while learning about the history of this colonial city. The homes are incredibly beautiful and incredibly expensive - both to purchase and to maintain. There is a city ordinance in Charleston that any structure over 75 years old cannot be torn down and must be maintained to its original specifications. (So if a pane of a hand-blown glass window is broken, it has to be replaced with hand-blown glass and not updated to more modern materials.) We also learned that while colonists were able to worship freely in America, the only house of worship that could be called a church was the Church of England. All the other denominations were referred to as meeting houses.

After the carriage tours and lunch in our chaperone groups in the various restaurants in the City Market area, we boarded our waiting motor coaches and set off for Liberty Square and Fort Sumter National Monument. On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter, demanding that Union troops vacate the fort. When they refused, the Confederate troops fired thousands more mortar shells onto the fort, destroying it and causing the Union forces to retreat the next day, marking the start of the Civil War. After an introduction by yet another National Park Ranger, our trip to the fort began with a 30 minute cruise on the Spirit of the Lowcountry. When we arrived at the fort, we were able to see the cannons and artillery used to defend the garrison, listen to a lecture on the history of the fort, and enjoy the incredible views of Charleston harbor from the top of Fort Sumter. Before we left we were even able to sing God Bless America for the other tourists which was well received. On our trip back to the mainland, we (meaning those who were still awake!) observed dolphins playing in the harbor and waved to the passengers on the (huge) Carnival ship that was just setting sail for a seven day cruise of the Caribbean.

Once back on land, we boarded our buses and headed to St. Philip's Church to change into our formal outfits for our 6 PM concert. We were pleased to have two LCC alumni in the audience: Ashley Adkins (and parents Jim & Liz), who lives and works in the Myrtle Beach area and Sarah Cahalan, who joined us for the Charleston portion of the tour (and who has work-related business in the area next week). Our performance was well received and we appreciated the hospitality of the St. Philip's music staff for hosting our concert. The evening ended with a delicious group buffet at Home Team BBQ and we arrived back to the hotel tired, but well fed.

We're more than halfway through our 2019 tour! Day seven is next!

Day Five

With a later departure time scheduled for the morning of tour day five, everyone was able to get a few more minutes of rest as we prepared to leave Savannah and travel to Charleston. After a two hour drive, we arrived at the Magnolia Plantation & Gardens in South Carolina. We had some time before lunch to go through the petting zoo where we were able to get up close and personal with deer, tortoises, snakes, goats, foxes, and several beautiful but incredibly loud (and fairly aggressive) peacocks.

After eating our boxed lunches, we headed over to the plantation house where one of the nature train drivers approached our group. It turns out that this man, Dick Winters, actually grew up between Walton and Galveston and is a 1966 graduate of Lewis Cass! He told us all a tale of the rivalry between Logansport & Lewis Cass. It seems that the students at the two schools liked to steal items of importance from each other. During one Lewis Cass-Logansport basketball game at the old Berry Bowl, a group of students took the stuffed Felix from the center of the court, passed it up through the student section and out through the top windows where two Lewis Cass students were waiting to grab him and drive off. What those two students didn't realize, however, was that the bottom of Felix was filled with sand so that he could stand up on the floor, which made him pretty heavy. When the doll was dropped from the top of the Berry Bowl, it came crashing down on the waiting students who broke an arm and a wrist. But they managed to drive off with Felix (even if they did have to give him back soon after). It also turns out that Dick is a distant cousin to Susan - which neither one of them knew - and that Dick's brother Bob was a partner in practice with Dr. Herb Price from Logansport. Small world!!

After meeting Mr. Winters, we performed a short concert for visitors in front of the plantation house. Everyone then had free time to explore the beautiful grounds. Some of us were able to observe a family of armadillos and some even saw an alligator. The grounds and gardens were really beautiful and the weather was perfect for a leisurely stroll. After our free time, we all boarded the nature trains (one of which was driven by Mr. Winters), and headed out on a tour of the plantation where we saw several alligators and countless egrets and herons and heard the history of the plantation which grew rice as its main crop in the 19th century. At the end of our tour, we sang Back Home Again in Indiana for Mr. Winters, which brought a tear to his eye. After saying goodbye, it was off to our hotel for the next three days for a quick check in and a bit of time to relax before once again boarding the buses and traveling into the city of Charleston. Upon our arrival, everyone had a chance to grab a bite to eat at the various restaurants in the City Market area after which we all gathered at the US Custom House to begin our ghost tours through the streets of Charleston.

Each of our four groups heard various stories of haunted happenings around the city including stories of the origins of Annabel Lee of Edgar Allan Poe fame and a tale of the ghost of a mother captured on film, mourning her baby at their grave in the churchyard of St. Philip's (where we'll be singing on day six & seven). Many of the groups also heard the story of a plantation owner who had squandered his wealth and hoped to rebuild his life by shipping his last crop of cotton to England, only to watch the ship burn in Charleston harbor. He supposedly haunts the building from where he watched his fortune go up in flames. Still other groups were told the tale of the Gentleman Ghost who, having been rejected by a girlfriend at college, visits room number 10 in a local bed & breakfast, looking for someone to fall in love with him. Whether you believe the stories or not, the ghost tour was an entertaining way to end our first evening in Charleston.

We're looking forward to seeing more of the city on tour day six

A bit of May a Rainbow Run Beside You as performed by LCC at Christ Church Episcopal Savannah

Day Four

The rains from tour day three had moved out of the area and, while it was a bit overcast when we set off from the hotel, the sun had made an appearance by the time we arrived at Tybee Island on the morning of day four. Many of us went straight to the beach and right into the ocean while others checked out the fun shops (2 for 1 Tybee Island T shirts!) We had a great time playing in the ocean, exploring the beach with its shells, jellyfish, and crabs, and commemorating our visit by writing in the sand. We all found good places to eat along with an ice cream treat or smoothie to top off our visit. We may have lost a flip flop and a pair of goggles in the ocean, but we didn't lose any choir members or chaperones, so we'll call that a successful morning.

After a return to our hotel and a quick change into our polos and pants, we set off for historic Christ Church Episcopal and our workshop and performance with the Savannah Voice Festival. We sang through our warm-ups and some of our tour repertoire and the festival directors then gave comments and suggestions on how to improve or modify certain aspects while the festival participants had the opportunity to see and hear how minor alterations could enhance our pieces. A highlight of the workshop was the chance to hear the incredible acoustics of the church as we stood around the balcony and sang "May a Rainbow Run Beside You". After the workshop portion of the afternoon, we were able to share a short performance with the festival participants and our tour chaperones which was very well received. Some of our members were even recruited to return to Savannah in the future to be participants in the festival. And as a special treat, LCC alum, Cami Hall, who lives and works in Savannah, came to see and hear us for the afternoon!

Following our performance, we walked through the lovely streets of Savannah to our group dinner at the Pirates' House where the biscuits were delicious, the portions were huge, and our bellies were full.

Next up was a short drive to the Unitarian Universalist Church for our evening concert. While the crowd was small, everyone enjoyed hearing the choir perform in another wonderful acoustic space. LCC alum Cami, along with her partner, Helen, returned for this performance and enjoyed singing along to the pieces she remembered from her choir tours in 1999, 2001, 2003, & 2005. After some pictures and farewells, we headed off to the Savannah equivalent of Sycamore for a well-deserved ice cream treat at Leopold's. Upon arrival, we discovered just how popular this 100 year old Savannah institution is as the line stretched down the block. But once we got a chance to taste our double scoops and ice cream sundaes, we found it was worth the wait. Better than Sycamore? Probably not. But definitely a sweet way to end an even sweeter time in the beautiful southern city of Savannah!

Off to Charleston for tour day five!

"Now repeat after me: It's Spanish moss. It's an air plant. It doesn't hurt the tree."

Bus 2 Savannah Tour Guide

Day Three

After a picture with the National Park Police who were staying in our hotel and a song for the helpful hotel staff (who recorded us for the hotel Facebook page), we set off for downtown Atlanta and the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic site. We had a wonderful morning touring the inspirational exhibits, watching a film on the life of Dr. King, visiting the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, and seeing the birth home of MLK and tomb of Dr. & Mrs. King. The King Center, Visitors Center, and surrounding area were a moving reminder of the life and legacy of Dr. King and his work for social justice for all people. Toward the end of our visit, we were able to perform for other visitors on the grounds of the park and then we set off for one of our main tour destinations: Savannah!

Since it was raining off and on as we approached Savannah, we decided to turn our walking tour into a bus tour instead. Once we finally got to the Visitors Center (after a few trips around the block to figure out how to get the motor coaches into the parking lot) we met up with our Music Contact International tour guide, Meg, and our Savannah guides. The buses took different routes, but everyone was able to get a good look at the beautifully restored homes and lovely town squares that make up the Savannah historic district while learning a little bit about the history of the city (like the fact that Georgia HATES Florida and that the city hosts the SECOND largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the nation). We concluded our tours at the River House Savannah where we all enjoyed a delicious meal (many of us tried the shrimp and grits!) and yummy pecan pie and praline cheesecake - and a serenade to the waitstaff for their hospitality.

The rain continued on our way to the hotel, but stopped just as we approached, and a lovely double rainbow welcomed us to our accommodations for the next two days.

It was another great day of touring! We're looking forward to Tybee Island beach, a vocal workshop and concerts on tour day four!

Day Two

A beautiful, sunny day greeted our group as we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel, loaded the buses and headed to Chattanooga. Upon arrival, we boarded the Incline Railway and ascended Lookout Mountain as we watched Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley unfold below us. In operation since 1895, the Incline Railway travels around 10 mph with a 72.7% grade near the top - which some of us found fascinating and some of us found terrifying (you know who you are). After reaching the top and enjoying the views from the observation deck, it was just a short walk down the street (and past beautiful historic homes) to Point Park and the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. A helpful park ranger offered to start his daily program early for us, so we were able to hear about the history of the park and the Civil War battles that were fought atop the mountain and in the surrounding areas. We also learned that while the slogan of "see seven states" from the top of Lookout Mountain still exists, you can really only see four (Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, & North Carolina). Thanks to the clear day, we actually broke the LCC curse of zero visibility from high elevations, and were treated to views of the Blue Ridge Mountains (which we'll be traveling through on day nine).

After descending the mountain (and buying a few slabs of fudge at the gift shop), we headed to the Tennessee Aquarium, where LCC alumni Mindy Price Herman (and 2 of her 3 kids) was waiting to greet us. (Mindy - who participated in our 1997, 1999, & 2001 tours - and her family now live close to Chattanooga where she teaches kindergarten, directs her church choir, and sings with Christian music performer, David Phelps.) After catching up with Mindy and enjoying our chicken finger boxed lunches, we set off to explore the aquarium.

Stingrays and sturgeon and snakes (oh my!) - those were the creatures that we were able to touch in some of the exhibits, along with the countless fish, turtles, otters, gators, butterflies, jellyfish, and one very photogenic white egret we observed on our enjoyable trip through the River Journey & Ocean Journey buildings. After our two hour visit, it was time to continue our journey south to Atlanta (and for those of you on the Hawaii Tour who are wondering if we saw our friends from the Chattanooga choir while visiting their city........we did not. Choo. Choo.)

Upon arriving at our Atlanta area hotel, we checked in, had a quick bite of pizza, salads, & cookies (big thanks to our chaperone clean-up crew), changed into our concert outfits and headed to the Northbrook United Methodist Church in Roswell, Georgia where we just made it into the church before it started to pour. Luckily, the rain did not deter the large crowd that came to hear us perform. Along with our own performance, the Northbrook UMC choir also sang and we were able to join them on the final piece of the night. We appreciated the tremendous hospitality of everyone at the church and were grateful to their staff for agreeing to host the concert (which, in our unbiased opinion, was pretty phenomenal).

The rain had ended by the time we left the church, so we headed back to the hotel for a few minutes of relaxation before putting an end to tour day two.

Off to Savannah for day three!!

Writing on the wall of the cave before the cave became a national park in 1941 is called historical graffiti. Writing on the walls today is called a federal offense.

Mammoth Cave Park Ranger

Day One

With over 500 stairs, 15,500 steps, and an evening of country line dancing, the LCC Southeastern Tour has begun! After saying goodbye to friends and family early this morning, we headed south to our first destination: Mammoth Cave National Park.

Upon arrival, we picked up our tickets, serenaded fellow tourists and park staff in the Visitors Center, and then met up with our park ranger to begin our tour. As we approached the entrance to the cave, we could really feel the drop in temperature to the constant 54 degrees in the cave. Descending our first of (too) many flights of stairs, our guide pointed out the gypsum deposits that were mined from the cave thousands of years ago as well as the saltpeter deposits found in the cave that were used to make gunpowder for early 19th century conflicts.

We also saw an area of the cave that was used for church services in the 1800s ("the first air conditioned church") and we were able to sing for our fellow cave explorers (great acoustics - and the park ranger said he had heard many choirs sing in the cave and we were the best he's heard!)

The park ranger also told a fascinating story of African-American slaves who served as park guides in the 1800s - one of whom (Stephen Bishop) discovered parts of the cave that had never previously been explored. So, walking in his footsteps, we too had a chance to explore, squeeze, and duck our way through Fat Man's Misery, Tall Man's Torment, and the impressive Mammoth Dome - after which we all climbed 155 stairs back to the entrance (thanks, Stephen). After a bit of free time and another song in the Visitors Center, we were off to the country music capital of the world: Nashville, Tennessee.

Upon arriving in Nashville, we had a few minutes to walk up and down Broadway, see the Ryman Auditorium, and marvel at all the live music coming from the open air restaurants and bars along the street. We then made our way to Blake Shelton's restaurant Ole Red for a delicious BBQ buffet (and really yummy banana pudding). And if we didn't have enough steps racked up on our Fitbits already, we added a few "two-steps" with our country line dancing lessons, where we proved that, not only can we sing, but (most of us) can dance, too! We topped off the evening with a performance for the waitstaff and a few selfies with Blake himself (okay, it was a cardboard cutout), followed by a short drive to the hotel and a quick dip in the pool (for those of us who still had the energy to move).

It was a great first day! Off to Chattanooga and Atlanta for day two!