I woke up in my Bestest Western, had a nice leisurely morning eating breakfast and working on the blog.
I was headed to Atlanta to see my friend Meredith P. We were in Fish Camp together, back in the day, and I hadnt seen her in a long time. Part of the reason for this hiatus was Meredith spent a couple years in Africa for the Peace Corps.
I left Nashville and headed to Atlanta, about a 3.5hr drive. There were some pretty views, especially as I passed through some of the Smoky Mountains. These mountains werent the Rockies or anything, but there are some pretty big hills. Big enough to require emergency truck ramps. It was a pretty drive.
I was supposed to meet Meredith at 6pm. I was going to be right on time, but I made a rookie mistake. I did not consider the fact that I was crossing a time zone (and I didnt see any signs for it). I noticed when I was about 30min from Atlanta. Dang. I was one hour late. Sorrrryyy.
Meredith lives in a beautiful wooded neighborhood northeast of Downtown, right next to Emory University where she goes to school. The streets were super narrow, undivided, and hilly. One of the scariest roads I have driven. But the neighborhood was very pretty, and I was amazed how cheap her rent was for how nice of a neighborhood and house she lived in.
We went to trivia at a restaurant with her roommate and a couple friends. We did OK, but didnt dominate. The trivia here is a little bit more chill, so there was plenty of time to talk. I tried to tell her friends how famous Meredith is in Texas. Everyone knows her. After trivia, we spent some more time chatting and catching up before bed. The ladies of the house were kind enough to provide a couch to sleep on.
Meredith: it was so good to see you, and thank you so much for providing a place to stay. Cat and Abby: i greatly appreciate how you allowed some dude you dont even know come and stay on your couch. You were very welcoming and your hospitality was appreciated.
The next day, on Tuesday, I was heading to Hilton Head, SC. But first I wanted to take a jog around Emory's campus. I am of the belief that taking a jog is the best way to see an area, plus you get excercise. Meredith told me where I could find a trail that went around a pretty lake. I consulted my phone and tweaked the route so that I could see more of Emory's campus. I decided to leave my phone at home because I figured I knew the route well enough, and I was already carrying my camera in my hand. I found out later, I would need that phone.
Along the jog I got to see more of Meredith's hilly neighborhood (serious hills).
I ran through Emorys campus. It was very appealing, and had lots of open sitting areas.
I also got to see the CDC. I had no idea it was right next to campus. Every science nerd reveres this place.
On my way back home I went around the lake. It is in an insanely scenic wooded area in the middle of campus called Lullwater Preserve.
I discovered the route I had planned wasnt so obvious when I ended up on a dirt trail in the middle of the woods (Mom: this is still on campus, so its safe). I spent a while trying to find the trail I had planned on taking. Along the way, I saw lots of cool stuff in the woods.
Eventually, I got directions from a student and found my way home. In the end, I ran about 6-7mi when I had planned on running 2mi. I was pretty sore (again, there were some serious hills).
After I finished my run, I said my goodbyes and hit the road. The drive to Hilton Head, SC was about 4hrs. It was a pretty standard drive. When I got near the coast, I passed over the intercoastal waterways on a huge bridge that overlooked Savannah, GA.
I was staying at an RV park that allowed tent camping. I checked-in to the RV park and headed towards the beach. It was getting late, and I wanted to see the beach before it got dark. It was about a 45min drive to the beach. Much longer than I had expected. People in these parts go EXACTLY the speed limit. I figure its because the cops dont screw around here. I didnt see any police, but I figured they had a cloaking device or something. When in Rome.....
I made it to the beach just in time. It was a very special moment when I arrived at the Atlantic Ocean having driven from Texas. I called Kayley and my parents, and spent some time taking in the view while walking in the surf.
Hilton Head is a very nice place. Everything is nice and new (and pricey, but not as much as you might think). The public beach area was great. That had lots of areas to sit on the boardwalk, free wifi!, and free parking.
I even got to have a skype convo with the Kayley courtesy of the free wifi.
I went back to my RV park, setup my tent in the dark, and quickly went to bed so that I could be up early to see the sunrise.
From Nashville, my original schedule had me driving 5-6hrs to the Smokey Mountains to camp for a night, but I wasnt exactly feeling up for it. I think the non-stop travel and the fact that I had expectations to see Nashville led me to decide to stay put for a day. I re-upped my Best Western reservation and took spent a more relaxing day.
I got a hair cut. I ate a nice sandwich at Panera bread. Panera is definitely a pricey place to eat, but the food was solid. Also, during the day that place is like a buisness office. So many business meetings, people on laptops, and sales meetings going on. I wonder if people work solely out of Panera. I want to see a business card that says, "Joe Blow, 1111 Main St. (inside Panera)."
I also took some time to attend Mass. I was staying in Brentwood, which according to my buddy Bryan, is the more affluent suburb of Nashville. I have to say that going to church here was a unique experience. First off, there were a TON of families. Kids everywhere. Also, I was about 10min early, so I had some time to sit before the service started. It was so loud as everyone was chattering. I would say that the norm in a Catholic church is to observe a reverent slience before mass, but it was as loud as a school cafeteria in there. Not that I think anything was wrong with it. A majority of people were talkling to their families, but a lot of other people were socializing with their friends and neighbors. I think church should be a social experience, and often times in catholic churches, it falls a bit short. I attribute this to the fact that TN is further into the bible belt, and churches here probably pick up a lot of habits from protestant churches. Often times, the priest at the beginning of mass will say something like "why dont we all turn to the people next to us and introduce ourselves," and people will shake hands with the people around them because the priest just told them to do it. But here, people actually talked to me and were very welcoming.
Also, to fit the stereotype of Music City (Nashville), the music at the service was really really good. During the homily, the deacon even busted out a saxophone and played a little piece that he incorporated into the sermon. I turned to the people next to me and joked that they must have performances during every homily in Nashville. The laughed and said this was the first time.
On my way to church, I saw several running trails. I went for a very relaxing run through the wonderful trails in Brentwood. I was surprised that not a lot of people were running on the trail, but I found out later that the weather was really hot (86 degrees). I thought it was great weather. I would never be able to run at noon in Texas. If it had been that nice in Austin, that trail would be packed. Also, I noticed that guys there dont run with their shirts off. I actually do wear a shirt when I run, but I will normally take it off and the end of the run to cool off. I figure people are just more "proper" there.
It was nice to do some normal people things. Being perpetually on the road can be tiresome. After the relaxtion, it was time to do Nashville things.
I wanted to check out the Bluebird Cafe. It is a famous "listening room." A listening room is more dedicated to showcasing singers/songwriters, and people arent there to party....they are there to listen. I knew of this place mainly because of my CD "Together at the Bluebird with Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and Steve Earle." If you know any of those artists, you can probably guess that it was a pretty epic recording. Suprisingly, the Bluebird is in a suburban strip mall, not in downtown. After further investigation, I discovered that it is incredibly hard to see a show at the Bluebird because seeting is so limited (about 120 seats). Fortunately for me, shows on Sunday nights are first come first serve. I showed up right when the doors opened, and I barely made it in. The group behind me wasnt allowed to go in.
In the front of the cafe were plenty of round tables, but I sat near the back (which was still really close to the stage) in a set of old church pews. Sitting behind be was a bachelorette party from LA. They were on day two of a four day extravaganza, and they seemed like a party hardy crowed. I am not sure why exactly they picked the Bluebird. The unofficial motto of the Bluebird is "Shhhhhh". I am not sure if they knew this. The folks sitting in the front gave these girls plenty of nasty stares. They werent really that loud, but its supposed to be dead silent. I kept waiting for them to get kicked out, but it never happened.
The band that played was called Cassino. They were a three piece with a guitar/vocalist, fiddle, and guitar/harmoica players. Most of their songs had very dreamlike and sureal lyrics. Most of their songs were slower and contemplative, and I felt like they could add some faster songs to their repetoire (but hey, i guess fast songs just arent their style). They musiciainship was actually pretty solid; the interplay between the two guitarist was pretty cool. The fiddle player had a face melting solo during one song, but during most of the songs, we was in less prominent of a role.
Sitting on my other side was this guy named Adam. We struck up a wonderful conversation. Apparently, he moved from Phoenix with his wife and he is a songwriter. He was there to support a coworker who was playing in the band. We had an interesting convo about what it takes to be a songwriter. I asked if any of his songs have made it big yet, and he said he has been close a couple of times. Apprarently, getting your song picked is all about who you know. It crossed my mind that this process is different from how things work in Austin (i think, i am not a musician, so I might not know how it works in austin). In Austin, it feels like all the bands that do well are grassroot efforts that are always looking to build their fan base, as opposed to the top down approach of Nashville.
He also mentioned that him and his wife have a little Americana music project called Amelia. This type of thing is right up my alley, and I checked out their website. It sounds great, and I will download their songs when I get to a desktop (cant download on mobile :-(. Unfortunately, I totally spaced getting a picture with Adam and his coworker Kelly who gave me great Nashville advice. Adam if you are reading this, I dig your music, and I really appreciated the friendly conversation. I am linking to their website and embedding a video for you to check out their music.
After the show, I regrouped at the hotel and headed to Broadway in downtown Nashville for dinner, beer, and music. I thought Broadway wouldnt be crowded since it was a Sunday night, but I was wrong. Let me make this analogy Nashville:country::New Orleans:jazz. Broadway was very reminiscent of the French Quarter in New Orleans, although Broadway is smaller.
The first place I went was called Rippys, and it had an upstairs bar that my buddy Bryan had recommended. The band was pretty good, and was playing country covers and requests. Rippys is known for their ribs, so I ordered that. When it arrived, the first thing i did was spray BBQ all over my shirt. Crap. The sauce was in this squirt bottle, and it ended up all over my shirt and the front of my face. Not good. I was contemplating the shame of walking all over Broadway for the next couple hours with BBQ sauce all over my shirt when I realized I could just go to the van and change shirts. One of the advantages of carrying everything you own in the car.
Next place I went to was Tootsies Orchid Louge. My friend Alison G. had recommended it. I am not sure if those large AC ducts are part of the decor. I am guessing they added it recently bc their AC went out. It was VERY hot in that place. The band was playing country covers just like the previous band. Actually, walking around these bars was like listening to the radio. I heard the same songs over and over (Zac Brown band, folsom county blues, assorted nashville hits.) Apparentely, two days earlier, Keith Urban played a short set at Tootsies and Steven Tyler showed up and sang with him. I guess you never know who you will see.
Any Ramblin Rose fans out there?
I just want to take a quick paragraph to discuss the awkardness of experiencing night life while on a solo road trip. Everybody is with their group of friends at these bars. There is not really an opprotune moment to engage in conversation with other people. I am not there to party, and I am not there to meet women. Pretty much you end up being the one younger dude in the bar standing by himself, not drinking (i did have a couple beers, but I gotta drive home folks). Lots of people look and wonder who is that weird dude by himself. I dont really care, but it is a different experince than going with a group of friends.
Next, I went to Roberts Western World. This place played more old school country, and it was also packed. I saw lots of interesting facial hair and mullets here. I saw two really extreme red headed mullets, and a guy with mutton chops that were at least 5in long but no beard or mustache.
I saw a sign for a cigar bar, and I thought this would be more my pace for the evening. People are more receptive to discussion in these places, and I have been craving a cigar for a while. I enjoyed a cigar and whisky, and looked out the window at the street below (on 2nd floor). The bar was pretty much empty, but I discussed random Nashville crap with the bartender. She is trapped there, so she has no choice but to talk to me. I appreciated it.
While in the cigar bar, I heard the band downstairs play Wave on Wave by Pat Green. What I noticed is that most of the country music I am familiar with is Texas Country, and is totally unheard of in Nashville (which makes sense why they would know wave on wave, bc it is Pat greens sell-out album). Most of the songs that these bands were playing were what I consider to be crappy pop-country songs. I went up to the band that played Pat Green and asked if they knew "Oklahoma Breakdown." I thought it was a popular song, so there was a better chance that they could play it. They said they had heard of it, but didnt know it. In texas, I know there has always been a rivalry between Texas Country and Nashville country. I normally dont weigh-in on such matters, but I can now say that Texas Country is way better than Nashville country. Dont get me wrong, I had a fantastic time in Nashville, but it is what it is. I am very proud in the music from our state.
After listening to a couple original songs the band had written, I headed home. I had such a great time seeing everything in Nashville, but it was time for rest. Back to Best Western.
The next day: Atlanta to see my friend Meredith P.
(This is a post for Sept 7, although I am only getting around to posting it several days later. I just didnt want anyone freaking out about the date inconsistentcies between the title and the posting date)
I got a really solid rest last night at Puskus Lake. Probably because the threat of bear mauling was no longer looming. Anyways, I woke up at sunup, fired up my Coleman single burner camp stove that Grandma and Grandpa gave me several years ago, and heated up some water for tea. After breakfast I took down my camp and got an early start towards Oxford for gameday.
My first order of business was to find a place to shower. Granted, I had showered the day before, but if I am able, I wouldnt mind washing off all the bugspray. I saw some mention online of asking hotels if you could pay to use a shower, or if a guest had checked out, but not had their room cleaned, using the shower that way. I tried several hotels. Now remember its game weekend, so these places are packed. One just told me that they didnt do that (Super 8), and two (hampton and holiday inn) told me they only had 2 or 3 people checking out, and they may not leave until 12pm (it was not even 8am at the time). Also, none of their WiFi networks were working. So I hunted down an open network at a laudromat and sat for a good hour updating blog and storing pictures. I stopped back by the hotels to see if anyone had checked out yet. Nope. Guess no shower today.
So I changed clothes and brushed teeth in the lobby bathroom of the hampton. I donned my favorite maroon polo and my newly purchased Aggie hat. Everyone has nice things to say about how welcoming Ole Miss can be. I figure representing my team was the best way to experience the hospitality (also, I would really like to bum some free food from a tailgate).
I parked as close to campus as I could get and paid $20 to park in a church parking lot. Its a steep price, but from my days in Aggieland, I know that $20 is about the going rate for game day parking. I had a nice walk through the downtown area to campus. If there is one word to describe Oxford (and Mississippi in general) it would be: columns. Every building has columns. Of course it makes for a very scenic walk.
As I was walking towards campus, I had a little chat with one of the students going in a similar direction. This guy dressed like every other guy at Ole Miss. Tucked in gameday polo, khaki shorts, brown leather shoes, and a carefully coifed comb over. He had a fifth of SoCo tucked into his back pocket and a solo cup. He asked about Johnny Manziel. And I am sure that is what most fans would want to talk about. I appreciated the conversation.
I continued to walk around campus to check out the buildings. Lots of red brick and nice landscaping.
I went to check out The Grove. The Grove is pretty much their quad at the entrance to campus, however, it has plenty of mature trees growing there, providing nearly complete shade. The Grove is known for its tailgating, and canopies blanketed the grove. Unfortunately, almost nobody had showed up to the tailgate yet. The football game wasnt until 6pm (it was about 11:30am at the time), and the weather was a little warmer (about 90 degrees, but everybody was talking about how hot it was...I thought it was a nice day). So I missed out on all the fun interactions with our friendly rivals. The few that had shown up were concerned with setting up tailgates, and not with getting their party on (not that I wanted to get my party on, per se).
This also meant that I was missing out on all the free food. Since I had just spent the past hour and a half on walking around campus on a beautiful sunny day, I had worked up quite a hunger. There was no free food to be found. At one point, I was about to cross a small street when some guy with a wagon full of tailgating provisions hit the curb wrong with his wagon. His trays of fried chicken spilled onto the concrete, along with several bottles of Jim Beam....i guess thats one way to sneak things in. The bottles didnt break, but he scrambled to pick them up, and other passersby laughed as well. I wasnt concerned with the booze, however. If I had a plate full of fried chicken that I had dropped on the concrete, I would have dusted it off and put it back on my plate. I knew that if I picked up that chicken off the floor, everybody would be telling this story for years to come about the aggie that ate food off the ground. Then it occurred to me that I could just take off my hat, and I would be just another Ole Miss fan. I was hungry, so I sat and considered my options for a bit. Ultimately, I decided the social pressure was too prohibitive. This highlights the unique rules of taking a solo road trip. If I had been with a buddy, it might have been a funny moment when we ate that delicious fried chicken off the concrete, but if you are by yourself, you instantly become that weird kid in elementary school that would eat things off the floor if you dared him.
It was about time to get going, so I made the walk back to my car and headed off towards Nashville, TN. The google had me taking a backroad highway for a couple hours before I hit the interstate. I believe this is always a more interesting way to travel. You can definitely make time on an interstate, but there are more interesting things to see on the backroad.
Here is the now defunct (as of 1982) Mississippi Inudstrial College. This is what an abadonded school looks like.
If I was allowed to use two words to describe Mississippi (the first being columns), the second word would be kudzu. If you are not familiar with this plant, it is an invasive and non-native vine that grows all over the place (see wikipedia). Holy crap this stuff can completely coat sections of the forest! I was amazed! It was almost a game I was playing with myself to see if I could find a bigger kudzu grove. The scale in my pictures dont really do it justice. Some of these groves covered the ground and all the trees and shrubs over a couple hundred yards. Imagine an entire hole on a golf course covered in vines.
After about 4hrs I finally arrived at my destination of Franklin, TN. Along the way I took one of the most beautfiul routes. I feel like this is almost becoming cliche on this blog, but I am just amazed at all the beautiful country homes I am seeing in this part of the country. Farms nestled next to forest covered hillsides. Bales of hay and cows wandering next to magnificient houses.
In Franklin, I wen to see my friends Bryan and Sarah G. I hadnt seen them in quite a while, and they had just added an new addition to the family! We watched the Aggie game, drank some beers, had a birthday cake, and enjoyed each others company. It was great to see their two little ones, and their two little boys already seem like best buddies. They had a wonderful house and beautiful family. Thanks for hosting me!
Later on that night, I was supposed to go into downtown to see Broadway in downtown Nashville. Honestly, I was pretty exhasuted. I could have sucked it up and gone to downtown, but I would be thinking about going home the entire time. Instead, I found a reasonably priced Best Western in Brentwood and turned in for the night. It was nice to have a bed after camping the previous nights. Also, having stayed at a lot of best westerns, I can say this is one of the best. Its really good looking, and the rooms have big flatscreens and fridges, as well as a couch and desk. A steal for what I paid.
I have really been overestimating the free time I would have on this trip. I have been keeping a pretty brisk pace in order to conform to my set schedule. After the rush of the past couples days, I decided to stay in Nashville for one more night. It was a tough decision because I was supposed to head out on a scenic 5 hr drive to the Smokey Mountains and camp on Sunday. However, I really wanted to see Nashville and honestly, I felt a little road worn. I needed a day to feel like a normal person, and not a person living out of a minivan. I am pretty determined to fit the Smokey Mtns into my schedule later on.
