Week 10: Midnight in Music City
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Summary: Memphis, TN to Bowling Green, KY 328 miles
June 8th to June 13th
Day 64: Memphis, TN to Walnut, MS 62 miles
Monday, June 8th
Although it had been great spending the last several days with my brother that all too familiar anxious desire to move on had set in. Kyle and I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, another southern “delicacy” that I had to try. It was indeed a delicious breakfast, filled with biscuits and grits and thick, fatty gravy. After returning home I packed up my things, leaving him pounds of cold weather gear I was certain I would no longer need. I then mounted my bike and waved adieu to my older brother.
I left just before noon and it was a sunny, really sunny day. I had donned my new cutoff shirt and, as I rode my bike down residential roads, trying to stay clear of the big city highways, I quickly realized a need for sunscreen and popped into a Walgreens to grab some SPF 70. I was too late at that point, I had burned my upper arms, albeit slightly, and would fight that nagging itch the next week. I was quickly drenched in sweat, the sunscreen running down little white channels down my arms. As I looked at these channels I noticed my arms were absolutely covered in black spots where tiny knats had splatted against my skin and died. Can you say, “Ewwww.”
On the road again...
Insects, meet your match.
Despite one burst of rain, it was a boggy day, it almost looked like fog was on the roadway and I thought I could actually see the water on the roads evaporating. The heat sapped my energy to pedal and after hitting 30 miles I had to break frequently. I was head east that day, trying to get to the Natchez Trace, a historic highway I had heard about which is great for bicyclists and heads all the way into Nashville. To get there I took a slight detour into Mississippi, just to knock another state off my list. I actually took Mississippi Road into the state, a road filled with thrown away couches, viney trees, deep pot holes, and trailer park houses. I had a near miss with a truck flying passed me, there was no shoulder and I was caught between him and a mailbox. I could have easily reached out and touched him as he drove passed blaring on his horn. If the jerk had slowed down even a mile an hour I could have passed the mail box and pulled into a driveway. Oh well, I guess I’m lucky to have only had this one close call in the entire 10 weeks I’ve been biking.
Mailbox of the day.
Mississippi Road.
Mississippi cabin.
Eventually I arrived in Walnut, MS, and unsuccessfully seeking out open churches to sleep in, I asked a local police officer if there was a park I could camp in where I wouldn’t be bothered. He directed me to the city park less than a mile away. As I arrived at the park, there were a few children playing on the playground, just as the sun was about to set. I parked my bike, set my tent up in the grass, ate some PB&J dinner, and was just about to take a spit bath in the public bathrooms when I noticed a public pool just on the other side of the playground. It was closed, it had closed at five, and there was a chain around the gated entrance. However, I was in desperate need of a washing so I stepped on the gate’s latch, hoisted myself over the fence, and promptly plopped myself into the pool, washing off that day’s misery.
That night a storm would blow in and I would witness the most spectacular lighting show I have ever seen. The lightning created a strobe light effect. The sky was actually more often lit up by the light show than not, making it practically clear as day. I snapped a few mediocre shots and then ducked into my tent before the torrential downpour struck. I could have easily drug my tent unto the overhang picnic area so as to keep it dry. But I love the sound of rain on the walls of my tent and the feel of the wind sweeping through it. It was a good night.
I'd like to see polo played someday.
River.
Vintage.
My diggs for the night.
Pretty nice sunset.
THUNDER!
View from my tent.
Day 65: Walnut, MS to Waynesboro, TN 88 miles
Tuesday, June 9th
I packed up my tent, sopping wet from the stormy night before, and ate a paltry breakfast of fruit cups and granola. My goal for today was to make it to the Natchez Trace, but it was a fair distance away, over 80 miles, and it was supposed to be another scorcher. I was on the road by 730 in the morning. Today was mostly uneventful, although I did pass through the city of Corinth, MS which was a historic site during the Civil War. It was an important railroad crossing in the southern territories and hosted several crucial battles.
Civic War Museum.
Eventually I passed back into Tennessee and was forced to take a route that kept me on busy roads with little to no shoulder. By mile 60 my legs had turned to rubber, the combination of heat and hilly terrain made the going difficult. And right at mile 60 was a monster of a hill! With construction machinery paralleling both sides of the highway and running at full power the hill was in a constant dusty state. Hot, dirty, and steep. It took most everything I had left to surmount this beast. At the top I was just about dead but around the first corner I spotted a grocery store/deli and it called my name. I purchased three Sobes (a type of juice drink) and guzzled them down immediately before even catching my breath. I then reclined at one of their tables for the better part of an hour before gathering myself up and returning to my bike.
I rode for about another 20 miles into the town of Waynesboro where I stopped at a diner with the intent of both eating food and asking the owner if I could use the back of their property to camp. As it turns out a fellow patron, bearded, booted, and toting a pistol on his hip, would end up offering me a place to camp on his property. His name was Matt, he worked concrete, and he showed me to a picturesque riverfront campsite, just beside the bridge out of town. He advised me to purchase a firearm if I was going to be travelling through Tennessee and then proceeded to tell me an unsettling tale of how he shot the last person trespassing on his property with his .22. His intent was to make me feel comfortable on his property and I appreciated the gesture, if a little sheepishly.
After he left, I jumped into the river and laid there until it got dark, just staring up at the blue/orange sky quickly dimming. Eventually I dried off, set my tent up, and fell asleep.
Tan lines are hot, right?
My campsite that night.
Matt showing me around my campsite.
Day 66: Waynesboro, TN to Brentwood, TN 99 miles
Wednesday June 10th
I had elected not to put my rain fly on last night, it seemed sunny enough, but I woke around midnight to drops of water falling on me. I stumbled out of my tent and hastily erected my cover before climbing back into the tent, damp and annoyed. I woke up to early dawn light several hours later to find myself eaten alive. I’m not quite sure how or what got into my tent. Or if even that was when I was bitten in hundreds of places. I was told that the south is the home to an unfortunate insect called a “chigger,” rhymes with… well you know. They are little parasites that actually burrow into your skin and, because we aren’t their natural hosts, they die and leave painfully itchy remains. I did my best not to scratch myself to death and packed up my gear and was on the road quite early, well before seven.
I got back only the four lane, shoulderless highway but only for a brief 10 miles before finally arriving at the Natchez Trace. This scenic byway is filled with historic markers, about one every 5 miles. These range from scenic waterfalls to the resting place of Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark. The road was lined with trees on either side, traffic was practically nonexistent, and the road was freshly paved. It was a stark contrast to the four lane highway I had been on the past three days. However, the Trace is nothing but hills and I find myself climbing all the time, did I mention it was 90 degrees out!? At bout my 95 mile mark I had a place to stay with a Young Life Regional Director who I had been put in touch with via my hometown pastor Dave Browning. That was my goal for the day. I didn’t even come close.
Felt good to leave this highway.
The Natchez Trace!
Had to use the lady's room cause the men's was out of order. And of course, didn't see practically anyone on the road all day and right when I start dropping depth charges a
Some girls I met on the trail, also riding bikes.
At 60 miles I started feeling the effects of the heat. I had been sweating buckets this day and, even though I had been drinking water continuously, I was becoming dehydrated. At one point, I didn’t even make it to a rest stop to take a break. At the bottom of a hill I just pulled over, laid my bike in some bushes, and collapsed on the side of the road for a good half hour. I would make it, slowly, begrudgingly, 15 more miles before the strangest thing happened. I started cramping under my jaw. It was the weirdest place to cramp, and I couldn’t stretch my neck in a way to make it go away. So I stopped at the last rest stop on the Trace. I rode to a sheltered rest room area and tried to swing my leg over my bike to dismount from it and I started cramping horribly in my hip. I was so tired and I couldn’t even get off my bike. I had to half lay my bike down and slither out from underneath it. It must have looked ridiculous but it was the least painful way I could think of. I laid down on some cool concrete in the shade, and took a nap.
Meanwhile I had been texting my host for the night, Doug, whose wife, Eve, was involved in Young Life. I told Doug I couldn’t go a single my further and that I would be staying at the rest stop for the evening. He said if I like he would pick me up and that there would be steaks and a pool waiting for me if I let him. Saying no didn’t even cross my mind. He arrived less than an hour later and swooped me and my bike up. As we drove the 15 or so miles to his house we passed some amazing mansion sized ranches including one that belonged to country singer Alan Jackson. It was gated with multiple cameras and I only snapped a shot from the car so it wasn’t that great a photo. We saw many more estates that were equally as impressive, most with a civil war era architectural design (which is called Antebellum, a new word for me).
You can see the sweat.
On the way home we stopped by a steakhouse and picked up a couple 10 ouncers to go. Then we arrived at his house located in a neighborhood where each estate was on exactly 1 acre, most with swimming pools including, to my satisfaction, Doug and Eve’s. Before falling exhausted into that blue water I would meet Eve, talk Young Life, eat an amazing dinner, and shower off the day’s mixture of sweat and sunblock. A biker’s greatest dilemma is the choice between showering first or eating first; that night I chose the latter. As I swam in the pool a few high school girls arrived at the house to do a campaigners session with Eve. Campaigners is essentially a youth group type get together which follows the attendance of one of Young Life’s many summer camps. I told my biking stories to them all as we roasted marshmallows and enjoyed the day’s last rays of sunshine. Then I took my leave, crawled up the stairs to my bedroom for the night, and literally collapsed.
Doug, my host.
Poolside campaigners.
Day 67: Brentwood, TN to Nashville, TN 12 miles
Thursday, June 11th
Although I slept great and woke up early I was still quite tired. The effects of the prior day’s heat exhaustion still hadn’t dissipated apparently. Nonetheless I packed up all my gear, loaded it on my bike and prepared to leave. However, during my final trip up to my room to gather the last of my things I had a significant dizzy spell and thought it would be best to lie down a little longer. So I promptly took a solid 3 hour nap, waking up at 10. I woke with a start, feeling much more refreshed but wanting to get on the road. Luckily, Nashville was less than 15 miles away. Before leaving I messaged some warm shower hosts in the area as well as my cousin, Eddie, who was currently living with his girlfriend just outside of town.
I had learned from Eve and the girls that there was a music festival in town this week celebrating the Country Music Awards. This festival was filled with free concerts and tons of giveaways. The majority of downtown Nashville would be shutdown to traffic, being dedicated to the festival. Before going to see the festival, I showed up at a bike shop to get my bearings in the city. At Green Fleet bike shop I would meet some pretty cool guys, one toting a mustache of impressive volume. They gave me a map of the area and let me drop my gear off inside their storage/hippie bus that they had parked on the street.
The Green Fleet Guys.
My new bike bell.
After Green Fleet I took a tour of Vanderbilt campus, located just west of downtown. I hadn’t even known Vanderbilt was in Tennessee, much less Nashville. The tour included a visit to the Parthenon, a replica of Athens’s. Finally I would make my way to Riverfront Park where I would hear the music and the cheers of fans long before I would see them. As I followed the Green River I caught glimpses of a large barge parked on the shore, engineered to be a stage, projecting music into Riverfront Park which was essentially an amphitheater. The entire park was packed with people. I was quickly forced to dismount and walk my bike. There was such a crowd of people, most all in cowboy boots and hats and, in the 90 degree heat of midafternoon, there were daisy dukes galore.
Parthenon.
Through the throng of yelling fans and toddlers being toted along by their parents I stepped onto Broadway which was filled with tents blazoned with the logos of various corporations. Coca-Cola, Red bull, Papa Johns, Otter Box… etc. I would actually meet up with a couple who I had met in Denver, Tyler and Sam, who were friends of Jade, my host while I was there. I enjoyed the craziness until five when I left to meet with my Warmshowers host Rachel who lived right next to the bike shop I had visited earlier. I knocked on her door and she answered but was just heading out for the night. After a brief introduction she gave me a key, a glass of ice water, and showed me to my room before running out, leaving me to my own devices. I just changed my clothes and left as well, heading back to the festival.
Although most all the concerts at the multiple stages were free, at 7:00 began the main event which required tickets. Big name bands would play at LP Field, the football stadium across the river. The CMA festival was a four night event and one had to buy a ticket for the whole weekend. I didn’t really have the funds for a ticket so I decided to go for the cheap seats, a pedestrian bridge which overlooked the stadium. From my vantage point I had a decent view of the giant video screen and could hear the music, if poorly. The distance from the stage caused a sound delay making the lyrics of the song lag about a second and a half from the movement of lips on the screen. Like hearing the boom of a firework after seeing it explode. Same concept. I even met a few friends on the bridge, locals who had seen the show every year and were now content to just enjoy it from afar.
After the show, sometime around midnight, I rode back home on mostly vacant streets, used my key to open the door of Rachel’s house, and tiptoed to my room. It had been a good day.
Day 68: Nashville, TN Rest Day
Friday, June 12th
It had to be more than a coincidence that I arrived in Nashville on the first day of the CMAs, unplanned. Thus, I decided to stay for an extra day and enjoy more of the festivities. I met my cousin Eddie, who had been living in New York for three years and acted the part, for breakfast at a little café in East Nashville. He wasn’t really a country fan but we wanted to hang out longer so we decided to see the new blockbuster Jurassic World, which had opened the day before. Unfortunately, the closest theatre was many miles away, too far to walk and Eddie didn’t have a car, he had trained into the city that morning. That was when I received a call from my older brother, saying he was on his way back to Memphis from a Presbyterian conference in Chattanooga and would be coming through Nashville within the hour. I asked him if he wanted to see the movie. “Most definitely,” he said. So, minutes later, he arrived at the café and whisked me and Eddie away to see the movie. Although it didn’t even come close to meeting my expectations it was still a pleasant movie to see with some good family. After the show he dropped me and Eddie off downtown so I could see more festival and Eddie could train home.
After the free shows I made my way back to the stadium so I could watch that nights’ headliners from as close as possible. As I was lounging about with my bike in tow I started talking to a few ladies from Illinois who, as it turns out, just happened to have an extra ticket, which they gave me in exchange for a round of beers. What luck. It might sound strange, but that’s exactly what I expected would happen, or something of the sort. If I’m being honest, I was a little disappointed Taylor Swift didn’t sweep me up and give me backstage passes before asking me out to breakfast. Because that’s really about the way this trip had been going.
Our tickets weren’t the best but I wasn’t about to complain. Performers that night included Zack Brown Band, Maddie and Tae, Lee Brice, Randy Houser, Lady Antebellum, and Luke Bryan. At the end of the night, I wished my friends a fond farewell, got back on the bike, and pedaled back to Rachel’s, where I would spend the night on the porch. I didn’t want to wake anyone in case I came back way too late that night, so I had put all my stuff outside earlier that day and set up my sleeping pad. The porch was surrounded by a screen and had a fan which kept me cool all night. I actually liked it more than sleeping inside as a matter of fact.
Day 69: Nashville, TN to Bowling Green, KY 67 miles
Saturday, June 13th
I was up around six but I truly woke at five because I heard a house alarm blaring. When it wouldn’t shut off I became truly annoyed before realized it was actually a fleet of birds chirping in unison. I did that thing where you try to ignore it and go back to bed but instead it drives you insane until you finally realize getting up was the right choice. I packed my things quickly and was out the door by 700. I stopped at the same café that I had eaten at the day before with my cousin. I ordered a breakfast burrito to go and ate it in seconds before heading north into Kentucky. It was a pretty blah day on the road. Apart from the spectacle of entering a new state not much happened. While passing Kentucky Downs I saw a Mustang car show which was pretty cool. It rained a few times, pretty hard, but each time I was less than 100 yards from a gas station where I would take shelter for the twenty or so minutes it would take before the rain cloud to pass.
I would arrive in Bowling Green around 4 o’clock and would call it quits for the day. After riding through Western Kentucky University’s campus I would arrive at my Warmshowers host for the night. Grace was a professor at the University and taught philosophy while her partner Matt was a Presbyterian chaplain at a local hospital. They were both avid cyclists and welcomed me while I was still on the sidewalk. Grace actually took my bags right off my bike and carried them inside for me! I could tell it was going to be a good night. I showered and grabbed a quick Triscuit snack before we left to eat dinner at Mellow Mushroom, a popular pizza joint in the south. Our waitress, Jordan, was in fact one of the other Couchsurf hosts I had messaged that day, but because she had been working all day, had elected to go with Grace and Matt instead. She was the perfect mix of bubbly and friendly and made my first visit to a Mellow Mushroom memorable.
Grace, Matt, and I would go back to the house and, after a brief showing of pictures and telling of stories, I would hit the hay pretty early, falling asleep around 8 o’clock because tomorrow would be a big day. I would be arriving at the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky.