Nashville, Tennessee

When I went to leave Martinsville this morning I started to get really worried. The Waffle was stuck in park and refused to shift into any gear. Luckily I know how to push her buttons (in this case the shift-lock release) and away we went.

Today was the monumental crossing of the Appalachians. With the Waffle so weighted down, I was certainly concerned that this would be a huge problem. Bah! The Waffle scoffs at such doubting! We climbed high up into the mountains, especially along Hwy 58 west of Martinsville. I wish that I could have gotten some pictures but I was driving and feared plummeting to my death. Also there weren't any good spots to pull over and take scenic images. Along the way I stopped in at a service station back up in the hills where four or five guys were sitting around staring off into space. I considered pulling my banjo out of the Waffle and asking if anyone could re-enact the opening scene of deliverance but decided that would be rude. I was also concerned that they might not remember which scene was in the beginning and which ones were much later on, involving squealing and unpleasant interactions with the buttocks.

Never having been to Tennessee, I had no preconceptions. I have to say that I was amazed at how noticably different the landscape became once I got to...maybe the Knoxville area. The vegetation was more lush, with less underbrush to make it look weedy (if that's a word). Just beautiful mountains and rolling valleys with every imaginable shade of green.

Nashville is awesome! When I first got there I made a brief foray into a very sketchy area for lunch, where some old dude kept soliciting every woman in the joint (including two junior high girls), and where some guy kept looking into my car as I ate lunch. Needless to say, I ate quickly. But downtown Nashville was really cool. All sorts of old Honky Tonks, restaurants, and shops. It was great to see a city center with no McD's, Starbucks, or other large chains, mostly gritty little mom n' pop places with loads of character.