DAY 3: Shenandoah to Nashville, TN
Daily miles: 563
Total Miles: 1,241
Everyone is nicer here. There are smiles and a lot more makeup. People have a southern twang with their words, and never stare too long. There are confederate flag novelty license plates and more crosses than I can count on the highway. You step out of your car and the heat slams against you, especially harsh on someone who spends their time in Boston. Welcome to the South. Welcome to Nashville.
Jake and I, after polishing off two very large bottles of wine, got up at 6 to hit the road. Evidently last night I had proclaimed that I wasn’t afraid of anything; our campsite neighbor’s dog, specifically. All five children seemed very amused and allegedly erupted with giggles; I have a fuzzy recollection of the events. Jake has an entertaining account of the nights event on his blog: http://jakeisfrank.blogspot.com/2009/07/cheeky-british-campers-and-discount.html. It is truly hilarious.
The roads were empty as the sun spilled over the mountains in Virginia. At about 8, we arrived at my first EVER Sonic. We had breakfast, and Jake would later muse how the Northeast has hardly comparable fast food. In-N-Out Burger will be a day I will not soon forget.
It was this morning that it really hit me how long this trip is going to be. We were sitting in Sonic, and I was exhausted. I tested out Jake on the car; he isn’t familiar with a standard engine. After a few stalls and some swearing, I decided that we needed a better arena for him to learn how to drive Delilah.
Virginia was gorgeous. It was quant and quiet, and the speed limit was 70. Driving heaven. We blasted through until we hit the border of Tennessee. I had a number of people asking me about the car as usual. I hope some of you found your way to this blog; you were all pleasant.
Jake and I decided to get a book on tape. It is a better prospect than the radio or my ipod. During a 600 mile drive, it really helps to have something to really pay attention to. We knew we hit Tennessee when we arrived that “The World’s Largest Fireworks Store.” You should have seen Jake’s face when he walked out with a brown bag of explosives. God knows what sort of trouble we’ll be getting into.
Now I’m sitting in a Panera Bread, using their internet. We’re meeting up with our buddy from college, Dan.
Dan is a very very tall ginger. He has one of those laughs that infects the room as it filters through, and is just pleasant to be around. He is an All-American Lacrosse player, and the type of friend you need to keep around to for your own sanity. I feel like a combination of old friends, young minds, some beer, and fireworks will provide for a night I won’t forget. Or perhaps I won’t remember.
Keep on reading!
