Day 31, - Saturday, June 19

What a night in the suburbs of Nashville…

We stay at Walmart every other night as they allow RV’s, have wifi in the parking lot and we can get our shopping done. After a great day and dinner we returned to our home away from home. We set up camp and decided to turn in early - Chris is fighting a cold and I was wiped after hot day on the road. I passed out at around 8pm. At 11:30pm I woke up to honking and thought a trailer is trying to load into a bay and perhaps the door was shut. Then I heard banging on our RV door. I jumped out of bed, grabbed my bathrobe and opened the door simultaneously restraining Lucky who was going ballistic. A security guard stood there flashing a light at me requesting we get off the private property. I told him that we were heading cross country and have stayed at Walmart with no issues so why would this be different…then came no and I asked if he could help us…final no.

Chris and I were kicked out now driving around the suburbs of Nashville looking for any place to park but for some reason, all of Nashville is on alert for vagabonds like us! We finally landed in the back of Antioch High School and neither of us slept well feeling like we were felons on the run. We cleared out at 5:30am and went back to the spot where I left off the day before, happy to be getting out of the burbs.

Lucky and I came into downtown Nashville around 9am. Nashville has a great vibe, lots of energy and neighborhoods that are distinct. I stopped at the symphony hall because of a beautiful statue. As I admired, I was approached by a man who called himself Kash. He was attracted to Lucky and wanted to tell me a story so I said “sure, if i can film.” So I sat on a park bench and he sat on the ground right next to Lucky on the floor and told his story, all the while holding Lucky’s attention which lasted about 11 minutes. It was a winding story with Indian history that led back to a positive message at the end.

A few miles later I met up with Chris in Germantown where he found an excellent cafe called Barista Parlor. Lucky and I walked in to a dog friendly environment and I had a wonderful Bourbon Latte, handmade glazed doughnut and sourdough bread with scrambled eggs, scallions and perfectly cooked bacon.

As I crossed the Cumberland River and left Nashville, I was surprised how quickly I was out of the urban landscape and into the rolling hills and small towns of Tennessee. Along the route i passed The Baptist World Center which was a United Nations looking building in the middle of nowhere. Then came a Greenway park in the town of Whites Creek and more civil war history on the area:

During the Civil War, Confederate Capt. John H. Earthman (a descendant of one of the earliest Whites Creek settlers) raised a company of soldiers. Accepted into service at Whites Creek on April 25, 1861, the company mustered in at Nashville on May 6 as Co. G, 2nd Tennessee Infantry. Under the command of Col. William B. Bate, the regiment fought in several battles in the Eastern Theater including the First Battle of Manassas on July 21-22, 1861. By February 1862, the unit had returned to Tennessee and was attached to Gen Leonidas Polk’s command. After the Battles of Shiloh and Perryville, the regiment participated in the Battles of Stones River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Franklin and Nashville. It surrendered in North Carolina after the Battle of Bentonville in March 1865.

Union forces occupied Nashville, six miles south of here, on February, 1862. Churches were used as hospitals, as quarters for teamsters, and even as powder magazines. Only newspapers favorable to the North were allowed to publish. The Methodist Publishing House had its printing equipment confiscated to print Federal bulletins. Andrew Johnson, appointed Tennessee’s Union governor ordered citizens to pledge allegiance to the United States against all enemies foreign or domestic. City officers, the school superintendent, members of the school board, all teachers, and most of the preachers refused to sign the oath. School-teaching was largely suspended, and the blockade of the city by river and railroad brought commerce to a standstill.

And then less than a mile away a highlight for me, a building, then a combination saloon and grocery, where W.W. Earthman, magistrate and ex-constable of Davidson County, on March 25, 1881, arrested Bill Ryan, alias Tom Hill, ruthless and indiscreet member of the gang, members of which were living in the Edgefield neighborhood. Frank and Jesse James and their families left the Nashville area the next day.

After a quick shower we drove back into Nashville to see about dinner and a walk down Broadway where all the Honky Tonks. We had sub par sushi and walked Broadway but couldn’t get out of there fast enough as it is overrun with drunken armies of tourists, kids and bridal showers surrounded by a cacophony of noise as each honky tonk has their music playing the loudest to attract the masses. After a month on the road, we are surrounded by peacefulness, serenity and simplicity - don’t want to be anywhere else.

Cheers,

David.

Downtown Nashville

Barista Parlor Germantown

The Baptist World Center

Tennessee Where Legends are Born

The James Gang

On the way to Joelton, I liked the name

Happy to see me?!

Joelton our final destination