Day 7
Day 7
August 25th
I woke up pretty early today, around 7:30 or so. I slept like a rock most of the night, but did wake up a bit chilly at one point. I suppose the underquilt could have been put to use last night. I fell asleep listening to Grateful Dead on my iPod. The perfect way to fall asleep, though the ear buds hurt like hell after being wedged in my ears all night. The tunes got me looking forward to making it out to Colorado and seeing JRAD and Phish with Tyler and Karen. I don’t really know what I’ll do after Denver-I have about a week to kill before I head to Chicago-though, I’m not too concerned. I’m sure it will figure itself out. I’m gonna jump on my bike and try to find the lake now...
With my crocs on, I jumped on the bike for a quick spin to find the lake. I ended up going on a solid cruise around the campground and the surrounding roads. There are mountain bike trails everywhere, and I was glad that I had brought the Klein with me. Andrew made me laugh when he commented on one of my video clips calling it “vacation bike”. Pretty funny and also true.
That bike was ridden more today than it has been in the last year. It mostly hangs on the wall, and I sometimes question why I bought it, but it was the perfect bike for this situation and it proved it’s worth today. I had a lot of fun exploring on the MTB. At this point I was considering staying another night in Asheville, pending word from Amber and Lacy in Nashville. I had til 10 to decide if I was going to extend the campsite another night and til 12 to checkout if I wasn’t going to stay. I texted Amber and Lacy around 9:30 since I didn’t know what their plans were and didn’t just want to show up randomly. They got back to me quickly and said they were both free after 5 and to head that way! This was perfect - since the drive was roughly 5 hours, it would give me some time to explore Asheville a little bit. I was sweaty from riding the mountain bike, so I decided to get my money's worth and take a hot shower. The bathrooms and showers at this campground were totally private and really clean. A pleasant surprise. The crew was cleaning the bathrooms and it seemed like they were training a new hire, so they were spending some extra time over there. While I waited, I hung out at my campsite and cooled off. I started to pack my things and organize the car, which was a mess now that I took the bike out. I eventually got a shower and was totally packed up at 12 on the dot. I thanked the old man and woman on my way out and told them how grateful I was and commented on how well-kept the place was.
After a few recommendations, I decided I’d grab lunch at Biscuit Head. I also wanted to hit up a thrift store because I only packed one pair of shorts and they’re starting to get pretty faded. The thrift store was a bit of a bust, but I did wind up leaving with a pair of olive green slacks. I realized however that I don’t have a scissor, so I wouldn’t be able to turn those puppies into shorts just yet. The chicken biscuit was really good - I saved a couple bites and pointed the car toward Nashville.
It was interesting how the Interstate goes from 2 lanes to 4 as you get close to Nashville. The traffic around the city was pretty gnarly, but nothing like back home. I got here a little earlier than I expected due to the time zone being different than it was in Asheville. I killed time at the Dunkin Donuts nearby and then decided to drive over to see Victory Tattoo shop. It was about 15 minutes away from where I was, so I jumped back on the highway and tried to find it. It felt further than 15 minutes, and the highways here are a bit intimidating. I realized today that my NY plates really stand out like a sore thumb. I think I’m going to add an American flag sticker or something to the back of the car so that I fit in a little better.
I met Amber and Lacy at Hotel Preston, where they’re staying. I brought the remainder of my beers in with me and we enjoyed one together while I was trying to comprehend how wild this situation was.
Lacy is from Nashville and was having dinner with a friend, so he dropped Amber and I off at this old school spot called Brown’s Diner. It had a similar vibe and reminded me a little bit of Rutt’s Hut back home.
We enjoyed our sandwiches and the company of the waitress. She noticed the Rangers charm on my necklace and began talking about hockey. She had a lot of stories, as she's a big Predators fan. I asked if any of the guys ever come in and she said that Jordin Tootoo used to come in when he was on the team. Great conversation and vibe at this place. Afterwards, we walked across the street to the Krogers and I grabbed a few things that I needed - mainly baby powder and a legit tooth brush. The travel one isn’t really cutting it and I’ve got a lot more days of brushing my teeth ahead of me. Lacy met us at the Krogers and drove us back to the hotel.
Food:
Biscuit Head - mimosa chicken biscuit
Brown’s Diner (Nashville)