We changed course today to head 70 miles south straight to Nashville, Tennesse our 7th state of the trip. Ryan has a good friend right outside the city. Our original plan was to meet him in Hardin, KY for the holiday weekend, but we figured we could see another city and drive back up with him the next day.
We took lots of local routes for most of the day, getting lost here and there. It didn't matter. 70 miles feels like a joy ride when you know you are heading toward fun, a good night sleep and a rest day.
Along one small road we turned a bend and met an overwhelmingly sweet smell in the air. By the side was an entrance to a large strawberry farm. It was like riding through a wall of delicious aroma.
Further down the road I spotted two guys drinking beers in front of a large BBQ smoker. I stopped and asked if I could take a picture. James T. Groves, the grill master (right in picture) warmly invited me up for a look at the slabs of ribs he had foiled up and been cooking all day. A smokey sweet smell filled the air. On a chopping block next to the smoker lay one slab he had taken off and unwrapped, juices seeping from the corners of the foil. "Go ahead, get a little piece there to see what it tastes like." I picked up a piece of meat as soft as butter and tossed it in my mouth. He asked me about my bike and I told him I was headed across country. "Go ahead, get another little piece."
We were 5 miles from our destination and big drops of rain began to fall. The sun was still bright in most of the sky. The big isolated drops quickly turned into a down pour. In a minute I was drenched, in a few minutes my tires where rolling threw an inch or two of water. As the rain got harder I noticed white pellets bouncing of my red handlebar bag. Hail! I kept my head down as i got pelted with pea sized projectiles. We pushed up over a hill and onto Johnny Cash Highway. 200 yards ahead the sun was shining and the road was dry. We rode right out of the storm and back into a beautiful day.
When we reached Dave and Nicole's we jumped in their pool to cool off and then got ready for a Friday night on the town in Nashville.
Our first destination was to get some BBQ. We stopped at Hog Heaven, a roadside hole in the wall that looked really promising but was already closed for the night. The counter clerk directed us to Jack's BBQ right in downtown on music row.
After a little wait on a line we sat down to two slabs of st loius ribs, a pound of Tennessee pork shoulder and various sides. We were all starving and inhaled the table full of food in no time, drizzing different Tennesee and Texas BBQ sauces on each fork full of heaven.
After dinner we strolled along music row heading in and out of different bars to get an earful of the country bands playing. None of the bars charge covers letting you hop in and out freely. If you could carry a drink with you, you'd think it was New Orleans.
The crowd was young and dressed to the nines. Tall men in wrangler shirts and Stetsons, southern bells with straight blond hair in gingham dresses. Everyone sang along to each tune. Every so often a girl would make her way up to dance on the bar for a fee moments of fredom before a skinny bouncer would coax her back down to the floor.
Second Fiddle and Tootsies had bands playing country or country-fried covers of rock songs. Robert's had traditonal country and the best sound to my ears. The bouncer promised me I wouldn't hear "the devil went to Georgia" in there.
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I am now officially jealous :)
ReplyDeleteBBQ, booze, belles and the open road. Peddle hard master Kenobie.
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