Last Sunday the 21st - I left Megan's house with a sack of banana muffins and some sweet coke caps and got on the road to Tennessee. My friend Josh (the brother of Ryan's old roommate Caleb) lives in between Nashville and Knoxville in a town called Cookeville. Just north of Chattanooga were some sprawling hills which were wonderful. Some time that night I rolled into Josh's place which was quite impressive. A lake in the backyard, a swanky bachelor pad in the basement and a comfortable guest bedroom (thanks Caleb) to stay for the night. Josh took me over to a friend's house that night to hangout but it ended up being cut short due to my constant dozing off during conversations. I properly conked out once we got home and (thanks to the time change!) benefitted greatly from the extra hour.
Monday - Josh took me over to Silas' house so we could all go play disc golf at a park in town. We played for skins and Silas narrowly edged me out 9 to 8 with Josh picking up a lone 1 skin. Afterward, Josh took us for some sweet tea, something I have fallen in love with ever since Georgia. We watched a movie that night while splitting chips and spinach dip.
Tuesday - Josh had a job interview in Nashville which was nice because I got to hitch a ride with him downtown and then walk around the area while he was busy. I walked around Broadway Street, the home of plenty of bars and lots of musicians trying to make it bigtime. I stopped by the Charlie Daniels Museum and Jack Daniels Museum while listening to the constant blare of honky tonk inside the bars. I bought a few souvenirs and met up with Josh who took me to Murfreesboro for some disc golf on his favorite course in the area. It ended up being cut short due to darkness, in which case we headed back to Nashville to see the Opryland hotel. The mall next door was closed due to the flooding which ruined hundreds of shops last Spring. The hotel itself was very ritzy and had numerous open expanses inside the building which featured air balloons, waterfalls, boat rides and mountainous wildlife. It was spectaculr and opulent. We made it back to Cookeville late that night and we fell asleep watching Planes Trains and Automobiles.
Wednesday - Josh met up with Silas again and they took me to Burgess Falls, a state park in town. We hiked down to a secluded waterfall which cast mist all over us in its wake. It was beautiful and its massive weight drowned out our voices. Layers of rocks surrounded the falls, detailing the thousands of years of history all around us. After a few hours we headed back to Silas' house while exchanging some very funny drinking stories. The very best guy talk. My idea for beer pong was supported by everyone and when Silas' girlfriend Erica got home we made our way down to the basement with some Yuengling to play with. The games were very fun with everybody playing well and enjoying the atmosphere. I won a few games and then Josh's friend Ashley came over with some Keystone light and we alternated teams and sides. On a side note, I could not be stopped on a 2-rack. 5 and 0 baby. Overall it was a great night which ended with me again falling asleep on the couch.
Thursday - Josh was kind enough to let me join him and his family for their non-traditional Thanksgiving festivities. We arrived quite early just outside Knoxville for a plentiful breakfast which was going to setup the Thanksgiving chili coming later. Sausage hash browns, bacon, eggs, biscuits & gravy, grapes and a french toast/blackberry jam concoction all made their way onto my plate. Everything was delicious and went down easily with (you should've guessed it) a big glass of sweet tea. Even though we felt comatose and ready for a nap, Josh and I felt like exploring. After an hour hike into his family's backyard property which included a serene lake viewing, we drove to a nearby disc golf course for a quick 9 holes. A nice guy who ended up playing with us named Andy told us during the round of an even better course only 10 minutes away built on the site of an abandoned golf course. After the quick round of 9 we decided to make the short drive and it was well worth it. There were 4 tees for each hole and they ranged from beginner to super-duper long and hard (that's what she said). The course had lots of sprawling grassland, with the old tree and bunker hazards playing quite well given its new nature. One large water hazard was exciting and some of the wooded holes made for a challenging drive. Like a sav, Josh found a disc lost in the woods which was in very nice condition. We finished the round after a couple hours (Josh's bathroom break at hole 15 at a nearby abandoned putt putt course being the main culprit in extending the round's length) and made our way back for the taco salad and chili. It was delicious, I felt stuffed. We played a little Scrabble before driving back in the rain to Cookeville.
Today, Friday - Josh's parents have been super nice to me all week and it will be tough leaving this place which has been very cool. 4 disc golf courses, a great night of beer pong and large southern breakfasts are just some of the things which I will take away from the experience. I'm making my way westward and even though the trip is winding down, I still feel the the freedom laid out in front of me.
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