Journey: Knoxville, TN to Memphis, TN
Number of times I gave the finger: 0. My soul was too crushed by the long drive to care. You want to cut me off? Okay. Go for it.
Cups of coffee: On the outskirts of Nashville, I decided it was time for a cup of coffee. Found the nearest Starbucks, only to discover that I’d been there once before last year. What are the odds?
Trucks filled with live pigs: 1
Number of times I thought the car might be on fire: 3
Number of times the car was, fortunately, not on fire: 3
Things I learned: If you scream “FUCK OFF” at your iPhone, Siri asks, “Did I do something wrong?”
Personal growth moment: I wore the same socks for the third day in a row. Normally this would make me cringe in horror. But Road Trip Lindsay is adaptable! Goes with the flow! Ignores hygiene!
The highlight of this day was undoubtably the group ride – after a bit of research the night before, I found a winter training ride to join to knock out my ride for the day in the company of fellow cyclists. The crew from KnoxVelo could not have been nicer and more welcoming. When I rolled up to the group at the start, they introduced themselves and then asked if I needed something to cover my ears since it was so cold. I laughed, told them it was practically warm there by Virginia standards, and asked if it was snowing somewhere on the ride route and if that’s why everybody was so bundled up. Apparently “cold” is relative.
It was a great 3+ hour ride on rolling Knoxville roads. The group was really cohesive and friendly – more about riding together than smashing each other – but we kept up a solid pace that made for a great workout. This is exactly the kind of experience I was hoping to have in setting out across the country alone. New people, new places, good times.
Then I got in the car and started to lose my mind. The sun set pretty soon after I started, and driving on a highway for 5 hours in the dark is akin to reading the phone book in terms of excitement. By the time I rolled into Memphis, I was ready to run screaming from the car. And I did, because holy crap did I have to pee by that point.
My home for the night was a 100-year old mansion in downtown Memphis, in an Elvis-themed room with a fireplace. The house was toasty and smelled like fresh-baked cookies, which made it slightly more palatable that a dog had peed in my bed shortly before my arrival. Then I learned a valuable life lesson: DO NOT STAY IN ANYWHERE THAT IS ADJACENT TO FREIGHT TRAIN TRACKS. I learned that lesson over and over again all night long as the trains whistled and whistled and whistled.
Now I’m pouring coffee into my eyeballs and trying to figure out where to go next. Dallas? Oklahoma City? Back to bed?
Glad you stopped by and explored our little part of the world. Come hang out with us any time your travels make it possible. Maybe you could make it for a Tuesday Night Worlds. We’d certainly enjoy having you join us!
Skip OKC. Go the extra 2 hrs to Dallas.