5 Sep 2021
Down day number two, trip day number five. Hummm, hope that’s not too confusing! Well, been a while since I’ve seen this at Cracker Barrel — lots of front porch sitt’n for brunch. Kind of out of character for a “Road Less Traveled” adventure right? Perhaps but, it is an iconic stop while on the road, at least for us. Somewhere along the way, seems like we will generally hit at least one.
This display really caught my eye for some reason. Quite the line up right? That’s a whole lot’a different sodas! Hope it always stays this way, I’m not a fan of one giant company taking over everything. Although, I suppose these days some monster conglomerate owns the brands… All the colors and shapes provide such a pleasing look and offer a mini brain workout… How many have you enjoyed?
After the the meal it’s off to see what might be found in this old railroad town. A coffee perhaps? On the way, just look at this! So bold, clever, and expressive. I was so focused on ‘driving and finding’ that this photo very slowly entered my consciousness. It was one of those ‘wait, what was that? That was neat. Should I take a picture. Why, yes of course. Ooops, there it goes, way too late’ kind of moments. Thankfully it was easy to U-turn, so now you get to see too :-).
Love to see towns dress up the old buildings with murals. Freshening up the look, and encouraging people to engage with the soul of a place rather than remaining in the vacuous strip malls on the outskirts. Based on what I have been able to read, the town continued to thrive as rail travel tapered off with the creation of U.S Route 70 from the North Carolina to Los Angeles in the late 1920’s. Later growth continued because of proximity to Interstate 40. You know, I didn’t notice this until posting this picture here – the map is drawn south up. How very curious. I wonder why?
Ok, this looks promising… Unfortunately the “Our Story” on their website is not much of a story at all, just shameless marketing. Fine I suppose, it is a business, but still, it is a little disappointing. Hopefully there is a story. Very nice place regardless.
Well, not all down day, going to start moving a tad west, need at least a little forward motion. We want to at least stay in a new place tonight! So, begin to making our way a smidgen west and a north.
Ah, here we go, new and unique it is. Land between the Lakes, previously Land between the Rivers. Hop, skip, and a jump back over this bridge after dropping gear and we’re there. Second bit of land defined by a river in two days. A theme?
Shall we stop at the ranger station to get some background information? Yes, of course. First off, wildlife galore! I had no idea that this area was prolific with Bison and Elk back in the day, did you? I expected them to be on the prairie further west, not here in Tennessee. Well, always learning.
Well, considering Dr. Franklin’s position I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps we should all aspire to a keen sense of character over thin veneer “For in truth, the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America. Eagles have been found in all countries, but the turkey was peculiar to ours… He is besides, (though a little vain and silly tis true, but not the worse emblem for that) a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on.”
An amazing sight to be sure. Quite a beautiful creature. We only saw a few bison in the distance lying down in a field. Dark spots poking up above the grasses, not so photogenic, so none of them made the film roll. Perhaps next time.
Well, we got in early and the bike was filthy so some washing is in order. Seems my efforts were of interest to this gal who was watching from the garden. Penny for your thoughts?
Well, that’s about it for tonight – catching some dinner and a good nights sleep, then off tomorrow as the journey continues with a bit more earnest. As always, follow along on the map and be encouraged to get out there to explore.