Left DC at 6 AM. Driving the DC area during the morning was a piece of cake compared to what I had to go through yesterday, namely because driving the streets amidst the swarm of pedestrians, or should I say the tourists, was a pain in the arse.
The drive from DC to Tennessee placed me on highway 66 heading West, and then onto I-81 South. The route took me through Virginia along the Appalachina Trail, which was one of the most beautiful, scenic routes I've taken thus far. (That's now saying much - I still have a lot ahead of me :) Surrounding me, front, back, left, and right were endless expanses of lush, green trees flanked by the ranges of mountains in the distant background. It's a shame, I couldn't enjoy the view as a passenger :(
Another cool part about the drive from DC down to Tennessee involved driving through patches of a storm. For about an hour, I found myself driving through patches of rain clouds. Literally, some part of the road would be dry with the sun shining down on the black asphalt while the road several feet ahead would be drenched thanks to the rain cloud looming over that portion of the road.Once in TN, I had planned on spending the night in Knoxsville, and heading to Memphis in the morning, but I scratched that plan once I drove into their version of "downtown." I was expecting streets filled with restaurants, cafes, stores, bars, and lots, and lots of people. I was surprised, therefore, when I found myself driving through empty streets with little to no signs of human activity, or humans. The town felt more like an empty college campus!
I decided to ask someone just to make sure that I wasn't making a mistake, and that I was in fact in downtown Knoxville. The dude at the YMCA was nice enough. He confirmed that, yes, this was downtown Knowxville, and that honestly there wasn't that much to do around the area. Suggesting that I'd be better off spending the evening in Nashville, he directed me back toward I-40 West. So I hopped back into my Prius and was on my way to the birthplace of Country Music!After driving for close to 3 hours through the dry and, at times, wet highway, I finally made my way to Nashville, TN. I'm not much of a Country music lover, but I appreciated the vibrant downtown atmostphere it had to offer. The main street was buzzing with activity- tourists and locals alike filled every street corner, every bar, and every major intersection. Everything that screams country could be found on the main strip: cowboy boots, cowyboy hats, bars ozzing country music, guitar shops, etc. You name it, they've got it!
Anyway, the time is now close to 10pm. I have a long drive ahead of me tomorrow so I'm going to call it a night. :)
