Day 80: Cookeville, TN

Day 80

August 4, 2015

Miles: 36

Carthage to Cookeville

Miles so far: 3047


Di and I hit a milestone yesterday: the 3000 mile mark!  So obviously we celebrated by riding only 36 miles today.  Well, that's not the real reason we rode that few miles, or why Di wrote the blog last night when it was actually my turn.  We rode only 36 miles today because I was sick with a bad stomach ache and headache.  And Di wrote the blog yesterday because I was sick yesterday, too, and went to bed at 5pm and didn't wake up until 7am this morning.  I guess when you are riding across country and you don't feel well, you count 36 miles as a sick day.  You may wonder what it feels like to ride your fully loaded touring bicycle while feeling ill.  Do you remember Sisyphus from Greek mythology?  His afterlife punishment was to push a huge boulder up a hill and every time he got close to the top, the boulder would slip from his hands and roll to the bottom.  Yeah, that's how it feels to go bike touring when you're sick.

 I didn't take many pictures today because I was sick.  I took a bunch of pictures yesterday until I got sick, then I didn't take anymore.  So, for the sake of providing something of any interest whatsoever, I present some pictures from yesterday.

Here is a nice piece of art the Nashville locals apparently call the Nine Naked Butts.  I had been on the lookout for this sculpture while we were in Nashville, but it wasn't until I was heading out of town yesterday morning that I finally found it.

Nine tushes

I am assuming you want close-ups.

Yep, naked

Hey, its art!

I thought the pedestrian bridge leading us over the Cumberland River was a little over-engineered.  It looks like something a kid built with his erector set.

The pedestrian bridge 

I am assuming you want a close-up.

Looks like overkill for a pedestrian bridge

Looking back at Nashville from the pedestrian bridge

Looking back at Nashville and Di from the pedestrian bridge

Di wrote yesterday about the bucolic ride we enjoyed riding out of Nashville.  Here are a couple more pictures to show the wonderful the Music City Bike Trail.

Di raved about the paved path ("That's how it should be done!")

Di expressing her joy on yet another pedestrian bridge

Di wrote yesterday about how we rode on some busy roads.  Here is a picture to illustrate the cold, inhumane contrast between that part of yesterday's ride and the Music City Trail:

Ugh!

We stopped at Witt's BBQ for lunch and you really get your money's worth, at least when you are ordering chicken.

That's a lot of chicken

I had been feeling a little unwell all day, but after lunch I really started to feel bad.  I thought the state of  this barn reflected how I felt.

Not down yet (but not instilling confidence)

The rest of yesterday is just a blur of pushing a rock up a hill, oops, I mean pedaling.  We arrived at the hotel around 4:30 and I was sleeping by 5pm.  I woke up a 7am and Di and I went to get breakfast at the gas station on Main Street.  The hotel owner had recommended it the night before: "Its a gas station and restaurant owned by some black people and I hear the food is very good."  That line could have come straight out of a movie, or at least a William Faulkner novel.

The food was very good and we ate most of it before I remembered to take a picture.

Pancakes and eggs

Another lonely diner picture of the coffee table book

We rode the same road all the way from Carthage to Cookeville, so it lessened the chances of us getting lost.  It was a hot and humid day, with the temperature in the high 90's, so we took a lot of breaks.

This church has kindly provided tables for our dining experience

A break at a gas station provides yet another lonely diner picture

Today's ride was through more rural areas and farm country, so today was a welcome relieve from the urban ride of yesterday.

Horses, how much more bucolic can you get?

I am assuming you want a close-up.

Two naked butts

We got into Cookeville around 3pm and immediately went to the Hampton Inn.  This is Di's hotel of choice, but we were disappointed to learn they were sold out.  It seems the largest yard sale of year is taking place this weekend and folks come from all over the country to attend.  I only have sketchy details, but apparently 700 miles of road from Michigan to Alabama along Rt. 127 will be one enormous yard sale.  The things one learns riding your bike across the country!  We ended up at the Holiday Inn Express, which is Di's second favorite hotel.  For dinner, we went next door to Gondola's Pizza to pick up a greek pizza, a greek salad, and a veggie calzone.   We brought the food back to our hotel room because Di had to catch up on True Detective, an HBO series.

I'm not sure where we are ending up tomorrow, but we are still on our way to Damascus and a rejoining of the TransAmerica Trail.