Open Mic Tour

Nashville is a happening city – two days really didn’t do it justice, but I did pack a lot in.  Stayed in an Airbnb in the 12 South area.  According to locals, the only reason you’d go here 15 years…

Fifty years ago I traveled around the country with what was referred to in our house as my practice wife.  (Trish had a practice husband, too.)  It was a simpler time and we were simpler people, but some things were…

I was pretty bushed by the time I got to my room in Atha’s modest, unpretentious house not far from downtown.  It was convenient and inexpensive – just what I needed for the night.  I crashed for an hour or…

As I left the winding roads of the Smoky Mountain National Park I decided I would take the Gatlinburg Bypass Road since I felt I could survive without experiencing Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Odditorium, Mysterious Mansion, and the Salt…

Instead of taking the faster Interstate route I meandered my way along the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  As I had been told, it was dramatic and beautiful and definitely worth…

Having spent an extra day in Floyd, I needed to make up some time on my way to Asheville.  Interstate 81 was fast and unremarkable, but things changed once I was on I-26, rightly designated as a Scenic Highway.  It…

So far, so good.  The Outback has been a pleasure to drive and the camping setup works admirably.  The Skyline Drive did not disappoint – spectacular scenery.  I’ve been to some beautiful and remarkable places and met some interesting…

I had gotten used to having No Service.  I figured that phone and Internet access were luxuries I didn’t need in the forest anyway, but when I stopped at the visitor center along the Blue Ridge Parkway and mentioned…

I’m seeing progress.  The first day of camping it took me an hour to set up and 45 minutes to break down.  Of course, I had to figure out how the tent got assembled and remember where I had put…

I’m up early, as has become my habit on the road since I go to bed early and the sun wakens one while camping.  In this case it’s also because of Frederick, the name I’ve given to the multi-colored rooster…

Last evening I met Jim at Lewis Mountain Campground on the Skyline Drive.  He’s a throughhiker just starting out on a 400 mile trek over the next 40 days on the Appalachian Trail.  He recently retired from a long career…

Logistics: the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. (Wikipedia) 

Thus far my logistics have worked out reasonably well, although I see room for improvement.  I was surprisingly tired last night and went to bed not long after…