Headed East: Nashville Moments

6/23

The drive from Memphis to Nashville along HWY 40 was amazing! My car wasn't thrilled that I was forcing it to chug, chug, a chug up and down the mountain side, but I sure was. I have several friends who love Nashville, so I was really looking forward to experiencing The Music City capital for myself.

But, Covid-19 had a lot to say about my time in the city. All the museums were closed, so I had to come up with some ways to get to know Nashville on my own. First, I booked a double decker bus tour through the city, just to get my bearings on where everything was. I will tell you, it was only an hour, but our director was quite entertaining and added a wonderful humor and history to the quick and cheap tour.

I didn't realize it when I booked the $25 tour, that I would end up right across the street from Broadway. Broadway, the Vegas strip of Nashville, with her neon signs and every music genre you can imagine, beckoning patrons to come in and sit a spell.

Since I was already there, and had 30 minutes left on my parking meter, I took a stroll down the already moving and grooving strip of Music City. Speaking of! A fun fact I learned on the tour was that the "music city" nickname came from Queen Victoria of England! In 1873, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, a cappella singing group from Fisk University, sang for the crown while touring in Great Britain. She was so impressed, that she was quoted for saying, "they must be from the music city". But, some also argue that a Nashville radio DJ, David Cobb in 1950, referred to the name "music city" during a broadcast and started the nickname then. Hmmmmm.

It was still early, and I was longing for some activity, so I headed to a place called Shelby Bottom Farms. Just like Memphis, Nashville has a greenway. In Texas we call them nature preserves, where land is set aside and developed only for outdoor activities such as hiking, biking and picnicking. Where people can get away from the concrete jungle in which they live. I personally, spend a lot of my time at places like this back home.

I had read that you could rent a bike once there, but after three different dead ends, Covid-19 was the victor again. No one was renting, so I had to settle for a three mile stroll down the path instead just to get my body moving. But, I was wonderfully entertained by two speckled back fawns and their mother along the way. So that was a positive.

The pedestrian bridge, perfectly set up along the skyline of downtown Nashville was also added to my agenda. I thought taking in the sunset as I casually strolled along the popular bridge, as the Cumberland River flowed below, would be a great way to start my last evening in Nashville. My timing was perfect, as the sun began to say her goodbyes for the day, and the neon lights began to light up Broadway below.

As evening was settling in, I had to take a turn along the strip all a glow. So down the stairs I went, as all the signs began to fill the night sky with their welcome call. My goal was one bar and one local tap, so I planned to mosey along until a smooth, not too loud, easy sound pulled me in.

It was a cute little open windowed spot called Redneck Riviera, owned by John Rich of Lonestar and Big and Rich, that drew me in. It wasn't too loud, and they just so happened to have a Nashville local on tap. Perfect. I plopped myself down on a bar stool, and soaked in the smooth old country mix of a Texas born musician and his cute partner. A lover of acoustic sound, this duo's bucket full of soul, mixed with their beautiful harmony and friendly banter, kept me there a spell.

The next day, I headed South East out of Nashville for another state park. Covid-19 beat me up again after my arrival at Radnor Lake State Park a little later. This was the first park where the visitor center was closed. Needless to say, I was a bit disgruntled. I love visitor centers. I can get a park map, figure out opinions on best trails, and pick my favorite postcard and sticker. I have done this routine for years, as I have loved stickers since I was a child. I relish the fact that I still long for them; love to collect them. An avid reader, I use the postcards I have collected over the years as bookmarks. There is something about grabbing a postcard from my stash for my next read. I always reminisce about when and where I was when I got it and the memories it instills forever in my mind. But, needless to say, I had to just be ok with the fact that this might become a new normal in the "time of corona".

The Lake Trail and its peaceful tranquility, made me soon forget my stop signs of the morning. I happily strolled my way along the trail, and came upon a deer cleaning her two speckled fawn as they devoured their afternoon snack of mother's milk Their tails fluttered in delicious joy.

As I was nearing the end of the first trail, I stopped to take a photo along the water. The next thing you know, an hour had passed, as I sat in deep conversation with a couple of thirty plus years. As they learned about my travels, I learned about theirs. From Amsterdam, to The Alps of Switzerland, to the walls of Berlin crashing down, this couple reminisced about their long and happy journey together as a couple.

It wasn't until the end of our beloved conversation, that I realized the significance of this park and this trail for the couple. The gentleman, now four years into stage 4 cancer, drops his wife off each day at Vanderbilt, where she works as a social worker, and he then spends his mornings walking the very trail we were on. The trail is a special place for him, and her, as it is just a place of beauty and peace that he returns to over and over. I have always believed in the healing power of nature, and this couple lives in this belief daily as they press onward, just devouring the time they have left with a obvious joy.

As I walked away, I thought about the fact that I could of just took my picture and walked away at that lake view. But, look what had happened instead. It’s moments like these that grow you, humble you, and help to remind you to never take any of it for granted.