I've been in Tennessee for nearly two years so I felt it was time to make my pilgrimage to the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg this week. I don't think I've ever had Jack Daniel's so I can't say if it's a smooth drinking whiskey or not. It just seems like such a part of Tennessee lore that I had to make the trip.
The leaves have started to turn so the drive was really pretty. I went on Monday and the place was packed. There were 35 in my tour group and they were from all over the country as well as from overseas. The tour was quick but it was interesting. One part was in the fermenting room. There were many vats that were 3 stories high and about 18 ft across. Each one was full of a mash made up of rye, corn, barley, water and yeast. The mash was bubbling as carbon dioxide escaped. The tour guide opened a vat cover and let us take a big whiff. Legend has it that a 6 yr old boy stuck his head in the vat and proclaimed "it smells like grandma's breath." Priceless.
The first radio station that I found in middle Tennessee was WSM. I actually picked it up in Arkansas on the drive up here. It's famous because of its history with The Grand Ole Opry. The second station I found was WPLN which is the public radio station out of Nashville. The radio station started broadcasting in 1962 from the public library. That's where the call letters come from - W Public Library of Nashville. After nearly 2 years of loyal listening, I became a new member of the radio station last week. I got a nifty "Go Public" bumper sticker. In appreciation of my financial contribution, I got to pick out a free gift. I eagerly await the delivery of my $120 coffee mug. giggle
This job has given me my first in depth experience with construction crews. Their lifestyle is interesting but it's got to be rough. They move to a job site for a couple of years while their family stays back "home". They head back for visits but they mostly stay in hotels or travel trailers and send the checks home. It must be the location of this project but most of the crew here is from Louisiana. I've become friends with a bunch of them and every time they head home, I ask them to bring me back some gumbo. A couple of guys have gotten tired of me asking them so they have whipped me up some good Cajun fare. So far, I've had chicken creole, shrimp gumbo and chicken and sausage gumbo. A construction buddy is leaving next weak for his next assignment in Edmonton. He's threatened to make a pot of gumbo while watching Nascar this weekend. yummy
Since the first part of July, my runs on the country roads were like running down cramped hallways in a building. All I could see on either side of me for miles and miles was a row of corn stalks. Between last week and today, the farmers of middle Tennessee have been busy. All of the corn is gone as well as the tobacco. Tobacco might only get to about 2 ft in height but the fields seem empty without it. The denuded tobacco fields mean that the tobacco barns are in full smoking / curing mode. On a cool, calm morning before the sun comes up, the smoke from the barns collects in the valleys. It makes breathing interesting but it looks really cool. The empty corn fields were a shock. All of my walls were gone. I felt so unprotected - so exposed. giggle
All of my long runs take place in the countryside to the east of town. It's all two lane roads and there is very little traffic. I always run on the left side of the road - facing traffic. When I do encounter cars, they are really good about moving all of the way into the other lane as they pass me. I've been pleasantly surprised and I always give them a wave of thanks.
I can't say the same for bikes. Even if it is a couple of bikes coming my way, it's a game of chicken. I exaggerate slightly but they seem to enjoy some close time with me as they pass. I ran this past Saturday and I ran right into the Labor Day Century ride. Hundreds of riders riding a hundred miles. A few would shout out "runner up" and move to their left but others enjoyed watching me sidestep into the ditch. Maybe they were acting out their roid rage. giggle.
I attended a Nashville Sounds game a couple of months ago. They are a Triple A farm team for the Brewers. It was fun but the overall experience was kind of blah. The crowd wasn't into it. The players weren't into it. I chalked it up to the hot weather.
Today I drove 65 miles to Bowling Green, KY to see the Hot Rods play. The Hot Rods are the Single A team for the Tampa Bay Rays. The entire drive was through farmland on country roads. Bowling Green has a population of 50,000 and is the home of Western Kentucky University. I went to a Sunday day game and when I got to town, all of the little freshman were moving into the dorms. They were cute.
The baseball team is called the Hot Rods for a couple of reasons - my favorite is that General Motors has been using Bowling Green as the lone manufacturing site for the Corvette since 1981. Who knew? The Hot Rods stadium is really nice. There was a lot of energy for a small crowd. All of the players had birthdays in 1991 or 1992 and they were having a grand time. I wish I had discovered them a little earlier in the year. Play ball...
The summers in middle Tennessee are hot and humid. The past two mornings however have been unseasonably cool. It's early August and it's supposed to stay toasty for a while longer. However, it was 62 on Saturday and 59 on Sunday morning. I've had a rough time running this summer so this was a pleasant surprise. On most mornings, I've been reduced to a puddle after the first couple of miles. I ran 15 miles on Saturday and I felt like I could have gone further. I'll probably have my bubble burst on the next warm morning but I really enjoyed this weekend.
Where do I send the thank you card? giggle
