Day 7: Nashville, TN to Franklin, TN [29 miles]

At the intersection of US 41 and Briley Parkway, Nashville, TN

I had hoped to arrive at one of the many hotels in Goodlettsville in order to put myself in position for a triumphant entrance into Nashville the next morning. Somehow I missed every facility along the way, and the sun set as I wheeled into northern Nashville. I finally found a cinderblock heap along the road, but it turned out the Budget Motel was an all-cash business. For another half hour, I biked in nearly total darkness on a four-lane highway with no shoulder, until I crested a ridge and a great sea of fluorescence opened up before me. I checked in at the Super 8 and ate a dinner of steak and eggs at the Waffle House next door.

On the Spring Street Bridge over the Cumberland River, Nashville, TN

On First Avenue, Nashville, TN

On the corner of Second Avenue and Broadway, Nashville, TN

On the corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, Nashville, TN

On Broadway, Nashville, TN

In front of the Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN

At Mike's Ice Cream Fountain on Broadway, Nashville, TN

Near the corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway, Nashville, TN

Parked in front of Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, some sort of electromagnetic disturbance caused my wireless bike computer to go haywire, reporting impossible speeds. As soon as I pulled away, the readings returned to normal.

In front of Union Station on Broadway, Nashville, TN

At the Flying Saucer on Broadway, Nashville, TN

Since I was already in the neighborhood, I decided to stop in at the Flying Saucer, a remarkable pub and restaurant located in the former passenger terminal of Union Station.

At the Flying Saucer on Broadway, Nashville, TN

It's difficult to tell from this picture of Candace, but the waitresses at the Saucer dress in Catholic schoolgirl outfits.

On the campus of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

On 21st Avenue, Nashville, TN

I passed through the neighborhood of Hillsboro Village, the scene of many good times over the last three years.

In front of the Green Hills Hampton Inn on Crestmoor Road, Nashville, TN

I couldn't resist grabbing a free oatmeal cookie at the hotel where I had spent so many nights over the last three years. The Hampton Inn is also where my friend Jimmy's pants were famously "already off."

On US 431 leaving Nashville, TN

On US 431 entering Franklin, TN

At the corner of Fifth Avenue and Main Street, Franklin, TN

On the town square, Franklin, TN

The Confederate soldier atop the plinth faces south rather than north, which reminded me dimly of a passage from Faulkner describing the monument in Jefferson's town square. I later dug up the reference in Requiem for a Nun:

"... neither the U.D.C. ladies who instigated and bought the monument, nor the architect who designed it nor the masons who erected it, had noticed that the marble eyes under the shading marble palm stared not toward the north and the enemy, but toward the south, toward (if anything) his own rear, looking perhaps ... for reinforcements; or perhaps not a combat soldier at all, but a provost marshal's man looking for deserters, or perhaps himself for a safe place to run to ...."

On Third Street South, Franklin, TN

On Cool Springs Boulevard, Franklin, TN

In front of Bosco's Brewery, Franklin, TN

I had dinner and drinks with friends at Bosco's. From left to right, they are Suprajha, Dan, Evan, Arun, Soumyajeet, and Srinivasa. Not pictured are Ed and Elijah, who had to leave early.

In front of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Franklin, TN

Carrie from Enterprise Rent-A-Car gave me the thumbs up after I wheeled in and asked to rent a pickup truck.

In a room at the Cool Springs Marriott, Franklin, TN

I tore down the Surly in my room at the Marriott, using a few scraps of hotel linen to degrease the chain and gearing. The tour was complete!