After a lovely weekend in the North Carolina mountains with my friends Greg and Jane, 
it was time to hit the road again. I headed for Tennessee and this time there was no rain. There was fog! As I went through Goober’s Gap (actually I don’t remember the name of the gap but this sounded funny), I encountered fog that was thicker than pea soup, it was more like bisque. Fortunately it didn’t last too long and I was finally able to go faster than a lame mule.
As I entered Tennessee, I was surprised to see so many fireworks stores. Every half mile there was the world’s largest fireworks store and in between were smaller fireworks shops. I don’t know what the big attraction to fireworks is but I guess it’s something the locals use to kill time between NASCAR races.
The first town I came to in Tennessee was Cleveland. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and I can safely say that Cleveland, Tennessee is very different. They don’t have a baseball team.
I also went through Chattanooga, home of the famous Chattanooga Choo Choo. The choo choo was made famous in a song popularized by Glen Miller and today it is a hotel. Personally I think they should have made the train into a restaurant and called it the Chattanooga Chew Chew but what do I know?
When I got to Tracy City, Tennessee, I stopped for lunch and had one of the best hamburgers I’ve ever eaten. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant but it shouldn’t be hard to find if you ever find yourself in Tracy City because it’s the only one in town. Don’t expect a fancy place because in addition to mighty fine burgers, the joint also sold live bait, fishing tackle, baby food, and hunting knives. It gave a new meaning to the word eclectic.
As I cruised further on the Tennessee back roads, I came across towns with very interesting names. There was Seddy-Daisy, Dowelltown, and a place named Smartt, which seemed extremely ironic.
I was heading for Clarksville, another town popularized by a train song. The Monkeys recorded The Last Train To Clarksville although they might have been talking about a different Clarksville because the one in Tennessee doesn’t have a train station.
I also had the pleasure of driving through Nashville during rush hour which was about as much fun as getting a facial with sandpaper. This experience should be immortalized in song. I think a country western song with the lyrics, “It’s five o’clock in Nashville and the traffic really sucks. I’d stay overnight here but the hotels charge big bucks.”
Tomorrow I will be traveling through part of Kentucky and then on to Illinois where I’m pretty sure the taxes have increased since I left. Stay tuned.
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