Franklin/Nashville

Wednesday – October 20

Philip came out to assemble the new Aventon electric bike.  It took him about an hour and all the pieces were intact.  We also met the owner of the Bed and Breakfast, Steve, who lives in the adjacent home.  The 2 cottages were initially built to house family members as their place only had one bedroom.  It was a family member who encouraged them to advertise with AirBnB.  The cottages offer a lovely retreat near Franklin, TN.  Unfortunately Steve’s wife, Stephanie, was off on a business trip during our stay.




We planned a tour of the Hermitage, home of Andrew Jackson, as his life story is tied to the Trace but it was closed.  We didn’t discover this until we drove there (about an hour drive).  On the way home we stopped at the bike shop for tail lights recommended by Philip.

Ellen and Tom arrived at the South of the Fork before we returned.  Steve invited us over for pre-dinner drinks.  He has an impressive array of bourbons and we enjoyed visiting with him before heading to downtown Franklin for dinner.


Steve recommended Americana Taphouse.  Bennie and Ann carb loaded with spaghetti and meatballs, while Ellen and Tom stuck with the house specialty – hamburgers.  We enjoyed the live music and beer, as well.




After dinner we walked to the town square which has a statue dedicated to Confederate soldiers.  The locals refer to him as “Chip”.  Steve had asked us to call before we left dinner, so he could light the fire in the yard.  It was blazing when we arrived.  His fire pit resembles the cast iron pots used to refine sugar cane in the 1800’s.  Steve visited with us and kept the fire burning until we headed to bed.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Natchez Trace Day One & Day Two

Image
 Thursday October 21 st Our ride started with a visit to the famous Lovelace Café.   There was a festival going on, so we opted for take out.   We took our eggs, grits, fried chicken, country ham and homemade jams to our starting point, about 7 miles from the northern terminus of the Trace.   There were no picnic tables, so Philip set up a folding table and chairs. After our filling breakfast we started our ride at milepost 437 about 11:30am.   Philip drove ahead and we stopped every 10-15 miles for snacks, lunch and water refills.   The terrain is hilly and we crossed the Tennessee Divide.   Rain at the top goes to the Duck and Tennessee River on one side and to the Cumberland River on the other.   It is a north/south divide.   This point was known as the beginning of the wilderness as it was the boundary of the Chickasaw Nation. About 29 miles into the ride, Ellen switched to the electric Aventon.   Ann was on an electric bike the ...
Read more

Franklin/Nashville

Image
 Thursday  We had a busy last day seeing the sights in and around Nashville.  Starting in Franklin for 100 layer donuts at Five Daughter's Bakery.  We tried pumpkin spice and maple, both were delicious.  The bakery is located at the Factory Mall and is across from the Fork of the South store.  We picked up the extra Aventon battery which was mailed there.  We also found some unique gifts. A quick tour of Nashville included the Parthenon, a replica of the Greek Parthenon built for the Tennessee centennial.  On for a walk of lower Broadway which was hopping.  We walked to the river and then by the Ryman Auditorium.  We ordered a take out lunch at Jack's and headed to the Hermitage, the home of Andrew Jackson.  We ate our lunch at the picnic table and headed in for our tour of the mansion..   The home still has many of the furnishings dating back to Andrew Jackson's time.  The General and his wife, Rachel, are both burie...
Read more

Natchez Trace Day Four

Image
 Sunday - October 24 - Day 4 Jane prepared an elaborate breakfast including sausage, egg casserole, biscuits, stewed apples, cheese grits and four types of homemade jams.  We enjoyed talking with both Jane and her husband, Toby, who is a direct descendent of Patrick Henry and a retired Social Security judge. After our filling breakfast we headed back to the Trace to start our ride at Witch Dance Milepost 233 (these mileposts are distances from Natchez, MS).  We rode 52 miles ending at Historic French Camp which is right on the Trace. We stopped at the "Old Trace" to check out the historic sunken trail.  Ellen and Ann left the Trace for a short ride to a gas station for a restroom break. We had lunch at the Busby campground followed by a 13 mile end to our ride.  Unfortunately the Caffe at French Camp is closed on Sunday, so Phil drove us to Starkville, the home of Mississippi State, for dinner at Harvey's.   After an enjoyable meal, we returned to Fren...
Read more