Knoxville TN

Day One - Charleston to Knoxville TN

It was bittersweet leaving Charleston. Despite only having the 17 and the 526 as my last sights of the city - the sun was rising over the river marshes and despite myself, I let the memories come swarming in. I still can’t believe I am doing this.

That said - once I got past Summerville, I set into driving mode. It was a synch of a drive and I found it somewhat beautiful as the flat plains slowly turned into undulating hills. There is one point along the 26 that you drive around the bend and you get your first glimpse of the Smokey Mountains. It’s a beautiful sight to see the mountains spurt up out of nowhere.

There were plenty of stops for the dog. I hate how rest stops have become pretentious - “Dog Walk Area Over There” - over there being a thin strip of grass between parked cars and the interstate. I mean, honestly? Their freaking’ rest stops for Christ’s sake - since when did they become anal-retentive?

Regardless, we made great time - pulling into Knoxville just after 1pm. I opted to not go directly through the Smokey Mountain National Park - I knew that Gatlinburg on the other end was a bit of a nightmare and I decided that I would rather the interstate than become frustrated with out-of-state tourists driving too slowly and then face a shit strip of endless stoplights. The result was that I got to check into the “pet-friendly hotel” early and take a nap.

Around 4ish when it started to cool down to 90 degrees, Dogan and I ventured into Knoxville to explore. Thinking that there wasn’t too much, I wandered into a nice little park followed by a pedestrian strip filled with funky stores, restaurants and heaps of people enjoying the early evening. A group of guys were playing that beanbag horseshoe game, kids played in fountains, people were sitting in outdoor restaurant verandas, and guitarists were playing tunes to us all.

Everyone loved Dogan - he was quite the star. As I waited for take-away, I was joined on a bench by a fellow named Joshua - one of the guitarists I had heard in passing before. He was a great bloke and asked if he could join me to play some tunes. I was highly amused. He was really good and gave me some great advice for some new bands. As it turns out, he’s the lead singer of some band that will be playing in Myrtle Beach soon…

Once our adventures in the park came to an end - we rolled back into the hotel for some R&R. I plan to have a REALLY early start tomorrow - off to St. Louis - the gateway to the West.

All in all - I like this road trip, but at the moment I do feel a bit homeless. I know Dogan doesn’t like the hotel business and I have to scold him for barking every time someone walks past the door. He has a week to learn.

Till tomorrow!

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Part of trip: My Oregon Trail

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