After my visit to Galveston, I made the decision to head back to my haven near Nashville, TN.  Driving in heavy traffic on concrete highways in the rain had convinced me that my tires were no longer really up to the job, and I was still struggling to shake off the dehydration that had been bothering me for a while.  Maybe I was just finally getting tired too.  I planned a route through Shreveport, LA, with a stop in Memphis, TN to visit Elvis Presley’s home at Graceland.

All was going to plan, and I showed up at the gates of Graceland…

But unfortunately, these tour busses all showed up and unloaded just ahead of me!  I did make it up to the ticket counter, but was told that it was going to be at least two hours before I could even buy tickets for a tour.  Honestly, I was just so tired at that point, and I’m just not that big an Elvis fan, so I decided to just skip it.  Maybe some other time.  I understand that it’s best to book tickets online at least a day in advance, if anyone is thinking of visiting.

So I filled my gas tank, filled my coffee cup, and made it to Nashville a few hours earlier than I had originally planned.  Yaaaaaaayyy!!!

As you can imagine, after four months of living rough, and 20,000 miles (32,187 km) under my wheels, I was glad to just stop moving for a while.  A spent a couple of days in a pair of borrowed pajamas, drinking pumpkin beer, eating homemade food, and sleeping in a real bed.

I did have to do something about those worn tires, though, so replaced them with a slightly gruntier set.

Strangely, I was having a lot of trouble sleeping in an actual bed each night, and being in a house was feeling a little bit claustrophobic, so I headed a couple of hours down the road to Natchez Trace State Park to do a little off roading with the new tires.  It wasn’t anything very challenging, just logging roads, but it felt good to get away from civilization for a bit and nap under the trees.

There was some road clearing required…

Back at the house, I accidentally taught one of the dogs to love sushi…

I also got to hand out candy to the kiddies on Halloween, which I haven’t done in years!  On the weekend I took a refresher motorcycle course, 8 hours each day, and got my motorcycle license.  I’m hoping to get a bike again sometime in the spring, but at least I’m one step ahead in having my license already.  Interestingly, the course used Suzuki TU250x’s, which is the bike I’ve been thinking of getting anyway, much more agile than my old motorcycle.

I also went to visit Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky.  I was a lovely forested area nestled between two large lakes, and obviously a favorite spot of fishermen and hunters, although there weren’t as many touristy people like me around.  Probably the main reason for me going there was to see bison again, as there’s a herd of them within the park.  I never did see a bison there, unfortunately, although I did see several elk.

Back at the haven, I spent some more time just lounging around, enjoying the fire pit, drinking more pumpkin beer.

And of course, getting ready for the presidential election.  I arrived back in the country too late to register to vote, so I refuse to accept any responsibility for the result.  I thought the US should elect someone kind and loyal, and at least housebroken…

The mood leading up to the election was tense among the people I met, although no one was really discussing the issues or the candidates.  And the morning after the election I went to the coffee shop to, I admit, eavesdrop on conversations and see what people were saying about the results.  But I got a surprise, because not a single person was talking about it.  They were just getting on with life and work.  I wrote a post on my Instagram account that morning, and I think it sums up how I feel about the results, so I’ll include it here.  I’m not very political.  I’m nervous, but just hope we’re able to use this as an opportunity to make changes for the better.