Our friends got a great idea to see Micheal Franti & Spearhead in a cave in Tennessee. I am just glad that they invite us along on these excursions. There were 20 of us staying at 3 Air BnBs. Trav and I  planned nothing! After many group texts on who is in charge of what, they decided that a couple people would buy ALL the food and bill the rest of us. Genius! There was WAY less waste that way. And, again, Trav and I were along for the ride.

We met up in Nashville for lunch, since we had to pass through anyway. I have never been to Nashville. I have never been to a place where it is so normal to wear boots with shorts. I would have trouble pulling that off at home, unless you’re talking about mucking boots because you work on a farm. But most farmers also wear jeans. What a crazy cacophony of humanity and music. We ate at Wildhorse Saloon because it could accommodate the group. Every musician in Nashville is amazing. 

Since the concert wasn’t until Sunday night, we hiked some Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s hike was supposed to be light, with options to cut it short. Perhaps because Smokey is a forest preserve ranger or perhaps because light hike means something different in the mountains of Tennessee than the flatlands of Indiana, that hike was not light. It was uphill or downhill with tree roots turning your ankles every which way. Since I had no idea what I was in for, I wore my hiking flip flops, which are perfect for a “hike” on a beach, or normal trail in Indiana. We were hiking to a waterfall with a swimming hole, so I had my swim suit under my hiking clothes. It was a bit rough (mostly because of my shoe selection), but we made it. I am pretty sure it was only ½ -¾ of a mile into the hike. We swam in that swimming hole. We even made up a synchronized swim routine. After that swimming hole, we had to decide to go back or continue on for another 1 ½ miles to the next (very disappointing as it turns out) waterfall. You would think that I would go back with my shoe issues, but no, I go with the “continue on” group. Now, my flip flops were wet, so my feet were sliding around, so that was fun. As Travis and I were talking, I thought we both decided to continue on. As I turned the corner though, he went back with the “return to the cars” group… with our backpack. So, he had my clothes, because I thought I would put them on in a few minutes, after I stopped dripping so much. At that point, I continued the further part of the hike in a swimsuit with flip flops. Nearly everyone we passed was in full hiking gear, so I looked completely normal. And I could have stolen Trav’s shoes if I knew he was going back. Inexplicably, he had both shoes and flip flops, and chose to wear the flip flops until he dried a bit. Imagine, changing after you dry a bit. Wouldn’t that be nice. 

So, Travis didn’t die that day, which I consider a win. The next day, part of the group went on another waterfall hike. I opted out because my ankles hurt so bad from navigating the tree roots in flip flops. I didn’t realize that ankles could ache that much. This time, Travis actually joined me. We went to a natural bridge, but managed to get lost going there. So, we also found what we call “Graffitti Rock” which overlooks a valley. 

In between hikes, we drank and listened to the Old Man Band, which is what this group calls itself when they play music together. We sometimes drank a little too much, which is difficult to believe. We even toured the concert cave and another cave on that property, partly so we could scope out the tailgating opportunities. And we got there early and tailgated on Sunday evening. We had one 10 x 10 canopy in case it rained. I didn’t do the math on that, but I’m pretty sure we would have ended up in the cars if it poured. Instead, we sat around the outside of the canopy so we could talk, and when it drizzled, we considered it a blessing from the heat. We may not be the smartest crew, but we have fun!!

The Franti concert was AMAZING! I even got pulled up on a mini stage with Franti. I pulled Travis up with me. Franti is REALLY tall, so we didn’t even look like we were on the stage, but it was awesome. The whole experience was worth the drive to Pelham. The venue is called The Caverns if anyone is interested. I went home still carrying the five pounds I gained on my earlier summer vacation, but oddly no more than that. The ankle-turning hike must have mitigated some weight gain. And to my Lisle friends, you PEMF (we cannot write this out), thanks for continuing to include us in your shenanigans, even if the bar by the same name didn’t turn out to be that great. 

Next week, I will write about the crazy family vacation. The school year looms, so I must fit all shenanigans in quickly. Work saves me from myself. Have a great week everyone!