July 29 – After a blueberry pancake breakfast at our quiet woodsy campsite, we continued east toward Nashville. We could have taken the interstate the whole way, but were intrigued by the Natchez Trace Parkway for its historic significance, its scenery, and its engineering. The Parkway follows the trail first used by Native Americans and later used by American settlers and military troops.

We stopped at an 1812 war memorial and also at the nationally acclaimed, double arch, concrete Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge. (Can you tell Susannah is a civil engineer by training?) We were surprised that so few people were traveling the parkway – we saw only 3 cars on the 25 mile stretch that we travelled.

Just before Nashville we explored the historic town of Franklin, enjoying its charming architecture, ambience, and frozen yogurt!

We spent the night with Susannah’s cousin Krisi who made us feel most welcome. She cooked us a delicious Japanese dinner and led us on a walking tour around nearby Belmont University, which was all lit up at night. The kids romped with their second cousin Eli and we all got a kick out of playing Apples to Apples.

Day 31: Chickasaw State Park TN to Nashville TN, via the Natchez Trace Parkway and Franklin – about 175 miles.