Tupelo-Shilo-Paris-Clarksville

Two days worth of travels to report! From Tupelo I headed north and just across the border into Tennessee there were signs for the battlefield at Shilo, one of the bigger battles in the first year of the Civil War. Battlefields have never been my thhing but it was on the road so I made the turn and drove to the visitor center. The closer I got to it, driving through the area where the battle took place, the more dense the air became, and I had chills running up and down my arms. It was as if  I was being surrounded by something very foggy and heavy. When I walked into the visitor center and began chatting with the park ranger, he looked straight at me and said something about all the men who were buried there in mass graves and he said "Sometimes you can feel their presence."  And I swear, I felt it. It was as if bodies were standing all around me, very close but not touching me, just there, making sure I was aware of them. It was almost tangible.

I watched an excellent short film about the Shilo battle and then did a driving tour around the grounds. The entire experience was so surprising to me. You could understand how the Civil War battles were so futile in their nature, just men standing up, firing guns, reloading and getting shot while doing so. What a waste. In two days, more than 23,000 men were either dead, wounded or missing. It was a sobering visit.

My drive lead me further through Tennessee, all on two lane back roads and eventually into the small town of Paris. How could I not stay in Paris? My accommodations left a great deal to be desired, we will skip over that.

Today I drove over the border into Kentucky and across beautiful pastures, fields, meadows, rolling hills. These southern states are very beautiful, forested or farmed. Mostly I am driving small two lane roads so I am seeing a lot of rural country and loving it. Gorgeous old houses, some very well kept, some not. Tonight I am just northwest of Nashville, where I will spend Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I am going to the Ryman Theater tomorrow to see Lucinda Williams and I am very much looking forward to being in one city for two nights.

There is so much more to report,  but it's late. I will try to fill in more details tomorrow morning. For example, I visited a winery here in Tennessee, and would love to tell you about that!

Thanks for tuning in ......