Family Time in Franklin

In the morning, we decided to go explore around downtown Franklin. We began our touring with breakfast at Puckett’s. Tasty down home cooking. I had a brisket hash topped with a pair of eggs. Energy to get us rolling.

Walked the quaint storefronts and had a visit at Kilwin’s, the candy store where Andrea works. Met some of the crew and picked up some snacks for later on. Wandered the streets checking out civil war memorials and Franklin happenings.

Drove over to Carnton, where confederate soldiers were treated after defeat at a crucial, bloody battle for Franklin in 1864. The McGavock family was caught in the middle. After hiding in the basement through the battle, they found thousands of wounded and dying soldiers. They treated those they could and dedicated themselves to seeing to decent burials for the others.

Said my farewells to Jerry and Andrea and drove over to the Hipcamp I’d set up online. It was on a concrete pad in the yard of a family near Centerville. I hadn’t realized how close they were to the gun club. I set up and sat a few minutes. It sounded like a battle surrounded the RV and we had better duck for cover. I walked down their trail to the river and was unimpressed. There was plenty of daylight and I figured it would nice to shorten up tomorrow’s drive time, so I packed it back up and hit the road towards Arkansas.

It was an hour of skinny little backroads through the farmland and trees until I reached the highway going west. Continued until about five then stumbled upon Pin Oak lake state park in the Natchez Trace forest. Awesome state park. The host, Tommy, saw me pull in looking lost and set me up with the end spot by the dock right on the lake. No one on the other side either. Probably one the sweetest camps I’ve had in my travels.

Got myself set up, connected and unpacked then took a paddle up the left hand shore of Pin Oak lake. A slight wind was ruffling the water. I went hard against the wind then coasted home to be greeted by a beautiful sunset.

Lit a fire, talked to PJ in Costa Rica then heated up a pot of Joe’s Hal-al beef stew he sent packing with me when I left Kentucky. Stew by the fire on the banks of a starlit lake. Doesn’t get much better than this.