Nashville

I woke up Friday morning, Halloween, behind the Camden library. Found some breakfast and started walking in great weather. I walked slowly for a while, not making more than ten miles or so before stopping for a late lunch in New Johnsonville, just across the Tennessee River. By the time I reached the next little town of Denver, the oaks were already soaking up evening and, at a little church near the road, some small witches and zombies and iron men took a tractor ride while their mothers chatted and sorted out candy.
I made it into Waverly, as the night came down, and put up my tent in a little field next to the local Wal-Mart.
In the morning, as the thick dew dried in the sunlight, the store manager waved me over from the lawn and garden section.
"There's no way you slept in my field," he says, brightly. I don't say anything - just smile. "You can't have been very comfortable. They send trains by here all the time."
"Didn't hear a thing," I say.
"Well, I can't let you sleep there every night," he says. "You're not putting up residence, are you?"

I hike out of Waverly, and through the town of McEwan around noon, and walk well through the hills, the changing leaves, the pastures, into Dickson by evening. I see a Presbyterian church off the highway and decide to pull over. Normally I don't try doors, but I decide to give this one a shot and sure enough it's open, but just the outside one, letting me into a small entryway. I sleep in warmth, anyway.
Sunday I wake up to coffee, and Sunday School. I'm invited to stick around for the day, and a man from the church drives me to the library and his kids and I throw a football around until the doors open. Later on he takes me to his mother in law's house (she's out of town) so that I can shower and clean up for evening service.
I spend Sunday night on the youth group's couches, alone in the church, and Monday morning I'm fed breakfast before taking off.
I walk straight to White Bluff, and then buy a few groceries before taking a nap near the road. When I wake up it's already getting dark, which seems weird. But I've lost an hour, now, and the loss of Saving's Time cuts into my walking hours. I turn on the headlamp after a while and make it to Pegram, for the night, sleeping in front of the First Baptist Church.
Election day I sat in a gas station for an hour, watching all the candidates vote, and made it into the outer fringes of Nashville before finding myself a cheap hotel. It's the first time I've done so on the trip, and it feels odd - feels guilty - but it's wonderful to be able to watch my first election in a warm place, without worrying about where I'm going to sleep.
I stay up to see Mr. Obama's speech, then drift off, but leave the t.v. running all night, catching a few blurry details on and off.
Today I made it across the city to the hotel where I'm being put up by Soles4Souls while I'm here. Julie, from the organization, brought me a gift basket they've put together, and tonight I'm living it up.
In the morning I'll be going back into the main of town to walk with the founder of the organization, Wayne Elsey, to a mission in downtown, where I'm told we're going to be handing out shoes.