Day 1: Brookfield to Nashville

The past couple of weeks have been suprisingly perfect. We’ve spent our days eating glorious Zoe breakfasts, gardening, doing household projects, listening and watching the girls run from neighborhood backyard pool to pool, and sipping iced coffee. Our evenings have been filled with dinners cooked on the Weber, reading, and wine in the backyard with neighbors as the kids catch fireflies. I have thought so many times that if we had decided to press on we’d be missing this perfection. I’m glad we are home.

We had a long weekend booked in Tennessee for Labor Day and decided that we should turn it into a slightly longer trip now. It takes the sting away of what happened in San Francisco and gives us something else to talk about when people ask about our summer. Additionally, we’ll be spending time in Nashville and Louisville, two cities we have never explored.

We left at a ridiculously early hour. On the road before six. That was a killer. I’ve adjusted to sleeping in until 8, or 9, or actually 10. But a stop for coffee made it somewhat bearable.

After a quick drive of about four hours, we arrived at our first destination, the George Roberts Clark National Historical Park. Until yesterday, when we read the Wikipedia article on him, I knew nothing of him. He was a pretty kick ass officer during the Revolutionary War and had a huge impact on defeating the British. It really is a fascinating story, one that seems too history book like, but when you see the exact spot that he led soldiers across the Wabash River and toward a British fort, it becomes quite real. After the victory he was accused of being a drunk and was forced into retirement. After years of living in poverty he became quite ill and his much younger brother, William Clark, cared for him until he died. That William Clark is the exact same one from the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The same William Clark who grafittied his name into Pompey’s Pillar. We saw that two years ago. Full circle. I’m telling you, this American history is deep.

We had a delightful time in the memorial and walking the grounds. After the girls were sworn in as Junior Rangers, we were back on the road.

Our next stop, Lincoln’s Childhood Home National Memorial, was only an hour and a half away. My dad claims I have been here before, but I have absolutely no recollection. We hiked a wooded mile loop to the location of the Lincoln homestead for 16 years. It was humbling to be on the land where he spent so much of his young adult life. His mom died from the most bizarre plant that killed her and then his stepmom had an intense impact on him here on this farm. He has a huge following in the Knott household, and it was really moving to be here. The visit also made me realize how important these early years are to Zoe and Ellie. Two hundred years from now folks could be going on a tour of our home because of the impact they made a century prior. I hope we have an upgraded kitchen before people start touring our house.

After the visit, we drove just two and a half hours through the rest of Indiana, all of Kentucky, and to Nashville. We checked in at five, just in time for wine hour at the newest Kimpton, Aertson Hotel. We nibbled on crazy fancy ants on a log, sipped wine, and played our newest family game, Bears vs. Babies. It was so nice and good to be focused on the four of us again. After wine hour, we threw on suits and spent the rest of the evening swimming and soaking in the sun and moon light at the rooftop pool. We ordered in from a hipster place that was trying way to hard, but we were able to not leave the poolside.

This second version of Road Trip 2017 is off to a brilliant start. Now let’s just hope no one finds our empty car break in worthy tonight.

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