Around May 20, after our Distillery Tours we headed west to Dyersburg to visit with our Utah friend Alex Maxedon otherwise known simply as "Max". Last year Max moved back to Tennessee and we were excited to see him.
Max picked us up early in the morning and took us to a country store/diner for a country breakfast. I'm still amazed at how many rural areas there are one you get off the major highways or Interstates. Without Max's knowledge we would have just driven right by the Lock Gro (short for Grocery)Strore AKA Millsfield Country Club. We had a hearty breakfast of sausage patties, eggs, biscuits and country gravy. A heart attack on a plate and totally worth it.
After breakfast, the boys dropped me off and I spent the day at the hotel writing, doing laundry and even walked to the local Kroger. After almost a month on the bikes, down days are kind of nice.
Randy spent the day with Max touring his 400 acre farm where they are planning to reintroduce quail. Farming and tilling the fields have made it tough for quail to survive in the area and Max and his brother want to create a hunting retreat on his farm for quail, wild turkeys and deer. When Max first saw this property he told me there were 88 wild turkeys right in front of him, which technically you could call his "front yard". He knew that it was the land for him. He and his brother are building a huge house, a shop and have already finished a dog run, that looks nicer than most people's houses. It is going to be a wonderful hunters retreat when it's finished. Max also taught me that in his area, you never refer to your land as a ranch - it's a "farm"and the garage is a "shop". This city gurl is learning a lot on this trip.
The evening found us cruising through rural Dyersburg where we ended up at Boyette's near Reelfoot Lake. Boyette's is famous for their fried catfish and we indulged in a fabulous meal that ran us about $11. Fried food heaven... plates full of catfish, onion rings, french fries, hushpuppies, white beans, green beans, coleslaw and biscuits. The catfish was fabulous and the white beans and coleslaw equally delicious. I'm sure I ate a week of calories and when I get home I need to detox!
After dinner we did a quick walk to Reelfoot Lake State Park, which was gorgeous. It was formed in the early 1800's by a series of major earthquakes. The lake was huge and I had no idea that the area would be so full of cypress trees just growing out of the water. I'm think the locals probably take it for granted but for us it was breathtaking. We walked the boardwalk down to the lake, watching fish jump, turtles swim and cottonwood snakes slither through the water.
Afterwards, Max drove us back to his property. I was amazed that just 15-20 miles out of town feels like we are in the middle of nowhere. There were farms everywhere and country houses and trailers of all shapes, sizes and condition. Some were very fancy and fine while others were run down and overgrown with kudzu vines. People were relaxing on their front porches winding down from the day, dogs were chasing our truck and farmers still working in the fields. Such a different life from our lives in Salt Lake.
The sunset over the farmland in Tennessee was spectacular. Sunset is my favorite time of day and I couldn't get over how beautiful it was.
We loved meeting up with Max and can't wait to go back when his house is finished to stay with him in the country. Max hates Tennessee whiskey and we promised him we'd bring him a bottle of Crown on our next visit. We did leave him with the last of our High West, whiskey for him to enjoy.
Being all across America and seeing so many rural areas, I'm finding that I like the quiet of country life, and sometime in my life, this city gurl may want to experience country life, at least for a little while.
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