Crossing into Arkansas, I could feel the air starting to cool off about 50 miles in. There was lightning to the east, and I ran into maybe 15 minutes of rain on the way to Little Rock. Although I was driving in darkness, a full moon was out, which helped me to see pine trees as indistinct, but tall shadows, which seemed to be everywhere! I could also see where it was still flat like Texas in the distance. And although I was driving at night, I could at least see the night skyline of Little Rock. Feeling that I was up to it, I continued onto Memphis. The air was really getting cool, which I really needed to help me stay awake until I could pull off just before sunrise.

Getting close to Memphis, I was wondering how I was going to know I was going to cross into Tennessee. The bridge with the twin arches and lights on it over the Mississippi river was a sign, obviously. I could see the shimmer of the river waters in the reflection of the night skyline and wondered how much of a night life would be happening around 2-3am on a Monday morning. There was a dark pyramid building off to the left right after I crossed the river. I went around Memphis on the north side and kept going until I got to Brownsville, Tennessee, about 2-3 hours west of Nashville. I got there about 4 30 AM and got a room for the day. I ate a few peaches and was in bed by 5 30.

Getting up around 3 PM, I ate and started getting ready with mid-size towels, not the full size bath towels that are supposed to be provided. These were about 1.5 feet by 2.5 feet. One was pretty wet by the time I dried off. I left for Nashville around 6 PM. I ran into a bit of rain and got to see two partial rainbows, which were showing strongly with all the beautiful colors.

It got really cool during the rain. Coming out of a rest stop, the car started to stumble while getting up to speed. I don't know what it is, but I decided that I wasn't going to slow down and drop back down into that speed range where I felt it. Oddly enough, it didn't happen again, but my confidence has been shaken now. I had to get gas and got to the Brentwood REI store just in time to introduce myself and eat my dinner. I took photos of the outside and of the closing shift staff of the store and got a copy of the welcome sign signed by the ranking closing manager of the night. A part of this little store ritual is to eventually travel to as many REI stores as possible, take photos, and get a signed welcome letter from the ranking manager at the time of the visit, and laminate the letter. Real proof that I have visited these stores! A lady working there is a musician in the Nashville scene, so we talked music for a little bit while they were shutting the store down for the night.