Nashville Adventures
Journal Entry #9
October 1, 2021
We booked a Hipcamp in the heart of East Nashville (Hipcamp, for those who don’t know, is like Airbnb for RVers- people with RVs and campers can camp in people’s driveways, yards or land, for a fee). R, our host, had a house in East Nashville with a long side driveway and quiet backyard. We planned a five night stay because we wanted to explore the East End food/arts scene, downtown Nashville music/street life and we also had tickets for Pilgrimage Fest, a two day music event in Franklin, about 20 miles south.
We have now been on the road for about a month. One thing we have learned about van life is that going from place to place is much like launching a ship or coming into port. You literally have to go through a comprehensive checklist to prepare to leave a site, and when you arrive at a new site there are an equally long number of steps to go through to set up “camp“. For example, our checklist for any departure includes:
Unplugging any shore power or water, closing the fans, locking the fridge, putting away all extraneous items on counters back into their cabinets, turning our swivel seats back to forward position, taking down window privacy covers, taking the leveling blocks out from under the tires, turning the shower pump and sink pump off, locking drawers, etc. When we arrive, it’s doing much of those same things but in reverse. Ultimately it takes about 30 minutes to set up or leave a site. We imagine we will get faster and more efficient at these steps, nevertheless, we need to account for this preparation time. What this also means is we don’t just “jump in the van” to go somewhere or pick up something we need. Essentially, once we make camp the van stays put. And this made for an interesting experience in Nashville.
Our first morning in Nashville was easy. We took out the bikes and went for a ride along the Music City Greenway which gave us a great opportunity to wind our way along the Cumberland River to the J Percy Priest Dam. In the afternoon we walked over to the Five Points area of East Nashville. With a car, we could have easily just hopped in, and the trip would have taken us no more than three or four minutes. However, wishing to leave the van where it was we decided to go by foot. It was a good 30 minute walk to get to the area we wanted to explore. We did the same thing the following day, walking along the river front and across the pedestrian bridge to downtown Nashville and then further on to Pinewood Social where we ate dinner, easily a 2 1/2 mile walk. Luckily the weather on both days was beautiful. Still, unlike being on vacation where you might choose to stay in the “center of all the action” or spend money on taxis and Ubers, living daily in the van means that exploring places requires some advance planning and accounting for extra time to get to and from home as well.
This became even more obvious to us when we were trying to get down to Franklin for the music festival. We had booked our concert tickets fairly late; we were awaiting word that the concert required proof of vaccination (and thankfully they announced it was a requirement). When we attempted to find RV friendly parking or overnight parking nearer to the venue, we learned that the festival was not offering camping and that parking and Nashville shuttle options were sold out. We decided to take our chances that we would be able to find rides from our van down to Franklin and back up to Nashville both days. I am sure you are thinking “well, there is this thing called Uber...” Yes, this is true. And we did manage to book an Uber ride from Nashville down to the concert the first morning. But Uber could not confirm a return ride. We had heard it was a common challenge to get rides back up to Nashville from that far south. So, we worked a side deal with L, our driver, to bring us home. The first day of the concert was outstanding. The Black Keys closed the night out at around 10:00pm. And then came the REAL adventure. We found our ride easily. L was waiting at our agreed upon meeting place. Unbeknownst to us, however, he had booked three other groups to pick up and drop off in and around Franklin. We waited for an hour for the second party to show up… and then the third party never arrived. So L, being a southern gentleman, drove around Franklin trying to reach the missing third party (two youngish women, likely drunk.) We eventually found one of them on the roadside walking to her hotel, and the other finally answered L’s calls to say she didn’t need a ride after all. In the end, it took us two hours to get back to Nashville; a ride that should have taken about 20 minutes.
We were determined to do better on day two! This time, we asked our Hipcamp host if she knew of any other way to get down to Franklin and back. As it turned out, this is where her parents lived and she kindly offered us a ride to the concert grounds. She also reached out to her friends and a friend of a friend, named TJ, offered us a ride back up in his monster truck taxi. We thought we were set! But mid way through the concert we got a text from TJ. He had scheduled a ride pick up from from the Titans home game, blew out a tire and couldn’t get to us. Now we were running out of options.
But van/RV road life has its own unique community and kinship. We had met K and V at the Indiana brewery we had overnighted at three days prior. They shared our love of travel, music and wine, and were also planning to attend this same concert as they had family in the area. When we met in Indiana we had exchanged contact information. So, I reached out to them, on the off chance they might have ideas of how we might get back to Nashville. We managed to link up towards the end of the concert and made an incredibly generous offer to drive us back to our van, which was well beyond where they were headed. It was a great ride. Before we said goodbye they welcomed us to stay with them in Seattle when we get out there.
So, while we have significant freedom to choose where we travel, we often have less control over the mechanics and details of getting around in a local area. Staying in cities present a challenge, especially since cities often have more limited parking or “camping” options for large vehicles. Luckily, we have strong legs and good bikes. That said, we understand why many RVers pull a separate car or, conversely, pull their trailer behind them so that they can unhook their smaller car to “get around”.
Even so, we are finding things have a way of working out. We are particularly grateful for the open hearts and kindness of the people we are meeting along our journey, whether it be our local hosts or fellow road travelers. We may start out as strangers, but kindred spirits make for meaningful friendships.