July 15th, 2006
The next day we tackled some really, really serious hills in Tennessee, headed towards Kentucky. We ended the day at Kentucky Lake, and couldn’t find a campground anywhere within reasonable distance. On a hunch, we stopped at a small convenience store and grill at the end of a road, near a boat launch, where I asked about camping. It turns out that it is so relaxed there, that people just pop up a tent by the side of the road. They offered the use of their outdoor bathrooms, and the bathrooms even had a shower. We were able to set up our tent just off the road in a shady, amazingly private area, and walk to the store.
The time we spent at that store – the Danville Grill – will remain one of our favorite times of the whole trip. Stan and Theresa put in hours running the place, while his parents own it. They provide bait, fishing supplies, and food to those who are going out on the lake. It is the only boat launch for about 50 miles, so they get a lot of regulars, and the place is so convenient, that they have a regular local clientele. The heat again was over 100, and we had no desire to be out in the sun or to sit sweltering in our tent. So, we went to the store and had a great meal. We must have sat there for nearly 4 hours, chatting among ourselves, and chatting with Theresa when she had time – she was manning the grill for the day. Not only was the food great, but the family feeling was seriously great, too. Their kids were there, in and out, and were called into service getting things from the back, or running short errands. Probably our very favorite part of it, besides the great food, was that family feeling, and how relaxed it was. It’s the kind of place where the locals can still run a tab, and come in regularly to pay off what they owe. It was like a throwback to a much slower and more relaxed and more trusting time.
We finally left to take showers, and that was quite an experience. The shower was just meant for a quick rinse off for the fishermen and boaters, so it was only a plywood partition with cold water draining into a water drain on a concrete floor. I wasn’t desperate enough to want to wash my hair in the cold water, but it sure felt good to be able to wash up in running water, and to cool off from the heat!
We only lasted about 2 hours back in the heat in our tent, and went back to the Grill for dinner. Stan was there by then, and he had spent the afternoon cooking up 6 chickens on the outdoor grill. We were lucky enough to get the last 3 servings. What a great meal it was! We had real potato salad, real baked beans, and barbecued chicken, with locally made barbecue sauce. We again spent nearly two hours talking with Stan and eating, and had just a wonderful time. It was incredibly interesting to hear what he had to say about conditions locally. We really loved the views of the lake, and would love to have property there – it had a truly great feeling to it. Theresa told us that a doctor had just bought the property across from them, lakeside frontage, and had paid $138,000 for the acre, which would have sold for only a few thousand just 10 years ago.
I can definitely see things changing in that area, and would mark that one as one of our investing recommendations. When Chelsea and I rode off the next morning, we saw more evidence of bigger communities and development going in, and we collected phone numbers so we can follow up.