November 10, 2026 | Edgar Evins State Park, Tennessee

After an incredible week in Nashville, it was finally time to say goodbye. I'd loved the city's energy and music, but I was ready to get back to nature.

Leaving, of course, took longer than planned. An hour to move everything back into the van, another hour at a laundromat finally getting my clothes clean, and a few work calls along the drive. Then I reached Edgar Evins State Park, overlooking Center Hill Lake.

Wow. What a place.

I almost had tears in my eyes. The sunlight on the water, the autumn trees, the view from where I parked the van — it felt like heaven. I spent more than an hour walking and exploring, simply enjoying the peace. Once again, I felt that I was exactly where I wanted to be.

And then a thought occurred to me: maybe it's not about being in the right place. Maybe it's about making the place right for me.

It seems that wherever this journey takes me, I eventually find that feeling. Nashville, with its bustling songwriter rooms, and now this quiet lakeside campground couldn't be more different. Yet somehow both feel right.

I also met another camper with a Sprinter-style van. I went over to say hello — something I'm realizing I don't do quite as often as I might. And wouldn't you know it, he was from Minnesota! We had a lovely conversation, and he even offered me some fire starters. I saved them for another time, managed to light my own fire, grilled a wonderful steak, and enjoyed a conversation with Michele.

But the day's funniest discovery came afterward: the campground has a free laundromat. After all the trouble I'd gone through finding somewhere to wash my clothes, the solution had been waiting for me right here — and free of charge!

I don't know what that means. Maybe nothing. But it made me smile. Sometimes I work so hard to solve a problem, only to find that life has a simpler answer just around the corner.

A peaceful evening, a beautiful lake, and another reminder of how much I love this journey.

Tomorrow, it's back to music at DelMonaco Winery.