So far, the storms had been obliging in moving forward while I slept. I’d stop in overcast weather and wake up to sunshine. That stopped 30 minutes into today’s ride up the Natchez Trace.

I didn’t encounter actual rain until the very end of my day, but I stayed under clouds for the entirety. The Trace didn’t shine like yesterday, but it slowly turned to fall and mountains as trees lost their leaves along the road and moved back to let gray rocks show off condensation.

Shortly after I woke up, before my coffee kicked in, I took a turn quickly and came to an abrupt stop while a faun stared at me before deciding to move along. I woke up and coasted along with plenty of time to stop for flocks of pheasants and one small turtle making more decisive moves across the road.

I’m not sure if it was the weather or the town, but I ate breakfast in a gloomy diner. It was almost full when I walked in, and every head watched me take a corner booth. By the time I reached the end of the trace, where it twists itself out near Nashville, I needed to stop for coffee and wanted to stop for pie. I wound up at Loveless BBQ with some of the best biscuits and homemade jam I’ve ever had in addition to my blueberry pie. One man, a Truman Capote type in a garish aloha shirt and sandals, read the entirety of his Facebook wall to his dining partner who smiled and bought their meal.

The weather predicted just clouds along my route, but that became heavy fog and eventually rain near Cookeville, TN, where I moved to a hotel for the night.

I’m heading north and trying to stay west of the worst weather, but prepping myself for a very wet ride to New York tomorrow and Boston this weekend.