April 30.....a day off

John and Katie Hamm played host and hostess today on my layover and visit in Nashville. My day off started with an early rise to go downtown, and while John ran the half marathon, I wandered through the famous streets of Nashville, across the pedestrian bridge, and to the finish line at Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL s Tennessee Titans. The whole atmosphere at such a huge event is what I enjoy, and seeing downtown gave me a great vibe for the place. I definitely want to being Pam here some day, as well as several other places in Tennessee. After the race, we went to see John's son, Erik play a few holes in a junior golf tournament,( he played one under par for the three or four holes we watched), then we went to Alex's lacrosse game, and watched him get penalized for picking on a kid that was bigger than him. We came home and had steaks for dinner, and watched the Penguins beat the Caps in a NHL playoff game.  The day was a welcomed respite from the daily grind, and the friendship shared and rekindled was one of my priorities for this trip. Now it's off to the very challenging grind through the Great Smoky Mountains and into North Carolina. This will be the most grueling unsupported ride that I've done, and I'm looking forward to the challenge.

30,000 people are off to the races!

John Hamm races by the camera

The mass of humanity

Home of the Nashville Predators

Images along Broadway Avenue

The security presence was huge

The pedestrian bridge over the Cumberland River to the stadium

The stadium in the distance

Modern architecture with Broadway Street in the distance

Lots of really good bands.  Hey....it's Nashville

The finish line

Alex Hamm in action!

Alex and John