Dietary Considerations--Listen To Your Body

April 25, 2015

Reelfoot State Park, Tennessee

I decided to make this an easy day and set my sights on Reelfoot State Park in the northeast corner of Tennessee. It was a beautiful 80-degree Saturday so I was a little worried that there wouldn't be any campsites available there. I became even more worried when I got to the lake and saw just how popular it was among serious fishermen. Reelfoot is Tennessee's largest natural lake and the state makes the bold claim that it is one of the top fishing and hunting preserves in the entire country. I'll have to tell some of my friends who waste their time on lakes up in Minnesota and Wisconsin about that.

There were numerous cabins and resorts along the south shore of Reelfoot Lake. Almost all of them had "No Vacancy" and "Live Bait & Tackle" signs out front. Luckily for me, last night's heavy rains made the State Park pretty soggy, scaring off most of the tent campers. I got a campsite among all the RVs and boats. I definitely did not have much in common with this crowd.

I think those trees in Reelfoot Lake are cypress trees. I've seen a lot of them in swampy areas over the last couple of weeks.

I've seen a fair amount of this kind of growth too. Future cypress trees, perhaps?

I had picked up some groceries in the town of Tiptonville on my way to the park. When I got tired of hiking, I started gathering some nice sticks of driftwood from the shoreline to begin my cooking routine.

Before setting out on this trip I vowed to eat more fruits and vegetables than I have on previous tours. Philosophically and ethically I sympathize with vegetarianism. I even tried to be a vegetarian in my college years. My attempt only lasted a couple of weeks. I am attracted to meat in the most embarrassing way. Occasionally I will eat ONLY meat for a meal--huge, unhealthy quantities of meat. Cow meat, pig meat, chicken meat, fish meat--it doesn't matter to me what kind of meat. It's what my body craves. I seem to be no less of a carnivore than a tiger.

Tonight I am grilling some fatty, locally-made bratwursts. But there is some good news: I have balanced my meal with lightly grilled baby carrots, a handful of almonds, and a couple of India Pale Ales from the Wiseacre Brewing Company of Memphis.

Grilled deliciousness. I'm not a big food picture guy, but I was so proud of the presentation on the lid of a cooking pan that I just had to post it. (This will be my last food picture, I promise.)

Sunset! Now, I can go to bed without feeling like a complete sissy.

Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 671 miles (1,080 km)

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