A few days smacked together

So the last few days have been pretty fun/crazy/hard/lonely/awesome/tiring. I'll start with the land between the lakes and go day by day.
Fri: the land between the lakes is 50 miles long, 170,000 acres of wildlife, camp grounds, hiking trails, fishing and all sorts of fun. Lot of hills in that stretch but its absolutely gorgeous and so worth it. I was a little mad about not getting to ride through the elk and bison range but I was able to see them grazing a few miles past the entrance to the range which was awesome. 1 of them was only 10 feet from the fence and didn't pay me any mind at all. Also met my first touring cyclist on the trip. Ryan, who only does around 30 miles a day is heading down to Florida for the winter. It was nice being able to take a break and talk bikes with someone. I left him to his coffee and cigarellos and told him if I ran into him I'd buy him a beer. Finished out the day at the south welcome center in Tennessee, my 4th state visited, with somewhere around 30 hummingbirds flying, drinking, squeeking and playing outside.
Saturday: rode to Cuba landing, around 80 miles from dover, tn. Hills, hills, and more hills. Up until the last 15 miles of beauty and rolling hills. (Small hills easy to roll up and down all day) camping for two nights.
Sunday: day off!!!! Woke up, ate some more delicious steak, eggs and biscuits and gravy at a small used to be gas station, convenience store/restaurant. Rode back, hung out at the camp grounds and then went to the local marina to hang out and drink beer.
I met 4 of the nicest, funniest and coolest people ever. I started talking to them as they were all hanging out and when they found out about where I'm from and where I'm going, they just about flipped out. They were blown away by it and we ended up talking for a good hour about nothing and everything. Josh and Jessica both work at the marina and are married and Matt and Angela are friends of theirs. They had all Hung out for the first time all together the night before and had a blast so Matt and Angela decided to visit them at the marina. It was perfect timing considering how homesick I felt and how I needed to hang out with people. They invited me out and Jessica picked me up and brought over to Matt's house to grill out. Delicious food prepared by Matt, awesome conversation and a great visit from Matt's parents. Ended the night with goodbyes, safe trips and new numbers and friends. Really made my trip amazing.
Mon: rode 87 miles to shiloh, tn with only 2 big hills and the rest all super manageable. Few more steep small hills and a bunch of rollers. I feel like I keep seeing the same digs chasing me, but thank god for pepper spray and my increasingly good aim. Camped for only 5 bucks tonight and get to enjoy entering my 5th state tomorrow. Overall, I'm having a good time. It's weird how natural being on a bike is. Can't wait to see New Orleans though... I'll be there in less than a week!
Well, see you on the road and good bye Tennessee.