TAT Ride Day 3 August 11-2010

Another busy day. Left Colunbia TN at about 8:30 this AM...Not the best night sleep. Seems a youth baseball team was over us, and had to catch a 5AM plane to West Coast for the finals. They got up at 3:23AM. Sounded like a square dance up there, for 30 minutes before they left.

So we got back on the trail, and continued. Clear and warm, about 82 at 9AM..Again, the roads were all back-roads. Today's ratio was about 65% paved vs 35% DIRT. All great roads. It was obvious by the route sheets, that some of the roads that were paved today, were dirt back when Sam layed this all out several years ago.

After about an hour, we started seeing quite a few "road-apples" in the road. These for a motorcyclist are to be avoided at all costs. As much effort is made to avoid these as a pot-hole, or loose gravel. Just in case you aren't a "rider", a "road-apple" ( a/k/a meadow muffin, horse ploop ) if hit by front tire, can be implanted onto your bikes radiator, or hot engine, or exhaust, and you'll "enjoy" it all day long.

Campbell Station General Store

These sighting increased, and we soon realized we were in an area very heavily populated by Old World Amish. Many horse and buggy's were encountered. Some of the horses were very skidish, and we immediately pulled over and stopped the motors, to allow them to pass. We continued to ride by Amish farms for a good 30 minutes, crisscrossing the area as the route directed us.

 Typical Amish farm house. Back off the road.
Corn being stacked. No electric to these Amish homes. Pole is a windmill.

The  roadside "FOOD" Place

We were cutting across a ridge top road, almost nothing around but a few not so well off homes and farms, and I saw this yellow thing up ahead. Looked like a short silo. As I got closer, I could see a window and a door, then a gas grill out the back. I figured it was someone house, but as I slowed to get a better look, I saw the sign. This was a  "Food" place. Not open, and probably not a place we'd be stopping at for lunch anyway.

Sam's noted bike wash system

Next on the "interesting" things we did today, were some of the famous water crossings. Seems  in rural TN, bridges aren't always used/needed to cross streams. The road is laid  down, and if it rains hard, the stream crosses the road. Sometimes closing it till the water level drops.Well this section of TN has many. Yesterday we found them all dry. The first one today had water, but it was no problem. On the route sheet, Sam had noted several on Waterfall Road, were extremely slippery, and to use caution. I came up to the first one, stopped, looked it over, saying to myself "piece of cake". started across in first gear, just creeping...almost across then without warning the front wheel just slid out like it hit a patch of oil....down I go, rolling off into the COOL water. No damage done (except to pride). Rich was there in an instant, we set it up, moved onto dry ground, then he came across on a little different track, without any problems.

Here is a picture of the first crossing today, done the right way.

Talking about stream crossings. Another popular bridge is " the bridge with no guard-rails". The one pictured here, crosses a creek maybe 50 feet wide, and 10 feet under the bridge. Now you would never see this in NY State. The Celino & Barns guys would be there 24 hours a day waiting for an accident to happen. If they ever learn where this bridge is, they'll have a mailbox with business cards inside placed there the next day.

The biggest stream we crossed today, was the Tennessee River. From the bridge, we could look North and South for several miles. The banks are the sites for some really big and beautiful homes.

Rich found the "alternate" crossing for the Tenessee River.
Sign says "road floods, use caution"






One of the greatest things about riding the Back-Roads, are the various buildings you see, and the neat  little places you can stop in. Maybe to just stretch your legs, buy a cool drink, have lunch, or get gas. Below are three such "buildings" A barn, a store where we had lunch and got gas, and a new "in-ground" house almost in the middle of no where. Well  how about the house 1st,,,can't get the pictures to go where I want...

Temps today got to 95 degrees, but it wasn't as humid as yesterday, so it felt better. We also fell into creek(remember the bike wash) and had two short showers, so that also helped me stay cool .  And, just when you were thinking how there isn't anything excitin g to do and see down here...you can always stop in the Buford Pusser Museum and birthplace, in Adamsville, TN, just up the road a few miles. Remember the movie Walking Tall?

What's on for tomorrow?

We'll be out of TN in another 180 miles, and into Mississippi. We have been invited to the home of the "King of the TAT", the founder and man responsible for this "Holy Grayle" of duel-sport trails, Mr. Sam Correro. We will be staying there tomorrow night, and picking up some recent changes to the route out in CO,UT, and OR. May not have wireless tomorrow night, so will have to update next night, from AR.

Todays Stats:  Total dist:  208 miles   Average moving speed 34.2mph   Total time: 8 hr 23 min

OK...HOLD ONTO YOUR SEAT...CLICK LINK BELOW, AND GET A SATELLITE VIEW OF EACH DAYS TRACKS (DIFFERENT COLOR FOR EACH DAY) (YOU MAY HAVE TO CUT AND PASTE LINK INTO YOUR BROWSER)

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