Mountains, Museums and Man Stuff

Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014, the morning is cool, the meet-up is set, it's 8:15 a.m. and time to go.  Will stop off and gas up Sweet Thang, ride next door to Micky Ds for a cup of coffee and then to the meet up.  Several guys from church that ride had planned a ride for today.  I was out of town until Friday night so I called to make sure it was still on.  Yep, kickstands up at 9:30.  So I had plenty of time.

Five guys total, 2 big HD baggers, a new HD V-Rod, a Kawasaki and Sweet Thang in the foreground.  We didn't meet by the river but we did meet by the church in the parking lot.  Tom, our map maker, tour guide and fearless leader rides the gold and black HD bagger.  He briefs us on the route and then we saddle up for a trip across the mountains via mostly back roads, the scenic route.  Destination, Maggie Valley, NC and the Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum.

We headed out for Sevierville on US441 and then North on US411 toward Newport.  Shortly after Sevierville we turned right onto Jones Cove Rd.(TN 339), a smaller state highway which goes through Jones Cove which has a history of its own from what I've heard.

There is just a hint of Autumn in the air and if you look at the trees along the highway you can notice the shiny green leaves have lost some of their luster.  They are a flatter color of green and some are even turning toward yellow.  All indications tend to lead to an early Fall which does start officially tomorrow.

 The sky was so blue and the clouds just big puffy white spots high in the sky.  Jones Cove Rd. is a nice ride with some sweeper curves and some that can make you tighten up on the seat.  Since it has been resurfaced not to long ago it makes for a smooth ride.

We rode by one field of Sunflowers.  I'm sure the birds in the area are proud to have such a food supply near.  I don't know whether these will be used for bird feed, sunflower oil, or dried and salted for human consumption.  Either way, they sure look pretty as you ride by.

Now if there's one thing East Tennessee has is churches.  And notice the cemetery has been fenced, probably because people were just dying to get in there.  I know, me bad, the devil made me say that.  But there are a lot of churches.  Some are quaint, simple and plain but still serve a community purpose.  And what a setting, on a knoll, mountain backdrop and a stark white building.

Tom lead the group, I was second and the rest of the pack was behind me as you can see in the picture to the right.  You can also see in many shots that there are not shoulders to the highway so when you leave the asphalt you're going to take a wild ride.  You must maintain vigilance while riding and any looks off to the side had better be real quick glances and on straight sections of the road.

 At the end of Jones Cove Rd. we came to the town of Cosby, TN, just a small spot in the road where TN 339 junctions with US321.  A quick right turn and then a quick left turn and you're now on the Foothills Parkway through the edge of the Smoky Mtn. Nat. Pk.  This picture is at one of the first overlooks.  Such a magnificent sight.


The varying folds of the earth are impressive regardless of how many times you look at them.  And today it was rather hazy, the reason for their name.  In a few weeks the green will change to an artist's paint pallet of color.  And hoards of people will come from all over to see the leaf color change.  Money in the pocket of businesses, but a royal pain for us riders.  Pokie, pokie, stop, pokie, pokie, slow, etc.

The picture on the right is Tom, our fearless rider leader and his 2005 HD Special Issue Remembrance Glorified Wonderful beauty.  Good ole Alabama boy if I do say so myself.  But one draw back to his character is that he's an Auburn fan.  Roll Tide.

But the money shot, as one biker friend says it, is my Sweet Thang.  She's a looker, especially with the mountains in the background.  Smooth as silk, fast as a racehorse, and a real Lady to work with.  No, it doesn't go Potato Potato.  That's those other bikes.

Another look at the mountains a little further up the Foothills Parkway.

After a few more miles on the Foothills we came to the junction of I-40, one of the prettiest interstate highways in the U.S.  Long sweeping curves, mountains and mountain gaps.  Then you cross over into North Carolina with more of the same, slower speeds through the gaps, a tunnel and finally to US 276, our turn off.  Along this road we saw some corn that looked to be 8 ft. tall, some tobacco plants that you could use as an umbrella and finally, Maggie Valley, our destination point.  We stopped at a really biker friendly convenience store/gas station to fill up our bikes before we headed in further to the place we were going to eat, Legends.  They make the best hamburger you would ever want to eat with numerous varieties to select from.

After lunch we saddled up again for a two block ride back to the museum.  Now for a historical tour of motorcycles.  This museum has approximately 38,000 square feet with just about every inch filled with antique motorcycles, rebuild shop, a few antique cars and loads of things to look at.  Some are one of a kind bikes while others are Indian and Harley Davidson but not the late models, most from early 1900s to around 1955, give or take a year.

This is a WWII Harley Davidson Model 45 developed for the military.  Notice the rifle scabbard mounted on the front.  There were several different models of this bike including one made by Indian.

One of the first touring bikes.  If you notice it lookes like a motorized bicycle built for two.  Not much comfort in those old models compared to what we ride today.  But considering this was around 1914 or so, it was better than peddling.

They even had sidecar models with convertible tops.  I'm not sure how much sun or rain it would keep off but it did look impressive.

This baby was a HD hill climber.  They had stretched frames and as shown here, some even had tire chains to give them more gripping power.  Back in their day the manufacturers even built them at the factory for this use.  Most later years people had to modify a bike and build their own for this purpose.

 There were numerous motorcycle manufacturers in the early years and they built other things beside motorcycles.  Like this motorcycle powered vehicle used in the mines.

Or what about a small garden tractor powered by a motorcycle engine to till the soil.  They even made outboard boat motors that were actual motorcycle engines along with some cars powered by motorcycle engines.

This beauty was complete with the tire manufacturer's sign as a background.  By the way, all or most all of the motorcycles in the museum run.  They demonstrate some during the tour and even take you for a ride outside on an old side car model.  If you take that ride, take a nitroglycerin pill before you get on, you'll need it.  But it's a thrill and one you won't easily forget.

If you like motorcycles, this museum is a must on your bucket list.  The owner still races some of the antique bikes annually around the country where the bike has to be at least 100 years old to enter the race.  And he wins a lot of the races.

We mounted up and rode US 19 into Cherokee, NC, turned onto US 441 down through the town and then headed back through the National Park for Seymour.  About half way between Cherokee and Newfound Gap at the top of the mountain we were caught in a summer shower for about 4 or 5 miles.  Not bad so no need for rain gear as you would dry out in a few miles.  So we rode on.  Took back roads around Gatlinburg and the tourist strip coming back to US 441 a few miles south of Seymour.

It was a great day to ride with a great bunch of guys.  I had not ridden with any of the bikers before this ride.  I will enjoy riding with them any time henceforth.  All were good riders, thoughtful and considerate.  Lots of laughs at our stops.  I'm ready to ride again.  Thanks Tom for setting this up.  You did good.

Life is short.  No future on earth is promised.  Check where you are in life and be safe.

Riding The Plateau

Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014, time: 7:00 a.m., weather: Foggy.  Reason for trip:
Fun.

Weather today was some low possibility for rain so Paul and I decided to ride.  I was to meet up with him at 7:45 at the Wiegel's convenience store, corner of Boyds Creek and Chapman Hwy.  Then he called to see how the fog was at my house.  I told him it wasn't bad, pretty good visibility and he said he could hardly see his neighbor's house across the street.  I told him I was going to ride up to the meeting place, gas up Sweet Thang, and ride next door to Micky D's and wait for him.  And this I did.

Wednesday I rode over to Fountain City which is adjoining Knoxville to a shop called Electrical Connection.  I have used their services several times in the past to convert the rear lighting on my bike to LED lights.  This time I was interested in adding front driving lights, about 2" in dia. to the front.  Problem is he doesn't have a bracket that will hold the light he makes to the crash bars of the bike.  But, he just happened to have 2 four inch LED driving lights containing 6 LED bulbs in each that would just fit my existing sealed beam driving lights.  So we tested one against the other and the LED was 3xs brighter with a better beam.  Now I have two new LED lights on the front and will be ordering a headlight LED bulb to replace the existing light.  I know, this isn't interesting to most but I like to be seen front and rear in inclement weather and at night.  I have an air horn so I like to be heard also.  Some car drivers are blind and deaf.

 Here's a look at the front of the bike at 7 a.m. in a light fog condition.

And here's the rear of the bike at the same time and same conditions.  Even brighter at night.

So now back to the original story.  Paul showed up as I was about half way through a cup of coffee so I took a couple more sips and away we went.  He had picked out a route that would take us through Knoxville, up I-75 toward KY and then we would take backroads to our lunch destination at a quaint little town of Rugby, TN.

I won't try to tell the highway numbers because we made so many turns that Google couldn't keep up with us.  My left foot was tired out from shifting down and up so many times.  But that is part of having fun riding the back roads.

 This pic is leaving Seymour heading West toward Knoxville.  As you can see, the fog wasn't really bad but could get thicker in places.  Seems to love to hover in between the hills where the air currents are less and the temps are cooler.

 The picture on the right is closer into Knoxville.  Has the tendency to fog up your windshield with the cool damp air on one side and the heat from the motor coming up on the back side.

 This is out on I-75 where the fog was high off the roadway.  Visibility was over a mile plus causing no problems for drivers.

 Having worked for a power company for 42 years I still can't resist looking at power lines as I travel down the road.  Mainly to see the differences in the way they are constructed.  This is a lone sentinel standing in a foggy atmosphere, one of many that traverse East TN since this is the home of TVA.

Traveling North on I-75 is a nice ride as you are in the foothills of the mountains with long rolling hills and deep cuts of the mountain sides.  Once you get out of Knoxville you can crank up the speed and stretch the distances between you and the other vehicles.

 At Caryville, TN we left the interstate and hopped on TN 63, a nice wide 2-lane highway with long sweeping curves among the rolling hills.  We rode this highway for a ways and then turned off onto one of the backroads running alongside an almost dry stream.  I was surprised to see how little water was in it since we had the big rain a week earlier and several smaller rains since then.

 On these roads you have to keep alert at all times to make sure you don't hit sandy or gravel spots, chuck holes, and yes, even deer and turkey.  We have a biker friend that wiped out his Harley a couple of weeks ago when a deer ran in front of him and he and the bike did a cartwheel down the road.  Destroyed the bike and broke the rider's hand and beat him up a bit.

At the intersection of one of the roads was the remainder of a once upon a time business.  Today it's just a relic of a building taking up space, run down and left in the yesteryear.  You get to see a lot of these type structures riding the backroads.  Small communities that were once thriving but now have faded into history.  Bigger stores a few miles away now draw the people.

You also get to see a lot of old barns that seem to be just wasting away, old silos that have served their usefulness as well as houses.  And some of those have a number of abandoned vehicles, farm machines, etc., in the surrounding yard.

   

 After the silo shot we made our way back to one of the better highways with a beautiful mountain view dead ahead of us.  The morning fog helped to accentuate the rolls of the mountains and gives them a real soft look.  But not too far down the road we turn off onto another back road that takes us to TN Hwy, 27 and to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Park.  It is a beautiful place.  If you love horses and trail riding this is one place you need to put on your bucket list.  Lots of horse farms, stables and trails through this national forest area.

For us it was another good backroad to ride on with good scenery along the way and even better at the end when we turned into the park area.  We pulled into a parking spot to take our first stretch for the day and walked the short path down to the river.




We dismounted and headed
for the river.  You could see that during the year the
water level had been much
higher.  There was lots of round river stones shortly after walking across a small sand beach area. 

 

From the highway above we could look down at the old bridge crossing that is no longer in use by vehicle or foot traffic.




After Big South Fork we headed to another very pretty place.  This was Bandy Creek National Park.  Yes, another national park in TN.  I didn't know this place existed.  It is very unique with nice facilities, a campground, stables for horses, a center for education, etc.  It is rather remote but if you wanted peace and quiet, or had a horse you wanted to ride the hide off of, this is the place to do it.  And it is paid for with your tax dollars.

The left picture is the office and gift shop.  The right picture is the interpretive center and another building in the back area housed the campground facilities.  Just down the road were stables for rent.
 
Back on the road again we decided to take a 3 mile stretch of gravel road from the National Park over to another highway we were going to ride rather than make a U-turn and ride more miles back.  Gravel and cruiser bikes aren't the best of friends as you're going slow, tires are aired for highway running and the gravel is loose which makes it harder to handle.

                                                                 

Along the gravel road we came across an old homestead no long used and a rather old cemetery.  It was probably a family cemetery plot that grew over the years but is not tended by the National Park Service.  Rather lonesome way back here off the beaten path but the headstones are just markers for the dead and only their remains reside in this place.

After getting back on TN 297 I told Paul, over the CB Radio, that I was about ready for a cup of coffee.  This happened just as we were going by a small store.  So we made a U-turn and rode the short distance back.  We each got a cup of coffee, in a real cup, not plastic or cardboard, and was told we could drink as much as we wanted.  I guess so, since it was $1.85 a cup.  I took the picture of Paul selling fire water to one of the natives.

Not to far after the coffee we took the turn it to Pickens State Park which started out as a CCC camp during the Great Depression days.  The initials stand for "Civilian Conservation Corps."  This and the WPA provided jobs for people during the depression.  The CCC camps were run by the Army but did work for the National Park Service, National Forest Service and other such organizations.  People were paid $30/mo. with $25/mo. sent back to their families to live on.  They were basically in the Army with their rules and organization but were actually civilians.  When WWII started many of these workers became soldiers.

The water was as still as a mirror today, no breeze blowing which made for some great reflections.  A lot of people hike the many trails and canoe or kayak the river.  Nice little beach.  

A statue honoring the CCC workers.  This group built most of the large state parks in TN and many other states.  The little museum provides a lot of information on their activities and time line. 





One interesting aspect is the suspension walk bridge that crosses the river.  It's not the Golden Gate but for this area and the purpose it is as good.  A gazebo shown on the other spot is a great place to meditate.








After a while we crawled back onto our bikes and headed for Rugby, a British-American town built in 1880.  The only paved road in Rugby is the highway that runs through it.  All of the side streets are gravel to keep it in the time period of the town's development.

I have an article listed about a ride to Rugby that can be referenced.  However, I shall show a few of the buildings there.  There are also a couple of B & Bs, a couple of restaurants, museum, church, and a number of homes.  If you want to get away from it all, this is the place.  No Walmart, no shopping mall, no fast food outlets, no movie theaters, etc., get my drift.
                                                                                                                               

One of the straighter roads traveled.


Right, Paul in front of the restaurant we dined and I resisted those delicious cobblers for dessert.   

That, my friend, is a chicken fried stake on top of a pile of mashed potatoes covered with milk gravy nestled next to some southern cooked green beans.  That's why I resisted the dessert, I just didn't have room for it.




Some of the houses in Rugby.
    

   
This particular building is unique by design and all the buildings are very colorful.










After Rugby we set our compass for Knoxville with the full knowledge of participating in a historical treat.  This particular business has been in operation for 70 years and is open every day the weather will let the workers get there.  As a tribute to them and the length of service this facility has provided the citizens of Knoxville, Paul and I made a stop there to pay tribute.

Roads back to Knoxville.  Water is a lake off the Clinch River.  The other pic is just one of the many roads heading back to the barn.   

 
This is the place of tribute.  One Cherry shake for Paul and a Pineapple shake for me.  Down the hatch and Salute.  May you continue to feed the hot, the tired, the hungry, the thirsty and anyone else that can lie their way to 1,000 calories.

A great day for a ride.  Approximately 248 miles door to door and well worth the foggy start and the sweet ending.  So ride/drive safe, and have fun.