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.