Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014. Awakened early this morning, slid out of bed at 6:45, dressed, fed the dog, gave him a treat and went into the garage to don my riding stuff. At 7:15 a.m. I pushed Sweet Thang out of the garage and fired her up for a cool morning ride up to the Krystal on Chapman Hwy. toward Knoxville to meet fellow biker friend Paul for a quick coupon breakfast.
Looking at the sunrise at the end of my street as I pulled out for the meet-up.
Friend biker Paul getting ready to leave from Krystal. Eggs, grits, sausage patty, toast and coffee, $2.29 plus tax. Coupon for breakfast and free coupon for coffee. Not a bad way to start the day. Next stop, Williams, KY.
Heading up Chapman Hwy. (US 441) toward Knoxville, TN. Very light traffic this morning as we were just ahead of the in-between rush hour. Those that had to be at work by 8 was already gone and those following at 9 were behind us. We pulled out from Krystal at 8 a.m.
We turned off Chapman Hwy. onto James White Parkway to skirt the downtown part of the city to hit I-75 North.
A few miles North of Knoxville we started getting into a little fog, real patchy but mostly well above the roadway. A little way down the highway it would be clear of fog and then you'd hit another foggy area.
It was a little thicker in the construction area but you could still see well enough to maintain the posted speed limit. Which was 65 mph in this area. We took the interstate from Knoxville, TN to Williamsburg, KY to make faster time for our destination point.
Interstate 75 is a pretty drive North from Knoxville. Long rolling hills and deep cuts into the mountain as shown in the picture to the left. Since the valleys are so deep between the high hills, transfer of material was made a lot simpler. Cut out one area and use it to fill in the low area next to the cut.
Then the fog lifted, the sun shown, and the sky was really blue this early Autumn morning. Well, almost Autumn. Some puffy white clouds laid on top of the mountains in the distance, like a little white cap on an ocean wave.
We stopped in Williamsburg, KY to gas up and grab a cup of coffee. This is where we left the Interstate for the more picturesque and scenic local highways.
On a section of our travels involved riding about four miles on a gravel road. Now cruiser bikes and gravel roads aren't the best of friends. Bikes are heavy, tires are for hard paved surfaces and air pressures are there to match. So riding in loose gravel or crushed stone makes the ride a little squirrelly.
Shortly after the gravel run we were back on paved roads. No, those things in the center of the picture on the left are not topiaries. They are trees covered with Kudzu, a plant that originates in Eastern Asia, Asia, and the South Pacific. They will grow on, along, over and beneath anything.
Here is a lush forest of trees that only a few limbs and trunks can be seen due to the overgrowth of Kudzu. If you're ever in an area where there is a lot of Kudzu, take in a nice breath of air and you can smell a sweet aroma the Kudzu gives off. Kudzu to land is like Water Hyacinth is to streams, bayous, canals and rivers. It just clogs up everything and practically nothing likes it. It grows profusely to say the least.
A few more curvy roads with large farms dotting the countryside. I kept looking for Kentucky Blue Grass but the only grass I saw was green.
We turned into Gen. Burnside Recreational Park. KY and TN have some great parks and resorts. This one has a beautiful golf course, a lodge, campground and day picinic areas, huge swimming pool and one for the kids also.
Shortly after we left the park we crossed the Cumberland River and to my right was a steel structure railroad bridge. It's hard to imagine the weight of a freight train with its numerous cars filled to capacity crossing something that looked so skinny. But then, the steel girders in that construction were actually very large in thickness and width.
We later crossed a steel superstructure highway bridge, very unique in style and color. It has been coated with a material that oxidizes to actually protect the underlying steel. In other words, it looks as if it needs a good paint job but it really doesn't.
It wasn't too long before those old afternoon storm clouds started showing up. And from time to time they grew darker and every so often we would run through an area shortly after it had rained. Luck was still with us so far this ride.
One of the stately old mansions along the way. This was the main house for a very large farm. In this area I didn't see many cows or other livestock, but there were very large fields of row crops. Lots of corn and soybeans. Some still real green and some that will be able to be harvested in a few weeks.
This is a picture of tobacco that has been cut and shocked in the field. Next it will be picked up, tied to sticks and hung in a tobacco shed to cure. Afterward it will go to the auction barn or to the company that buys it.
By now we were very near Monticello, KY and our destination point of the ride. The picture to the right is looking at Lake Cumberland. Just to the right and down is a white building known as Mill Springs Mill.
This was a grist mill dating back to the 1840s. It was water driven by piping water from a very large spring. This was an Overshot Wheel, meaning the water entered the buckets on the wheel from the top causing the wheel to turn. There were numerous gears to increase the speed of the grinding wheels as the waterwheel was a large slow turning wheel due to the small water flow from the spring.
The spring is the largest I have ever seen. There are several different areas where it exits the side of the mountain and makes its way down to the lake. Part of the water is diverted through a 12" pipe to the top of the water wheel.
Friend Paul standing on the bridge crossing one of the spring's branches. This area is great for picnicking as well as learning historical information.
It is also a great place to come just to meditate. The sound of the water rumbling over the rocks, watching butterflies sitting on the wet rocks along the spring's path, all make for a peaceful moment in time.
The water wheel is approximately 60' in diameter with numerous buckets to catch the water. Looking at the wheel in this picture the wheel will turn clockwise. Equipment inside was operated via a belt pulley system.
Next to the mill stood the mill owner's house which was built in three sections over three time periods. The first part was built in the 1840s consisting of just two rooms. As the miller prospered, he added an additional section which also had an upstairs floor. Later as he further prospered he added the final section to include a fireplace in the foyer area of the house. The first fireplaces were constructed of brick and stone. The second additional included fancier cast iron faced fireplaces with mantels, all constructed of ornate metal. The third just got a little more fancier.
The house was also heavily involved in the Civil War. This area was the first victory site of the Northern Army as they broke through the Confederate lines here, a line stretching from Virginia across to the Mississippi River. The house became the Headquarters of the Northern Army as well as a field hospital.
Foyer of the house.
Fancy fireplace and mantel.
Master bedroom.
We were fortunate to have a guided tour by the maintenance staff. The house is open for tours from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
After our tour of the house we mounted our two-wheeled steeds and headed back toward the house. The threatening weather made us scurry a little faster in an effort to stay dry. We did manage to get a little damp in a very short shower and another time in a little sprinkle but considering the clouds, the on-set of frontal weather we managed to not have to stop and put on our rain gear.
Our last stop, except for gas, was the Gorge of the Big South Fork River. It is quite impressive. Not as deep as the Grand Canyon or the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, both which are out West, but for the Eastern part of the United States, it's quite a sight.
As we cruised around Knoxville heading back to our houses we commented on how lucky we were to have made such a long ride with pending weather conditions and to do so primarily staying dry. Door to door for me it was 297 miles for the day. For the amount of enjoyment, limitless. So until the next Valkyrie Adventure, stay safe, thank God for what you have, and enjoy life. You won't be here forever, so select and use your time wisely.
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