Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015
Temp. at departure: 34 Degrees
Temp. at end: 42 Degrees
After putting 20 miles on the bike running back and forth to the Post Office I met up with riders Paul and Ken at the Seymour McDonald's for a quick coffee before hitting the road. Our ride was going to take us South and West today. The heated gloves really felt good this morning.
We headed south on U.S. 411 and then later we would take some back roads over to U.S. 321 and head west. The air was crisp, to say the least, and the sky was just a beautiful blue with a few white vapor trails and some whispy clouds way up there.
A few miles down the road from Seymour is the very old Eusebia Presbyterian Church, Circa. 1794 along with its cemetery.
A number of the headstones have no markings and some have their markings almost eroded away by Mother Nature.
A bit farther down from the church starts a short stretch of curves and even though they aren't many in number, don't be fooled into believing they are easy to handle. These are not all continuous curves, in other words, they don't maintain the same arc all the way around. Thinking so can put you up against one of the trees seen here.
Shortly after the series of curves we turned onto a smaller side road taking us westward. How about that sky. And Sweet Thang just loves that cold air for her carbs on days like this.
Most all the farmland has been gleaned of its crops and now lay fallow with whatever stubble or grass that has remained. Most are a brown or tan color and some even have a goldish tan color about them.
One of the old farm houses along our route today. From the size they must have had a number of children, probably to work the farm.
Here we cross one of the many fingers of the Tennessee River.
As the highway twists and turns you have the opportunity to cross many lakes and rivers often due to TVA dams backing up water for generation of electric power.
After a while we ran into a straight stretch of rural America. It looks so different in the winter with no leaves. You often find houses setting back off the road that during the summer months the leaves on the trees prevent seeing it.
A serene look on this frosty morning across a large meadow at some farm buildings off in the distance.
And shortly afterward you get to see some old farm buildings that are really close to the road. There's a few roads that look as if you're going to ride through a barn or someone's house they are so close to the edge of the highway.
Traffic on these roads practically did not exist this morning making it a real joy to ride. Paul led, I was in the rocking chair, and Ken pulled drag.
Here we are crossing some more water ways just south of Kingston, TN.
The sky was so blue that anything you put against it looked good, even this old tree and the old bridge rail to the right.
We ran along one of the lakes until we got Harriman where we stopped for lunch and to take a look at a Memorial Park dedicated to those that have and are serving in the military.
After Harriman we took a run West on I-40 by error, 6.5 miles later made a U-turn and headed east. Just one of those riding blips that occur every once in a while.
Then we were back to the
back roads and old stuff
along the route. More churches, cemeteries, etc., that make up the communities and neighborhoods.
Outside of Oak Ridge, where they put the atomic bomb together, we rode by Melton Hill Dam, another TVA facility. I have to admit, TVA does make these areas nice for the public with parking spaces, some boat ramps and lots of areas to fish or just relax and read a book.
After the dam we continued heading for home base. The temp was starting to drop a bit but the color of the sky hadn't changed all day.
Another back road or two and we would have racked up another good day of riding.
This scene was neat as all of the trees were cut and about the same height. Planted along the roadway backed by the slanting ground they looked like multi-armed sentinels posted for security.
I titled this picture "Sticks in the Water". From a distance you can see all of the white masts sticking up as if they were growing out of the water. This water source is a leg off the TN River and in a rather posh neighborhood.
As the day wanes and the end of the ride nears, one just has to take in the remainder of the afternoon with "Ole Sol" dropping on the horizon out of a clear blue sky letting its final rays of warmth caress the water. Another good day on the wheels. Good friends, good weather, and good friendship. Total miles ridden today, 224. Hours of enjoyment, 8. Memories gathered, infinity.
So ride/drive safe, stay in touch with family and friends and enjoy life. It comes your way once here on earth.
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