Muddy Pond Sorgham Run

Saturday, October 21, 2017.  Nice Fall day with just right temperatures for riding.  No rain in the forecast so it's time to turn the wheels.  I, all donned in my riding gear, pushed Sweet Thang out of the garage about 9:00 a.m.  This morning I am riding solo and have decided to head to Muddy Pond for my seasonal jar of sorgham molasses.

In an effort to save time I will ride the interstate to Crossville, TN and then take the turn off onto US 127 north to TN 62 and then on to the Muddy Pond Community.

Crossing the Henley St. Bridge over the Tennessee River in Knoxville looking upstream at the Gay St. Bridge.










Just at the West end of the Henley St. Bridge is an old Methodist Church.

I then took the Nashville route onto I-40 and headed out of Knoxville westbound for Crossville.  It's a clear morning with minimal traffic.

Not too far out of Knoxville I ran into a little fog for a mile or so.

Then back into blue sky and bright sunshine.

Crossing the bridge at Kingston you get a good view of a large TVA power generation station.

This morning's ride will take us upon the Plateau which is a great weather changer between Nashville and Knoxville.

I-40 is a pretty ride in this area, winding up the side of the Plateau in long sweeping curves.  And you're starting to see a bit of Fall color also.

Up 127 the scenery changes to some old homes and larger farm sites.  Of course we have left the 4-lane highway and are now riding on 2-lane roads.

A nice old farm stead.

There are some very large farms up on the Plateau.  Lots of cows and horses.

Lots of little bogs, or sloughs too and of course ponds.  Sort of like up in the glacier areas of Minn. 

Nice reflections in the water with just a tinge of Fall colors.












Lots of long straight stretches of road on the Plateau.

And the reminder that this is farm country.

Lots of fence to maintain.

Picture book of photos showing the land, the fields and the lanes traveled.

One of my favorite pics, showing a slight curve in the road near the start of the rise of the road.

Yes, Fall is in the air.  You can see some color and smell the fallen leaves.

Heading to the mill on Muddy Pond Rd.

Newly resurfaced road with tar and chat (crushed rock) makes for a slippery surface due to the loose chat.

Not much prettier than riding a country lane.

A store with goodies inside as well as gifts and a full leather shop.  Bridles to stirrups.  Need a belt, they have it.  Need a purse, they have it.  But you need to be in the Western mode as most all of the goods are connected to riding horses.

The General Store at the top of the hill above the sorgham mill.  And they have goodies also.  More of the eating kind.

Inside of the mill with a steam heated evaporator pan of hot boiling sorgham juice headed for molasses.

They normally make about 10,000 gallons of syrup each year but Mother Nature didn't let that happen this year.  The man told me that they would make about 5,000 gallons this year.  And we got to talk a spell about the boiler they use for making steam.

This is the boiler used at the mill.  It is a wood fired boiler similar to that used by an old locomotive.  Part of the control valves date back to the late 1800s.  They burn a lot of wood each year and only operate September and October.

Leaving the mill I took Campground Rd. back to 62 and 127.

Just a nice country lane with wooded scenery to enjoy.

From country lane roads I got back to the main road to take me back to Crossville.

Once in Crossville I decided to take the Interstate back so I could stretch Sweet Thang out.  I picked up my syrup and a quart for a friend.  I also enjoyed a fried apple pie and a fried peach pie.  The latter was to just treat myself for being such a nice guy.

Today's ride totaled 232 miles of great riding and some good time talking with the sorgham syrup maker.


Take time to take care of yourself and don't forget to have a little treat every once in a while.  Life is shorter than you may think.