Greenback Castle, Sweetwater Farms Dairy and Fort Loudon

It's been a while since I have been on the blog.  There's a lot going on and I hope to get back to doing plenty of riding and writing now that the weather has improved.  This ride took place Monday, April 30th, the same day a Great Lady turned 96.  So I dedicate this ride to Memaw and my riding friend, Wendy.

The weather was a bit cool early in the morning so my riding friend Wendy and left around 10 a.m., she on her HD Glidetrike and me on Sweet Thang.  This morning we headed South down US 411 to Maryville, TN and below.  The air was still a bit crisp, the sky blue and the sun was up making its way across the sky.  A great day to ride.

On our way to the Castle at Greenback.











We have arrived.  You have to even be careful of where you park.  We did not park in the designated parking place as I wanted to get a bit closer to the structure.

Our first stop was the Castle at Greenback, TN.  This is a project started by a man years ago and is still in the construction stage.  Free to visit but you need to be careful walking around it.

Wendy posing beside a collection of things.  There's numerous collections throughout the castle.

A canon replica complete with stacks of canon balls.

One of the walls made of concrete and glass bottles.

Don't know who was behind bars as they didn't seem to want to talk.

The wall was well decorated making plain concrete blocks look a bit more appealing.

One of the many inside poster boards depicting the castle story, the man that is building it, etc.

There are several of these around the inside walls of the building.

There's also a lot of symbolism portrayed about the castle walls.  These are from Christian Crosses to Egyptian, etc.

Looking up at the structure supporting the upper floor.  It's designed this way to accommodate a spiral stair case.

This particular area resembled a patio of designs but not to be used as a patio.  Lots of rocks and stones.  Many designs with no information as to their meaning.

A little bit of history with the wall hangings, washing machine, school desk, etc.

A shot of the front side of the castle.

Another shot looking at the East end.  This site even has a cemetery.  I looked but didn't find my name so I figured I was safe at this moment in time.

An unusual site filled with some unusual things and depictions.  Now to saddle up and head for our next destination.

Off we went still farther South this time heading to the Sweetwater Farms Dairy near Philadelphia, TN.  I love this place.  I keep telling friends that I am going to show up one day with a box of crackers and a quart of milk.  You see, they have a table with every kind of cheese they make here along with a couple of different sausages.  One could make a meal here.

There's a number of dairy farms in this area along with some Amish farms too.  If you visit the Sweetwater Dairy Farm, get use to the aroma of a barnyard as it is in the back of the main building.

After picking up some yellow cheese curds, we headed off to Tellico Plains.  It was such a beautiful day that you could just lay back and let the miles roll your thoughts away.

Due to this area being the homeland of the Cherokee, a lot of areas and roads are Indian names. 

Tellico Plains is at the southern end of the Cherohala Skyway and is visited by thousands of bikers each year.  I'm usually one of those at least two or three times a year.

The highway to Tellico Plains has some nice long rolling hills as it is at the foothills of the Smokies.

After a gas stop in Tellico Plains, we headed south on TN-360 which would take us back to Vonore, TN.

360 is a snaky ride and today there was very little traffic to deal with.  It has some pretty scenery and primarily runs in a valley, meaning there are no mountains to cross.

You can lose your thoughts riding here but you had better keep you mind on the roads as they do twist and turn.

Crossing one of the fingers of the TN River on our way to Fort Loudon.

At Fort Loudon Historical State Park we stopped for a cool rest along the bank of the river.  It is very scenic.  We talked a bit with a Park Ranger and he said that at this point the water was from the TN River and two other rivers.  In places the water is over 60 ft. deep.

After a nice rest stop we once again mounted our trusty machines and headed back to Seymour.  It was a great day of riding.  We did about 160 miles today, a day of easy riding.

So until the next Valkyrie Adventure, start thinking about where you'll be heading to for your vacation.  This country of ours, The USA, has a bounty of beautiful and interesting places to see.  Be nice, be friendly and drive safe.