Breakfast Ride to Fox Den With Paul, 7-14-20

Tuesday, 7-14-2020, temperature, 72 degrees, no rain but going to be another hot one.  Haven't ridden a long ride in several months due to Covid virus and issues with vertigo.  Today, it's time to ride, but will be taking Red Bug instead of the Valkyrie.

Left the house at 7:20 to meet Paul at U-Shop convenience store for 7:45.  I needed to gas up and had time to get a cup of coffee.  Paul shows up about 7:40 to gas up and make a pit stop.  By then I had finished my coffee and we headed out.  Going to the Fox Den Restaurant about a mile and a half past Del Rio, TN.  It is a small community backed up to the mountains.

After a ham and cheese omelet (had two slices of tomato on plate) with coffee we donned our trusty riding gear and headed out for some back road riding.  This would take us on some good roads, some newly paved roads, some crumbling asphalt roads, some gravel roads and finally the Interstate.  About the only thing we didn't get was some muddy roads thank goodness.

A shot looking East from in front of the house as I'm getting ready to leave to meet Paul.

The Island View School in the early morning light.  It's that building by the tree.

A road we took to take us across to Dandridge.

Not so hot of a pic but that white object is a steeple in the yard of this house.

Just one of the many barns we will see on this trip.  Believe me, I won't bore you with pics of each barn.  But I do love old barns.

Crossing one of the fingers of Douglas Lake.  The water looks like a mirror this morning.

Coming into Dandridge, TN.  Looks a lot like Williamsburg, VA.  Dates back before the Revolution.

Another finger of the Douglas Lake.  This is a very large lake which is a TVA facility powering a large hydro-electric dam.

Leaving Newoport, TN.  During the summer they decorate the bridge railing with flowers.  Really looks great.

Another old barn which is located in some of the best farming area of East TN.

I assure you Paul is not bare from the waist up and wearing a bra.  That is his faded Red with reflective Yellow vest over his riding jacket.  Of course I can't tell you what he may be wearing beneath that.  Interesting!

Kudzu in this area is a little frightening.  It looks like the vines will just reach out and grab you.  I saw a car that looked like a topiary instead of a junked vehicle.  That stuff grows about a foot a day.

Gravel and broken asphalt road, one of several we rode on today.  up hill down hill, back brake only.





These roads went for miles back in the mountains.

Honey, will you go to the store and get a loaf of bread?  That could be a 4 hour trip, if he didn't get lost.

Some of the areas looked and felt real cool.  It was nice especially riding in the shade.

Mother Nature will reclaim a non-used place in a short while.  Kudzu and weeds love places unkempt.

Filtered light, open sunlight and questionable road.  Sharpens your riding skills quickly.

I checked and aired up my tires the night before.  Street tires and high air pressures make it dance in the gravel.

Then we get to Annie's Pork and Beans on Old Fifteenth Hwy.  There was a water wheel there but I couldn't see anything attached to it.  Just for looks.

Paul had been here before.  Behind the building is a 4 Chair band stand.  According to the sign they do a little picking and grinning on Saturday nights.

Paul taking a picture of Annie's.  Red Bug in the background.












One of the many signs posted around Annie's.










There was a plastic pipe that ran from some place way up that road down to feed the water to the water wheel.










Leaving Annie's brought us out onto some good roads and lots of beautiful farms.

In every state there are a lot of invasive trees and plants.  The Mimosa trees are trying to take over here along with several other varieties.  The Mimosa is the one with the pinkish flowers.

A semi-rock farm.  There are some around that grow a lot more rocks than this shown.

A quiet place to rest.

And some sites in the shade.  For you campers, I didn't see any with water, electricity and sewer hookups.

Lots of corn grown here due to the large numbers of cattle raised.

With large facilities to store stuff in.

Beautiful pasture.  Looks like the Indians may be signaling with those white puffs in the the sky.

Fields of soybeans are also grown here and silage for feed during the winter.

Heading home, one of the few long stretches of two lane hwy.

The Little White Church on the Hill.

Tomato field, one of many.  This is definitely tomato country, just ask anyone.

We continued riding by and through some lush farms until we caught the interstate to head home.  Then we opened the bikes up a bit and let them roll.  Paul got off at the Dripping Springs exit and I got off at the 407.  Down TN 66 for a bit and then onto Boyds Creek Hwy.

Total mileage for me today was 171 miles.  Arrived home about 1:45 p.m. just as the temperature was getting warmer.

All in all, a great day to ride and a great ride.  I, like the rest of you, sure will be glad when this virus stuff is over and we can do some of the normal things we did.  However, a great stress relief is a ride with the knees in the breeze and some sunshine on your face and in your heart.

So until the next Valkyrie Adventure, play it safe, take care of yourself, your family and me.

Picnic Ride With Wendy

April 22, 2020, Hump Day, was a beautiful Spring day.  Way to pretty to stay in the house and watch a whole lot of nothing.  So Wendy and I decided to take a motorcycle ride to enjoy the day.  We backed the bikes out of the garage and departed around 11:00 a.m. heading in a loop ride starting in a southerly direction.  She decided to bring a blanket so that we could have a picnic lunch on the grass someplace.  Good idea.  I haven't had a picnic lunch in ages.  I've eaten a lot using my bike as a picnic table, eaten sitting on my bike or leaning against it but to carry a blanket for such an occasion was not on my list.  Today was different.

The map below is the route we took today.  Since she hasn't ridden much this year I planned a route that would be easy on her with good roads and roads with minimum traffic except the Interstate 40 piece.  Her carpal tunnel left wrist can't handle too many of the roads Paul and I ride on.  Shoving that trike around is like pushing an ox cart forward from the back.
                                                                                                                    

Wendy getting ready to pull out on her HD TriGlide.  I double checked all of the bolts and screws before we left.  LOL, the Devil made me do it.

We left the house, rode down Boyds Creek Hwy. to Chapman, crossed Chapman Hwy. and down US 411 to Maryville.

Wendy riding behind me towards Maryville.

We gassed up in Maryville (it's cheaper there than near the house) and headed on South on US 411 to Madisonville.

Nice rolling hills and a very blue sky.

At Madisonville we turned West on TN 68 over to Sweet Water.  By the time we got there it was time for lunch.  I pulled into a Hardee's, walked up to the drive-thru window to pick up our order while Wendy spread the blanket for our picnic lunch.








Picnic lunch and then we were off again heading over to Spring City.

On the road again to Spring City.

That red barn just shined sitting among the green grass.  Picture doesn't do it justice.

These were some out buildings on the same property as the red barn.

A far away look at the cooling towers for the Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant.

A Transmission Tower sits on the island and is one that carries power from the Watts Bar Plant Station.  This is a TVA power plant, one of many plants and Hydros in Tennessee.

Clinch River, the cooling water source for the generating plant.

At Spring City we turned North to head to I-40 which we would take back towards the house.

Just a nice driveway to a home well off the highway.

A monument alongside the interstate highway.  Kind of odd.  Almost missed taking the picture.

We took I-140 from I-40 and later took the  Topside Rd. exit which will take us over to Alcoa Hwy. and John Sevier to US 441.

It was break time for a coffee and some water as we turned onto Topside Road.






It was a great day and a good safe ride.  Door to door was 178 miles.  We didn't stop to gas up so my bike is probably running on fumes, well not exactly, it hasn't gone into the reserve mode yet, but it needs some petrol.  Hers also.  Gives me something to do between rains.  We got back early enough that I had time to mow the lawn and check on the grass I planted a week back.  It's growing and is about 2" tall.  However it will need to have some replanting done as the heavy rains washed a lot of it down from its original planting spots.

So, until the next Valkyrie Adventure, stay safe from the virus and other issues that may harm you and/or your family and enjoy each day you have.  Keep in touch with family members especially us older folks.  Be thankful for what you have.  It's not permanent.