Another great day and RIDE in Tennessee!

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I left out of my house after walking my dog, getting breakfast for all in the house...and checking my email.  Walked to the carport...pulled the little girl into the driveway, cranked her up....ah she sounds so dang sweet.


I've decided to play tourist at Bristol Caverns.  It's really a first for me...I have to pay $13.00 to go down in a hole in the ground....yeah, can ya believe this cheap ass gal is gonna open her pockets for a great trip down in the ground....


BUT...before I get there, I want to stop and get a picture of this stuff.....check it out!




Check out this barber shop's sign here on the "back door".





Are you gonna tell me this isn't cool?




OK...Now I'm heading north on 19E.  It's a four lane hiway that leads or rather dumps into 11E which is known as the Bristol Hiway.  This road will take you directly past Bristol Motor Speedway.  I don't go there that way...I find a back road.  I head east on Hiway 44.  Heading toward Bluff City...I actually think this road is pretty darn good.





After I cross the rail road tracks in Bluff City, I come to this little park.  It's really quite nice.
Geese, A rail car, water...cool stuff...














I left the park still heading East on 44...when somehow I got side tracked...and found myself on SR 394, which runs on the backside of Bristol Motor Speedway.  How the hell did I end up here? ah well...so if your looking at the map, you'll see I stay on this road until I hit SR421.  As I am crossing the hiway onto SR421, I see this:





Tell me, how many of you have passed these signs where you live, without slowing down to see what it says?  Man so much history passing you by! STOP AND CHECK EM OUT!

I now have my GPS pegged to my ear...it takes me the rest of the way into Bristol Caverns! Love my GPS...it's hooked up to my phone so I just follow Michelle's voice!


Here we are!





I'm walking down into the caverns...I see all the stair heading DOWN, I'm a couch potato...figure out how bad that gets on the tour back up...there were seven people on our tour...I'm the only one who is puffing on the way back out...one of the guys on the tour is about sixty something...and he's not even breathing hard! Rat bastard!

















There's a whole bunch more...this is pretty impressive...right here in our own back yard...I think you guys would like it.  I did...and I recovered well from the climb...so should you!


I left out of the Caverns, with every intention of heading home...but I kept seeing the signs for TVA South Holston Dam.  I had to see it.... well here it is!

















This is on top of the earthen dam...in fact every one after this one is from on top!














Leaving from South Holston Dam I find my way back to SR44. Heading south this time...I find these treasures....so cool!


This log cabin home is very OLD...and people still LIVE in it!  Oh wow...cool!








Love this nice old barn...don't you guys?





Well this is about it Folks...I'm on my way home!

A GOOD DAY'S RIDE, ERWIN TN, TILMAN MOUNTIAN TN, MARSHAL (NC)

I've gone over the map, and reconstructed it to actually reflect the small roads I traveled over...yesterday's map was hurriedly routed...and contains many substantial errors.  This ride actually ran me 126 miles, start to finish... It took me five hours to do...and lunch stop was a small gas station and chocolate covered mini doughnuts. YUCK!  But, here we go folks...I had a great ride!


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Leaving my home in near Milligan Collage, I head into Johnson City, to Smith Brothers HD. I really didn't want to ride alone today, and thought to stop in there to see if anyone wanted to ride.  I get there, and see a radio truck from WQUT.  Also, there was one guy in the lot on his bike, he looked to be trying to settle himself in for the day there...what's up with that? Why own a bike only to sit in the HD parking lot all day? 





I walk into the building, and the gal from motor-clothes spots me.  She kinda sidles over and acts like she is checking out a rack of shirts as I am getting ready to pass her, keeping her back to cameras in store, she whispers to me, "I just heard them announce over the speakers, first female to show her MC endorsement will win some kind of a prize!"  

Now I'm not one to reject a gift...so out I go to my bike to get my purse.  I left it in the saddle bags. Back in I go to the parts desk, ask them if any gal has shown her DL to them yet...whammo....nope...I get a free gift pack of HD cleaning products.  OK I'm glad I went...even if it turns out the people who gather for rides had left already this morning!  

I talk to a friend of mine...a mechanic, he asks me how the bike is running, I tell him it FEELS like it did when it was a spring chicken....over a 150 K miles ago...and it really does now you know...seems like a lot less vibration going on for some reason....


I skeedaddle out of there.  I hate going there...I always leave my money where I can't get at it...I'm not impressed with their proud pricey impulse items...and I really don't advertise for anyone on my tee shirts...unless I REALLY like em!  And while I have friends who are employed by Smith Brothers HD, and their service department has some TOP NOTCH service techs in it... I still don't wear their merchandise.  I've also bought HD boots from the dealer...and HD boots SUCK!


Out to my bike in the parking lot, as I'm putting my purse back in the saddle bag, another guy shows up on his bike.  Backs it into a spot along the fence and pulls out a tall boy can of fricken BEER!  Guess he's planning of sitting in the parking lot of HD and getting drunk...wow, what an exciting proposition.


Starting my Sporty up...she sounds so good...yummy in fact... I drop her into 1st, release the clutch and find my way to the street....when the way is clear...I open her up...speed clutching my way to 60MPH....quickly!  It feels good to open her up like that in just six seconds! She makes my heart sing!

I head south to Erwin. I'm still not sure if I am going to take SR 19E or not...oh oh...well it looks like NOT!  Been there done that, and I see a few other bikes taking the route.  I really don't want to be where others are right now.  I did less than a hour ago...but once on the road, once I've opened her up...she and I want to be alone.  

Gassing up in Erwin, then heading out toward 19...I do actually get on that road and start up the mountain.  




Funny thing happened on the way to the summit...I saw another road that veered south.  I turned around and headed on Tilson Mountain Road.  What a great mountain road!  If any of you are from around here, you really do have to ride this road.  It will ride for about 15 miles before dumping you out near Flag Pond Road.  What a fricken great ride this was!

Check out this old country store...of course, it's no longer in business anymore, but I just love the shutters on the windows...







Behind the store is this old derelict barn, just waiting for my camera to discover it!

Just before coming to Tilman Mountain Road, I snapped this photo of my bike and some distant background:





I have one more shot I want to share of the bike...here she's sporting Bandit's Bedroll... Now Bandit designed the bedroll to sit on the handlebars, but my bike has gauges there, so I've relocated my bag...and I really LIKE it!



Here is a shot of Tilman Mountain Road. The left side of the road ends in a steep ravine, and Oh, it has switch backs and hair pin turns too.




Coming down the other side of Tilman Mountain, you will encounter a varied amount of topography...and great buildings to photograph...





This abandoned home is across the street from the barn...



And these hay bales...growing grass....were on the side of the road in front of the house....





You'll run out of road on Tilman...run into something else, and then fall into Flag Pond Road.  This is a real nice little road, it seems to run to I-26, then run away...reminds me of my puppy, when he's playing...never really wanting you to catch him...very much like Flag Pond Road...never really wanting to be caught by I-26...it runs up and down rocky mountain sides...into great little valleys...around granite rock faces...you can look down into the valley and see your trek behind you...and it feels good.





Here is a house that appears to be in the midst of an upgrade. No one is living in it, but it sure looks as if some loving hands have been taking care of it.  Look beyond the house a bit...you see the granite rock face? What an inspiring view!  And of course...what "ginger bread" house would be complete without a cemetery on a hill above it?





This Amish Quilt pattern on the side of the drying shed...is very pretty...I saw several, but mostly on the way home...and I was running late...this one, was on one of the very small roads as I was trying to head west toward Marshall NC. 








This is US 70 North heading toward Greenville from Marshall.  It's the last picture I got...I was late and my puppy needed to get out to pee!