Thursday, June 19, 2003

This was like being a kid at Christmas again. I couldn't go to sleep Wednesday night. Everything was packed and ready to go early Wednesday night, I just couldn't pack myself in. I think I finally went to bed around 2 am.

My '92 Nighthawk was packed with everything I needed for my three day trip. About a week earlier, I had gotten my new riding boots and my "tail bag." The boots are actually Search and Rescue boots, 100% waterproof, 15 inches tall, gusseted tongue - lots of support and they look cool too! The bag was a great deal. It is one of two Italian Army ruck sacks I got for $4. I planned on using the bags as saddle bags, but when I got them, they were HUGE. I got the stuff from The Sportsman's Guide catalog. (If the boots are still there, the product number is WX2 - 72807 .) Loads of great stuff at great prices (non compensated endorsement). I had clothes, tools, blanket, towel and snacks in the bag. I also had my full face helmet, leather jacket and chaps attached to the back with my bungee net. I brought these as rain gear due to the chance of scattered thundershowers.

I left Memphis at 9:15 am and headed out Highway 70. 70 is a scenic highway that runs across the state. It used to be the main highway in Tennessee until they built I-40. Except for 4-lane, divided stretches of the highway in Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville, 70 is a great two lane twisty road.

I hit Jackson, the town I grew up in, around 10:30. 70 runs around the South side of town. This was right through the route that a massive tornado ran through a few weeks earlier. There was still piles of rubble where government buildings once stood and acres of trees sliced in two. On the other side of town, I stopped at the sound of something metal bouncing behind me. I checked the bike and realized that the plate on the end of the swing arm had come off. I had replaced the chain before the trip and evidently didn't tighten the two nuts at the end of the plate well enough. My search for the plate was cut short when the first of many thundershowers hit me. Since the plate wasn't going to affect the bike (plus the fact that I had given up trying to find it) I put my leathers over my wet clothes and took off again.

On the way towards Nashville, I probably got hit about 5 times by showers. They weren't that bad. It was going to take a lot more than water to ruin this trip. When it wasn't raining, it was perfect - full sun and slight breeze. Before reaching Nashville, I stopped for my first fill-up since Memphis.

I hit Nashville around 1:00, which was pretty good time considering my delay in Jackson. I stopped to take a shot of downtown before I headed into the city. Once I got into the downtown area, I lost 70. I ended up giving up trying to find it again (neither the map or lack of directions from gas station guy helped) and took I-40.

Just a short trip down 40 brought me to an exit that connected back up with 70.

The remainder of the ride to Knoxville went very smooth. No more rain, perfect weather and perfect riding. I would hit stretches of road with lots of twisties and thankfully no other vehicles. There was also the occasional slow down for a little town. The closer I got to Knoxville, the more hills got thrown into the twisty mix.

I got to Knoxville around 8 pm and made my to the other side of the county where the cabin was. The cabin was situated on the side of a mountain. It was just inside the Great Smokie Mountain National Park. Found the cabin about an hour later and got to meet Blair's family for the first time.

After I unloaded everything, Blair and I went in to Maryville so I could grab some grub. I hadn't stopped all day to eat. We ended up getting back to the cabin around 11pm and called it a day.