Lots of good intentions to get on the road by 7:30. Just strapped all our gear on the bikes and it started to rain. Uh oh. Checked the weather forecast and it looks like its a lot of thunderstorms coming all down the TAT route. Weather channel says says roads are ponding. Dunno what ponding gravel is like but we don't wanna find out. Wimping out and taking a proper rest day at our super 8 motel near Hazen. Damn, could...
Deer +5, cotton maize and soybean fields + lots The mosquitoes from last night must have been full from feasting on Simon as they were nowhere to be seen or heard this morning. Neither of us got a particularly good nights sleep, so it was a less than refreshed start on the road at 8am. We didn't bother rejoining the TAT where we left off, but got back onto it near Enid. I think I have come to terms with the reality...
Armadillo +1, supeglue -1 We hightailed it out of Huntsville and rejoined the TAT at Elkton. The trail wound its way through rural back roads. Mostly poorly maintained sealed road with the odd bit of fast moving gravel. We stopped for lunch where the TAT crosses the Natchez Trace Parkway. Our lunch stops usually entail finding a shady spot on the side of the road when we start feeling hungry. They don't always match up with a town or a scenic view...
Cool space stuff +1, working shock +1 So for those that don't know, Huntsville Alabama is about 50km (31 miles) south of the TAT. It is also basically the birthplace of Americas rocket development programme including the Saturn V rockets that got Buzz and Neil to the moon. When we were planning our trip, we plotted the TAT on a map then plotted a 60km (37 mile) boundary either side of it and set about seeing if there was anything worth visiting...
Kind internet stranger +1, Semi nude Dutch Harley rider +1, possum -1, armadillo-1, trash panda -1 We packed up our tent, before eagerly awaited the rival of klaviator who had kindly offered us a place stay and tools to use and on top of all that had decided to ride 2 hours to meet us at our campsite and escort us to his home. This guy loves to ride. We are always a little apprehensive about meeting new people, especially strangers...
We can thoroughly recommend the Ocoee River Inn behind the gas station. Rooms were large and very very quiet. Also the gas station stocks fresh fruit and has a car wash next to it. After arranging with a fellow grom rider to ship a shock to ADVrider klaviator in Huntsville, we spent the rest of the morning sampling the TAT. Mostly fast moving gravel with a bit of rocky stuff. The rocky stuff convinced us that we probably shouldn't be riding...
Whooowee what a day! We squeezed in a quick run up and down the tail of the dragon before buying the obligatory tee shirt. Just as we were about to leave it started pissing it down. We let it ease up a bit then headed off. The rain did not stop. We skipped the bits of dirt road and opted for riding the Cherohala Skyline. It was on our to do list. The views are supposed to be wonderful, unfortunately it...
Oh boy am I in the dog box. More about that later. Good start to the day, unfortunately too early for the motorcycle museum. We pootled up the road taking tourist photos at the indian tiki and the " most photographed view in the world". A brief foray onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, (where we saw a huge elk? And his missus round the corner) then onto a one way dirt road for 60km that spits you out about 10km from...
Bigfoot 0, Back on the road again after a bit of a sleep in and a southern breakfast of eggs and grits. A stop at Walmart for some supplies and we only really got going just before 12. Fun little memory. While we were in the Walmart parking lot a couple pulled up in a car next to us. The husband was joking with his wife about how she was wanting to flirt with the bikers. When she realized it wasn't two...
Critter nest +1, missing screw -1 Well no snakes, bears or spiders last night. It also didn't rain. Unfortunately camp sites in the woods don't seem to have great cell coverage hence the odd timing of these posts on ADVrider. The first section of gravel was very twisty turny, so it took us a while, the rest went pretty quickly. We rocked up at the regional hospital in Spruce Pines to get a doctor to have a look at Sims knee. Turns out...