View Day 3 May 2012 Trip in a larger map
I started this morning waiting for a bell cart in the lobby of the Holiday Inn. I swear, there were only 2 bell carts for the HUNDREDS of rooms. I waited a few minutes next to the sign that stated "Please do not hold onto bell carts. Only use bell carts when ready to check in or out, and please return to bell cart area promptly," before heading out to the lot to warm up the bike. I can tell you that at least 2 douche bags felt they needed these carts more than any other hotel guest, as their lives are clearly more important than any other humans', not to mention that rules obviously do not apply to them.
After 45 minutes of waiting for a cart, I finally decided to just grab my 80 lb luggage from my 5th floor room, and muscle it down to the parking lot. I finally hit the road around 10am, an hour later than initially planned. I rolled my jacket up and strapped it down to the top of my luggage, as I wasn't going to need it on this day. 100 degrees would be the high today, with it already being in the lower 90s.
I headed out of the Opryland area on 155 north, which took me around the northern Nashville area. The view is amazing as you get past the city, heading west through shear cliffs on either side of the expressway, with gently rolling mountains for as far as the eye could see.
I caught route 12 west of Nashville, which was only a short jaunt to route 49 north in Ashland City, TN. I stopped at this junction to take the pictures below (click them to enlarge):
This was JUST the start of an amazing riding experience.
Route 49 weaves in and out of little towns throughout the area. The speed limit pretty much maintains itself at 55 MPH, but most curves are not marked with a suggested speed, and I did come into a few quite hot. It's very important to look through your turns while riding these back roads, as there are many blind curves and hidden drive ways. I was lucky enough on this portion of the ride to experience a great ride with no interferences. As is the case for most of the backroads I took in TN and KY, the cadence of these curves is perfect. Just back and forth, back and forth. Very few straightaways, except in the reduced speed areas which take you through the small towns, like Erin, TN: A little bit of Ireland in the hills of Tennessee! A detailed map can be seen below:
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That's almost 70 miles of twisties! I tell you, 70 miles on an expressway seems to take FOREVER, but this portion of the ride felt like it only took 15 minutes, while it took well over an hour.
I stopped in Dover, TN to rehydrate. I met a fellow rider from that area who had pulled up behind me at the gas pump. I had my Chicago North Harley Davidson shirt on, which is clearly marked on the back. As I stood outside of the shop chugging my Gatorade, he approached me and the following conversation ensued:
local(in a thick Tennessee drawl): "What part-a Illinois are ya coming from? You ain't really coming from Chicago, are ya?"
me: "Yeah, all the way from Chicago. I actually started Friday, and rode from there to Louisville (pronounced "lool-ville" in these parts). Then Louisville to Nashville yesterday. Heading back up through southern Illinois this afternoon to Mattoon, just south of Champaign"
local: "ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY! Your ass has gotta be KILLIN' ya!" (he steps forward and pats the gel pad I attached to my seat for this ride) "Well, I'm sure this been a big help"
me: "Oh yeah, that's been my savior for this trip"
We proceeded to talk bikes, as he was actually an owner of a Sportster 1200, which he upgraded to a Softtail after his first major trip on the Sporty "My ass was killin me after a couple of hours, so I feel your pain brother! Ride safe!"
I stopped in Dover, TN to grab a couple of quick pics:
"The Trace," the route that runs through Land Between the Lakes, is another backroad with a great cadence. The whole 50 miles or so had a great back and forth in the twisting road. The only downfall in this area is that due to these frequent twists; there's not many chances to pass the many slow moving vehicles in this recreational area. I got stuck behind a Kentuckian hauling his bass boat 15 miles under the speed limit, and another time I and 2 trike riders got stuck for about 10 miles behind a fat ass woman riding a motorized scooter with a child on the back. I'm pretty sure she maxed her speed at about 20 MPH, and rode DIRECTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE on a 50 MPH road, almost thumbing her nose at the 3 vehicles riding her ass through a great section that we missed out on. SOME PEOPLE!!!! Here's the detailed map of The Trace:
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As you will notice on the above map, the lakes come together at the northern tip of the park. I was amazed to see these channels and bodies of water so populated, and even drove past a marina full of large sail boats just past the northern entrance to the park:
The rest of the ride was expressway riding, so not much to report on that. I just installed brand new forward controls a week before the trip, and my first issue with those can be read about in my Day 1 posting of this trip. The second issue occurred just north of Paducah KY. I had my feet kicked out in from of me, with my achilles resting on the pegs. As I pulled heels back onto the pegs, my right side peg folded downwards toward the road! Luckily I didn't put enough weight on the peg to send the boot crashing down on the pavement flying by at 70 MPH directly under the bike. I was able to get my insole onto the clevis portion of the peg, and got off at the very next exit only a mile ahead. The clevis had rattled a little loose while riding, and after 5 minutes of wrenching, I was back on the road with no further issues. Should have used LocTite!
I stopped to hydrate again in Effingham, IL, and had a great conversation with a fellow rider from Rantoul, IL. I hate to admit it, but cagers really miss out on this experience. Everywhere I stopped someone approached me asking where I was heading. Most were fellow riders, but a few were just folks interested in hearing about my trip. I seriously doubt that an Illinois resident driving through these areas in an automobile are approached as often with these types in inquiries.
I was told to "watch out for Armadillos" while discussing this portion of the trip with a coworker from Effingham IL (I've never been through Southern Illinois). I laughed at him, thinking he was joking. What do you know; the first roadkill I spotted after crossing the Illinois border on 57 was an Armadillo!
I arrived for the night in Mattoon, IL around 7:30PM, which gave me plenty of time to unpack the bike and head over to the Don Sol restaurant, located just 50 feet from the outside door to my room. I had a great meal of Pollo Flautas, and a big 32 oz iced mug of Dos Equis. What a great way to end a long day of riding!
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