Tails of the Off Track Thoroughbred: Feeling overwhelmed!

I haven't blogged lately ... because I've been lazy. Now, I'm feeling overwhelmed with all of the riding to tell of!! I feel like I've forgotten so much already, I wish I had everything on a GoPro that I could just vlog; I feel like that would be easier. Oh well, one ride at a time!

274 miles of awesomeness!

The next weekend was FINALLY the trip I've been waiting for! Rock Island State Park. I don't know why I was so anxious to get out there; I think just because I've seen pictures, and the place looks amazing. Saturday dawned warm and cloudy, but nothing too threatening. We ate at a little mom and pop shop that's quickly becoming a favorite when we're heading out 411S; the Lampost Restaurant. HUGE omelettes, good coffee, and quick, country service. We headed out familiar roads through Madisonville, Athens, and then we basically just took Hwy 30 all the way to Rock Island. It's a cute little town, VERY quiet. The best thing about Tennessee State Parks is they're all free; which, when you're stopping for gas every 100 miles for 2 motorcycles, is nice not to have to dish out for EVERY little thing.

The roads into the park are like the ones heading into all of them. A little curvy, small, and not in the best of shape with lots of "tar snakes" running through them. David navigated us into the main entrance, and we parked right up front. WOW. The falls are gorgeous ... AND we didn't have to walk much! Once David and I both have our Chieftans, walking won't be a problem; we can pack shorts and a change of shoes in the saddlebags! But as long as my bike has no storage, and one of his is compromised by a cooler, there's not much else that can be squeezed into one saddlebag! We got back on the bikes and took some of the roads looking for other views; David just KNEW there were some "bigger" falls somewhere, it was just a matter of finding them.

After several failed attempts to see them, David used his Human GPS skills to figure out we needed to actually leave the park and drive around about 15 mins to another end. So we did! It was a fun challenge; I was finally feeling a little less shaky. We took off down a tiny road that seemed like it almost wanted to become gravel, but it didn't ... JACKPOT! The big falls are spectacular, and soooo worth looking for! We did hike down the stairs so we could get a little closer; got lots of pics.

Leaving out, we took Hwy 70 which is touted as being the FIRST state highway and runs from Memphis to Bristol. It has long stretches of interstate like roads, long stretches of 55 mph 2 lanes, and some curvy sections that are TIGHT! I had some teeth gritting moments and David pulled ahead of me pretty good in a few places. We were chasing rain again and the some sections of the road in the curvy parts were so soaked, I just got in my head again and went way slower than I probably needed to. We rode right into Knoxville and had dinner at our favorite Moe's Original BBQ (which we did NOT know was in Knox! Thought we had to drive all the way to Chatt for it!) and took Alcoa Hwy home. Not one single tire on interstate the entire trip. David prides himself on that! It was a very pleasant day with no issues or problems at all
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