Nashville

This was the last big trip of the year. The plan was to get up early, tour the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, see Nashville, visit with Kim, Tim & Kelly, and camp somewhere between here and there on the way back. I loaded up the saddle bags the night before and strapped my sleeping bag onto the rack behind the sissy bar. A loaded bike with a full tank and a sleeping bag had my spirit on road eight hours before my body was ready to follow.

A short stop along the way

I got up early and hit the road by six. It was dark out and the oncoming traffic made it impossible to see what was on the road beyond the next headlight. Roadkill is plentiful, so I was concerned that I’d hit something that the bike wouldn’t take kindly to. I did end up running through the center of a fresh armadillo, but the hard shell provided pretty good traction.

The sun was coming up by the time I entered Oxford Alabama an hour and a half into the ride. I was going to get a cup of coffee but was feeling good so I stopped at a gas station and put some air in the tires instead – they were low. After thawing out I removed the face mask and headed north.

Upon entering Tennessee, I felt a feeling of exhilaration and let out a victory yell. This was the farthest I’ve gone on the bike and everything was going perfect so far. Soon after, I got to the Jack Daniel’s distillery and got a number for the next tour. They had a nice museum that I went through while I waited for my tour. The guide took us through the various buildings used in the process and showed us some of the historical buildings on the grounds.

The distillery has special parking for motorcycles

The wood and location of the distilling process

Natural water used to make Jack

Jack Daniel and Me

The safe Jack kicked which led to his death

Things of note:

• The distillery is in a dry county
• All workers receive a free pint on the first Friday of the month (Good Friday)
• Jack Daniel died of gangrene after getting mad and kicking a safe in his office

After eating lunch, I headed out for lower Broadway in Nashville. I walked up and down the strip while I waited for Brother Tim & Kelly to arrive. I visited a brew house, saw the Charlie Daniels’ museum, and caught a couple songs at one of the numerous bars with live bands along the strip.

The Charlie Daniels Museum

Broadway during the day

At The Stage

Tim & I

We also met up with Kim in town and then went back to her house to catch up. I was finally able to meet her husband, Ron, before we headed back to Tim & Kelly’s at 12:30. The ride was about 45 minutes and I froze.

Broadway at night

Kim, the King & I

The next morning, Kelly made us pancakes and we had a nice time to hang out and talk about what is going on in our lives. Instead of stretching the trip out another day, I wanted to get home, so I left early and made a beeline for LaGrange. The drive was nice but turned to awesome once I got off the highway and cruised along the blue highways. By this time the day had warmed, the sun was out, the humidity was non-existent and I was almost home.

The rest area entering Georgia

I reached a new personal best for miles traveled in a single day. I rode 349 miles the first day and 249 the next for a total of 598 miles. Next year I’d like to take a trip down to Panama City, Fl.