A Fast Ride Home: From Eastern Tennessee through Kentucky and the Cumberland Gap

Probably the best-kept secret in the world of road building is the Kentucky Parkway System.  This series of freeways are some of the best built and least congested roads that I have ridden.   Living 6 miles from the Kentucky border in Tennessee I have had the chance to travel these great roads

After a long day of riding country roads in Eastern Tennessee on The Tennessee Lost Highways, we decide to head home through the Cumberland Gap.  In Tazewell Tennessee, we turn onto US Highway 25E to make a run to the Kentucky border and the Gap.   As you approach the gap, you notice the hazardous cargo warning signs for the tunnel that takes you through the mountain into Kentucky and to the town of Middleboro.

On US 25E the wall of Mountains comes at you fast.  Then before you know it, you are in them with the echo of your bike filling the tunnel.  On the other side is Middleboro once leaving the Tunnel the road follows the mountainous river valley.  Its long sweeping fast turns that make it a joy to ride.  We join another group of bikers as we make our way to Corbin Kentucky.  In the group running 75-80 the towns of Pineville, Flat Lick and Bourbonville melt away under the rubber of our two wheels. The rush is incredible.

Once in Corbin we lose the group and connect with I75 for a short run to London Kentucky.  There we jump on Kentucky Highway 80, that takes us to Somerset and the Cumberland Parkway.  The Cumberland Parkway is a long lonely road.  It is as good as any freeway enabling us to run 80-85 all the way to Bowling Green.

As the sunsets, we stop at a Wendy's for a quick dinner.  Then the final push back to Clarksville ending over 12 hours on Motorcycles and fantastic ride through Tennessee and Kentucky.