Sunday, May 29, 2016

Riding Iron in the Quest of Barbecue

Some people like fine wines, other people search out the best cigars.  I myself am a connoisseur of Barbecue. So on a lazy Sunday morning sitting in my easy chair, I open up our latest issue of Southern Living and BAM this article jumps out at me.  The "10 Must-Visit Kentucky Barbecue Joints" and I say damn.  Don't I live 6 miles from the Kentucky border?

So this lazy Sunday turned into a Barbecue vision quest,  an Iron ride to Barbecue heaven.  It seems out of the 10 the Top 3 are a relatively short distance.  All located in western Kentucky.  So with number 3 being the only one open on Sunday, it looks like Dave's Sticky Pig it is.     Dave's Sticky Pig located in Madisonville is a short 67-mile motorcycle ride away.  Heck that's like a trip to the refrigerator here down south.  So we're off.

Madisonville is right on US Highway 41 a magical road that runs from Chicago to Miami.  This is a great road to take when you don't want to deal with traffic and see the scenery.   As we ride on Highway 41 we go through Hopkinsville on the way to Madisonville.  Hopkinsville a famous stop on the Chitlin Circuit.   Great musical acts cut their teeth here.  James Brown and Jimi Hendrix just to name a couple.  But let's not get off track it is Barbeque that were after and it's in Madisonville.

So we arrive for a late lunch and are not disappointed.  All the sides are made from scratch a true test of any authentic BBQ joint.  I have the Ribs and the Pulled Pork.  The ribs are fall off the bone, good.  Some of the best that I had.  Terri had a pork sandwich served on traditional white bread.  It was definitely worth the ride.

With full stomachs, we are ready to head down Highway 41. We enjoy the enjoy the state of Kentucky, but more importantly, we get back to the great state of Tennessee.  It seems to be a quicker trip back not saddled with the overpowering BBQ anticipation.  It feels good to have traveled another road less traveled.  To have been somewhere never traveled before.





Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Ride to Huntsville




We had never been to Huntsville Alabama and wanted to make the run straight south for quite some time.   The biggest problem of riding south is getting through Nashville the traffic is always bad and not motorcycle friendly.  On this trip, we discovered a great way around the city.  The lower 840 Beltway is relatively unknown with little traffic and the scenery is outstanding.  It is a great way to get around the city and enjoy some wide open high speed cruising with little to no traffic.

The 840 loop was supposed to circle the whole city of Nashville, but for some reason, it was only completed on the southern side.  So to get there we have to take state road 13/48 to Dickson. Then take Interstate 40 for a short ride to the start of 840 Loop.

Once on the 840 loop it fast high speed cruising through some great Tennessee Countryside.  This is a great way to get around Nashville.  We pass Franklin Tennessee and then get off on at the US 431 exit.   We complete our ride on US 431 which takes us straight into Huntsville.  We stop at the Alabama border to grab some pictures.  Then it's off to Huntsville.

We arrive in at our destination.  Before the end of the day, we see the Huntsville Train Station and the Botanical Gardens. It was well worth the trip,  Tomorrow the back way to Chattanooga.  It should be a helluva ride.  3 states and Lookout Mountain another adventure.