Friday, August 27, 2021

Linden Tennessee : The Commodore Hotel and Tennessee Highway 99 to 99 Curves

We are on our way to Linden, Tennessee, to stay at the Commodore Hotel and Cafe, an iconic downtown hotel that has been refurbished.  It’s about halfway to Memphis in the west part of middle  Tennessee.  It’s our last weekend before the school year, so we decided to make the most of it.  It's been a while since I've ridden these motorcycle roads. Unfortunately, I'm soon to find out I haven't ridden all of them.

Our first stop for lunch is a favorite.  Pinewood Kitchen is a farm-to-table operation located south of Dickson on the Pinewood Farm itself.  They have a great variety of farm-fresh and vegan options. If you're into that sort of thing.  What I can say is that they have some great food.

It is a great road from Clarksville to Linden.  Lots of green scenery and twisting roads.  We are in the Tennessee River Country.  This is where the Duck and Buffalo Rivers join together to finish their journey to the Tennessee River just west of Linden.   There is this especially tight hairpin curve with steep banks before you get to Centerville on highway 48.  This will put your heart into your throat.  Linden is about another hour of great motorcycles roads away.

We arrived in Linden and the Commodore Hotel and Cafe about in the late afternoon.  Staying in this hotel is like stepping back into time. You feel like you should be wearing a 1930's pinstripe suit, Original Gangster Style.  The hotel sits on the main street right across from the County Court House. We had dinner in the hotel restaurants after a walk around the town.  

During check-in, we were given a list of Motorcycle roads in the area; one of the maps caught my eye.  It was a map called 99 to 99.  Tennessee Highway 99 is supposed to have 99 curves. So on our way home, we took a little detour to ride this road.  It was a road that follows the Buffalo River and crosses 2 River Ridges from the Buffalo to the Duck River valleys.  It's full of curves and changes in elevation.  All I can say is ride this road.  Also, the hotel has a canoeing and kayak operation on the Buffalo River and offers day trips from the hotel to do those activities. 

I thought I had ridden all the great roads in Tennessee; obviously, I was wrong about that.  My guess is there are many more hidden gems out there that I need to saddle up for.