Motorcycles Roads: Tennessee State Road 30

At least once a year, we like to ride down to Chattanooga to see our son and our daughter-in-law who live there.  After spending a couple of days there, we like to ride the great roads that the Blue Ridge Mountains, we wanted to ride the Cherohala Skyway. It wasn't going to happen this year because of the weather.

Instead, we headed west, home to Clarksville over an expanded route. After riding to all 95 Tennessee Counties, I thought that I have ridden every motorcycle road that this state had to offer. After Tennessee 30, I realize now that I have so much more left to do. 

This is one of the Top 10 motorcycle roads in the state of Tennessee.  A ride that crosses 2 mountain ridges through a Glacier carved Valley.  With 2 mountain climbs and 2 descents that contain tight switchbacks that will thrill anyone on a motorcycle.   Add in a thunderstorm with hail; it will definitely make you feel alive on this earth.

It's a short blast from Chattanooga up to Dayton, US Highway 27 is four lanes of fast.  With the Cumberland Plateau on our left and the Blue Ridge on our right, we make the left turn on TN 30.  We pass by the Rhea County Courthouse home to the Scopes Monkey Trial.  The famous trial where a teacher was prosecuted for teacher evolution which was against state law at that time.

We begin the long climb up the Plateau with fast and slow switchbacks during the accent.  As we make the climb, we can see a small storm cell to the south, moving across the top of the Plateau.  The radar shows we are supposed to miss it.  Once on top, we ride the 5 miles on top of the Plateau to the drop into the Sequatchie River Valley.

On the way down, we run into some thunder, rain, and hail.  We were lucky it was mostly a long incline with just a few small turns. Once out of the storm, we quickly enter the Squathie River Valley.   We pass through the town of Pikeville. Then we make our way to make the climb to Spencer then back down the other side to McMinnville.

Once through McMinnville, we catch US Highway 70 to finish our trip back home to Clarksville.  TN State Road 30 a great motorcycle road one that is worth the ride.

TN 30 Dayton to McMinnville

Until Black Lives Matter: No Lives will Matter

Throughout the years I have had many friends that were Americans of Color.  Sometimes when I hear other people say that they have Black and Latino friends, it sounded so cliché.  Like saying look, I'm not a racist or like they are hiding something.  I was taught that the color of one's skin was never supposed to be a consideration in anything. In reality, most Americans have little knowledge or even care about the Black American Experience.

These friends of color that I had in High School, in the Army and in my personal life to this day weren't just casual acquaintances.  They were people that I hung out with, shared meals with, in my younger days, chased women with.  Then in my adult life, raised children with, went on vacation with, laughed, and cried with.   In the military, the people you serve with become your family.  

Very early on, I knew that society treated them much differently than they do me, and this continues.  At first, I dismissed it as everyone gets poorly treated every so often.  For years I looked the other way.   Saying to myself, this is just the way the world is.  Even joking with my friends, you should be thankful we put your ass on that boat and brought your ancestors here.  Do you still really want to be in Africa? 

Then as the years passed, I realized this goes much deeper.  I have seen that I get better service in restaurants when pulled over by the police for a traffic offense I would get a warning.  During any contact with law enforcement, the benefit of the doubt was given to me.  When out in society with my friends of color they were always treated with caution, sometimes my sudden presence would change the situation dramatically. 

Over the years, it became painful to see, but I saw signs of hope, an election of a black president, and a mostly color blind military that I served in for over 20 years. (more on this later).   With the election of our current president, racism seemed to magnify itself,  people wanted to turn the clock back to the 1950s.  I heard people actually saying we are now going back in the right direction of white privilege. 

Any white person like myself should acknowledge that there are racist among us, we all know who they are. I'm here to say we have tolerated them long enough.  It is a stain on our history that we fail to recognize it or most of the time ignore it. To not know systematic racism in the institutions of society, to ignore it is to stand with the racist; it's that simple.  I have done this, now I realize it was a mistake. 

It's sad that it is had to come to this.  That people have to take to the streets. Only to highlight a reality that has always been right underneath our noses.   We have to turn the table with the past.  We all must come together, black, white, brown, and all in between the lines of color.  People willing to change should be celebrated, those that don't need to be ostracized. We all need to forgive but never forget.  This is where change begins.   

Walking Southern Towns: A Trip through the Past

Well, they lifted the travel ban here in Tennessee today, and we want to get out and do a couple of AVA: America's Walking Club walks.  So with the ability to still socially distance in the Recreational Vehicle we travel in, we are off for another adventure.  

We drive to Collierville near Memphis to do there Year-Round Event.  On the way there we stop to eat lunch, which was fast food take out.  We park near the Delta Heritage Museum near where Tina Turner was born.  If you are ever traveling on I40 in Tennessee, stop at exit 56 and say hi to Tina and the gang. Tina Turner was born just north of here in Nutbush, about 50 miles from Memphis. The Delta is a magical place more on that later. 

 

Collierville's claim is that they have the best small town in the USA. They are in Shelby County about 20 miles from Memphis just inside the county line. It looks like there is a lot of FedEx money in this small town, which is an absolute Treasure. So we walk 6K, while on the walk it seems that one resident takes his satellite TV seriously or maybe he is trying to talk to aliens I do not know.  This is a great southern town walk. There claim of being the best small town in the USA might be right. They have a busy town square park and business district that seems to be in harmony with one another.  They also have an old train station opposite the town square that has a collection of train cars and engines. 

 

We camp on the way to our next destination Athens Alabama near the Tennessee and Mississippi border.  The weather is fabulous.  It doesn't get much better than this.  Plus, the cost of fuel $1.32 a gallon makes traveling very affordable.  Especially when the RV gets 10 miles a gallon.  

The next day, we did the Year-Round Event in Athens, Alabama. Another great small town walk and equal to Collierville. I will say that each town walk that we do, we find uniqueness in each town. They really are our favorite AVA walk. We usually learn some historical facts in each city. On most occasions we like to have lunch in the downtown somewhere, but with social distancing that hasn't been possible. We travel in an RV, so on these trips, we have less contact with people than you would at a grocery store. Our favorite sites in Athens were the Antebellum homes, and one of the oldest ice creams stands in the state.

 

All in all, it was a great two trip with two great walks thrown in.  So get out there and walk, be safe and social distance.  There is a lot of America to see so get out there and do it.