Riding Tennessee Counties: Clarksville to Chattanooga and Back

This weekend it was a long 600-mile ride to Chattanooga and back.   We did get another 12 counties under our belt. We now have 49, with another 45 to go.  This should put me back in the lead of the Harley Owner Group Directors challenge.  I can taste free service on my motorcycle.

Every courthouse we visit has a distinct architectural style.  My favorite is the art deco.  These mainly being built in the 1930's when art deco was the rage.  Every one of them looks like a Picasso painting.   These county squares are a treasure trove of Tennessee history detailing key events in our past.

As the miles rolled along we pass through towns like Winchester, Jasper, Dunlop, and of course Lynchburg world famous for its Jack Daniels Whiskey.   I have talked to people all around the world and when asked where I live, I always say Tennessee first. Most of the time they have no idea where that's at.  Then when I say where Jack Daniels Whiskey is made they know immediately.  Usually saying; Awe Jack Daniels!; with a big smile on their face.

A Motorcycle Ride around Lake Superior: Thunder Bay to Merrill Wisconsin.

We conquered the Gitche Gumee.   This is what Longfellow called Lake Superior in Hiawatha; 1200 miles in 4 days an incredible ride.

We leave Thunder Bay on our longest and final day of the trip, but first, a stop for breakfast at Tim Horton's a Canadian institution.  It was a gorgeous trip, again more great scenery.  The road from Thunder Bay to the US border switched back through a set of unnamed mountains. Crossing rivers and passing lakes we soak up the last bit of Canadian beauty before crossing the border.

The border crossing was uneventful with a welcome back we stop at the Grand Portage National Monument.  Grand Portage the site of a trading settlement until it was moved north by the North West Trading Company in 1797.   It was good to walk through the living history site of a recreation of the Trading Post.

Once in Minnesota the route starts to see more traffic, as we get closer to Duluth we encounter traffic lights.   The ride is still incredibly scenic along the North Shore in Minnesota.  We stop for lunch in Twin Harbors the last town before Duluth.   Riding through Duluth starts out on a street through a lakeside neighborhood before turning onto Interstate 35.

Once on Interstate 35, it is a fast trip to Duluth.  We turn onto the Harbor Bridge and ride into Superior Wisconsin.  We head down US Highway 53 for the Highway 2 turnoff for the ride into North Central Wisconsin.   It is a long trip down to Merrill not arriving until 8 PM.  It was a long day of riding to complete our mission of riding the Gitche Gumee.

A Motorcycle Ride around Lake Superior - Merrill Wisconsin to Thunder Bay

Well we are finally on our way.   We left Merrill Wisconsin yesterday, staying the night in the upper peninsula of Michigan at Manistique on Lake Michigan. Stopping for a snack of cheese curds and smoked fish along the way which gave us a taste of the north.  Getting up the next morning we then rode for 3 hours crossing the boarder into Canada at Sault Ste. Marie.

There was a long bridge from the US side to the Canadian side. Which goes over the locks between Lake Superior and Lake Huron.  It was an uneventful crossing with a few question about alcohol and Guns we then got a smile and an enjoy your trip.  We then rode for about another 4 hours in a light rain and fog to Wawa, Ontario a small town on the north eastern banks of Lake Superior,  We are bedded down for the night at the Wawa Motor Inn.  The light rain and fog limited the scenery but what we saw was still stunning.

Wawa to Thunder Bay what can I say its all about the scenery; 5 hours of great scenery.   Getting on the road in a heavy fog was not the way I wanted to start, but by noon the fog had burned off and it turned into a incredible ride.  Miles upon miles of lake, mountain, and stream vistas.  At some points it felt like you were going to ride into the Lake.   The way the turns carved and switched back along the lake, it was like you were riding into heaven.


What surprises me about this place is the feeling of remoteness you feel like you are riding on the edge of the world.  The road is filled will motorcyclist, this is part of the trans-Canadian highway so there are a lot of people who are riding across Canada.  We'll have to save that for another trip we first have to get around this massive lake and back into the USA.  Next stop Duluth Minnesota.