2016-04-08 Our First Try At The Big TN Dirt Loop for 2016

[kdtrull]

I think everyone understood that our odds for completing the entire route were fairly low but we were out to take a big swing at it anyway.  The entire route is 10 to 12 hours, depending on the pace and stops.

I couldn't wait to get started.  Got all packed up and loaded in somewhat of a rush.  After seeing some comments, I started to think about a better approach....think, yes....act, not today.  It was go time:



Me and lazeebum were set to leave when he got of work.  Yankee Dog and Bratso were set to leave when he got off work.
This was my modest setup:



I saw a couple other comments about what could be in that giant bag with such a simple camp set???
The answer:  Well, see....I'm like the delicate and elegantly soft desert orchid...but with a stem like the barrel cactus, yet having petals like the skin of a fair maiden.  :-*
The big green bag is almost entirely full of bedding:  Air mattress, $10 sleeping bag, 2 fluffy blankets, and two pillows.  I should've slept like a baby except I froze my delicate tail off.

We had a blustery ride up and put up camp with, literally, 10-20mph winds blowing everything around.  Gusts out on the road were even higher.  Our site looked like this by 18:00.



Once John and Paula got set up, we went into Hohenwald for dinner at the Junkyard Dog Steakhouse.  It was good.  The wind was starting to settle but it was also raining by the time we finished eating.  By the time we got back to camp, it had cleared (mostly), the winds had settled to 5 to 10mph, and we were ready to hit the sack.  So we built a fire instead.  John had a magic fire starter....



....and we were dodging smoke in no time:



The whole gang in a not-so-great low light shot:



After some refreshments and story-telling, we went to bed.  It was lightly raining again.  :(

You won't believe it but, I was the last to get up in the morning. ;D  We went back into Hohenwald for breakfast, said goodbye to Bratso, and were soon on the dirty roads:



It's hard to imagine the river could flood that high, and maybe it doesn't....but we've seen logs and debris stuck in the frame of that old bridge before.



That Yankee Dog got tangled up in a temporal swirl...made my camera kinda' hiccup too.



We kept a steady pace because we knew we were gonna' be short on time but we did stop at the better sites for pics:



John sought a higher vantage point but I think his battery was dead...we'll see:



Another angle:



Dead-gum phone batteries:



And here's the elusive lazeebum....he'll run from the camera so you gotta' sneak up on him:



Nowhere to run but up....got him again:



When we stopped at the next fall, we got swarmed by a pack of vicious, feral, attack-puppies.  We thought we were gonna' lose John:



Turns out, they was just dying to be rubbed and scratched:



Old Buck there climbed up to sniff my AirHawk and turned around to tell Jeb "There's something bad wrong with that thing".   ;D



I was havin' fun, the pooches were having fun....appears like everybody was having a good time:



Mutually assured image capture:



The next stop is a nifty place.  Big, four-story home that hangs off the bank and has a tall waterfall in the back yard.  On approach to the home, they offer the worn traveler some free water from the spring:









How about that back porch?  Nice huh?



Here comes John with a full pack of water:



A little farther along and we were wondering about the time.  It was supposed to be even colder Friday night and no one wanted to ride home in the cold, windy dark.
We made it out to the lunch stop at the Beacon Light Tea House.  No photos but it might be in the video along with a little more of the ride.

I was getting anxiously low on fuel by the time we got to the "Baccer" station:



Then we rode back to camp, packed up as quick as we could, and hit the road for home.  Don't let that lazeebum fool you talking about how he never finds the cool stuff and sights and scenery.  He picked out the most fantastic route home you could've hoped for.  I wish we'd had the time to take a few pictures along the home stretch.
But we did squeeze in one last stop in Iron City:



Here's a short video from our day.  I guess we rode a good 5-6 hours and covered just under half the route....maybe next time.  It can be done....just need a longer, warmer day.
We all had cold wet feet by the end.



It sure was fun and even better to spend time with some good folks.  Can't wait to do it again.  I got a 4-day coming up weekend after next!!   8)

[kdtrull]

I almost forgot...this was the pack setup for the return route...slightly lower profile:

[Yankee Dog]

Attack puppies. 



Had a great time. 


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[Nice Goat]

<---- jealous!

[lazeebum]

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[lazeebum]

I had a great time! I got cold wet feet in the first water crossing, but it didn't put a damper on the fun, other than me whining about having cold wet feet. Everyone else had wet feet too. 

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[klaviator]

Looks like a fun ride. Great pics.  As always I love your write up which always adds to the ride report.

[kdtrull]

Looks like a fun ride. Great pics.  As always I love your write up which always adds to the ride report.

I'm painfully aware that it's weak for a ride report but, John was the first of the Bama Riders to take the bait and we wanted to get as far as we could in a.shorrt day.

We missed Green Acres for Pete's sake.  That one was intended to be a tradition.

[BKStewart]

Looks like you had a good trip!  Enjoyed reading the report. :)

Brian

[kdtrull]

Looks like you had a good trip!  Enjoyed reading the report. :)

Brian

I sure hope you get to go on the next one....and anybody else that wanted to but couldn't, for that matter.
Did you get your bike back yet?

[BKStewart]

Looks like you had a good trip!  Enjoyed reading the report. :)

Brian

I sure hope you get to go on the next one....and anybody else that wanted to but couldn't, for that matter.
Did you get your bike back yet?

Yep....me too.

No not yet.  I should have it within the next day or two.