honky tonkin'

August 27, 2018 — Tennessee

The riding today was fantastic, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. Maybe a slight breeze could have helped, but I won't nitpick.

Hit lots of good farm roads heading west from Jasper in the morning with a few, mostly short gravel stretches. Good smooth gravel, none of the rocky stuff all over the Appalachians. That lasted west to Elkton or so.

The roads got rougher as I moved further west. The Knob Creek water crossing was lots of fun and the splash of cool water was a very welcome relief. I didn't stop to get a picture cuz I got paranoid about my battery. The starter seemed a little funny, perhaps a little weak when I had started it a while back, so I wanted to keep moving till I could check the voltage. It turned out to be fine. Lesson learned. Stop, breathe, take the photo, then deal with the bike.

After that I ran through a logging area with lots of rough roads. Tie Camp and Browntown Wildlife Management Areas were rocky as all hell. It was about 3pm so the sun was beating and I was feeling tired. I found some shade and reset for a bit. Browntown had some of the funnest sandy gravel so far. It reminded me a bit of some sections of the Pine Barrens, less fine but such a good time.

The rest of the day was more rural roads with some gravel thrown in. Stopped in Savannah for my last night in Tennessee. Mississippi tomorrow!