October 15, 2019
Piney Campground in Land Between the Lakes to Waverly, TN
44.5 miles, 4059' elevation gain - the most on this trip and it rivals some of our biggest climb days in Newfoundland.
 |
| Sunrise over Kentucky Lake at Piney Campground |
The adventure cycling map describes this route as having relentless and "exhausting roller coaster hills." The authors of this map are not wrong. We went up and over so many steep short hills that we lost count and ceased to be able to follow the profile. The roadway went steeply down to each and every little brook and stream and then shot back up to the next hilltop. The quiet country roads were very lightly traveled by vehicles. We passed through woods with homesites, but no farms.
There were plenty of bike-chasing dogs along the way. We tried to perfect a stealth method to pass by those dogs dozing under porches and old rusted pickup trucks. Tom has a hand signal that looks like dog ears. He flashes this to me when he spots a sleeping dog and I try to ride silently by hoping my bike doesn't click or clatter. I hold my breath and think unafraid thoughts.
Here is a photo of our lunch stop companion:
There is no good place to stop for lunch. We decide on a spot beside the road near the old town of Magnolia. The town no longer exists. Magnolia's claim to fame is that it once had a mill on White Oak Creek and a picnic ground where President Elect James K. Polk made a campaign speech.
The hills were so steep that we did a fair bit of walking.
 |
| This is 100 pounds of bike being pushed up the hill by a guy in sandals. |
 |
| rolling hills and roadside woods |
We arrive in Waverly in late afternoon and don't have a good idea of where to stay. We consider camping in the city park or maybe in the WalMart parking lot. After resting and reading the paper at the town library we head toward that WalMart and pass by a little motel on the way. The Imperial Motel doesn't look like much from the outside and its website and reviews are not reassuring. I decide I am going to ask the manager if we can camp on his property. He says no to this great idea, (and looks at me like I am a bit off) but offers me a "biker rate" of $65. The room is totally fine - sparkling clean and big enough to fit both our bikes and still manage to get into the bathroom.
We had not been paying attention to the weather which is VERY unusual for Tom. There are thunderstorms moving in tonight, so I am super happy that we are not sleeping in the tent at WalMart.
Just two doors down from the hotel is Sam's Diner. Sam's Diner has been operated by the same family for three generations. They won an award for "best catfish in middle Tennessee." With this endorsement we both order the catfish. I give it 5 + stars -and the hushpuppies are delicious! There is an offer of free dessert for all customers on Tuesdays and we can't even take advantage of this because our dinner is so substantial.
Sam's diner is about 20' by 30' and holds about 52 people. The waitresses not only know their customers' names, they know what they usually order too.
October 16, 2019
Waverly to our entry point on the Natchez Trace
55.4 miles
Sam's Diner seems like the place to go for breakfast before our 55 mile ride. If they can make good catfish, they can probably scramble eggs and make decent biscuits.
We think about making a plan to get a ride to the very top of the Natchez Trace in Nashville. Those hills yesterday were killer and another day of those seems awful. T&G cab service is a one man operation and that one man isn't in Waverly right now. He tells me, "Honey, I am a good 28 miles out from you," and refers me to his friend. That friend says he "might could" strap our bikes to the roof of his Toyota Van but he doesn't have any rope or strapping and he has never "had the goddamn seats outta this van." It looks like riding from here is the best option - maybe the only one. It turns out that the way is less hilly and the hills we encounter are less steep. The sun is shining and it is very comfortable riding. We will enter the Natchez Trace just about 50 miles south of Nashville and ride it for about 400 miles.
 |
| This is our lunch stop in the very small town of Nunnelly. In 1924, the Nunnelly family donated the land for the school building you see in the background. The school was used until 1978 and then the building served the community as its community center. It is the only public space for miles and miles. |
 |
| This is the free campsite for bicyclists at milepost 408. We start our ride on the trace tomorrow morning. |
Comments
Post a Comment