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State 35 of 50
Population: 5,690,000 (ranked 17th of 50 states) Area: 109,200 kmē (ranked 36th of 50 states)
Projected Route Below is my theoretical route Previous state: North Carolina 1 Next state: North Carolina 2 Go back to home page: Click here
Ride Report Scroll down below the route map for this state's ride report and photos
Ride Report Tennessee was a sneaky diversion from the advance-planned route. Rather than go through southern Kentucky I changed plans & rode through northern Tennessee, as Tennessee was always going to be an after-thought towards the latter part of the schedule. This way I can do it more justice. And what a great decision it was. After crossing the Mississippi River for the second time it was a morning of riding, almost alone on the road, through leafy lanes bordered by the, wait for it, corn. Although, here's an interesting thing. The corn was dead. Two states ago the corn was in full green bloom. In Tennessee it was withered and had it. What's going on? I have I ridden that far that the cropping season has shifted? The other dynamic that started happening was one of communication difficulties. Here's an example. I have just filled up the bike at a petrol station. I used pump 1 and put in 93 octane, known as premium. I go into the station to pay. "Fuel on pump 1 please" "Kerm gen" "What?" "Yew gore gas" "Yep, I have, pump 1" "Perm narn?" "What?" "Perm narn? Wah perm yew got gas on?" "OK, what pump have a I got gas on? Pump 1" "Kay. Nar fefty" "How much?" "Nar doll fef sen" And so on. That's why I'm not ordering anything off menus until I get to the Eastern Seaboard.
Entering Tennessee.
Gazing upon the mighty Mississippi.
Typical Tennessee. Early morning riding on beautifully clean and smooth roads. I saw squirrels & two deer.
For a minute I thought I was in Europe. See how the corn is all dead?
Everything in Tennesee was well kept, clean, bright and.. well, nice.
This is the bridge over the Tennessee River in an area of land between two lakes known as the Land Between Two Lakes.
I'll take the 9th emailer in who can tell me what the Mark Twain this crop is.
Half the barns I saw appeared to be on fire. In fact the reason is that smoking is barned in Tennessee. Smoking is barned in Ten... oh forget it.
A poignant yet sobering photo showing the cruelties of being on the road. See that butterfly gasping its life away on the road? That's Thelma. She flew at and onto my windscreen while I was doing 120 km/h. For the next 30 kms she seemed to enjoy the ride and flapped away while perched on the windscreen. We enjoyed some banter until I pulled over, had a closer look at Thelma, realising she was infact stuck to the screen by her intestines. In an act of mercy I flicked her onto the road and rode over her as I pulled away.
More Tennessee vista and dead corn.
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Tennessee
. The map will be overlaid with my actual route
once completed.
