After Burke's garden I headed to the town of Tazewell. I just rode through taking one Pic as I rode.
Then I turned on to 16 South. Yes, I know that the way to Cleveland was north but one of the things I wanted to do on this trip was ride 16 between Tazewell and Marion. It's a great road that twists and turns its way up and over three mountain ridges. Since I was headed the wrong way on 16, I would have to ride that section twice
. Oh well, if someone had to do it, it might as well be me.
Just outside of Tazewell I came across this:
It's a chicken farm....or maybe ranch is a better term. Each chicken had its own little shelter and was on a leash. Definately different from the typical chicken farms we have in North Georgia.
Then it was some fun riding through a bunch of twisties. IMO, this section of 16 is much more challenging than the much more famous (infamous?) Deal's Gap.
I did stop for a break. I turned down a dirt road.
went a short distance and parked.
Good thing I was not in a passenger car
Of course what fun would driving this road be in a cage anyway
If I was on a dual sport I probably would have enjoyed seeing where this road went. There were a number of other dirt roads along 16 but this was the only one with a warning sign.
After crossing all three mountain ridges, I came to Hungry Mother State Park. The park may have a strange name but it sure looked like a nice park.
I;m not really much of a beach person. Beaches in Florida leave me bored after a couple of hours but there is something about rivers and lakes in the mountains that I find really beautiful. It was still too early to stop, especially since I already lost so much time getting a tire this morning. Despite this, I decided to stay here for the night. I had only ridden a little over 100 miles and was only about five miles north of where I spent last night but since I had no real plan, no reservations, and plenty of time, I decided I could afford to do this.
So I paid for a campsite. It was a little pricey;$21 plus a five dollar 'processing fee" whatever that was. It did include entry into the park and also the beach.
I went and found a campsite and set up my tent.
Then I headed off to the beach. Throwing caution to the winds, I rode that half mile to the beach in water shoes, T shirt, swim trunks, helmet and gloves.
I took a few pics then went swimming.
There was a platform with a couple of diving boards.
Did I mention it was very scenic here?
and more scenery:
The water was perfect, a little cold at first but nice and refreshing once I got used to it.
Then it was back to my campsite.
These campsites were unusual since all tents had to be on these wooden platforms. There was a nice bath house about 50 yards away and the area was on the side of a mountain and completely tree covered.
For dinner I rode into Marion and ate here:
Good food, good service and reasonable prices. I'll give the Tuscan Italian Grill a thumbs up.
Then I stopped at McDs for a milkshake and then back to the park. Total mileage for the day: 132. Total progress toward my destination: around 5 miles.