Dr. Greg & Milledue try to make sense of the Civil War...

An interesting book to read is "Captains and Kings" you can google it . Its about money and power and influence.

Doc, As you are heading north you may be intrested in the Perryville, Ky.Sesquicentenial Battle reenactment taking place Oct. 5-6-7 .
The Battle of Perryville was the largest battle in Ky. during the Civil War.

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Vicksburg. A coworker told me about a pretty red Duc he saw in the park during his bicycle ride yesterday - he was blown away when I showed him your RR.

Dr. Greg enjoying following along on another of your journeys. Can't wait to be retired myself to enjoy this great big country at a slower pace. Our history is not that old but you have to wonder what things would be like if not for a great President Lincoln. Such a hard time a war between brothers. The most solemn thing for me when i visit battlefields is the mass graves boys fighting side by side for their cause laid to rest shoulder to shoulder. Be safe and thankful Best wishes Mark

Friday 9/28: Gloster, Mississippi - Tupelo, Mississippi

After spending a wonderful night all by myself in Walt's "guest house and hunting lodge" on Lake Greengate, I arose to a phenomenon we rarely see in New Mexico:




Yup, fog. *Well, it's gotta burn off soon. *In the meantime, make some coffee and fix a piece of toast. *Finally, a "reasonable" sized breakfast.


Then a few minutes later Walt rolled up with some MORE stuff for breakfast for me. *What a guy!



Walt and Dr. Greg "Go Fishin' "

So I had remarked the night before to Walt that I had never done much fishin'..."heck, we'll go out in the mornin' and catch a few," replied Walt. *And so we did. *I followed him out to the end of the pier:


It was a beautiful, quiet, foggy morning. *Walt had a couple different lures which he guaranteed would get a "largemouth bass"...hopefully 4 - 5 pounds!


I told Walt I'd spoil his luck, but he kept tryin'...finally ended up with this little guy:


Walt finally had to leave, and I got Milledue turned around and repacked...


This time riding out Walt's driveway I could actually SEE, so I missed most of the bigger rocks. *Milledue in ENDURO mode for this little section...


I tried to get a few pics of the wonderful roads (75-mph sweepers, etc.) that we rode in on the night before (under the full moon!):


I thoroughly enjoyed stayin' with these good folks. *Salt of the earth, they are.


The Natchez Trace Parkway

At Natchez, Mississippi, I caught the Natchez Trace Parkway.


Even though the speed limit is 50 mph (I rode a GPS-indicated 60-65 mph), I thoroughly enjoyed the peace of "the Trace." *Virtually no traffic, beautiful, beautiful green woodland. *It was like a balm to my soul.


I pulled over at a few of the "historical markers."


And stopped at a few of the "picnic areas."


I could have taken 20 more pictures along the Natchez Trace. *But you'd get bored. *So I kept ridin' as far as Tupelo, Mississippi (where I am typing this from on Saturday morning). *IIRC that's the birthplace of Elvis Presley. *I guess I'll follow the "Trace" from here up into Tennessee. *I think the weather's gonna deteriorate, but it's not rainin' now. *I definitely wanna see the place in TN where explorer Meriwether Lewis met his fate end (near Hohenwald, TN, I believe).

Thanks for reading, more later.

--Doc

Saturday 9/29: Tupelo, Mississippi - Gallatin, Tennessee

Well, I think I'm gonna split today's ride report into two parts: (1) I'll write tonight, and (2) I'll write tomorrow morning. *I'm gonna get too hungry and tired to finish it all in one sitting...


Continuing on the Natchez Trace...

I left Tupelo, Mississippi in good weather. *Nothin' really to photograph in Tupelo (although the motel had a nice life-sized cutout of Elvis, but you've seen Elvis...), but I started takin' pictures as soon as I was outta town:


When I get frustrated with traveling, I'll try to remember quotes like this:


I believe this is a cotton field. *Somehow that ties in pretty well with my "Civil War" theme, so I snapped it:



The Tennessee River...

The Tennessee River always impresses me (I've seen it once before) perhaps because I don't expect it to be as large as it is...


Here's a view in the other direction:


And here's a view where I stopped just after crossing the Tennessee River. *Compared to the, um, Rio Grande, this is a RIVER!


Ironically, when I crossed the T. River IIRC I was actually in Alabama. *Crossed over the NW corner of Alabama when riding from Mississippi to Tennessee...

No point to the next pic...I just liked the "Trace" and I liked this bridge...


And here's the Alabama/Tennessee state line:


Kinda interesting comments, if you can read this:


And don't ya think that this Tennessee State Seal has a "mushroom cloud" in it? *Makes sense, lotsa work on the A-Bomb was done at Oak Ridge National Lab. *After all this Civil War stuff, I may turn into a pacifist...


Another pic at the AL/TN state line...just showin' you what a GORGEOUS day it was:


And one "final pic" at the AL/TN state line...as a Westerner I can't get enough of the beautiful Eastern deciduous (think I spelled that OK) forests...


Another "Trace" pic...no reason, just snapped it.


Since "Civil War" is why I'm doing this trip (well, that and a few other things), this sign caught my eye:


So I stopped at the "county Welcome Center"...


This ol' boy inside was really fun to talk to...I just love talkin' to the locals at these places:

I told him I was gonna put him on the Internet and he'd be famous...

Another "Trace" pic...I swear, I can't help myself!


The DOGWOOD MUDHOLE...now that's gotta be a name for the ages...


See? *It was a BEAUTIFUL day. *75 degrees! *And about 50% humidity. *What a nice change from the previous few days of 95 degrees and 105% humidity (well...)



Meriwether Lewis' Final Resting Place...

Some of you may recall my June 2012 "Lewis & Clark" trip...one of the pieces of "unfinished business" from that trip was my desire to see the place where poor Meriwether Lewis committed suicide. *So here I am...this is actually the "information center"...



You're gonna have to "bear with me" for a while here...to me, this is HOLY GROUND. *I've done so much reading about the Lewis & Clark expedition (as well as the aforementioned trip) that this whole area just brings a tear to my eye. *Poor M. Lewis had a "melancholy temperament" (just like Dr. G, BTW) and the pressures of dealing with the Madison administration (after the Jefferson administration) were just too much for him.


Y'know, the dates of Lewis' demise are pretty close to the dates "right now"...makes it even more personal...


Yeah, this is a "hokey" painting, but I liked it...


"Grinder's Inn" is where Lewis stopped for the night...that fateful night.


This is the site of "Grinder's Inn"...ain't much left now but the memories:


Another plaque about the "Trace"...


And here is the ORIGINAL "Trace"...you can still see the route. *Pretty cool. *I walked along it, and tried to think back to 1809, when Meriwether Lewis rode this route, conflicted...


Here's the engraving (or whatever you call it) on Lewis' monument:


And here's the "marker"...a large shaft, broken. *To signify a life ended prematurely. *That's for sure.


More words...like I said, you'll have to forgive me. *I get carried away with Lewis' situation...


OK, enough. *But can you IMAGINE the transition Lewis had to make: from leading an expedition to "open" the American West...dealing with the Blackfeet...dodging all kinds of hazards...to finally having to travel back to Washington, DC to hassle with the Madison administration about their refusing to reimburse his expenses... * I mean, no wonder he was stressed. *Poor guy. *But what a legacy. *Cheers, Meriwether...there are those of us who remember you well.

Well, folks, I think I'm gonna take a break and do something else for a while. *When I start writing these reports I tend to "get into it" and wanna keep going, but I need a break.

Maybe I'll finish up the RR this evening, instead of putting it off. *I hope some of you out there are enjoying this stuff. *Even if you weren't, I'd enjoy writing it up. *Kinda like "unless you write it down, it never happened."

See ya later,

--Doc

I am really enjoying your report. The Trace is one of my favorite roads.

Hope you brought the warmer gear with you as well. West of Gettysburg today I think I saw a high of 60 deg.

Glad you're enjoying it. Well, after the last two days, I can certainly understand your appreciation of the "Trace." Although, as my buddy Walt said, "...if it had a speed limit of 80 mph, it would be the perfect road."

But then, Walt is a "force of nature..." Hee-hee...what a great guy.

Thanks again for your comments; I guess I'll keep writin'...

--Doc

You betcha...

1. Long-sleeved T-shirt(s)
2. Electric jacket liner
3. Winter gloves
4. Lightweight + heavyweight "lounging" pants (that's what I wear underneath).

I'm good down to...well, down to as cold as it gets in New Mexico when I'll ride. That's the LAST thing I'm worried about. What AM I worried about? Well, I don't think I'd make that public...hee-hee...

--Doc

At least part of the reason the Tennessee River appears so large is that it has been managed by the Tn. Valley Authority into more or less a series of lakes.

Saturday 9/29 Part Deux: Tupelo, Mississippi - Gallatin, Tennessee

Well, heck, I think I'll finish this RR tonight. *After that good "Chinese" dinner (not REAL Chinese food, BTW...see the early part of this RR for details...) I think I have enough energy to finish this thing out tonight.


An Old "Tobacco" Farm...not my Cup of Tea (so to speak), but...

A few miles beyond the "Lewis" site, there was an old "Tobacco" Farm...


Some people seem to think that SMOKING is the worst thing you can do with your life. I beg to differ. My late father (the legendary "Duke" Starr; I am "Greg" Starr) had a multi-pack-a-day habit for most of his life (picked up in the Army Air Corps during WWII), but the thing he wanted most was for his son NOT to smoke. And I never did. Didn't even inhale. But...lemme tell ya...smoking is NOT the worst thing you can do. Don't get me started.

So, we have the "tobacco farm" on the "Trace." The "barn" had a little history...


And it was a kinda cool lookin' ol' barn (pardon my apostrophes; tryin' to capture the mood here):


I ventured inside, where a few other people were milling around (ironically, several were smoking cigarettes):


I felt the "tobacco leaf" that was hangin' up...it felt pretty "leathery." Dunno if it was even real or not. *Never handled an actual tobacco leaf before. Heck, it was probably fake...

While walkin' back to the Milledue, I noticed an "overlook" view that was actually quite a bit better than many of the "marked" overlooks on the Trace:


Although, for someone used to "New Mexico" views, where due to the dry air you can sometimes see for 100 miles, these "overlooks" are, well...sometimes underwhelming. But I digress...

A final view of the "barn" from the Milledue side:


And yet ANOTHER "Trace" pic to show you for about the 87th time what a GORGEOUS day it was...



All Good Things Must Come to an End...

Well, after something like 444 miles, I reached the "northern terminus" of the "Trace":


I continued on into (and around) Nashville, Tennessee, and eventually came to rest at a motel in Gallatin, Tennessee (selected because it's one of the forks that start the Missouri River).

One humorous incident: when I was working my way thru the Nashville freeway system, I was overtaken by a group of, um, "blooey-pipe" Asian cars...you know, the Hondas and such with the big monster exhaust canisters that are really loud...body kits, all that stuff. A whole "group" of 'em sort of "surrounded" me, then moved on past. They were just "doing their thing." Gave me a chuckle. Shoot, when I was a kid we did crazy stuff, too. Hell, I'm a certifiable Senior Citizen and I'm STILL doin' crazy stuff!

There is a guy in Elizabethtown, Kentucky (Bill) that offered me a place to stay, but I think I'll probably get further than that tomorrow. Sorry, Bill, although if I get a late start maybe I'll end up stopping by. At least I remembered to call Bill a little ahead of time, instead of ten minutes before I arrive.

Actually, I don't really know WHERE I'm goin' tomorrow. I've heard rumors of rain in the area, so we'll see. It sure was nice to have some cooler weather today, but be careful what you wish for.

Later folks; keep sendin' good thoughts my way...they seem to be working.

--Doc

Doc,
Since your in the area,,,
You might want to try and see some of Mammoth caves,,,
Totally worth the time,
Really enjoying this.
Thanks,
Les

I attached a link to the PA Civil War Trails website. I did not however look through it.

http://www.pacivilwartrails.com/

Well, I guess I'll be heading up into and generally ENE across Kentucky most of the day today. One step at a time...

Cheers,

--Doc

Great ride report. I'm late, as usual, but definately "in."

Mike

With your screen name...I'm sure!

--Doc

Sunday 9/30: Gallatin, Tennessee - Hazard, Kentucky

Before I start the report, today is the birthday of my oldest son Paul (9/30/78). *As anyone who has kids will tell you, it changes your life. *Happy Birthday, Paul! *BTW, 9/24/85 was Mark's birthday (3rd son who is in China), 10/22/80 is Keith's birthday *(2nd son). *Mrs. Greg and I had kids in THREE decades...but I think we're done. *I think.


My Chinese Dinner Last Night...

I asked the gal at the motel in Gallatin, Tennessee if there were any restaurants within walking distance..."sure, there's this great Chinese place..." *Well, she didn't know of my recent month in China, where I'd gotten acquainted with REAL Chinese food. *Anyway, I walked on over and ordered the "Szechuan Chicken and Shrimp" plate:


Don't get me wrong...it was GOOD, but you'd NEVER see a dish like that in China (except for the white rice...that was "accurate"). *But I enjoyed the dinner very much. *The proprietor spoke very good English as well.

BTW, here's something else you don't see much of in China: these GARGANTUAN vehicles we drive in the USA (well, I don't drive one, y'unnerstand, but some of y'all do, I hear...) *But we're super-sized, so our vehicles are as well.



Gallatin, Tennessee to Glasgow, Kentucky

Leaving Gallatin, I had no idea where I was going, but I dislike interstates so I decided to select highway "31E" up through Scottsville, TN on thru to Glasgow, Kentucky. *It was a reasonably scenic, low-traffic (well, it WAS Sunday morning) 2-lane road. *I snapped a few pics during the ride to give myself something to do...








Folks, I DO realize that pics like those above are not exactly Pulitzer Prize quality, in either content or execution. *But I just use my little "point 'n shoot" camera to snap what's goin' by, and that's what I'm puttin' up here. *I guess if you didn't find it somewhat interesting, you'd have changed the channel by now.

Oh yeah, more running water. *I saw this bridge comin' up, and really wanted to get the pic. *There are about SIX things that have to be set right on the stupid camera to make it work, and I swear about 5 out of the 6 were set wrong. *By the time I got 'em all set correctly (it was done safely, Mrs. Greg...honest!) I barely was able to get a little water:



Glasgow, Kentucky and the "Cumberland Parkway"

As I've said, I'm not a fan of interstates, but I've found that as I get further East, the population density renders surface streets a little frustrating...too many blasted stop lights, etc. *So I elected to take the "Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway" which was 4-lane, low-traffic, and quite scenic. *Cool!


You can almost see "Louie B. Nunn..." on the text window on the Garmin Montana: (oops, Dr. Greg got nabbed for 71.3 mph in a 55 mph zone...photo radar ticket comin' up?)


You can also just about see the beginnings of "Fall" in the foliage:









The "Mill Springs Battlefield"

Somewhere along the Cumberland Parkway before the town of Somerset, Kentucky, I saw a sign for the "Mill Springs (Civil War) Battlefield." *SCREEECH! *Gotta check it out.


"On a cold, wet, and fog-shrouded morning in January 1862, the peace and tranquility of south central Kentucky was shattered by a clash of arms between the North and South *Early of the morning of January 19th, Confederate forces about 4,000 strong, under the command of Brigadier General Felix K. Zollicoffer, sallied forth from their defensive works at Beech Grove on the Cumberland River to give battle to a similar sized Union force under the command of Brigadier General George H. Thomas." *(not my words, the information pamphlet)

In a nutshell, it was a decisive Union victory...their first in the "Western Theater." *Although it was a small battle (relatively speaking...if it was fatal to you I wouldn't consider it "small") it was quite important. *The video at the Visitor Center was very interesting (although the Civil War re-enactors looked old and fat...the average Civil War soldier was 5-8, 140 (hey, Dr. Greg's size about two years ago)

I actually found the "Zollicoffer Tree" stuff first, so I'll show those pics first:


This is more or less where the battle was fought, so I gathered...I know, can't see anything.


This "mistaken identity" business was a bummer for Zollicoffer...that was how he met his end. Didn't mean to cut the pic off; you'll have to read the "rest of the story" somewhere else...


And I guess this is THE TREE. *I must confess that I didn't get the whole "tree" thing; perhaps someone could enlighten me? *In all fairness, I didn't spend a lengthy amount of time there (I know, I don't have a schedule, I should have learned about THE TREE).


If you can read this, these are some pretty sobering words.


FYI, this "graveyard" is mostly symbolic, but worthy of note just as well.


Likewise, if you can read THIS, it is pretty amazing. *The bodies of the poor Confederate dead were basically lying out there to rot...


RIP, General Zollicoffer. *Godspeed. *Another...like Lee...who chose to go with his "state" over the Union.


This is the plaque that was at the Visitor Center (which I stumbled upon...they really ought to improve their signage):


This is a view kinda out in front of the Mill Springs Battlefield Visitor Center. *I liked it.



Fall Begins to Creep into the Daniel Boone National Forest

Leaving Mill Springs Battlefield I stopped at Somerset, Kentucky for lunch. *After that, the "Parkway" continues, but becomes 2-lane. *At some point one enters the "Daniel Boone National Forest." *And you can JUST see the beginning of "Fall" in the forest. *That wonderful deciduous Appalachian forest. *My pics don't do it justice (remember, I'm trying to stay safe while taking these pics):







Ensconced for the Night in Hazard, Kentucky

So I got as far as Hazard, Kentucky, then collapsed into a motel (so to speak). *I figure TWO more days' riding will get me close to Gettysburg, then I can turn south. *Kinda glad the weekend is over (now THERE'S an indication that I'm truly retired!)

{ON SOAPBOX}
This afternoon on the 4-lane Cumberland Parkway (55 mph speed limit) I was cruising along at my customary GPS-indicated 63-65 mph, when I see this "rolling roadblock" in the road ahead. *It's some group of "Harley Riders" (y'know, matching jackets, the whole bit) prolly 30-40 strong, in formation in the right lane. *OK, if that's their thing, fine. *But there's this "road captain" (a dignified term) who's riding just behind the whole friggin' bunch, IN THE LEFT LANE, blocking everybody from getting past! *WTF??!!?? *Luckily in a couple miles the whole stupid crew turned off for a pit stop, or something. *But what's up with blocking the whole road?!? *It wasn't like an official event or something!? *Who do these people think they are??!!?? *It's not enough their bikes are too friggin' loud, they've gotta use the whole stupid road!
{OFF SOAPBOX}

Oops, one more thing...

{ON SOAPBOX}
A lotta people WAVE to me. *I never initiate a wave anymore, but I always wave back (if waving is your thing, fine). *But the thing that gets me, is that about 95% of the people DON"T WEAR GLOVES!! *I guess they've never crashed. *I've had lotsa crashes, for better or worse, and gloves are #3 on my list

1. HELMET
2. BOOTS
3. GLOVES

I personally wouldn't ride without ALL of these three things. *But that's just me, I guess. *OK, okay, let's get back to havin' fun...
{OFF SOAPBOX}

Anyway, I seem to recall somebody asked about the Milledue 1200S...man, that thing is doin' GREAT! *I haven't done a thing to it (well, I lubed the chain in Scurry, TX) and it just keeps tickin' along. *I may have to reconsider replacing him. *One thing; he does occasionally attract attention. *And he's QUIET. *And the older I get, the more I like QUIET.

Shhhh......wow, just as I typed that, all the power in my motel room went off. *And it was REAL quiet. *Of course my iPad and Bluetooth keyboard are all battery-powered, so I didn't lose everything I was typing. *Man, if THAT woulda happened...I ain't gonna type it all in again.

Okay, folks. *I figure 2-3 days for me to get to Gettysburg; I'll poke around there a day maybe, then turn south towards my ol' high school buddy John Safford in Sumter, South Carolina.


I almost feel like I'm gettin' into a rhythm; I might actually start enjoying myself in a week or so. One thing for sure: I've led a charmed life regarding the weather. Surely it's gotta change. Prolly pouring rain tomorrow morning...

Cheers,

--Doc

PS. If I have enough time, I'm gonna watch the MotoGP qualifying/races (I'm a subscriber) via the motel WiFi connection. I usually watch things in this order:

1. Moto2 qualifying
2. MotoGP qualifying
3. Moto2 race (go, Pol Espargaro!)
4. MotoGP race (go, Casey Stoner, Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies!)
5. Moto3 race (go, Maverick Vinales!)

PPS. Anyone got any suggestions for West Virginia roads? I know, can't go wrong. Thanks!

I remember how bummed I felt after reading this in Undaunted Courage.

And pretty much the same here in DC 200yrs later

Great RR so far Doc!