Tennessee Plates

[8trackmind]

Originally Posted by Liberia

I went to Edgar Evins SP today and the weather was nice. Of course I didn't leave until 1pm which helped.

Aye, 'twas a wee chill this morn.
Looking forward to your story as well.

Originally Posted by Liberia

Looking forward to your visit to NBFSP.

Hey, I just want to say thanks for giving me a new project. This has been fun. I really do hope to hit all the remaining parks next year.

[Rainman901]

I'll meet you at Trolingers. I can be there around 11:00 or so.
Hope you get this in time.

I just saw the thread update this :am

Ray

PM sent with cell #

[8trackmind]

Originally Posted by Rainman901

I'll meet you at Trolingers. I can be there around 11:00 or so.
Hope you get this in time.

I just saw the thread update this :am

Ray

PM sent with cell #

I should be there a wee bit after 11. Don't eat all the peach pies.

[Rainman901]

I'll get there around 11:00 and see if they have any Twinkies on the shelf. Be careful heading through Clarksburg. Major SPEED TRAP.

[8trackmind]

Ride report coming, In the meantime, I'll fire the first shot by posting a candid photo of fellow inmate Rainman901.
(who should feel free to jump in anytime with a story, observations, and/or photo's )


The actual route:

[Rainman901]

First of all in regards to my pic. My daughter said "very cool", she also stated you look dorky but still very cool.

Great ride with 8Trackmind today. I was wore out when I got home. Be prepared if you ride with him to find roads that even though they may be close to your house, you have never seen before. He has no fear of taking a turn and seeing where it goes. He is a true adventurer. Definitely a good rider and a patient person as to hold back and wait for me.

Since his writing style is much better than mine, I'll let him get into the specifics of 22 shells and the ATV's. I'm sure no one will be disappointed.

One other thing, FILL UP before heading out with him. I mean, I had a half a tank when we left out which in my mind was more than enough. When we hit Nathan Bedford Forest State Park, the Wee was blinking at me to get gas! However, Jeff is very proficient at extending the distance between point A and B.

Like I said, great ride and certainly look forward to doing it again.

[8trackmind]

Originally Posted by Rainman901

Great ride and certainly look forward to doing it again.

I agree, it was a hoot! Glad you had fun!
Honestly though, I'm no adventurer. No, I'm more like those old dudes in the Viagra commercials that go out, do something stupid, fix it (cause they've been doing stooopid stuff since they were young) then go home.

Since I don’t have many photos, I’ll skip to the good part.

While waiting for the ferry on the staging ramp littered with spent 22 casings, a third Vstrom from Lexington, TN shows up. A rare sight in these parts. We exchange pleasantries with the new dude and after hearing of our route, he decided to briefly join the fray. (Frankly, I think he was headed south anyway and figured "what the hell", these guys don't look so tough)

Busch...Head for the mountains.
Then the hoard of beer drinkin,’ camo wearing, ATV riding hunters arrive. We were halfway across before I realized one of them was female. Yes, they were riding the ferry back across the river with beer in hand. In fact, of the ten or so people on the ferry,we were the only three that were not drinking.

We “sail” to the other side and disembark.


As we briskly ascend up the landing, we pass one of the pickup trucks that came off the the ferry, but the Alcohol Transport Vehicle’s were slightly more concerning. The kid on the 110 was dispatched in seconds. The others were going a pretty good clip in a (semi) straight line, but once we hit the corners, they were easy to pick off as well.

As I'm passing inebriated ATV riders on the double yellow, thru gravel strewn corners, I go all Judy Garland and think to myself "there's no place like home".

Odd thing, I thought the "brew crew" on the four wheelers were all together, but I'm fairly sure they all went different directions. Probably all related though. (Did I say that outloud?)


After some interesting gravel roads, the three 'Stroms make it to N.B. Forrest State Park.
However, this is only decent photo I took, so I’ll have to save that report for another time.



The end...for now.

NEXT!

[Rainman901]

We should have gotten a shot of the passenger in the pickup behind us. I swear he could have passed for Manson's brother possibly his twin. He was just chillin' havin' a beer.

One thing about all those people on the boat. Everyone was quite personable. I never really got a bad vibe out of any of them other than the fact that we were about to be sharing the road with them after they had those beers. Not to mention their beanie caps weren't really Snell approved.

It's things like this that make riding a true adventure.

[8trackmind]

Originally Posted by Rainman901

We should have gotten a shot of the passenger in the pickup behind us. I swear he could have passed for Manson's brother possibly his twin. He was just chillin' havin' a beer.

One thing about all those people on the boat. Everyone was quite personable. I never really got a bad vibe out of any of them other than the fact that we were about to be sharing the road with them after they had those beers. Not to mention their beanie caps weren't really Snell approved.

It's things like this that make riding a true adventure.

True that. but hey, they were just good natured folk out for an on/off road ride...just like us...only with more wheels and beer. Safety third.

[Rainman901]

Our tourguide for the day. I told him I wouldn't post this pic, I hope he realizes I was joking.



The view from the loading area for the ferry.


View from the ferry while on our way. It was either a pic of this or people on ATV's having a beer. We've all seen
the other. Note the structure to the right of whats left of the bridge.



Here is a better view. Pretty cool that it's still standing and in reasonable shape. Can't be a very hospitable
environment for an old wood building.


From Nathan Bedford State Park. I left this big so that maybe you can read it. It's hard and you'll probably
get a headache.


That's all I have. I just now realized that neither of us took a picture of the ferry. Next time maybe.
One other thing worth mentioning. The cost to ride the ferry is only 75 cents.

[8trackmind]

The ride to Fort Pillow is somewhat scenic but...You have to ride by the West Tennessee State Penitentiary to get there


You might get caught behind a tractor


It's nice otherwise.
I think they removed the infamous "hitchhikers may be escaping inmates" signs. (I didn't see 'm this time)
Note the streetlights. Not something you see everyday out in the sticks.






Inside the park. Camping there is only $8.00 because you may wake up next to an amorous escapee


From this overlook...


...You can see the Mississippi river, and Osceola Arkansas on the other side




Here's what the signs at the bottom say:








I also visited the museum


More on that later...

[8trackmind]

So I amble my way into the seemingly deserted interpretive center.
The nice lady at the reception desk whispers at me and motions for me to come closer.
In a low voice she says "If you can wait about 13 minutes, I can re-start the civil war documentary showing in the auditorium" After chatting with her a bit I found out that she had come down with something and lost her voice a few days ago. It was such a nice day, I didn't want to sit indoors for 30 minutes. I'll catch the flick next visit.









Old School Camping












Almost the end...Slightly more to come.

[motocopter]

Originally Posted by 8trackmind

So I amble my way into the seemingly deserted interpretive center.
The nice lady at the reception desk whispers at me and motions for me to come closer.
In a low whisper she says "If you can wait about 13 minutes, ...."

Civil war sites are always interesting. It was the Union soldiers that were exhumed and moved, right? (Just so I'm clear) I recall that Confederate soldiers are not permitted in National Cemeteries, and that is why the group Mothers of Confederate Soldiers have their memorials and dedications for those soldiers. Does this sound correct, Jeff?

[8trackmind]

Originally Posted by motocopter

Civil war sites are always interesting. It was the Union soldiers that were exhumed and moved, right? (Just so I'm clear) I recall that Confederate soldiers are not permitted in National Cemeteries, and that is why the group Mothers of Confederate Soldiers have their memorials and dedications for those soldiers. Does this sound correct, Jeff?

Yes, they were Union Soldiers.

I'm no expert, so this fairly well explains it.
From Necessity to Honor:
The Evolution of National Cemeteries in the United States

[8trackmind]

So on my way home from seeing something profound, I remembered something trivial;
While Googleizing some maps, I came across a road in Covington, TN that had an intriguing name.

Apparently, someone else thought the sign was intriguing as well...so they stole it.

When I noticed the sign was gone, I sprang into action with plan B.


End of chapter 13