Two Laps of Pickwick Lake

[Jamie Z]

A few weeks back during a chance encounter with a dual-sport rider at Sardis Lake, I was told of the great roads surrounding Pickwick Lake. I've been in the area before, but it's one of the few places within 100 miles of Memphis I've not ridden extensively. I made plans immediately to circle the lake.

Gaspipe had told me through PM a general route he'd made. Start in this town, go to this town. Continue through that town, and then end up back where you started. That's all I had. So, I went into Google Maps and re-created Gaspipe's route, hitting all the towns he mentioned, and following in between those roads closest to the lake's shoreline. The resulting Google Maps route was 140 miles long and was projected to take about eight hours to ride.

I had a couple of days off work and school and planned an overnight trip. The first day I got a late start and didn't take a very direct route.



I camped here in the evening.



The next day I finally made it to the lake. I had to work in the evening, so I tried to make haste, but it wasn't to be. Though I did circle the lake, the last 2/3 I had to skip my planned route and take faster highways. Part two came about a week later. With better laid plans and a little more time, I headed out once more to finish what I'd started.

The ride report here is a mix of pictures from both the first and second trip around the lake.

My starting point was the dam on Pickwick Lake.



I didn't know this before, but this dam produces power, unlike most of the other dams in the area. Here's one of the turbines removed from the plant.



The road is immediately twisty, though copious construction and existing neighborhoods kept me from dragging pegs.





Hardpack gravel was smooth and fast.



And then more rolling hills.



Now the fun began as the tracks became a little narrower, and not so smooth.









I had some standing water to cross and to avoid.





Then the show-stopper. I came to a downhill which was so steep, rocky, and rutted that I was sure the V-Strom wouldn't make it. The pictures, as usual, don't convey the grade, or the size of rocks in my path.



I scouted the path. The problem was that the erosion had washed gullies back and forth across the hill, so there was no definite line. Not wanting to turn back, I unhitched my topcase and carried it down by hand. Then I went back up the hill and without starting the bike, I eased it down in first gear modulating the clutch and front brake while I tip-toed my feet along the ground. Though a slow process, I made down without dropping the bike.



After I returned home from the first lap, I asked for advice on these forums. The answers gave me the confidence to try it again. On the second lap of this ride report I got to the hill, scouted it once more, then got on the bike, started it, clicked into first, and eased the bike down the hill. No problem. Good practice. I'd like to go back and see if I can climb it.

After the descent, the first decent water crossing. Nice flowing crystal clear water. Just a splash and then I was on the other side.



Some more fun gravel.



The first time I went around the lake, time was running short and I hurried to make it to work on time, though I noticed the many fantastic campsites around me. This leads us to the second lap of the lake. It was about here where I noticed that the sun was getting low. I found a perfect bend in the river with a flat area on the inside of the corner, just right for camping. Here on my second ride I stopped for the night.

The first thing I did was to put my beer in the stream to chill.



Then a quick chore of gathing firewood, and some previous campers had graciously left me some fire-starting material.



I got a fire going and ate dinner.





In the morning I knew what was coming. A much larger and intimidating stream. What was scary was not the potential depth, but the sand. Look how my tires dig in.



The first time I went around the lake, I was in a hurry and had to get back to work. I took off my shoes, tested the stream and found the bottom to be solid if a bit rocky. I crossed with a bit of slipping and sliding, but otherwise fine. Prior to my second trip, we'd had quite a bit of rain, so I was nervous about this one. Actually the water was slightly lower. Here's the same crossing on the second trip.



I crossed the stream once more a few hundred yards down the narrow path.



And then incredibly, I happen to take two shots from almost exactly the same perspective. This was completely unintentional.

First trip:



Second trip:



After this the road became hard-pack gravel again. There were water crossings, but they were all easy with concrete-lined bottoms.



Easy until a zipped through a small creek at about 30 mph when I came over a small rise. Yowzer.

The gravel got steep and winding.







Through a cemetery, the unfinished Trail of Tears monument, and back on pavement.







In Alabama I stopped at Gravelly Springs to relube my chain.



I crossed the Tennessee river on the Natchez Trace and toured the site of Colbert's Ferry, though I never did find the trail along the Old Trace.





Fun highways.



And then my Garmin asked me to go through an open gate. Hm.



The "road" was little more than an ATV path. Here, the Google Maps route was incorrect. There were several roads which no longer existed, or if they did were too much for the big ol' Wee. In another section, a road that appeared on the map to go straight through had a 100-yard section consisting of dense forest and steep hills. I opted to go around the long way.



I made it through the mystery area, back onto pavement and passed these. Alpaca, I think.



Two more closed sections of the route:





I neglected for some reason to take pictures of the abandoned bridge I crossed.

The final 1/4 way around the lake was mostly on highways... nothing to see. Houses, trucks pulling boats. I started on the way home through the fantastic weather... and then his about 15 minutes of heavy downpour. Oops, left the rain gear at home.

I've attached the route as a GPX. Feel free to download it and try it yourself, but be aware that some sections no longer exist. It works for about 90% of the circuit, though.

[GB]

Beautiful solo journey!! Thanks for posting

I like what you've done with the weestrom's headlights, takes the fugly edge off, how did you do it?

[dwj - Donnie]

Hi Jamie!

Nice ride, thanks for the report!

[Crusier Dude]

Hey Jamie,

I have e-mailed you before, I have the same bike you have with the tool kit on the side.

Just wanted to say Hi and I am anxiously waiting for warmer weather here in Idaho to get some camping in myself. You are an inspiration to me as to where the Wee Strom can go off the pavement. I have ridin dirt bikes all my life but just getting into the dual sport adventures this year. I bought my Wee Strom late last fall but didn't get a chance to get it out in the dirt much.

Idaho has been gifted with many feet of snow in all our mountains and it will be awhile before I can get to some of the areas I want to go camping at.

Are you using the stock tires on your Wee Strom?

Hope to post some pictures in the near future.

Thaks again for sharing your rides.

Les in Boise.

[Anticyclone]

Thanks for the report Jamie. I'm looking forward to riding that area when the time allows. Thanks for the .gpx file as well.

Was your campsite in a national or state forest? Or was it just one of those spots that the locals have used so often that it has become public property?

[Mini Trail]

Man you stay busy riding. My wife and I used to camp at that park at Panther Creek (your waypoint GMLS-005). Since there is no electricity or water it was always dead quiet with lots of privacy except once when about 75 local kids were having a party and brought their four wheelers.

[wackyd]

Great report and photos!
Some of my best rides have been solo

[Jamie Z]

Originally Posted by Gadget Boy

I like what you've done with the weestrom's headlights, takes the fugly edge off, how did you do it?

Bought 'em. http://www.stromtrooper.com/showthread.php?t=19554

Originally Posted by Crusier Dude

Are you using the stock tires on your Wee Strom?

Right now the bike has Tourance EXPs. They're getting a little thin, so very shortly I will be replacing them with standard Tourances (if I can find them).

Originally Posted by Mini Trail

My wife and I used to camp at that park at Panther Creek (your waypoint GMLS-005).

For the record, a vast majority of the waypoints in the GPX file are completely arbitrary. If I happen to make one near your old digs, it's totally random. I don't even know what GMLS stands for... I guess Google Maps something. I used GMaptoGPX to convert the Google Maps route to GPX and it grabs all the corners and via points.

Also, I didn't see another rider on either trip. Wait, I lie. I did see a guy on a dirt bike way off in the distance once. The only people I saw were a handful of fisherman when I got closer to the paved roads. But other than that, I had the place to myself.

Originally Posted by JMB374

Was your campsite in a national or state forest? Or was it just one of those spots that the locals have used so often that it has become public property?

TVA land I believe.

Jamie

[Sirwrexalot]

Hi Jamie

A lot of that looks real familiar, We did a little Pickwick riding in February for the day. We rode from Bruton Branch to Waterloo and back trying to stay off pavement. Here is our route:

[Sirwrexalot]

OOPs hit enter to quick.

Anyway .. We took 4 KTM450EXC's and stuck to mostly gravel roads and "some" two track trails. I agree with you that the area is VERY pretty and all along the lake were great places to camp. You are correct in your assumption that the areas around the lake is TVA land. In fact we actually got stopped by the TVA "police" to make sure we were street legal and to make sure we didnt leave the roads and take any of the cool looking trails up the hills along the road.

That hill looks familiar and if my memory serves me correct the hill that you walked down the first loop has a "easier' line just off to the right. I can tell you that red clay gets REAL slick when wet. Even the KTM's with knobbies were sliding around like a pig in slop.

I also wanted to say that I am just getting into this "dual sport/adventure" thang and I was jazzed to see someone from Memphis on this board actually doing some riding. I enjoyed following you thru Mexico and back. Maybe some day we could hook up and ride or just have a cold one and you could show this newbie the ropes.

Sucks about the Tigers last night too.

[NeverEnough]

Thanks, Great report. I plan to do this ride very soon.

[Nata Harli]

Jamie,

Nice RR. I enjoyed it.

But,

Originally Posted by Sirwrexalot

Sucks about the Tigers last night too.

That depends ...

[MichaelMoto]

Jamie

Nice report. The guy you met at Sardis Lake was Carl. Carl has a cabin down at Pickwick. Carl myself and Sirwrexalot did a pickwick ride based on some info from gaspipe on 11/10/07. It looks like you might have missed my two favorite dirt roads: CR109 and CR105. These are the best v-strom roads you will find. Also, you can go back to a waterfall that takes a few creek crossing to get to.

Here are our track plots from that day:

before lunch:


after lunch:
From waterloo = waypoint "Eat" to waypoint 005 is CR109 and CR105, the best dirt and gravel roads.


Here is the waterfall, with a picture of the great Sirwrexalot himself.





To get back to this waterfall you will need to do a creek crossing. Here is Sirwrexalot the great going across.





I also have a V-Strom and have been wanting to go down to Pickwick and do the gaspipe loop myself. A little closer to home you can find a nice dirt road in somerville here that connects Country Club Rd. with Armour Rd.




That looks like:

(cell phone pics)


and



with two creek crossings:




I've just recenlty put some H&B crash bars on my V-Strom. Let me know when want to go back down to Pickwick when it is dry..very dry.

Regards,

Michael.

[gaspipe]

Glad to see some of y'all riding around here. Sadly, the good singletrack around here is off limits these days due to some unscrupulous ATV'ers. And TN DOT seems to have gone berserk with the chipsealing in the last 10 years. But if you look close enough, there are still plenty of gravel roads and lonely two track around that are plain fun to ride.





Oh, and say hello to the Gooch for me........

[Mini Trail]

Originally Posted by MichaelMoto

Jamie

I also have a V-Strom and have been wanting to go down to Pickwick and do the gaspipe loop myself. A little closer to home you can find a nice dirt road in somerville here that connects Country Club Rd. with Armour Rd.




That looks like:

(cell phone pics)


and



with two creek crossings:




I've just recenlty put some H&B crash bars on my V-Strom. Let me know when want to go back down to Pickwick when it is dry..very dry.

Regards,

Michael.

Gately Road


There are others, but most have several miles of pavement between them. We really need to do a FAyette Co ride for Memphis area inmates. How does June 14 sound?
My rambling ride report has pics of other Gravel roads I have found near Somerville and Boliver.