12days, 12 states, 3000miles on a Wing and a ....Valkyrie

[CharlieT]

Ok, a warning....long post here...or posts...will break it up into a few posts.

On Sunday before last, Sept 13th, Ted and I headed out for a bike tour of mid-America. Longest ride either of us had ever planned on. Of course, I rode the Valkyrie and Ted ended up on my old '78 Wing. Unfortunately, his bike, this months BoM, suffered an engine failure on Friday the 11th when a timing belt tensioner loosened up and we lost all compression on one bank.

So on Saturday the 12th, we dragged the '78 out of storage, as it hadn't been ridden at all this year. But Ted's battery in it, changed the oil, checked the air in the tires, and then loaded it up for the trip....



Still stylin' with that Wixom fairing, but also nnow has a Valkyrie seat on it and the rear trunk moved way forward just behind the seat.



Stopped along the road in southern INdiana the first night to figure out where we were going to stay. Just liked the lighting and the lites in this pic

[CharlieT]

Day2, we made it to our first area we wanted to visit, Owsley County Kentucky...pop. ~4400. This is where my family, the Tackett's came from. I haad never been there nor had Ted. So we wanted to see where our "roots" were.

Travellers Rest, KY...the nearest spot on the map to the old Tackett homesteads. As you can see, there is nothing there anymore, just a few houses and that's it.




Turn left down by the bikes and head along Sturgeon Creek for a bit, cross the low water bridge where it turns to a dirt road and then about 200yds up the road, you turn up this 'road'



and then turn in at the pull-out



and you are at the Tackett Family Cemetery

[CharlieT]

FOund a few ancestors buried there.

my great-great grandfather, Oliver Tackett


great grandfather William H. (Civil War Veteran....Union side)



William's wife, my great grandmother, Bell Laura



I guess the stone carver was a bit tired when he did Bell's headstone, either that, or her headstone was lost/degraded and that is her foot-stone instead, as they usually seemed to only have the initials on them.

Stopped by the creek and snapped this shot before we left. These roads were almost as twisty as some around the Dragoon!!



Had breakfast in Booneville, county seat of Owsley County and named for Daniel Boone. Population ~110. Owsley County, in the last census, was one of, if not the poorest per capita county in the entire USA.



Dooley's Diner...the local breakfast hangout

[CharlieT]

We actually stayed in McKee, KY as there are no hotels/motels in all of Owsley County. Great little mom/pop motel. The owner would make a pot of cofee and then invite us down to the Picnic shelter by the creek to sit and BS. First night he brought this out to show us



A hand made fiddle that a neighbor had made. Well, the next night, he calls up the neighbor and brings out his hand-made fiddle and we got us a private evening concert of good old mountain fiddle music. It was incredible. Danr near jumped up and started clogin'...even though had never donw that before.



YOu don't get that kind of experience staying at a Holiday Inn Express!!

The next day it was off thru KY, TN, headed for Cherokee, NC. And the first of many wet-days.



Finally made it thru Gatlinburg (YUK!!!) and road thru the Smokies on 441
The Old WIng running like a top!



Ted and his faithful stead in the Great Smokie Mtns National Park

[CharlieT]

The next morning, Thursday, the 17th, we left Cherokee headed back thru the park again...


....in the rain, fog, drizzle

Took 441 to Little River Road then over to the Foothills Parkway. Stopped at this pull out to put the rain gear back on again as the sky up ahead was black with occasional lightening.

Good thing we stopped as we had to institute a wildlife rescue operation:






From there we rode down to US 129...the Dragon. It quit raiing just as we started the 11mile run, but the pavement was still soaking wet



We made it!


Actually some of the other roads in the area were as much, if not more fun than the Dragon.

[CharlieT]

The next morning, Friday the 18th, we started the third leg of our journey. We gathered at the Cherokee Tribal Memorial Field along with over 150 other bikers for the ride from Cherokee, NC to Chattanooga, TN.



The line of bikes, when out on the open road, stretched for over 1 mile, led by six bikes flying the full sized flag of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. Of course, we started off in a drizzle, then it cleared up, only to start raining again that evening!

This is why we were headed to Chattanooga....to ride in the Trail of Tears ride. The major ride is a one day event from Chattanooga to Florence AL...about 200mi. Estimates were over 10,000 bikes, which was a very low number apparently, for this ride. Likley due to the weather.

The line of bikes stretched around the corner, out of site in front of us



and was just as long, disappearing around the curve behind us. It was an incredible ride. Police escort the whole way, roads shut down. People lined up all along the route. In some of the small towns, they were lined up like it was for the 4th of July parade!! sitting on porches, lined up along the road, pick-ups backed up to road with tailgate parties, etc. I never waved at so many people in my live!

The next day, the hardcore riders continue on towards Oklahoma, over 150 riders made that final two-day ride. First day we stopped for lunch in Helena, AR on the AR side of the Mississippi River, in the heart of the Delta country.



The folks there provided us riders a bbq lunch!

One thing riding with a group this size...gas stops were rather hectic, and time consuming!



While it had cleared up by that time, in the morning it was raiing so hard you couldn't see 30ft in front of you. You just followed tailights and hope the guy in front of you didn't ride off a cliff or something!!

[CharlieT]

SO after leaving Cherokee, NC on Friday, we arrived in Okmulgee, OK on Monday afternoon..1000miles later





After 1 day of rest and drying out, we headed back towards Michigan, a little over 900 miles away. And of course...it rained. First night on the way back we stayed at Osage Beach, Lake of the Ozarks.



Gas stop breakfast before heading out for the next 140 miles of.....RAIN!!!!



Finally quit raining when we were somewhere in western IL. Not sure where. Stopped for an anti-highway-hypnosis break.



IL and western IN was pretty much all the same...flat, straight. Could shoot a .22 down the centerline and it would land on the centerline a mile away!!

The last night on the road. The motel hand this handy luggage rack with helmet hooks and a place to hang your body armor!!



One last gas stop about 30min from home.



and then it was on to home. On the road for 12 days, went thru portions of 12 states and logged 3000 miles. No significant problems with either bike. The old wing was always an attention getter, especially all along the Trail of Tears. Lotsa folks kept checking each day to see if the old Wing was still there.

[jpbadger9]

Great ride! Too bad all the rain......

[TomE]

Nice trip, and great to see the two "naked wings" together!

[rcmatt007]

great ride

we have had nothing but rain that whole time... now it finally cleared up and the last 5 days have been nice

[Jetubet]

Thanks for taking those of us who couldn't go along with you. Hope you had fun despite the rain!

[CharlieT]

They cut the ceremonies on our arrival in Okmulgee real short as there were black storm clouds moving in real fast. Quick ran to the motel and 2 minutes after we got there, the sky opened up. On the news I guess some areas around there got 5 inches of rain out of that storm.

At Okmulgee, there were bikes parked all around that square. As we were leaving we spotted a pristine looking '75-76 bright canary yellow Wing that had not been on the ride. Figured it must have been someone from the area. With the rain approaching, we didn't take the time to find the owner amongst the crowd.

[Mark King]

Cool trip ... despite the rain.

Thanks for sharing.

[jdrockhead]

Very nice trip, and what a great thing to do with your son. Very Nice

[rogue1000]

I guess it pays to have a spare,running 'wing around. Thanks for sharing your trip; it looks like a 1,000 mile road trip should become an annual thing for you and your son... Nice pics!!