We are fortunate to have great back roads to ride here in Bedford county, Tennessee and close-by areas and decided this was a good way to share our county with you.

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Wednesday, April 23, 2009 seemed like a perfect day for a ride.

Seven of us met at the Bedford Market to join up for the day ride to Center Hill Lake & Dam. The day started out pleasant, a little bit cool but great for riding, so we jumped on Highway 64 heading east going through Wartrace and Fairfield to Beechgrove where I gassed up as I didn’t gas at the Bedford Market.
We continued on 64 going heading NE through Gossburg to 70S and heading east to Woodbury, TN and continued on 70S enjoying the scenery to McMinnville before heading North on Highway 56 to Smithville.
It is hard to describe the scenery as you leave Shelbyville heading east of 64, through Woodbury, Mcminnville to Smithville it only gets better with each mile. You ride up and down through the hills, with rambling streams alongside of the road with twisting and turning roads up the mountains and down. The white and pink Dogwoods are still blooming and set on the hillsides with lush new green of budding bushes and trees gives the eyes all they can drink in.

A short distance North of Smithville you hang a left on 141 for the eight mile up the mountain to Center Hill Dam. Right now the Dam is under repairs due to the seepage and sinkholes that cause a weaken structure in the area which could cause a major diseaster if dam were to give away.
After spending some time observing the dam we took highway 96 from there south riding the rim of the lake on the west side, again great scenery tw isting turns back down the mountain as we worked our way back south to 70s west to Murfreesboro Higway to pick up 231 south to home.
Shortly after we got on 70s a thunderstorm starting threatening, so Jim pulled into a church that had a cover canopy, so we waited out the rain and lighting. The storm passed quickly so we decided it was time to head for home. Everyone had left the church except Shirley and I, as I got my helmet on and climbed on Winnie, a bolt of lighting hit a power pole less than a 100 yards from us, a great big cloud of smoke and fire flew followed by a loud boom from the pole, makes your hair stand up, but we were untouched, just wonder how many appliances were lost along that powerline? The rest of ride was uneventiful and we logged nearly 200 miles and one of the greatest rides we taken so far. This was the last ride we got to enjoy Terry Vermuele’s company, as she pass on this summer after a long fight with cancer

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Great Day for a Ride
Natchez Trace Parkway

4/16/09 – Wednesday, a great day for a ride, sunny and mid-60s’. After grouping up with our other riders at the Bedford Market we head west of highway 64. For those who aren’t familiar with our part of the country, the Bedford Market is a convenience store about 9 miles west of Shelbyville, TN on 64. We then headed north on 31A to Chapel Hill for a gas stop and then west on 99 until we reached 431. We then headed north through Pottsville on 431 until we reached 247 then heading west, from here on, the ride is real scenic and little traffic to contend with. We continued on 247 through part of Spring hall until we reached 246 to head north. A short ride north, 247 then branches off to head west with hills a few curves that the younger riders would enjoy. Now the ride is really starting to get enjoyable, we arrived in the little town of Theta to stop and see “Scooby.” A great Honda Mechanic and introduce our new riders. Scooby suggested that we double back to Sulphur Springs branch and Leipers Creek into Leipers Ford. So following his advise we had a great ride that wandered up down the hills around curves with most of time with a little stream running quietly along the road. Arriving in Leipers Ford we rode the Natchez Trace north to highway 100 and the Loveless Café, After downing a great lunch, we shed our jackets to begin our ride down the Trace, you have to be out there to really appreciate the sweeping curves, hills and the scenery. The trees & bushes just leaving out were a great backdrop for the still blooming Redbuds and Dogwoods, it’s just a different feel and look as compared to the fall ride. The park web-site best states the Parkway as, “The 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway commemorates an ancient trail used by animals and people that connected southern portions of the Mississippi River, through Alabama, to salt licks in today’s central Tennessee. Today, visitors can experience this National Scenic Byway and All-American Road through driving, hiking, biking, horseback riding, and camping.” Our first stop was at milepost 439 to view the three arch bridge and then continuing to Water Valley outlook for a great view of the valley below. Continuing on, our next stop was at Jackson Falls lookout for another breathe taking view of the valley below. We didn’t walk down to the Falls as it’s a strenuous climb for about 600 feet down, I assume the falls was running due to recent rains. After leaving there we continued to Fall Hollow to view the water falls there, just a get place to stop and enjoy the water falls before continuing on. As it was starting to get later in the day we decided to jump off on 412 and ride to Hohenwald and then riding north on route 48 to 100 into Centerville to pick up highway 50 east through Shady Grove and continuing onto Columbia. Having rode 166 since we gas up we decided it was time for a pit stop and gas at the first gas station in Columbia. I was surprise at our gas mileage, 166 miles on four gallons of gas. Pretty darn good considering there was two of us on our GL1500 bike plus our trailer. We followed 50 the rest of the way into Lewisburg, and then north on 31A to 64 to finish the ride back home. A great day of riding, logging a little over 230 miles for the group. Now, even if you don’t ride a motorcycle, this can be a get drive in a four wheel vehicle. For more on planned trips and rides and trips we taken, please visit: WWWW.tnroadriders.org.

Great Day for a Ride
Natchez Trace Parkway

4/16/09 – Wednesday, a great day for a ride, sunny and mid-60s’. After grouping up with our other riders at the Bedford Market we head west of highway 64. For those who aren’t familiar with our part of the country, the Bedford Market is a convenience store about 9 miles west of Shelbyville, TN on 64. We then headed north on 31A to Chapel Hill for a gas stop and then west on 99 until we reached 431. We then headed north through Pottsville on 431 until we reached 247 then heading west, from here on, the ride is real scenic and little traffic to contend with. We continued on 247 through part of Spring hall until we reached 246 to head north. A short ride north, 247 then branches off to head west with hills a few curves that the younger riders would enjoy. Now the ride is really starting to get enjoyable, we arrived in the little town of Theta to stop and see “Scooby.” A great Honda Mechanic and introduce our new riders. Scooby suggested that we double back to Sulphur Springs branch and Leipers Creek into Leipers Ford. So following his advise we had a great ride that wandered up down the hills around curves with most of time with a little stream running quietly along the road. Arriving in Leipers Ford we rode the Natchez Trace north to highway 100 and the Loveless Café, After downing a great lunch, we shed our jackets to begin our ride down the Trace, you have to be out there to really appreciate the sweeping curves, hills and the scenery. The trees & bushes just leaving out were a great backdrop for the still blooming Redbuds and Dogwoods, it’s just a different feel and look as compared to the fall ride. The park web-site best states the Parkway as, “The 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway commemorates an ancient trail used by animals and people that connected southern portions of the Mississippi River, through Alabama, to salt licks in today’s central Tennessee. Today, visitors can experience this National Scenic Byway and All-American Road through driving, hiking, biking, horseback riding, and camping.” Our first stop was at milepost 439 to view the three arch bridge and then continuing to Water Valley outlook for a great view of the valley below. Continuing on, our next stop was at Jackson Falls lookout for another breathe taking view of the valley below. We didn’t walk down to the Falls as it’s a strenuous climb for about 600 feet down, I assume the falls was running due to recent rains. After leaving there we continued to Fall Hollow to view the water falls there, just a get place to stop and enjoy the water falls before continuing on. As it was starting to get later in the day we decided to jump off on 412 and ride to Hohenwald and then riding north on route 48 to 100 into Centerville to pick up highway 50 east through Shady Grove and continuing onto Columbia. Having rode 166 since we gas up we decided it was time for a pit stop and gas at the first gas station in Columbia. I was surprise at our gas mileage, 166 miles on four gallons of gas. Pretty darn good considering there was two of us on our GL1500 bike plus our trailer. We followed 50 the rest of the way into Lewisburg, and then north on 31A to 64 to finish the ride back home. A great day of riding, logging a little over 230 miles for the group. Now, even if you don’t ride a motorcycle, this can be a get drive in a four wheel vehicle. For more on planned trips and rides and trips we taken, please visit: WWWW.tnroadriders.org.

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Right now my wife and I are in florida visting family and friends and then to Daytona Beach to take in some of the Bike Week.

Just receive an e-mail as well as a phone call from a friend back home, they had a snow storm, our daughter in Eagleville, TN reported 5-6 inches of snow and 9 inches near where we live in shelbyville, TN!

May just stay an extra day until it warms back up and then start the ride back

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