Rob Smith Photography

2012 International Blues Challenge - Wrapping Up!

2012-02-11T16:03:00.003-06:00

So the 2012 International Blues Challenge was one of the best ever. The competition was over the top. So much, that the judging had to be one of the toughest jobs in Memphis this year! One of the things I realized, as a blues fan and a photographer... it is easy to love doing both at the same time, but dont forget to wear earplugs, especially when you are right next to the speaker!

The bands played in order listed below, with The WIRED! Band, from the Washington Blues Society taking first; The Bart Walker Band, from The Nashville Blues Society taking second; and Paula Harris from the Golden Gate Blues Society taking third.

Mikey Junior & the Stone Cold Blues - Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation
Noah Wotherspoon Band - Dayton Blues Society
Sherry Pruitt Blues Project - Santa Clarita Valley Blues Society
The Bart Walker Band (2nd Place) - Nashville Blues Society
The WIRED! Band (1st Place) - Washington Blues Society
Selwyn Birchwood Band - Suncoast Blues Society
Taylor Scott & Another Kind of Magick - Wyoming Blues & Jazz Society
Paula Harris (3rd Place) - The Golden Gate Blues Society
The Lefty Collins Band - Magic City Blues Society


The WIRED! Band

Paula Harris


The Bart Walker Band

The single/duo acts played in order listed below, with Ray Donneville, from the Ozark Blues Society of Northwest Arkansas, taking first place; and Dr. Don's Double Dose, from the Sydney Blues Society, taking second.

Lucious Spiller - Arkansas River Blues Society
Randy McQuay - Cape Fear Blues Society
D'Mar and Gill - Central Mississippi Blues Society
Robert Sampson - Illinois Central Blues Club
Dawn Tyler Watson & Paul Deslauriers - Montreal Blues Society
Ray Bonneville (1st Place) - Ozark Blues Society of Northwest Arkansas
SPOONS & ABEL - Sonny Boy Blues Society
Dr. Don's Double Dose (2nd Place) - Sydney Blues Society


Ray Bonneville

Dr Don's Double Dose


D'Mar & Gill

I have posted quite a few photos of the each band and single/duo act in competition (and some in quarterfinals or semifinals) here: http://www.robsmithphotos.com/memphis

2012 International Blues Challenge - Day 1 & 2

2012-02-03T10:57:00.006-06:00

Street Performer doing flips down Beale

One of the passions I have is around blues music, and the photography it creates. I have had the pleasure to travel to one of the world's premiere events this year. That's right, the International Blues Challenge (IBC), held on Beale Street in Memphis, TN. Here are some interesting facts about this year's IBC, taken from Blues.org

2012 International Blues Challenge by the Numbers!

IBC will be held January 31- February 4 2012 in 20 venues in the Beale Street Historic District. That is 5 days consisting of over 575 performances by 226 acts. The 2012 challenge will bring 748 musicians from 40 states and a record 16 countries to downtown Memphis, Tennessee for the largest gathering of Blues artists…in the history of the World! To produce an event of this size it will take over 200 volunteers and 108 judges to pick the top acts from this colossal gathering. Complete IBC 2012 information can be found on the IBC page.

The Grand Marquis

What I find most intriguing at the IBC is the amount of talent of all the musicians that migrate to Memphis each year around this time. There are acts that play all kinds of styles of blues, delta, chicago, jump, piedmont, rock, and a combination of all. I don't necessarily have a favorite style, but I know what moves me, and that is a band that is tight, and can grab my attention.

So far this trip, in the last two days, I've seen around 20 different bands (see list below), all which sounded deserving to go on to the semi-finals. Linda Shell and the Blues Thang represented Kansas City very well in the band competition, however that Kansas City Blues Society elected band did not make the cut to go on. The competition is fierce here! Jake Briscoe, the KCBS elected single/duo act made the crowd rise to its feet, but like Linda Shell and the Blues Thang, succumbed to the fierce competition in his venue as well. I truly felt that the representation from Kansas City was poised to go far in this year's competition. It just wasn't the case this year.

Mary Bridget Davies Group

Mary Bridget Davies brought her possie to Memphis to perform in the Blind Raccoon Showcase. This showcase was held in The Superior Room, right on Beale Street. Also performing from Kansas City were Levee Town as well as The Grand Marquis.

And last, but certainly not least, The Unlimited Blues Band represented Kansas City nicely in the Youth Band Jam Showcase at the Hard Rock on Wednesday evening. Cassie Taylor, daughter of Blues Music Award winner Otis Taylor, ran the Youth showcase jam session. There were dozens of other youth paired up with each other, not necessarily in their own group. It was over the top!

The Unlimited Blues Band, which range in age from 13-18, are planning to light the Rum Boogie stage up at 4:40 PM Friday, February 3. There are around 21 youth bands from around the United States performing in the IBC Youth Band Showcase this year. As found on the IBC contestant page,

Levee Town

"The Unlimited Blues Band The band was united by local musicians and the KC Blues Society community. Sammy Sullenger(drums)and Clayton Worley (guitar) had previously performed together and are the roots of this band. Kayla Rodriguez became the vocalist and soon after Kayla Bowers became the bassists for the band. This band is passionate about music, writes some original material, and plays traditional blues. They are the pride of The Kansas City Blues Society. You won’t want to miss an opportunity to hear this band. They are going places!"

Cassie Taylor with Kayla Rodriguez

That's it for now. I hope you like the update on Beale happenings. Good Blues to You!

Bands seen (in no particular order):

Linda Shell and the Blues Thang - Kansas City Blues Society
Jake Briscoe - Kansas City Blues Society
The Unlimited Blues Band (Youth)- Kansas City Blues Society
Levee Town - KC
Mary Bridget Davies Group - KC
The Grand Marquis - KC
*Two Blue (Josh Vowel) - Topeka Blues Society
Nick Hern Band - Topeka Blues Society
Trent Romens (Youth) - Greater Twin Cities Blues Music Society
Arthur James - Granite State Blues Society
*Jill West and Blues Attack - Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania
*Blues Dragon - South Florida Blues Society
*The Bart Walker Band - Nashville Blues Society
*The Candymakers - Iowa Blues Societies
*Mike Bourne Band featuring Stoney Brooks - Atlanta Blues Society
*The Blues Expressions - Decatur Blues Society
The Kim Pollard Band - Loyal Blues Fellowship (Canada)
*Jeremiah Johnson and the Sliders - St. Louis Blues Society
*Pistol Pete Blues Band - Windy City Blues Society
The Porkroll Project - Billtown Blues Association (Philly)
*Little Jake and the Soul Searchers - North Central Florida Blues Society
Gary Sellers Band - Long Island Blues Society
House of Dues - Piedmont Blues Preservation Society (North Carolina)
*D'Mar and Gill - Central Mississippi Blues Society

* indicates acts that made it to the semi-finals

Buying A Digital Camera? This May Help...

2012-01-29T10:35:00.001-06:00

Imagine this, it's 2012 and you do not own a digital camera. I find that hard to believe, since digital cameras are now one of the fastest growing electronic purchases for nearly all age groups. Allow me to give you a little of my camera using history before I broach the intended topic for this post...

I grew up as a child using a 110 camera in my hand. Most of my families gatherings, I would be the person taking the photos to remember the event. I grew fond of what photography could do, but didn't understand much of the technical aspects. I picked up my first SLR camera near my sophomore year in high school. It was a Canon AE-1 Program model, which my parents purchased to have a "good camera" laying around the house. That model was fairly popular in the early 80's. And believe it or not, I still have it.

I primarily took on the role of the Smithville Warriors varsity football photographer. Working in concert with the Smithville High School photography club, led by Mr. Miller as well as working with the local newspaper, the Democrat Herald (now called the Smithville Herald). I had many photos in the local paper, as well as our yearbook my junior and senior years. However, once that piece of time subsided, I found myself not taking as many photos.

Fast forward a few years (and back on topic)...

In 2001, I purchased my very first digital camera. There were a few choices out there, but not nearly as many as today. My decision was to get a Sony DSC 707, which provided still photography as well as video. I instantly became hooked. I could load photos on my computer to review them, and just print the ones I wanted. What a breakthrough in technology.

A few years later, around 2007, I purchased my first digital SLR camera. I decided on the Canon XTi for two simple reasons - first, there were (and still are) more choices for lenses for the Canon product, and second, I had already shot with Canon products and liked the results. Mind you, I have nothing against the other brands, such as Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony, and others. It basically came down to personal preference.

There were several things that went through my mind before I pulled the trigger each time on a digital camera purchase. I researched the internet, I asked friends, and I even went to the stores to talk to the ones that know. There are a lot of different things to consider when making a digital camera purchase and purchasing your first digital SLR is a huge choice. It will set the direction of your future lens purchases, since brands do not share the same lens mounting from camera to camera.

If there were only a list... wait, there is one! Here is a 9-step guide on how to buy a digital camera. which provides a simple approach on how to make a decision on your camera purchase. I hope you get something out of it.

What type of camera do you have or want - and why?

Kicking Off 2012 With A Bang

2012-01-08T10:52:00.001-06:00

So, I have long awaited to get in to blogging, posting, and other ing's when it comes to photography. Even though I have a lot of ideas on what to post and talk about on here, I would like your help too. Can you suggest topics you would like for me to discuss? Ideas may include: My interpretation on a photography subject, photography equipment or supplies, review software or hardware, or maybe some photography 101 information. Please include a way to contact you if you desire a direct response.

Thanks - Rob

Day 10 – Sunday, June 19, 2011 - Nixa, MO to Kansas City, Mo (aka Home)

2011-06-19T22:00:00.001-05:00

Final milage of Tail of the Dragon
road trip (cell phone pic)

We arose on Sunday morning to some of the same that occurred on Saturday. The smell of coffee, watching dogs chase birds and squirrels, and ate some breakfast. This time, breakfast consisted of eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, and other regular fare. We knew this was the final day of our trek, but ready to hit the road and get home. On our way through Springfield, we went past a dozen or so golden arches – but we didn’t stop. Huh? Odd!

Oh well, as we headed up MO-13, we exited near Humansville to hop over to ma and pa Kenny’s. After all, it was Father’s Day, and Kathy wanted to wish her father a happy day. We got there around 10:15 AM, greeted with hugs and kisses, and a bloody mary. I see a trend beginning here… We briefly recapped some highlights of our trip, and headed north.

Right before hitting Clinton Missouri, Ronnie chattered over the CB stating something about a diet coke and some golden arches. Ah, all was right with the world - now that Theresa got her diet coke! We continued north on to Kansas City.

As we got on northbound 71 hwy, we looked across the road to look for Ronnie’s missing engine cover. At 70 mph, it is pretty tough looking across the road for a chrome plastic cover. Needless to say, we did not locate it.

As we arrived to downtown Kansas City, I called on the CB stating that Kathy and I were headed to Chipshots Bar and Grill in North Kansas City for a tenderloin sandwich. Ronnie and Theresa were ready to get home, and politely declined the initial invitation. We said our goodbyes over the radio and planned to forge on. However, after a brief moment of silence, Ronnie said, “Hey, their tenderloins are pretty good, we will follow you there.” So we landed at Chipshots to split two tenderloin sandwiches four ways and a celebratory beer each.

While at our final landing spot before getting home, we talked about how great a trip it was and didn’t talk much about what we would change. We all agreed it was near perfect, except for the obvious stuff mentioned before. All in all, the 2011 Tail of the Dragon trip from Kansas City was a great road trip and will not soon be forgotten.

Some revelations for this tenth leg of the road trip:

A bloody mary a day might not keep the doctor away, but damn they taste good.
Chipshots tenderloins are the bombdiggity!
There’s no place like home.
I completely checked out of work last week. Crap, now what do I do?
Note to self: Get oil changed, 2 weeks after getting the last one, and check out the service guy’s expression when I arrive and have him write the service ticket.
Get a new back tire.
230 miles this day - give or take – click here our general route.

Day 9 – Saturday, June 18, 2011 - Poolside in Nixa, MO

2011-06-18T21:59:00.002-05:00

We arose on Saturday morning to the smell of coffee. We watched the Brittany’s chase birds and squirrels away from the seed the Steve had strategically placed on the ground just a few hours prior. What a hoot. As we sat at the dining room table, sipping our coffee, we ate some fruit, danishes, and such, and just took it all in. Saturday was set up to be a day of rest and relaxation. We had a couple of bloody marys and headed for the pool. Swimming attire was donned all day long for all of us. We snacked for lunch between our beers and frequent dips in the pool. Steve smoked some ribs for our dinner, which were wonderful. We ended the night by the pool, sipping on our drinks of choice and recalling events of the week behind us. Bed came early once again, since it is early to bed and early to rise around that house!

Ronnie diving

Theresa Diving

Rubber duckys are
so fun, Rubber ducky,
youre the one...

Some revelations for this ninth leg of the road trip:

Ronnie knows how to dive, very well.
Theresa knows how to dive, not as well as Ronnie.
Steve used to teach diving lessons.
Kathy lost her top while diving (or at least I think Steve wanted her to).
I still don’t know how to dive, nor trust myself to do it.
Chilling out for the day was a good plan.
My Harley was more quiet than the Goldwing this day. (he rode to town, I didn’t)
0 miles this day - give or take. (easy riders)

Day 8 – Friday, June 17, 2011 Memphis, TN to Nixa, MO

2011-06-17T21:56:00.002-05:00

Before checking out of The Hampton Inn hotel, we ate the complimentary breakfast, which consisted the typical continental fare (juices, cereal, fruit, bagels, etc), as well as biscuits, sliced ham, and fake eggs. Most everything was good, but our crew voted the eggs to be inedible. After breakfast, Ronnie and I headed to the get the bikes and load them at our hotel. Along the way to get said bikes, Ronnie discovered that he didn’t have his keys on him. “Hmmm, where could they be?” he asked. We walked back towards our hotel again and he got he extra set from Theresa. We headed back once again to the bikes, where we found the bikes in tact as well as Ronnie’s other set of keys in the lock on a compartment. Safe and sound, they stayed there all night. We packed the covers away and Ronnie counted his blessings then headed to get the bags… and the ladies (bags and ladies being separate, that is). We loaded the bikes once again, but before we took off, Ronnie felt the urge to check his wallet. He found that his credit card was missing… oh boy! We went through the normal questioning of “when was the last time you used it?” and “Theresa, do you have it?” Theresa hopped on the phone to call the credit card bank and report a lost card, when all of a sudden, it appeared out of thin air (aka Theresa’s shorts pocket from the prior night). We were 2 for 2 for the morning, hoping not for any other near miss, we headed out, saying, “see ya next time, Memphis” as we headed west in to Arkansas.

We gassed up in West Memphis Arkansas, then headed up 55 to catch 63 west through The People Rule state towards Ronnie’s sister and brother in-laws house in Nixa Missouri, our destination for the night. What is up with that motto anyway? Kind of boring… We made it to Portia before getting a drink of water at the local grocery store/gas station. Yes, two for one there. Anyway, after looking at scowls on everyone’s faces for a couple minutes (I would have one too if I had to live in that state), we were headed west again. We landed in West Plains for gas and lunch. Colston’s was our lunch stop, where everyone had salads except for me. I had the Southwest Chipotle Tips, which was chicken chunks over wild rice, with fresh veggies, which was quite good. The crew was quiet, since I believe their salads were good as well. Beers and waters accompanied lunch in this small Missouri town. We headed a little north to catch 60 hwy west on to the Springfield area and south to Nixa. We landed around 4:00 PM to wagging tails of the Brittany’s and a warm greeting from Marsha, Ronnie’s sister. Steve was tending to one of the Brittany’s, since the neighbors German Shepard had attacked it. Around 32 stitches all told, but “Babe” would be ok. Once Steve got back, we drank some beers near the pool and listened to some music as we recapped our trip to our new hosts. The night came quickly and we headed in a little earlier than normal for this trip.

Some revelations for this eighth leg of the road trip:

Ronnie is showing signs of aging. Seriously… he lost two things nearly at the same time, and on the same day. (kidding Ronnie, we’ve all done it)
Harleys are typically louder than Goldwings.
Our room had a lot of trash in it, which I think someone snuck in and placed in there. It couldn’t have been us!
Pools are cool.
Brittany’s run fast. Squirrels do to, sometimes.
Its ok to go to bed early, says Steve and Marsha (and Ronnie, of course).
310 miles this day - give or take – click here our general route.

Day 7 – Thursday, June 16, 2011 - Muscle Shoals, AL to Memphis, TN

2011-06-16T21:54:00.005-05:00

On this fine Thursday, three of us slept in, and one of us did not. Any guesses? You got it, Ronnie already went to the golden arches and got a diet coke for Theresa, again. We woke up some time after that happened, each enjoyed a bloody mary, and cleaned our bikes. Once ready, we headed across the street, gassed up, and got on to westbound 72 hwy and pointed towards Memphis. We were on the road a bit before I saw a Radio Shack. Ronnie had been wanting to find one of these electronic store to get some contact cleaner for his controls. I also purchased a 1-to-2 dc plug, so that I could charge a phone and use the GPS at the same time. We made our respective purchases then hopped across the street for a breakfast snack at Jacks.

We were getting a little thirsty, so we stopped at a gas station for a bottle of water in Memphis Tennessee. Lets just say, there were bars on the windows, so not a favorable part of town. Regardless, we were thirsty, so we chugged and left. Upon getting out of the drive of the gas station, I hit a pretty good bump, slowed down a little too much, and slowly unwillingly let the bike rest upon its engine guard. Though I was embarrassed, to say the least, I motioned for Ronnie to help me lift the bike up, since Kathy was still rolling on the ground a little (she was ok, laughing a little, cussing a little, and trying to get up to help a little). Needless to say, when going over the bumps, remember to gas it and let the butt take the lump instead of lowering your bike to the engine guard. There was also a little traffic coming our way, which led to some of my anxiety to get the bike back up on its two tires. Shiny side up, right? Live and learn.

As I licked my wounds, apologized to Kathy over the intercom, thanked Ronnie over the CB, we motored towards Graceland. It was hot, and we were ready for a cool beverage on Beale Street, but we had to do a Graceland Drive by. As we snapped a couple of photos, we headed on up to Union Street in order to get to our resting spot.

Beale Street

Thompson Square / Frankie Ballard
Tour Bus Line

The warning at our hotel

We found a local parking spot near the Westin, which is just one block off of Beale. We wondered down the street of blues to Wet Willies for a cool refreshing drink. We pondered staying on Beale vs heading out. After the frozen concoctions at Wet Willies, our senses had us headed over to The Hampton Inn to see what a room would cost. The girls approached the counter as I checked rates at The Westin. The Westin was less expensive, but we decided to splurge on a King Suite on the 5^th floor, since there was a country concert at WC Handy Park right next to the hotel. Thompson Square and Frankie Ballard were both going to be performing on Thursday evening for the Kix 106 “Kix on Beale” event. None of us really knew either of the performing bands, but after asking a few people locally as well as on facebook, we found Thompson Square to be somewhat famous, albeit a one hit wonder, for their song, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not.”

Thompson Square and Frankie Ballard
Concert at WC Handy Park

Once the room was procured, reserved, and everything else, we wandered back to the parking garage to get our bags, gear, and everything else. We covered the bikes, even though they were already covered in a garage. It’s that added piece of mind of being somewhat secure. We unpacked a little, freshened up, and headed to Beale for a Big Ass Beer somewhere. If you haven’t been to Beale yet, once you get there, you will notice every establishment has a salesperson out front baiting you to come in their place. Most of the pricing is the same, the blue can be the same, but the food is what typically sets the places apart. We ended up landing at The Superior Bar. Shawna, our server, served us a big ass beer for $5 and informed us that the music would start at 5:00 PM. We waited for a while and encountered Guy Venable. This was the same musician who I happened across at the 2010 International Blues Challenge and dug enough to shoot some photos of.

Mr "Sales" at
Blues Street Cafe

Theresa and Ronnie ready for Dyers

We hung out at the Superior for our beer, and then met Ronnie’s cousin, Cindy, out on Beale and then ventured over to Blues City Café, where you can put some “South In Your Mouth!” They have some awesome gumbo, too! Once done with dinner, we ventured back to the room to watch the Thompson Square and Frankie Ballard concert. It was delayed a little due to the storms that ran through town, but once it kicked off, it was quite the spectacle. The rain didn’t scare many of the youngsters in attendance and we stayed out on our covered balcony to watch the scurrying in and out of the park area. That was kind of fun to watch. Anyway, about 2/3 through the concert, the natives were getting restless and needing food. Dyers Burgers was the next stop on our informal restaurant list. Yes, they deep-fry their burgers in near-100 year old grease. The menu is full of choices, but most come for the Dyers signature single, double-double, or even a triple-triple. Add a vanilla or chocolate shake and you have a midnight snack that will rival even the best greasy spoon near you. We wandered back to our 5^th floor retreat for the night, had a night-cap, and went to bed.

Some revelations for this seventh leg of the road trip:

Getting ready for
deep fried cheeseburgers

A bloody mary a day might not keep the doctor away, but damn they taste good.
Ultra Classics are heavy, especially when hot, tired, and going slow over bumps.
Goldwings are still quiet, even when started.
Graceland is a tourist trap.
Beale Street is a tourist trap, but I like it.
I will stay at The Hampton Inn near Beale again. Great service and excellent hotel.
Even if you are a guy, Wet Willies slush drinks are the bomb, especially when one is hot and needing cooled down.
Dyers is to die for – literally.

Deep Fried "Triple Triple"
Cheeseburger - Burp!

165 miles this day - give or take – click here our general route.

Day 6 – Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - Headed West: From The Tail of The Dragon to Muscle Shoals, AL

2011-06-15T21:52:00.001-05:00

Bloody Mary Morning

This day consisted of waking up, getting ready, packing, mixing a bloody mary, and watching the weather forecast, since it was our last day at the retreat and we were headed west. The rain appeared imminent and it appeared like we were going to get wet, but with excellent meteorology skills and supreme intuition, we avoided it - for the most part. We went to Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, yet again, but this time for some last minute souvenirs as well as a bit of breakfast. If you are ever in the area, their biscuits are excellent!

Cheoah Dam (The Fugitive)

Once getting our bags even more filled, we directed the bikes towards the Cheoah Dam, which is the location where Harrison Ford was filmed jumping from in the movie, "The Fugitive." Matter of fact, there were a few spots in the area we visited that the directors used for that movie as well. The day was bittersweet. On one hand, we planned to leave the mountains. On the other hand, to get out, we were forced to take the Cherohola Skyway towards Tellico Plains, Tennessee. That was the most scenic, however not yet travelled, route to Chattanooga. We chose the path for a couple of reasons... First being a different route than how we arrived. Second, all the heavy rainstorms appeared to be around the Nashville area and headed to Knoxville. So, south it was. Highway 64 out of Chattanooga Tennessee looked attractive, from a motorcyclist’s point of view. However, the storms crept along that route, so we opted for a more southern route. After hitting it pretty hard, in order to get to the south side of a west-to-east storm, we found a good stopping point named Bar B Q Corral in Ringgold Georgia. It was time for lunch anyway. There isn’t anything like going to Georgia for lunch, right?

We covered the bikes up and went inside. Kathy was tired of BBQ, so she opted for a BLT sandwich. It has the same amount of letters as BBQ, but vastly different to the pallet. The rest of us chose a BBQ sandwich of some type. They come with slaw on the sandwich, but I got mine to the side. We noticed a break in the storm system rolling through, so we headed back in to Tennessee (for about the 6^th time this day) and over to Alabama via 72 hwy. We didn't make it far into the "Yelowhammer" state before the rain showed up again. Since we needed gas, we pulled off near Bridgeport at a BP station. This place was a mini Bass Pro or Cabela’s-like store. They were a gas station, convenience store, and outfitter all in one. They even had stuffed animals there, which included a coyote, deer, and even a lion. We waited there for around 20 minutes, then made our way to Huntsville.

Budweiser friends
at The Furniture Factory

It started getting pretty warm, so Huntsville was an agreed stop to wet our whistles. After traipsing through the great city, we landed near a bar that Kathy picked out via GPS, called Partners. It didn't open until 5:00 PM, so we chose to go next door to The Furniture Factory Bar and Grill. What a score! But before I completely gave up on Partners, I felt compelled to find out a little bit more about it... after a quick Google search, we found Partners to be an alternate lifestyle establishment. The owners, both obvious women, who plainly enjoy an occasional softball game and heavy man bashing, informed us of the opening time. We politely left and didn't turn back. Now don’t get me wrong. I am a diverse and very accepting white male who happens to be heterosexual. I don’t look at being gay as a choice, but as what is born in to a person. Like most heterosexual men, I even sometimes think about… wait, that is enough, back to The Furniture Factory...

As it turned out, there were 7 or so Budweiser reps buying rounds of Budweiser for willing patrons. Coincidence had it, they were buying and we were willing! After just a couple Budweisers, we headed westward towards the Muscle Shoals and Florence area to find a landing spot for the night. Kathy and I wanted to try and make Memphis, since Wednesday nights are bike nights. However, it wasn't meant to be, since that was roughly another three hours away and we were done for the day. Ronnie was a little disheartened too, since he wasn't going to be able to show off his bluish-purple Honda Goldwing, but he got over it. We found a landing spot at Days Inn in Muscle Shoals. Since rain and severe storms were imminent, yet again, the manager even offered to let us house our bikes under the entryway to the check in office. We humbly accepted.

Once we unpacked for the night, we asked the manager for a good location to eat within walking distance. She suggested a mexican restaurant "just up tha streeeet a ways" called Rancho Viejo. In the rain, 1/2 mile is longer than "just up tha streeeet a ways." Especially when you have to walk back, stuffed. We thought about a taxi and even asked our severely hispanic sever. She did not understand english much and it was obvious she had no idea what a taxi was, so we walked. All was good on this day as well. We headed in for the night, not needing Lysol or any other cleaning agent to ready our room with.

Some revelations for this sixth leg of the road trip:

Budweiser is partnering with Folds of Honor and providing $0.05 per case of their signature lager (only Budweiser heavy) sold this summer to go to the FHF. Nice.
What did people ever do without cell phones with weather radar ability? Got wet, that’s what they did!
Getting around Chattanooga with a heavy storm barreling down at 60 mph towards you makes for some interesting scenery and lunch somewhere other than Tennessee.
American breakfast in North Carolina + BBQ lunch in Georgia + Mexican dinner in Alabama = awesome day for food. Yeah food!
350 miles this day - give or take – click here our general route.

Day 5 – Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - Staying at The Tail of The Dragon

2011-06-14T21:49:00.009-05:00

Waking up around these parts at 5:45 AM has its benefits, some days. Tuesday, June 14, 2011 was one of those days. The sunrise was poised to be awesome, since the fog was minimal and the sky was clear. As the minutes clicked away, the sky brightened with an orange and pink glow against just one single cloud in the sky. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. I woke everyone up and said, "Come look! Come look! It’s going to be a great sunrise!" There were moans, and groans, but everyone arose to see the sun rise over the mountains.

5:45 AM EST Sunrise

6:05 AM EST Sunrise

6:30 AM EST Sunrise

7:15 AM EST Sunrise


6:45 AM EST Sunrise

The fog started shifting over the Cheoah Lake just down the pass from our cabin. As the shifting continued, the fog suddenly nearly covered the entire gap and headed towards our deck. Christmas time was over for the crew, but I still found enjoyment in getting some dramatic photos of our view. As we sipped our morning coffee, it was apparent that our morning sunrise was not going to happen to our liking. However, as fast as the fog took up the horizon, it shifted again and then dissolved. It was somewhat eerie, but probably more surreal than anything. The fog toyed with our expectations a total of three times before making up its mind. All in all, it made for a great reason to be up so early.

8XL Tshirt - Big Stuff

MC Tshirts All Over

Tree of Shame

The Four of us at
Deals Gap
Motorcycle Resort

Tree of Shame

Little Tennessee River

As the morning progressed, we discussed the day’s plans, which included staying a little closer to home. Our plans included heading out on 28 Hwy to Fontana Dam, then up towards Gatlinburg, TN, Pigeon Forge, TN, and the Foothills Parkway in order to ride through the Tail of the Dragon one last time.

Ronnie was ~~antsy~~ ready, so he headed to get something easy for breakfast for all of us, while the rest of us got ready. He got down the hill to Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, but they weren't quite open for breakfast yet. Once he returned, we were pretty much ready. We directed the bikes to Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort for our grub then off to the Fontana Dam area. There were a few photo opportunities on the way, which we chose to succumb to (since I was leading and had a camera). The views were breathtaking. Still water against mountains, with cedars, pines, and various other green things, made for a great optical treasure. The photography speaks loudly. They say around a thousand words... The photos did not do this place justice, even through my eyes and experience as a photographer – though I still consider myself an amateur.

Fontana Dam

Fontana Da

Once we were done at Fontana Dam, we rolled up to Cherokee North Carolina. That place looked like a great landing spot for the next time we visit, though it did not have quite the view we had at our place. Once we passed through Cherokee, we came upon the outskirts of town and entered into the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. The winding road was around 33 miles, but it took well over an hour due to being a slower speed limit and pretty heavy traffic. This was an obvious tourist area, but tolerable. There was also some road construction near the top, where retaining walls were being rebuilt.

We made it in to Gatlinburg Tennessee, which we all fund to have way to much traffic and resembling of a tourist trap. So we headed in to Pigeon Forge Tennessee, which was very similar to main street Branson Missouri, another tourist trap. We were a little hungry and pretty thirsty, so we pulled up at Iron Boar Saloon, which was connected to a mexican restaurant called No Way Jose's Cantina. I found this establishment pretty interesting, since it was right across the street from Pigeon Forge Smoky Mountain Harley Davidson dealership. We ate some pretty good bar food and sipped on a couple beers, then headed across the street. Well what did you think? Of course, we had to stop at the HD dealership, because there were t-shirts and shot glasses to purchase! Spending money at a Harley Davidson store is pretty easy.

They saying is HD stands for hundred dollars, cause that is what you’re going to spend if you shop there. After we spent our hard-earned money, I went back to the service area to see about getting Kathy's footboards raised up a bit. They accommodated me by handing me an allen wrench and some words of encouragement. All in all, it was a nice visit to Pigeon Forge.

We then headed towards Townsend Tennessee. We stopped for some water at a rest stop picnic-like area. We found this stop pretty interesting, since it was right next to a creek and there were bear-proof trashcans lined up near the picnic area. I was on the lookout for bears, but it turned out not to be fruitful. This had to be a short stop, since we were still a few miles away from the next stop, another HD store, at the foot of The Tail of the Dragon. They closed at 6:00 PM. To get there, we motored through the Foothills Parkway, which was very similar to Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a windy rode with a 45 mph speed limit and restricted commercial traffic, which made things very nice. We made it to the Harley Davidson store within 10 minutes of closing, which provided us enough time to spend more hard-earned money. We took another spin through The Tail of The Dragon, in order to get to our mountainside retreat for the evening.

Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, where we stopped at for breakfast, provided us a logical stop for some dinner as well. It was a good thing we didn't wait much longer, since they called last call for the grill right as we arrived. We got our order to go and motored up the hill to our retreat, where we watched the sun kiss the mountain tops from behind our house again, as we sipped on a celebratory beer (and Ronnie sipped on his special 101-proof “tea").

We wrapped up the night by discussing the rides we had just been on compared to other rides back home. There is no comparison between the two... It was our last night in the area, and since there wasn't much room in our motorcycle packs for additional cans or bottles, we had to deplete our stock of food and beverages. Let me just say, we all did a pretty nice job ridding of our beverages.

Some revelations for this fifth leg of the road trip:

Don’t turn your back on the sunrise due to fog. The fog will shift.
If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it’s a duck (i.e. tourist trap).
Fontana Village might house us next time
Cherokee would be a nice place to land next time as well.
They say not all HD stores are created equal, however Smoky Mountain HD shops are nearly all the same, where you can buy the same shirts and other items at each store. Oh well, they are still nice people – go see em!
Eating at Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort twice in one day is ok, providing you have no other choices. No, really, they do have great self-service food.
Not sure if I mentioned it or not, but Kathy scored us a nice place to stay – this view is really freakin awesome!
170 miles this day - give or take – click here our general route.

Day 4 – Monday, June 13, 2011 - Staying at The Tail of The Dragon

2011-06-14T01:00:00.014-05:00

Day 4 – Monday, June 13, 2011

Staying at The Tail of The Dragon

Fried Bologna and Egg Breakfast
Sandwich at Carolina Kitchen (cell phone pic)

Well, I woke up at 5:00 AM for no real reason, again. As I laid in bed, I thought about our day ahead. Around 5:45 AM, a rooster started to crow. I did not recall seeing any farm animals in the area, but was quick to realize that it was Kathy's phone, doing the rooster alarm. The phone was downstairs. She got up, went to retrieve the offending phone, and giggled all the way. Ronnie and Theresa heard it and thought there were roosters outside as well. Ha! Sunrise was to be at 6:14 AM this morning, but due to fog, we did not see the sun until around 7:30 AM. We found breakfast at Carolina Kitchen in Robbinsville, North Carolina. The menu was full of choices. Ronnie and Kathy opted for the country breakfast with everything on the plate. Theresa chose oatmeal and a side of fruit. I chose a NC favorite, the fried bologna and egg sandwich. Our server was exceptionally nice and the food was pretty good. One thing our server did was cut up a fresh peach for Theresa and placed it in a stemmed goblet. You know, the kind of goblet that your grandmother used to use for slices of fresh fruit like peaches or strawberries, which were then doused in half and half and sprinkled with sugar... Well, at least that is what it reminded me of. Since my gramdma Anderson used to have the same exact goblet and tender loving care in preparing me a sweet, yet not exactly a healthy (sugar and half and half) snack.

Kathy and Rob
at Nantahala

Theresa and Ronnie
at Nantahala

Kids playing
at Nantahala

Blue Ridge Parkway

After breakfast, we headed towards the Nantahala River Gorge, where the white water rafters and kayakers are prevalent. We stopped in a small village like setting to take it all in. It included shops, places to eat, and a nice bridge over the river. There was even an Olympic training course for competition kayakers. The Great Smoky Mountain Expressway was calling our name. Ultimately, we were hoping to find the Blue Ridge Parkway. We found the parkway, however I thought it was headed back towards the Robbinsville area. That is the wrong way that we wanted to go. The GPS even convinced me of it being the wrong way. Now, hindsight being 20/20, I shouldn't have listed to the GPS. I should have listened to instinct and/or Kathy... Both were right. We toured the metropolis of Balsam North Carolina, which shot us backwards around 5 miles. We stopped frequently to ensure we were not lost, which ended up costing us around 30 minutes.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Upon arriving at the already witnessed entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway, we hopped on and headed to Asheville North Carolina. The rode does not allow commercial traffic, which is nice to motorcyclists. There were a lot of pull offs to view the mountains and valleys that make up the Great Smoky Mountains. We chose a couple stops during our ~30 mile ride on the parkway to take it all in and snap some photos.

Theresa and Ronnie outside
'Jus One More' in Asheville NC (cell phone pic)

Our goal was to hit The Biltmore Estate on our fourth day. After turning off the parkway on to Hwy 151, which was a heavy downhill road, which warmed my back brakes up to non-operational conditions, we headed towards Asheville. Once we entered town, we came across a bar and grill named Jus One More, which seemed right up our alley. We asked the bartender about finding a liquor store in order to solve Ronnie’s urge for "ice tea" - the 101 proof version. She advised us of a store “up the road” and provided seemingly adequate directions. However, they were either bad directions or we just could not see our desired stop. The thing is… NC apparently has stringent liquor laws, at least to us Missourians. The deal is, the state controls liquor sales. The stores are called ABC Liquor, and they only sell bottles of liquor. No beer. No pop. Nothing else. Beer is sold in convenience stores, which the state mandates be separate from liquor. See? Weird! We looked everywhere for ABC in Asheville, but no such luck. We then took to the second stop in Asheville, the Biltmore Estate. Supposedly, the Biltmore is the largest private house in America. It's gated and they will not even let you do a drive by unless a $69 toll is paid, each. No thanks – maybe next time. Theresa got a (free) brochure out of the ticket house, brought it out to us and showed us the house. After minimal ooh's and ahh's, we headed back towards home, but in search of food.

A Little Bit of Everything

Kathy Trying All the BBQ Sauces

Ronnie and Theresa
Hiding From The Camera

The food agenda consisted of finding a BBQ joint, which we found in Waynesville, NC. The establishment, called Big Mountain BBQ, was just off 74/23 at exit 100. I was surprised to see that it was a former house, pretty much in a residential district. Past experience tells me that it should be some good food. It was! My plate consisted of home cut fries, slaw, baked beans, and a huge BBQ brisket sandwich on Texas toast. They home cook everything there, from the smoked meats to a Vidalia onion side dish that is out of this world (that means good). There were 5 different sauces provided on the table from hot to sweet and even a NC favorite vinegar based concoction. All were great! I highly recommend a stop at this place if ever in the area!

The Regular Brisket Sandwich,
with Beans, Slaw, and Fries.
Burp!

Since we failed at the ABC store in Asheville, we thought we would give it one more go in Waynesville. Again, we asked the server, and she gave us directions. Again, like the other server, she advised us of a store “up the road” and provided seemingly adequate directions. However, they were either bad directions or we just could not see our desired stop. However, on the good side, we did get to see the downtown district of the small town, which was very quaint. We hopped back on the road after a failed attempt at GPS'ing 'ABC' since the one Kathy pulled up the ABC Control Board (does that make it the ABCCB?) office. Ha! I thought were even on the direction score, but she didn’t.

We hopped back on the road and attempted yet another town, called Sylva. After looking downtown, which was quaint as well, we found nothing. A quick stop at a convenience store (which sells beer mind you), I was given directions, yet again. Bingo, The elusive ABC was not hiding any longer. Turns out, the signs are hidden and impossible to see from the street. Nonetheless, we meandered in (cause that is what you do in these parts) and scored a bottle of 101-proof tea (wink). Once Ronnie’s purchase was made, and Kathy and I scored a bottle of 80-proof water (i.e. Sky Vodka) and some bloody mary mix, which contained +/- 1% alcohol by volume (so they could sell it at ABC) we got back on our route for home.

Some revelations for this fourth leg of the road trip:

GPS – don’t trust it, all the time. Unless of course you want to check out the metropolis of Balsam, NC.
Buy Biltmore Estate tickets at least 7 days prior and it’s only $49 (really?!?!)
Bootlegging tea in to NC would have been easier than finding an ABC store, and probably worth the risk.
Don’t turn away at the thought of the vinegar-based sauce while in NC. It is good!
Kathy scored us a nice place to stay – this view is freakin awesome!
270 miles this day - give or take – click here our general route.

Day 3 – Sunday, June 12, 2011 - Ashland City, TN to The Tail of The Dragon

2011-06-13T01:00:00.003-05:00

Day 3 – Sunday, June 12, 2011
Ashland City, TN to The Tail of The Dragon

I woke up a little later in the day today, but 6:30 AM still feels early since it was a Sunday. Ronnie had already been to the golden arches to get some coffee for all of us, and of course, a diet coke for Theresa. That was pretty nice of him, but all told, Ronnie is a nice guy. We gathered all our belongings, checked once again for bed bugs, and packed the bikes up and headed eastbound, yet again, towards Nashville Tennessee.

Uncle Pete's (taken by Uncle Pete)

We passed through the city known for it’s country music and ended up in Lebanon at a truck stop named Uncle Pete’s Restaurant. It was time to document again, so I popped out the camera and set up to take a picture of Kathy, Ronnie, and Theresa. Guess what happened next... yup, Uncle Pete came out, welcomed us, and took the picture of all of us in front of his place.

Kathy using technology at Uncle Petes

Uncle Pete was pretty funny, saying "tell the waitress you know me and she'll charge ya double" in his heavy Tennessee accent. He also quipped, "we have a special today. It's an all you can eat plate of food, and if you eat it all, and still hungry, we'll bring ya more and charge ya triple!" We laughed. We sat at a table, and ordered a very nice, but simple breakfast. Theresa had another diet coke. I think she needs help...

Smithville Tennessee

Our route, taking us off the interstate, had us going through Smithville Tennessee. We saw a water tower that said, "Welcome to Smithville" so we had to stop. We set up and took the picture like the tourists that we are and headed to Burgess Falls State Park. The story about that location is that I had been browsing through a magazine named “Country” at the inlaws a few months back. Since waterfalls are peaceful, and it was in the vicinity of our route, and we thought positioning rest stops throughout the road trip was a good thing, we planned on stopping. Well, it was cool, but a 3/4-mile hike in motorcycle gear (jeans, boots, etc) made it a heck of a trek. This is a pretty good location for hiking with moderate trails, but not in gear... We walked back via the fire road, a road that vehicles can travel on, back to the parking lot. Holy smokes it was warm!

Burgess Falls (final)

Burgess Falls (second)

Burgess Falls (first)

We then noticed a guy staring at the black and orange Harley (not the bluish purple Goldwing) again, so I approached him and discussed all things Harley. I think his name was Fred, and he had an Ultra Classic as well. Anyway, a little conversation happened and his buddy, Ted showed up on his Harley. We talked some more about our road trip, and Fred and Ted gave us some good road advice to get to our final destination at The Tail of the Dragon. We took the advice and it turned out to be fair, but we ended up missing the road they both mentioned to take. Oh well.

Kathy and Theresa posing at Burgess Falls

After the waterfall and some various photographs, we went back south to Sparta and got some ice-cold water and some air conditioning. Then, off we went to Crossville Tennessee for some gas and lunch. We found a place called The 19th Hole. It had basic bar food on the menu and some cold beverages. NASCAR was at Pocono and on the TV when we stopped. At this stop, we ate, we drank, and we enjoyed.

The Devil’s Triangle was next on the list. We heard going clockwise from Petros Tennessee was the best route, so we headed there from Crossville. The triangle was a nice ride, but nothing extra special. This road is primarily used for coal trucks to move their ore out of the area to nearby railways to ship to parts around the country. There was a pre courser road prior to Petros that did remind me that I wasn't in Kansas anymore. We also saw things that reminded us of the Ozarks and Arkansas areas, if you know what I mean... (queue Deliverance music here).

Once we were done with The Devil’s Triangle, we headed a little east and some south towards Maryville Tennessee. We planned stop at Wally World for provisions (i.e. jeans, hydrogen peroxide, frozen pizza for dinner, and some beer). A sudden pop-up rainstorm stalled the plans. We sought protection under an overpass for a few minutes, and then motored on to Wal-Mart. Once we strapped the stuff down, and hid the beer due to bootlegging concerns, we headed towards The Tail of The Dragon for our destination.

Plenty of signs warn trucks to not attempt The Tail of The Dragon due to severe road curves called cross backs. However, that is why we came here – on bikes, for the cross backs. Once headed to the dragon, we were met by Tennessee's finest, a trooper from the state highway patrol. I counted around 5 of them while on 129 hwy. This route had us going through Tallassee and bordering the Chilhowee Lake for around 9 miles prior to the dragon.

Once we got to the road that made us come here, it was on like Donkey Kong. Since Ronnie led the triangle, I thought I should lead the dragon. He didn't laugh at my hazards blinking the whole 11 miles and 318 turns. He understands, since he is old enough to be my dad (shhhh!). We got to our hacienda, fairly uneventfully. Well, at least for Ronnie and Theresa. Upon approaching the gate, that I initially went past, I headed towards the drive and got to the keypad that opens the gate and nearly fell over, while on the bike. Hey, it was a steep hill and sharp dropped edges. Anyway, successfully through the gate, we headed up our path. Since it started getting dark, I though it would be a good idea to take off my sunglasses so I could see better. I mean, I was only going 5 mph. After a few choice words from Kathy after I nearly went into the ditch, I straightened out and got safely to the house. We stuck the beer in the freezer to chill and warmed the oven for our recently acquired DiGiorno pizzas. The house needed to be chilled down a little and there was not any ice made in the freezer, but hey, that was ok, cause we were on vacation!

The Cabin View

The view from the deck overlooking the Cheoah Lake was most excellent. We sat outside for a while, drinking beers and summarizing the day’s riding. The clouds were still prevalent throughout the mountain range, so the sun setting to our backs made for a nice orange and pink sky as our view. There were even some whippoorwills doing their thing in the background. We also think we heard a mileormore bird too. You know, the birds that fly backwards, the wind gets in it's yahoo, and you can hear it from around a mile or more? (drum kick and cymbals)

Anyway, we all started to discuss the next days plans, as to which direction or specific ride we wanted to enjoy. There was no decision, but the plan was to sleep on it and devise a plan in the morning. Down in the Smokies, there were way to many choices to stick in 2-3 days of riding. However, one of the ideas generated was to go visit our good friends, Rhonda and Larry Brown, who were in Destin Florida at their vacation spot for the week. The idea was not off the table, yet, but we thought that it was a ways to go and still get back to work on Monday...

Winged Rodent - Bat

We came inside once it was totally dark, enjoyed our pizza, and watched the TV for some news, specifically for the weather forecast. They were calling for isolated showers for Monday for the area. We ensured we had our raingear ready, just in case! While doing that, Ronnie went out to the carport to secure his bike and noticed a bat (winged rodent) laying on the step from the kitchen. Naturally, I had to document the bat, so I grabbed the camera and snapped a couple of pictures of it. Those things are freaky looking.

Some revelations for this third leg of the road trip:

Long day riding + steep incline + heavy bike = worrisome navigating.
Ronnie’s bike = quiet. Mine = not so much.
Beer in freezer for 30 minutes works great. 2 hours, not so much.
DiGiorno pizza is pretty good, with beer.
No Internet connection at rental house = Internet Rehab. We lived.
330 miles this day - give or take – click here our general route.

Day 2 – Saturday, June 11, 2011 - Wheatland, MO to Ashland City, TN

2011-06-12T01:00:00.006-05:00

Day 2 – Saturday, June 11, 2011
Wheatland, MO to Ashland City, TN

To excited to sleep, I arose at 4:45 AM to start the day. My first battle of the day, the *&%$#@& coffee pot... Have you ever gone to a guest’s house and try to figure out the coffee pot at o-dark-thirty and try not to make noise? Well, if you haven’t, it does not work!

Ronnie sat in the kitchen mocking me, but unwilling to lend a hand. It already had coffee grounds in it, so I added water to the holding tank and turned it on. Let's just say, the coffee was 1) less than warm and 2) tasted like cold water. Oh yeah, and the microwave was less than operational too. Coffee maker 1, rob 0.

Kathy, Pa, Ronnie, and Theresa
at Ma and Pa's house (cell pic)

Ma and pa provided an awesome bacon and egg sandwich for the crew. We discussed the day’s travels, which planned on getting us close to Nashville, TN. The southern route of Missouri, via MO-60, proved to be beautiful this day. The forecast was for sunny skies and no rain. Perfect! I waited for Ronnie to start his bike (so we could hear that it was started), started my semi-quiet HD up, and got on the road around 7:45 AM and headed to Springfield Missouri.

After stopping at the golden arches in Buffalo Missouri (so Theresa could get a diet coke), we arrived at Genes Gallery to look for the right-side cover that Ronnie lost in back Harrisonville. The price tag was $400 for the part. He left without it... We headed a little more south on MO-65 to MO-60 eastbound. Yes, the Smokey and the Bandit theme song rang through my mind as well, and I think I even sang it on the CB for Kathy, Ronnie, and Theresa to hear. It was poised to be a seasonably warm day in southern Missouri, with a high of 90 and a lot of humidity.

Headed to see how long the wait was... (cell pic)

Our short-term goal was to hit Sikeston Missouri for lunch at Lambert's Cafe, for a hearty meal and some famous “throwed rolls.” We got to Lambert's Cafe around 1:00 PM on Saturday and finally sat down for lunch 45 minutes later. Yes, we waited that long, which was not favorable if we were going to get to Nashville Tennessee that day, but hey, it was Lambert’s Cafe. As we waited, we found out that there are special seats that can become available, which are not in the regular seating area. The process includes the host calling for a seating of four to skip the line, first come, first served. We were in the opportune spot, near the host stand when this was called. If not, no telling how much longer we were going to wait.

Lambert’s Cafe has great menu options for dining, but the “throwed rolls” are what they are really famous for. The servers were entertaining as well as the pianist near our VIP seats. They brought around fixins during our stay that were on top of the rolls and regular dinner. Burp! Lamberts throwed rolls are hot, as is their complimentary fried okra. They also push the fried potatoes, tomatoes and macaroni, and even apple butter or molasses for said throwed rolls. Not a single one of us finished the meal at this stop. Theresa and Kathy even got a to go box for their leftover chicken and catfish. Ronnie and I both chose to leave the morsels left over from our respective open face beef sandwiches there.

Praying or looking at the
menu, you decide! (cell pic)

30 minute wait at Lambert's
Cafe turned in to a 45 minute
wait... (cell pic)

After stopping for lunch, we gassed up the bikes, then I waited for Ronnie to start his bike (so we could hear that it was started), started my semi-quiet HD up and headed towards Paducah Kentucky. There were pending rainstorms coming in from our south and west, so we headed out of town quickly. There is a toll ferry that takes cars and bikes across the Mississippi river, but that was in the way of the storm. Forging ahead and a little north, and a little east, we managed to make it through Cairo Illinois and down to the Kentucky Dam, near Paducah Kentucky. What a site that was... there were multiple power grids, water locks, and lots of water. The river was not flowing very well, due to the flooding they are trying to control these days, however it was a sight to see.

We ventured through some side roads and then caught I-24 again and headed towards Nashville. I realized that we spent more time on this interstate highway than desired, but there was not a real good way to get to Nashville in the time desired. You see, my personal goal was to hit 500 miles on this day. For one reason, which I convinced the rest of the group – we wanted Sunday to be easy so we could take our time and see some sights. For another reason, I had planned a surprise for Kathy and Theresa.

No Tell Motel in Ashland City TN

Once we got to an exit pretty near to Ashland City Tennessee, which is just north and west of Nashville. We stopped for some water (seriously this time) at a gas station and checked out motels and hotels on our phones. Most everything was booked due to the 2011 CMA Music Festival in Nashville that weekend. We lucked out, kind of, since we found a room available in Ashland City. Well, we at least got a couple of rooms, at the no-tell-motel, named Relax Inn. However, I was not sure I could relax, nor could anyone else, due to the less than desirable appearance and uncanny odors in the rooms. Never the less, there were not many options, so we took a chance.

Once checked in, we headed back in to town to El Ray Mexican Restaurant for some dinner and a couple of celebratory adult beverages. After all, Theresa and Kathy earned it right? A while back, Ronnie and I did an Iron Butt “Saddle Sore 1000” last September, but the girls did not go with us. You may or may not know, but the recognition Ronnie and I received was due to riding over 1,000 miles in less than 24 hours (1,070 miles in 19 hours and 20 minutes). On this ride, the 500 miles was nearly as tiring as the 1,000 miles we did on September 11, 2010. It was way warmer and our bikes were loaded down with more gear.

Kathy and Theresa did it, and with minimal complaining. They hit over 500 miles in less than 12 hours and my planned surprise could finally be told. Since I thought the girls deserved at least some recognition, I had planned the Saturday to be a full day of riding, in hopes hitting over 500 miles. It was to get them an Iron Butt award of their own. At dinner, I began baiting Theresa and Kathy slightly by stating that I wished that there were an award that recognized such a feat. I mentioned that there should be an award, but just would not know what to call it. Theresa was quick to say, “Well I would call it a Half Ass Award!” My reaction was laughter, as I pulled out some sheets of paper, which I had prepared prior to leaving on our journey, and I made an official announcement. I said, “Kathy Smith and Theresa Wolfe, you did a near miraculous thing today. You each rode over 500 miles in less than 12 hours. What an accomplishment! I have talked to the association that bestows honors for such great feats such as this and would like to give you each an award certificate for a 'Half Ass 500' in recognition." Laughter and tears of joy ensued. We kept it festive with beers and great mexican food.

Kathy and Theresa with their awards

We headed home shortly by way of a local Rite Aide, to pick up water, parlor beer, and Lysol. Each were needed for our stay at no-tell-motel. Kathy had dropped her goggles in the parking lot of the restaurant, so we went back to get them prior to getting to Rite Aide. Good news, they were there and not ran over. Cool part of this portion of the trip, a new friend from Ashland City let us use his Rite Aide frequent shopper card for a $0.37 discount. wOOt! wOOt!

Ronnie with Beer God gifts

Kathy and Theresa went in and hit the rooms hard with the chemicals as Ronnie and I unloaded the bikes. We got settled and had some more beers in the parlor as we recalled the day’s events. We were headed for bed, but wait... You see, I was thinking earlier that a couple more beers would be a great idea, but we were out. All all of a sudden, a beer god showed up and gave us a six pack of bud light. Score! Best thing was, he had the Tennessee accent and he was driving a white Pontiac Trans Am, with minimal exhaust. Albeit that a beer god does not actually drive a white TA, in my mind that is, but all was good on this leg of being east bound and down. Before heading for bed, we pushed our bikes under the eaves of the motel due to forecasted rain overnight.

Some revelations for this second leg of the road trip:

· Jalapeño cheese on bacon and egg sandwich is awesome (and worth subsequent intragastric problems)

· Ronnie was up at 4:30 AM and stayed up until 11:05 PM. I think he might have taken a nap on I-24 when I wasn’t looking. If he really stayed up that late, I think Kathy and I are wearing on him.

· If given the right direction, motorcycles can outrun a 13mph rain front with ease.

· I'm officially scared of bed bugs, even if they weren’t existent.

· Too much Lysol, in confined spaces, is a bad experience.

· Water is your friend on trips like this.

· Friends are like water on trips like this.

· 525 miles this day - give or take – click here our general route.

Day 1 – Friday, June 10, 2011 - Kansas City Missouri to Wheatland Missouri

2011-06-11T01:00:00.004-05:00

Day 1 – Friday, June 10, 2011
Kansas City Missouri to Wheatland Missouri

I had minimal battles with Kathy on packing, but I could tell that she surely brought more stuff than me. There is quite a bit of room on a Harley Davidson Ultra Classic, but I think Kathy was determined to get plenty of stuff in there to fill all the nooks and crannies. We even filled up a Nelson Rigg CL-800 (with expandable pockets that were expanded to their limits). The plan was to pack light so that we could purchase local souvenir t-shirts along the way. The saddlebags were filled with motorcycle traveling necessities, including tools, an air pump, some tire plugs, a day/night cover, and all of our rain gear. I guess I should fess up... I did my share of filling some of the tour pack space with camera gear, but isn't that more important?

The forecast was not looking very good for Friday travel, since there were storms moving through. Around 10:00 AM of Friday, a pretty good storm hit our area. But it started to clear off nearly as rapid as it came in. We were in contact with Ronnie and Theresa about a desired time to leave town, which was around 1:15 PM. It was a pretty warm day with a temperature around 87 and a chance for rain. We met Ronnie and Theresa at the nearest gas station to fill up the tank before heading out on our venture. After filling up, I reset my trip odometer to zero, then waited for Ronnie to start his bike (so we could hear that it was started), started my semi-quiet HD up, and and headed south.

There were no significant events on the first day, other than... 30 or so miles into the trip, Ronnie realized he lost his side cover off his Honda Goldwing while going down the road. Not to fear, Ronnie devised a quick plan to get another side cover, at least he thought so. Very near that same time, my GPS dropped from the bracket and the device fell off our bike and skidded down the same road. I did think the GPS looked pretty cool skidding on the road at 70 mph as well. You know, kind of like skipping a rock on a pond?

At the D and R Tavern in Clinton MO

We made the turn at Harrisonville and ended up at the D and R Tavern in Clinton, Missouri for a big glass of water (cough). The friendship of the townsfolk was instantaneous since we parked two of the best looking bikes outside their establishment. Most of the comments about our bikes were directed towards the black and orange Harley, which Ronnie didn’t quite get. Once we finished our waters, we were on our way to the in-laws. We pointed the bikes in the general direction of their house, since it was to be our destination for Friday evening.

Kathy in The Parlor

Again, the goal of this road trip was to get off the main roads as much as possible. Some know heading south on MO-13 can get built up with traffic. Since we were in the mode of getting on some curvy roads, we hopped off MO-13 and onto T Hwy, which goes through Gerster (population, not very many) in to Wheatland. Theresa quipped over channel 8, “We should open a bar in Gerster!” We all laughed, since there did not appear to be any form of life in that town, and continued on to Wheatland.


A Cool Ride in The V Parking Lot

Marie, Kathy, and Melissa at "The V"

Once we pulled up, we all received a warm greeting from Jim and Marie (ma and pa) Kenny. There was plenty of time to chat out in Jim’s “parlor”, which also serves as a driveway under the deck overlooking the golf course. There were also some friends that came over to say hi from the golf course. They were druuuuuunk! After mocking them for a bit, and fixing the failed GPS bracket (I actually saved it from dropping), we were on our way to "The V" 'cause it's "the place to be!" Well, that's what the locals say anyway. We shared a happy hour $5.50 pitcher (cough) of water and headed back to the homestead to cook some burgers and brats for dinner. Once dinner was over, the bed gods were calling... What a day!

Some revelations for this first leg of the road trip:

Beer is like water and visa versa.
I hope I set my out of office messages up.
Ronnie’s bluish bike sure is quiet when he starts it. Almost like its not even on…
There were free movies this weekend on direct tv and dish, thanks to the multiple announcements by JimJoeBob at “The V” – There was to be a Gunsmoke marathon all day Saturday. It had me almost rethinking this ride... (not really)
Cajun mustard is good on grilled hamburgers.
150 miles this day - give or take – click here our general route.

Road Trip: To The Tail of The Dragon (foreword)

2011-06-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Road trips are fun, right? Well, the case of the most recent trip I went on, fun was an understatement. My name is Rob Smith, who is just a guy that likes to have a good time, which sometimes includes riding motorcycles and being adventurous. Beginning Friday, June 10^th, I traveled with my wife, Kathy, and two good friends, Ronnie and Theresa Wolfe. Kathy and I were riding a black and orange 2007 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic Screamin Eagle. Theresa and Ronnie were riding an illusion blue 2002 Honda Goldwing (with no fancy letters or manly catchy phrases added). Both equipped with intercoms and CB’s for internal and external communication.

Other than getting to our cabin in the Smoky Mountains by Sunday evening, we didn’t really have any set plans on our 10-day road trip. There weren’t really any rules either, other than minimizing travel on interstate highways. Oh yeah, and no wise cracks about Ronnie’s age. However, I felt I could poke a jab here and there, since I am a card-carrying AARP member (fact, but only by proxy).

I took the liberty to journal our adventure. Most of the memories were captured from my viewpoint. However, some of the others provided some input. Of course, the contact we had with people we met along the way provided some good interaction as well. I hope you enjoy a recap of our recent road trip to The Tail of the Dragon.

Red Barn Farm

2010-03-29T10:45:00.000-05:00

Last fall, I came across a red barn near Pomme De Terre lake. Pomme is a corp lake in the central and eastern portion of Missouri. The gravel road traveled to get here was a little to be desired, but the image proved worth it!