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Category Archives: Tennessee

Taking Turns

Sometimes I have to just ride. No place in particular. Just ride. Go down roads. Turn down other roads. Ride until I’m lost. Ride until I’m found. Ride until I forget. Ride to remember. Ride ride ride. Just ride.

Those are the best rides. No time frame. No place to be. Finding new things to see. New places to eat. Running across places from your past. Finally stopping at that spot you’ve been meaning to check out.
This happens to be one of those places I’ve been meaning to stop at. I finally did. Unfortunately for me the live band was packing up. I was a tad bit late. In fact it was damn near closing time.  I may have missed the music but the food sure struck a chord.  Yum yum!

Oh the goodness that lies within this building. Definitely will be on a return when possible basis for me. Loved the food, the atmosphere and certainly I’ll love the live music too.  I mean come on, when the food is so good that an alligator has to lay down on the bench out front. You know it has to be good.There is even a nice courtyard beside the building. How could you not enjoy a dining experience here? We’ve all heard of the Big Easy. Well this little piece of culinary heaven has a distinction as well.  It’s posted right here on this sign for all to see.  They even have a bank right next door. Something tells me that the money from this particular bank may be a tad bit dusty. Doesn’t look like they’ve had many transactions lately. Word has it that the bank can be used for private functions. What sort of interesting places have you eaten lately? What is your favorite jewel that you’ve discovered on a ride?  If you’re in the Nashville area you owe it to yourself to check out Richard’s Cafe at the corner of Old Hickory Blvd and Whites Creek Pike.

Ride Safe,

Ronman

Murals Murals Everywhere

I rode off on a covert mission recently. Sure I traveled on some roads I have been down many a time before. Even still I noticed new things on this journey. To me that’s the beauty of back roads. It doesn’t matter how many times you travel down them you can see something new each and ever time. Linden Tennessee is located high about the Buffalo River in Perry County. Recently they made the news for having thirty percent unemployment. That’s 30%! These fine folks have been hurting for work. They most certainly are struggling. But the town doesn’t look grim.  I stopped to take this photograph of the courthouse and decided to actually look around a bit.  Man was I ever glad that I didI started seeing these wonderful murals on the walls. They are beautiful. They tell the story of this small town. They tell the story of many a small towns across America. I was in aw of the beauty on this walls. It was pure joy to be walking around and exploring this wonderful little town. I’ve often wondered why engines aren’t rated in Mule power. Let’s be honest here, Mules always have the hard jobs. I love Mules. I have some fond memories of going to Mule pulls with my Daddy. One of my favorite memories was seeing him use a mule to dig taters. On another occasion we had our old truck stuck down the hill with a load of wood. He used the same mule to pull that truck up the hill. He grew up farming with mules.Now that’s the way to advertise.This little gem was inside the entryway of a business. Something about the era depicted here always captures my heart. I think it is from all the stories I quietly sat and listened to as a boy growing up. My parents and Aunts and Uncles loved telling me about how they grew up and the years during the War.This was gorgeous. It was though you were looking at the growth through a series of windows. Unique way to spotlight their championship sports teams don’t you think? I urge everyone to take the time to dig a little deeper into this period in our history.  You’ve done yourself a disservice if you only learned the brief things taught in school about this part of our American history.  Read about the people. Read about the reasons. Get out and go see the places. Take the time to learn.I took the time to stop and see the beauty. I need to get back to Linden and visit the shops that were closed on this wonderful afternoon. I need to slow down and live for a time. Not just ride on through. We all need to do that. Get off the interstate. Take the back roads. Stop and look around.  You may be surprised at what you’ll find. I found America.

Ride Safe

Ronman

Late Night Phone Call

It was early in the week when I got the call. Dennis was on the other end. Everyone needs a Dennis. He’s one of those people who either knows how to do anything or can figure out how. A finer man I’ve yet to meet. I met Dennis years ago via Ham Radio. I was big time into CW back then. He wanted to learn CW. I suppose I spurred him along some.

It seems Dennis wanted to take a ride on the upcoming Sunday. Well I’m all about taking a ride. Unfortunately I was supposed to have a breakfast visit with an out-of-town friend. By eleven o’clock the friend was a no-show. Time to ride.  For those of you reading this that think you can’t afford a bike pay attention.  Dennis was on his 2003 Honda Night Hawk 750. He bought this bike last year for a couple grand with only 3,000 miles on it. This bike is his daily commuter scooter. But as you can see it’s perfect for a couple hundred mile afternoon jaunt too.  There are plenty of these bikes out there. Just look around a little and you’ll find your treasure. Sure it’s not a new bike. So what! It’s a great bike nonetheless. We had one of those rides where we just went. We took roads that I had never been on. I always love when I wind up someplace that I’d seen but didn’t know how to get there. Today was one of those days. Of course we took roads that we had been on before too.  It was nice showing Dennis some places that are out-of-the-way and off the beaten path.  When we met I asked him where we were going. His reply was you lead. You’re the one with the sense  of adventure.  Ha! I don’t know about adventure and I damn sure don’t have much sense. Twice before I had passed this old abandoned church. Twice I had thought damn I should have taken a photograph of that. Today we turned around and went back for the shot. I wonder what the story is on this place. I wonder how old this building is. Who knows if I’ll ever find out.

I do know the story on Dennis. He’s a true friend. He’s been there through the good and the bad. That much I know for certain. I’m always happy to get a late night phone call from him. Especially when it ends up leading to a wonderful scooter ride. Thanks Dennis!

 

Ride Safe

Ronman

It all started with a text

There I was sitting at home thinking about life. Thinking about what I had in mind for the day. Thinking about how a wonderful evening the night before had gone to shit. It was one of those mornings that had completely put me out of the mood from doing the things I had in mind to do.  Then it happened.

I could hear the vibrations of my cell phone on the chest of drawers. Who on earth could this be? I was surprised at who it was. It was a text that simply stated we are wanting to ride who else wants to go? I briefly thought about declining. I thought I don’t really want to be around anyone right now. I was still licking my wounds from the night before.  Then I thought about it. I thought how nice that someone asked me to join them on a ride. That is something that’s extremely rare for me.

I sent the reply saying I’m in. When I made it to the meeting spot there were only the couple who had sent the invite and myself. The other folks weren’t able to ride. It was decided we were hungry. So we needed an out-of-the-way place to eat. I made a phone call and got some well guarded info. Soon it was kickstands up and the low rumble of the engines. Or was that the low rumble of our growling stomachs?

Back roads were the path of choice. For me they always are. I love them. I love seeing the out-of-the-way places. I love the little pieces of history along the way. I love seeing the lives of the people who make up the true America.  I love the folks on the fringes. The ones that the mainstream media doesn’t see. The generations that have speckled the landscape of this great nation to season it with the flavor of their blood sweat and tears. That’s the America that I’m in love with.After enjoying some good grub we were off to explore some more of Tennessee. I can’t help but think of the similarities of the water passing over this dam and the people passing through my life. They’ve served their purpose and moved on along. I seem to find answers to most things when I’m enjoying nature. My mind’s eye sees more clearly when it’s outside the confines of walls. With every journey comes challenges. New bridges to cross. New hills to climb. The choice is ours to make. Do we cross them? Do we climb them? Only you can answer that. It’s the wanting to know what lies beyond that fuels this great wanderlust within us. Sometimes from a distance we can’t see who’s coming down our path. Sometimes it’s a blessing. Sometimes it’s good people who bring happiness and laughter and brighten our day. Those are the times and people to cherish in the vaults of our memories. Those are the times to relive when we’ve grown old. When we’ve grown apart. When the road has led us farther along the journey. When someone crosses our path we should greet them with a wave and a smile. Doesn’t matter what brand they ride. Doesn’t matter what group they are with. Doesn’t matter if they simply ride alone. Because when you give a smile and a wave to someone both you and they realize that you truly aren’t alone.

Ride Safe

Ronman

Cedar

I couldn’t help but get some stuff done today when I got up. Having done that I rewarded myself with a ride. The temps were in the 80′s here today in Tennessee. Gorgeous would be an understatement. I left out with a general idea in mind of where I wanted to ride. Nothing in stone though. I love riding like that. Just take whatever road the spirit points ya down.  Today was such a day.

I started on some familiar paths. With the temps this high I wanted to see if some of the local scenery was out and about. I soon came to a road I normally take. Today I decided to keep going. Sort of shake things up a bit.  I needed to do things differently. I needed to refresh myself. To clear my mind. To see some new sights.  I needed to get lost in the wonderful rolling hills of Middle Tennessee. It’s when I’m lost that I find myself. Soon I found the sort of thing that stops me in my tracks. Here it was. Someone’s collection of old signs and memories.  A cold drink bottle rack hanging on the wall full of old glass bottles. Man oh man did those drinks ever taste good from those glass bottles. Remember when you found a place that kept their machine so cold they would have slush in them. Now that was good stuff!

Traveling these new paths I’d found my mind was in overdrive. My sensory intake was at high alert. The sights. The sounds. The scents. Everything was flooding in and being processed.  Somewhere between the smell of chicken shit and fresh-cut grass a light bulb went off. There it was plain as day.

We’ve all seen the beautiful white blooms on a Bradford Pear tree. We’ve also all seen a Cedar tree.  These two trees are like people. First you have the outward beauty of the Bradford Pear. Although decorative and pleasant to the eye, that’s about all it’s good for. The wood is soft and doesn’t withstand any pressure.  A moderate wind can topple or break it. Not to mention they stink.

Some people are like the Bradford Pear.  Outwardly they are beautiful. You enjoy looking at them. They seem to be wonderful. However when you get a little closer to them you come to realize they stink.  Let the storms of life blow in and see how soon they break. They can’t take it.  They leave you with nothing but broken pieces. In fact the fire from a Bradford Pear is fast and doesn’t put off much heat. Just like these people.

Now take the Cedar tree. It’s just an evergreen. It grows mainly in the worst ground. It will grow where no other tree will grow. It’s not a flashy tree. It doesn’t grown into the huge stature of say an Oak. But the Cedar thrives where no other tree will.  If you need shelter you can use the Cedar. It’s green branches when placed together will block the wind. It will conceal you from the view of others.

Let’s look at the wood of the Cedar. Outwardly it’s sort of fuzzy. Not very smooth. Peel some of it off and it makes an excellent fire starter. Fire that can save your life.  Cut into the cedar and you’ll find beauty. The red wood is some of the most beautiful on earth. The fragrance of the Cedar is wonderful too.  Go to any town square and I  bet you’ll find old men sitting around whittling on Cedar.  How many times have you seen a hope chest made of Cedar? How many times have you seen fence posts made of Cedar?

If you want something that can protect you from the storms of life. If you want something to build a lasting place to store your valuables. If you want something to be pleasant on the eyes and your sense of smell. If you want something to relax you and give you pleasure choose Cedar.

Now I ask you, Which person are you? Are you the Bradford Pear with its outer beauty and pungent odor that can’t stand up to life’s pressures? Or, are you the meager Cedar that can thrive in less than ideal ground. That although outwardly less appealing, inwardly you bring strength, beauty, hope, longevity and pleasantries to the senses?

Ride Safe

Ronman

Historic Botel

Do you like to camp? Do you like to fish? Do you like to find places  off the beaten path? Do you like good food?  Are you looking for a place to stay that has lots of roads to ride, historic places to visit or just a place to relax?  I have just the place for you.

Located on the banks of the Tennessee river just below Pickwick dam is the Historic Botel. The Botel is a motel that is built on a barge. It’s been around for many years. The place has changed hands several times over the last few years. Some of them really haven’t taken very good care of this hidden gem. Luckily the new owners are correcting that. They are taking the time to renovate the restaurant. The plan is for it to reopen on Friday March 16, 2012.

Speaking of the restaurant. Let me just say I enjoyed some of the best catfish I’ve ever had on my last visit there. I drove my truck camper down a few weeks ago just to relax and visit with some friends a few weeks ago. The buffet had several choices of veggies along with a salad bar. If you leave hungry it’s your own fault. If a buffet isn’t your thing they also have a menu to order from.

I didn’t need hookups so I just camped on the bank of the river. Should you need them, they have hookups. They also have tent camping sites as well. Just beyond my camper in this picture is the boat ramp. You can put in and be fishing in no time. Perhaps you simply want to pleasure boat. Well put in and enjoy a day on the river and come wind down at the Historic Botel.

Close by you have Shiloh National Battlefield to explore. I highly recommend a visit there. Shiloh is one of my favorite places on earth. Perhaps a visit to the Buford Pusser Museum is for you. How about a short drive down to Corinth Mississippi?  Whatever you enjoy I’m certain you will find something to fit your tastes nearby.

Should you want more information on the Historic Botel check out their website at www.thehistoricbotel.com. On Facebook you can find them by searching Historic Botel.

Ride Safe

Ronman

You Can Never Have Too Many Navigational Aids

Those of you who know me will get a kick out of this. What’s the one thing that I always have with me? Well I know I always have several things with me. But if you’ve ever been on any sort of trip with me no matter if it’s on the scooter or driving the truck camper what do I always have?

If you answered maps you would be correct. That’s right maps with an s as in plural. You see I usually take along several maps. I’ll have a large atlas or even a small atlas. Then I’ll also have the state gazetteer map for the states I’ll be traveling through. Now I’ve even stepped into modern times and purchased GPSrs. Yes that is an s on the end of that. I have two GPSr units. One for Geocaching and one for driving. The new GPSr has all sorts of info loaded onto it. Stuff like fuel stops, places to eat and lodging.

With all the money I’ve spent on things to help me find my way you’d think I could do just one simple thing. REMEMBER TO TAKE THEM WITH ME!!!!!!!!! That’s right, I forgot to take them with me this past weekend. No maps. No GPSrs, no nothing. I had one small map with me. The one map with the least details of any map I own. Nothing but the major roadways on there.

Oh wait. I need to clarify something. I did take one GPSr with me. I took the new Zumo that has all the handy-dandy info on fuel lodging and places to eat. Yes I did take it. There’s only on small problem. Yours truly had recently bought a larger sd card so that I could update said Zumo with all sorts of new info for the entire country. In preparing for this grand idea yours truly also deleted all the info from the previous mapping software stored on said Zumo.

So let me review all this. I have tons of handy maps and GPSrs to choose from. I take one of each luckily. The one map that only has the major highways and the one GPSr that I’ve recently deleted all the information from. So basically I have some slick toilet paper and a paper weight for said slick paper.

No problem. I’ve been all over Tennessee at some point or other. Granted I haven’t covered every square mile of our wonderful state. I do have most of it in my memory. Now I’m no spring chicken anymore. Sometimes it’s a tab bit foggy in the ol’ database upstairs. But surely I can pull something out of my ass and find that short cut I’m looking for.

Well eventually I did find the road I was looking for. Only after taking several turns through some picturesque bottom land. Nothing like flooded timber to sooth your mind when you are kicking yourself in the ass for forgetting all your navigational tools. Well other than hills and hollers that is. I did see some beautiful countryside while I was on my back roads adventure.

All is well now. I did make it to where I wanted to go. I did return home safely. So no harm no foul. I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. I even tried to call some folks so that they could laugh at me too. It’s pretty hard to do that when you are so far back in the sticks that a cell phone signal is something of myth. Hell I bet the folks that live around the places I drove through don’t get the Grand Ole Opry until about Wednesday night.

Ride Safe,

Ronman

New Year’s Eve 2011-2012

2011 has certainly been a harsh year.  I’ve learned a lot about myself and about other people as well. I can’t ever remember another year that I’ve been so happy to put behind me. It was nice to end the year doing some things I enjoy.  The weather here in Middle Tennessee was beautiful.  So I bet you can name at least one of the things I did on New Year’s Eve.  That’s right, a scooter ride.

I got in from work and took a short power nap to sort of recharge the batteries.  Then it was off to meet up with my normal riding partner Jody and three folks I’ve known for a while but hadn’t ridden with yet.  Lisa, Micky and Greg were all ready to enjoy some nice Tennessee back roads with us.  Our plan was simple. We were going to ride to eat lunch at a place Lisa, Micky and Greg knew about.  The prior evening we had all been at a party and planned our ride.

Ride planning for us consisted of talking about taking a ride.  We figured out who was in. Unfortunately one couple couldn’t join the rest of us due to work and a funeral. Once we decided a time and who was going it was then time to pick a route.  To accomplish this I was chosen to lead the ride.  So my question to them was simple. North South East or West?

First South was chosen. Boom I immediately had a destination in mind.  Moments later is was said another direction was wanted.  Not a problem. Another route was already working itself into my head.  With the information of the good eating establishment it was set. I think all five of us enjoyed both the ride and the company.

Once back from the ride it was time to grab the camper and join the rest of the group at the campground for our New Year’s Eve celebration.  Nothing like ringing in the New Year around a campfire.  I think everyone enjoyed plenty of great food. Certainly there were plenty of laughs from everyone.  It was fun passing high fives around to other folks.  It didn’t matter if you were next to someone or not. If you wanted to high-five them you just gave it to whoever was next to you and they would pass it on around until the intended party received it.

The nice thing about camping for New Year’s Eve is that you don’t have to worry about being on the roads with the drunks. You don’t have to worry about having a DD.  You can just enjoy the celebration and all you have to do is get inside your camper and go to bed.  So not only is it relaxing to enjoy the outdoors, but also its safe too.  Not to mention the kids are welcome as well.

We had one individual that it was their first time camping. They seemed to really enjoy it too.  What a memorable way to go on your first camping trip.  Start off the New Year with a new adventure. Hopefully it will be the first of many more camping trips to come for them.

How was your New Year’s Eve?  What did you do to celebrate? I trust it was safe and fun for all of you.

 

Ride Safe,

Ronman

Ahhhh! Scooter Time

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After far too long off the scooter I was able to enjoy a wonderful leisurely afternoon ride. I rolled out-of-town on back roads meandering around the beautiful countryside just soaking it all in. It doesn’t matter how bad things have been, if you get on your scooter and just ride it all seems better.

The route I was taking was a familiar one. It wound me through some majestic farmland. Physically and mentally taking me back to a simpler time. A time when the worries of life were far fewer. A time when I simply enjoyed just living. Today’s ride helped get me back to a place that I long to be. A place that I’m working toward. A place that I will once again live.

What do you do when you are wanting to simplify things? Do you get on your scooter and ride? What sort of places do you ride in order to take you back to where you want to be?

Ride Safe

Ronman

Searching for Simplicity

Simplicity doesn’t sound like a very difficult thing to find now does it? Unfortunately it seems to be very elusive for me.  How do I find that which I seek?  First things first. Think simply, simply think. In doing so one thing came to mind.  Camping.

Fortunately for me Tennessee is blessed with some of the most wonderful state parks of any across the land.  That being said, all that I needed was to decide which state park to visit.  I had been invited by a dear lifelong friend to join he and his family for a weekend of camping. As much as I love this family I knew I needed to spend time alone. Rock Island State Park provided just what I needed. Fortunately for me the tent camping area only had two other spots in use.  I settled in the back corner and set up camp.  Arriving in the late afternoon I had just enough time to get the tent up and the fire going before darkness fell upon me.

I spent the rest of the evening thinking about things. I used the peace and quiet to sort through things. Not that I made any progress on the things on my  mind. At least I didn’t have any outside distractions.  Well unless you consider the moon and stars shining down from above as distractions.  Such a wonderful crisp clear night.  I couldn’t help but think of all the campfires I’ve watched burn throughout my life.  There is just something mystical about the way the flames lap around the wood like a tongue working over an ice cream cone.

I’m not sure what time I finally crawled inside my sleeping bag. Time doesn’t really matter when you are on a journey like the one I was traveling on this night.  I do know that the roosters crowing must have had their internal clocks screwed up.  I suppose the moon could have had them stirred up.

Along with the roosters crowing I was also serenaded to sleep by the distant sound of someone’s hound working a track in the night.  Having grown up coonhunting I knew exactly what was going on.  I traveled back to those oh so many nights listening to my own hounds chasing Mr. Ringtail around the hills and hollows of Tennessee.

The next day I woke after some sleep. Granted I didn’t sleep soundly. Although these days I rarely if ever do.  I was very nice to wake to the fresh air and sunshine.  I spent a few minutes soaking in the beauty surrounding my humble little campsite.  I may not be able to get away from all that is bothering me. I may not be able to clear my mind. I was however able to stop for a few moments and enjoy the majestic beauty of the wonderful state that lies within these united states that I call home.I’m still searching for simplicity. I may have had a brief glimpse at simplicity. It’s still not within my grasp. I know it exist. Someday once again I’ll embrace it. Until that time I’ll continue my search for simplicity.

 

Ride Safe

 

Ronman

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