Unlike yesterday's ride, today's ride started out with some fairly steep but short rolling hills. The terrain remained pretty much the same throughout the day with a lot of short ups and downs.
Today's route ended up being almost completely different from the route I had printed out. The Google Maps route that I had printed out had me turning on ""Bowater" road and staying on it for about 7.5 miles. I was leery of that road when I saw it on the route because Bowater was a paper mill in Tennessee. Sure enough, when I made it to the turn for Bowater Road, the road was made up of large, loose rocks, and I imagine it was used primarily for logging trucks. There was no way I was going to attempt to ride my bike on that road. I backtracked a couple of miles to a main road and pulled out my cellphone and came up with another route, which ended up being very nice.
I rode through Fall Creek Falls State Park and did end up on a rutted, gravel road (pic below), but it was for a fairly short distance and the surface was not all bad.
My initial plan for camping tonight was to go to Cumberland Mountain State Park, but it was going to be $42 to camp in a tent. So I looked online and found a city park on a lake (Meadow Park Lake) that I was going to try to find a spot at to "stealth camp." When I made it to the lake, I discovered the city actually has a campground at this park complete with a bathhouse, and it was only $16 to tent camp there. Pic of my campsite and the lake below.
Total miles today: 76.5
Pat’s breakfast spread is LEGENDARY, baby. This alone is reason enough to make sure you always ensure your route travels through Coalmont!!
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Supper the night before was super nice also
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