This past May, together with my friend John Edwards, I rode the Tennessee portion of the Trans America Trail. While the "Trail" reference is not an ideal description, this series of gravel and dirt roads, along with wonderfully twisty, windy, pavement sections is a great way to see the USA on a motorcycle from a much better perspective than major highways.
The result of years of effort by Sam Correro from Burnsville, Mississippi, the TAT stretches uninterrupted from eastern Tennessee, all the way to the Pacific Northwest.
Having recently purchased modern dual-sport bikes, John and I were anxious to put them to use in a suitable adventure. A bit of research indicated that while the TN portion of the TAT is not quite as challenging as it is in the western states, it looked to be a good way to "get our feet wet."
The ride turned out to be wonderfully fun and really enjoyable. Equipped with a helmet-mounted GoPro camera, John shot lots of video of the ride, with some of the more interesting loaded onto the attached youtube video. Be sure to watch on towards the end, as the video shows us passing through a swamp, with sections of water about a foot deep and hundreds of yards long. Also, there's a great bit right at the end showing a beautiful river crossing. Hope you find it interesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERzXiWWA4Rk
Ted,
When you are ready to venture into Western Arkansas let me know. I live right on the TAT in the Ozarks and ride it regularly on a KLR650. The ride gets a bit hilly, rocky and technical but nothing a veteran Penton rider can't master. Maybe you can ride out when the ISDTRR comes around in a few months. Here is a link to my ride last Saturday.
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=709604
Pete Petrick
175 Jackpiner
Slow but Good
Great stuff, Pete! Thanks for sharing. My buddy John - the man behind the camera in our vids, originally hails from Arkansas. We've been trying to decide where to pick up on the TAT next. Looks like your back yard may be the place.