Natchez Trace - Epilogue and Thanks

An 11 hour drive home from Nashville gave me time to ponder the wonderful week on the Natchez Trace.  The road was great ... very little traffic, a wonderful surface, and lots to see.  The food was great ... no buffets, a delicious steak, and two glorious meals at Elandale's in Nashville.  The miles were invigorating ... 425 miles with just enough hills to make it interesting.  But ... the best part was the people!  Spending time with my friends and fellow ABB North 2010 riders will fill my memory book.

Thanks to Jeff and Joe for putting it all together.  A special thanks to their wives, Aila and Karen for the awesome SAG support. A glass held high to my fellow riders ... Alex, Helen, Steve, Ellen, Rod, Leo, Howard and Shirley.  I hope we can make it a yearly tradition.  A huge thanks to my wife and daughter for letting me disappear again to do what I love.

My American Lung Association donors came out in force again this year.  Their generosity will help make a big difference in the lives of families fighting lung disease.  A heart felt thanks to them all:

Lancesoft, Inc.	Vadlamani, Srinivas
Demsional Concepts, LLC	Zdunski, Jack
Northrop Grumman	Shaw, Howie
Letke, Loretta	Calabrese, Gary
Ausnit-Hood, Christine	Campbell, Steve
Kohlmeyer, Kathleen	Chudnovsky, Gary
Moore, Peter	Ciralsky, Linda
Rossi, Anne	Crawford, Bruce
Vembar, Gopal	David, Susan
West, Cheryl	Ferguson, Keith
Sullaway, Bob & Gail	Franklin, Alison
Almamun, Shamim	Gotthardt, Ernest & Chao
Biersack, Kevin	Herrington, Marilyn
Clark, Chris & Joan	Hersey, Ann & Thomas
Douglas, Jeffrey	Kitchelt, Maureen
Eberhard, Barabara	Locke, Karen
Eckman, Mike	Lucas, Jason
Engelman, Ray	Manambedu, Lakshmi
Fishman, Carol	Menjivar, Allison
Hewitt, Mike & Michelle	Radams, Yuri
Hwang, Amy & Hong	Sannie-Ariyibi, Alberta
Johnson, Judy	Waters, Andrew
Jones, Rosalie	Wehr, Craig
Kuriseti, Ravichandra	Holman, Gary & Marcia
Shetty, Girish	Corey, Russ

Some of the images from last week ... thanks to my fellow riders for taking these ...

Good night moon ... good night memories ... good night friends ... good night donors ... onto Maine for the Trek Across Maine.

Natchez Trace - Day 7 - Columbia TN to Nashville TN

A wonderful trip comes to an end.  A big thanks to Joe and Jeff for coordinating everything and an even bigger thanks to Aila and Karen for their heroic efforts and awesome SAG support.  The week went by quickly and generated new memories that I will carry forever.  It was great to see everyone and spend some one on one time with each of them.  Thanks Helen, Alex, Leo, Rod, Ellen, Shirley, Howard, Steve, Jeff, and Joe for the ride, the pulls, the friendship, the laughter, and the memories.  I hope to see you all soon as well as the other ABB North riders real soon.

Our last day was short (36 miles - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/91648607), but hilly. The route brought us just south of Nashville and had lots of rolling hills along with a few climbs. The Parkway was full of bikers and devoid of traffic. We started at the John Gordon House, located near the Duck River. It was great chance to snap a few final shots of the crew.

Our Last Start

Rod, Howard and Shirley Getting Ready for a Great Day

Shirley and Howard are all Smiles

Steve ... Pondering the Blue Ridge Parkway for Our Next Ride?

Leo ... My New Roomie

Rod ... Great New One Less Car Jersey

Joe, Jeff, and I rode pretty hard most of the day.  I powered into the hills to keep the distance between myself and them to a minimum.  As always, the descents were fun.  Jeff always seemed to find the power to pass me. We stopped at few overlooks and found our way to the SAG at the half way point.  The site was full of local bikers and we found another ABB North Rider (from 2009) ... Fred Hartley.  Fred rode a recumbent and rode with several of the folks I chatted with last year.  It was a neat coincidence.  Cleaning up after the SAG we were all careful not to pick up anything Karen may have dropped ... :-)

Morning Fog Over The Trace

Fred Hartley ... Rode ABB North 2009

One Last SAG ... Thanks Aila and Karen!!

Watch What You Leave Behind ... LOL

A few more hills and rollers brought us to the Natchez Trace Parkway Arches.  The arches are a concrete double arch bridge that extends almost 1,600 feet and 150 feet over State Route 96 and a heavily wooded valley. Another great photo opportunity.

Picturesque View From the Bridge

The Dual Arches ... Look Close and You Can Spot Shirley



Final Gelding Photo ... You Guys Rock

Finally, we came to the end of the parkway and pulled into the Loveless Cafe.  Th Loveless Cafe is a local institution that has been around for over 50 years.  Logistics were carefully orchestrated to get everyone on their way home or to a hotel for the night.  Jeff, Aila, Leo and I stayed over near the airport and went out for a great dinner at Ellandales.  I head out tomorrow morning for the long 11 hour drive home.  A great week!  In a few days I head to Maine for the Trek Across Maine.

Fun At The End ...

All Done ... A Great Week

Good night moon ... good night Trace ... good night Nashville ... good night ABB reunion riders ... good night friends, family, and supporters.

Natchez Trace - Day 6 - Florence AL to Columbia TN

A good night's rest in Alabama but only a few feet of cycling.  We started right at the Alabama/Tennessee line.  With Helen and Alex leaving after the ride it was a great opportunity for group pictures. 

 

The Gang Crosses Into Tennessee

Joe and Karen ... Awesome Coordinator and SAG Support

Jeff and Aila ... Thanks for Everything

Almost There ...

The road remained quiet, but had more up then down today. The pace was easy as most of us stayed together or pretty close. I rode the first 25 miles with Helen and Alex and pulled into another great SAG stop at Glen Rock Branch. The stop had a nice stream and rocks to play on (for Alex any way).

Dueling Picture Takers

Another Classic Alex Expression

Ellen ... "Car Back"

Leo, Bike Friday, and the Shark

Alex Climbs The Rock at the SAG

Helen Doing What She Does Best ... A Pretty Good Cyclist Too

Joe Enjoys the SAG

Open Wide Leo

A Video of Alex Breaking a Banana with Her Bare Hands!

The Trace kicked up after that and tested us with a few good climbs. We left the road for a 2.5 mile trip on the Old Trace Drive through the woods. A little dicey in spots, but it gave a good feel for what the original Trace felt like.

A Ride in the Woods Along Old Trace Drive

Rod Avoids the Ruts

Nice View Toward End of Old Trace

Leo Emerges from the Wild

The crew rode pretty closely and met up at the Merriwether Lewis (of Lewis and Clark fame) area. The ice cold water felt good as the temperatures climbed into the 90's again. The steepest climb of the day was up next.  Half way up we stopped at the Fall Hallow waterfall.  Alex, Joe, Jeff, and Leo hiked down to the falls and even cooled off under them.  I rested for a few, but kept pushing onward and upward.  I met them all later at the top of the hill.  It was mostly downhill after that.  On the last small climb of the day I tried to power up and past Jeff, but alas, he was too strong and caught me quickly.

Merriwether Lewis Monument/Grave

One of the Overlooks

After a quick shower it was time for goodbyes for Alex and Helen.  I drove them to Nashville to pick up their car for the ride home to Indiana.  Traffic was ugly and the 60 minute drive took almost 90 minutes.  The return was even worse, and thanks to a bad accident, I did not get back to Columbia until 7PM.  The gang had already assembled at Applebees.  I was treated to a cold beer and some sizzling fajitas (Thanks Rod).  Our (well mine) first ice cream run ended the night.  Well almost ... Howard and I had to duck tape my back window which decided to fall inside the door when I dropped Alex and Helen off.

Goodbye Helen .and Alex

Our last day on the Trace will a be a short one.  Only 40 miles until the finish.  Today's almost 70 mile route and data can be found at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/91483259.

Good night moon ... good night hills ... good night Philly (Alex) ... good night Helen ... good night traffic ... good night Dad (Happy Birthday!) ... good night ABB Across Americas North riders (we miss you all).