Hey all. Using some of the routes described in this link provided by Mika, I did a nice ride over the weekend from Nashville. It would be nice to start posting routes for others to see. So, let me start and let me share...
I started in Nashville and rode through Smyrna and ended up at the Nashville Highway and 96 (Dale Ridge Road). I took highway 96 all the way to 70N.
Highway 96 goes past Center Hill Lake, and is a beautiful ride. The roads are twisty, and there wasn't much traffic on the road, even on Saturday. The road is BUFF and curvy. TONS of fun. The southern most part of the road was the least crowded. And I could see around the corner on most turns, so I could really get with it. Another nice thing about this road and most that I rode on this trip is that the speed limit is 45mph. Many of the roads are tight enough that 55 or 60 mph is pushing it through the turns. That's good news since my experience has shown that the popo will usually give you 10 mph over the limit or so. So, I did most of my riding at around 50-55 mph, then kicked it up a notch in the turns when so inclined. It's almost ticket-proof fun!
I stopped at a beautiful damn along the 96 route. I pulled up next to a few Harley riders also taking in the view. I took off my helmet and said hi. They didn't even acknowledge me. I attempted a chat a few more times, and even told them to have a nice day when I left, but they didn't once respond to me. Go figure! Next time, maybe I'll pregnant dog slap them.
After intersecting with 70N, I went east on 70N. That road is even MORE fun! MAN oh man! Buff and FAST. However, there is a lot more traffic, and I saw 2 radar traps on that route. So, be careful on that stretch.
When 96 took off from 70N again, north towards Granville, I took that road. Again, no traffic and a fun road. But, when almost in Granville, I came up behind of LUMBERING Harley's. I couldn't really pass them because there were about 10 of them, and another 2 cars behind them. And, many were women riders, and I didn't want to scare/piss anyone off. Luckily it was short lived since they turned left at Granville, and I turned right (there was a parade going on in Granville, and we went through town at 5 mph and my Foggy doesn't GO 5 mph).
As I said, I took a right in Granville, which was highway 53. That was fairly boring for a few miles, but I split off onto Highway 290. NOW WE ARE TALKING! Someone described 290 as the 'little dragon with driveways' (I think it was on that Boger-Hill.com site). That is totally true. The road is buff and VERY curvy and fun. The funnest on my trip. However, there are a lot of driveways. And some of them are gravel, which means occasional gravel in the road. There was little traffic, but because of the hazards, I could only get with it when I could see around the corners and sure there was no gravel. But, the good news is, I could usually see around the corners and the gravel driveways were pretty infrequent. VERY fun road! I wanted to turn around and do it again but I was almost out of gas.
Once I intersected with highway 56, I turned right, and quickly found a gas station (I was sweating it since I was at 110 miles at this point). 56 is fairly crowded and boring, but does have gas stations.
When I came to highway 70N, I took a right, and let the fun begin, again. Did I mention this road is awesome? However, I did come across another radar trap. Luckily, I was going 50mph (in a 45 zone), and quickly slowed down to 45. I even waved to the popo. Aren't I nice?
When intersecting with highway 96, I retraced my steps back to Nashville. Overall, it was about a 200 mile ride.
Now, I need to work on my route from south Nashville to the Nashville Highway/96 intersection. That 1 hour stretch is pretty unpleasant. Especially on the way back when I was tired. Going through Murfreesboro SUCKS!
Oh, and on the way back I took that Statesville road for a little while (267). I keep reading it is fun. I started on the north side, and went about 1/2 way up. There weren't too many tight turns and was pretty wide open. It would be good at about 100 mph, but I don't need to get a ticket. So, I turned around. Maybe the north side is more fun but I found the south side a bit boring.
In a couple of weeks (10/18/08), Cucciolo (Julian) and I might go try these roads again. We are thinking about trailering out to the starting point to avoid the 2 hours (1 out and 1 back) of boring nothingness between Nashville and the start of the fun.
Cheers,
Bryan...
