Small City Tennessee Motorbike Loop | Favourite Journey

5 January 2024

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Small Town Tennessee Motorcycle Loop Honda Rebel 1100T DCT Trace through Land Between the Lakes — The Hint by way of Land Between the Lakes gives scenic picnic areas for a mid-ride break.

Today, I’ve turn into so enthralled by all the nice motorbike roads around the globe and on my bucket checklist that I neglect in regards to the ones near residence. For this journey, I retraced steps from my early using days with a 140‑mile Tennessee motorbike loop round my hometown of Dover, which is positioned on the Cumberland River about 30 miles west of Clarksville and, because the crow flies, a bit of over 60 miles northwest of Nashville.

Scan QR code above or click here to view the route on REVER

I used to be joined by my husband, Jake, on his Can‑Am Ryker Rally, and I used to be aboard a Honda Insurgent 1100T DCT check bike.

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We began out on the Dyers Creek boat ramp, simply throughout the river from downtown Dover. Then we rode throughout U.S. Route 79 and onto Bumpus Mills Street. This highway has among the finest curves of the loop – the right strategy to get our blood pumping initially of the journey.

After we acquired to the tip of the highway on the junction with State Route 120, we turned north and stopped on the household‑owned Bumpus Meals Diner. We had hoped to pop in for a chunk of their handmade desserts and a cup of espresso, however the diner was closed that day because the household and employees have been having fun with the Thanksgiving weekend.

Small Town Tennessee Motorcycle Loop Can-Am Ryker — My husband, Jake, and I revisited lots of the roads we explored as excessive schoolers with contemporary driving licenses.

Oh properly, onwards we went. The subsequent stretch of the journey took us into Kentucky on State Route 139. It may be tempting to select up the velocity on this highway, however we knew we couldn’t get too carried away. A lot of this land is farmed by Amish communities, and also you by no means know if you’ll run up behind a horse‑drawn buggy simply over the subsequent hill.

An elective spur is to take a proper on State Route 164 and go to the Oak Ridge Nation Retailer. We love their selfmade cheeses, deli sandwiches, and native canned and pickled meals. There are different stops alongside the highway the place you should buy smoked meats, honey, contemporary produce, and different items.

We continued our Tennessee motorbike loop north till we got here to U.S. Route 68, the place we turned west for 15 miles and rode over the Cumberland River and into Land Between the Lakes Nationwide Recreation Space. We turned south on the Woodlands Hint Nationwide Scenic Byway, often known as The Hint (to not be confused with the Natchez Hint Parkway, which runs between Nashville and Natchez, Mississippi).

Small Town Tennessee Motorcycle Loop Honda Rebel 1100T DCT — State Route 232 has good sweepers and little visitors, permitting us to journey at our personal tempo with out having to fret a lot about different drivers.

The Hint is a lovely highway that runs proper by way of the middle of LBL. Alongside the way in which are the Golden Pond Guests Middle and Planetarium, picnic areas, a bison vary, campgrounds, the Turkey Bay OHV Space, and the Homeplace 1850s Working Farm and Residing Historical past Museum.

We continued by way of LBL and again towards Dover. On the finish of The Hint, we turned west on U.S. Route 79 and popped in at Brien Dill’s Piggly Wiggly. I labored at this grocery retailer all through highschool and faculty and nonetheless take pleasure in stopping by to go to with previous coworkers and the proprietor, Brien, who rides a BMW R 1250 GS Journey and loves chatting about bikes.

Down the freeway about 6 miles, we turned south onto State Route 232, often known as the “Child Dragon.” In contrast to the well-known 11‑mile highway in East Tennessee with the same identify, the Child Dragon doesn’t have tight, technical curves, but it surely has loads of lengthy sweepers with good visibility. By the point we acquired to the tip of the Child Dragon, we have been getting hungry, so we stopped at Southernaire Motel & Restaurant for a meatloaf plate with turnip greens and black‑eyed peas.

Small Town Tennessee Motorcycle Loop Honda Rebel 1100T DCT Baby Dragon — Cruising down the “Child Dragon.”

After a tasty lunch, we continued east by way of the cities of Stewart, Tennessee Ridge, and Erin till we acquired to Cumberland Metropolis, the place sweet‑striped steam stacks from the TVA energy plant stretch up into the sky. We rode all the way down to the ferry, paid 75 cents (tickets are $1 for out‑of‑state bikes), and hopped over the river.

The final leg of this route goes by way of Indian Mound, the a part of Stewart County the place I grew up. Possibly I’m biased, however that is my favourite portion of this favourite journey. The roads by way of the Mound stand up over ridges and snake down alongside creeks and previous fields of cattle. The final highway is Previous Freeway 79, the curviest highway of the loop.

On the finish of Previous Freeway 79, you’ll end up again on U.S. Route 79 and only a stone’s throw away from the boat ramp the place we started this route. Revisiting these roads and stops which have all the time been part of my life gave me a renewed appreciation for my neighborhood and city. Certain, there are locations on the earth with extra dramatic views and extra thrilling roads, however on the finish of the day, these are the roads I’ll all the time come again to.