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| Crossing over Tennessee River Leaving Loudon, TN |
Today we rode 86 miles beginning in Karn, TN and traveling through Loudon, Sweet Water, Athens and Dayton, TN, and ending at Pikeville, TN.
Upon leaving Dayton, 70 miles into the ride, we continued onto Dayton Mountain Highway and passed a sign that read "Trail of Tears, Historic Route". For those of you who do not know, or cannot remember, the Trail of Tears refers to the forced relocation of Native Americans from their homeland in the southeastern United States as per the Indian Removal Act of 1830. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_TearsJim had warned us of a long, steep climb coming out of town but we figured it couldn't be as bad as the Blue Ridge Mountains. Or could it? Within 1/2 mile we started to figure out just what we were in for. We began what would be over 4 miles of steep climbing followed by another 3 miles of steep rollers, including one that crested at the start of Central time zone. (At least we gained an hour!)
Finally, after what seemed like hours grinding up the mountain, we reached the summit. At last! And, as we all know, what goes up, must come down! We began a 5 minute, 4 mile, 35-40 mph descent into Pikeville. A nice treat at the end of a long, tough day in the saddle. We found a local Italian restaurant for some pasta and will be hitting the hay early tonight. Tomorrow we will cross into Alabama!
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| Another bridge over the Tennessee River Leaving Decatur, TN |
