Bow Tie Tour

After taking care of last minute business i.e. Eric finally getting his bike registered, picking up hard bags and installing them in the parking lot. We packed our bags, locked our cars, said a prayer and were on our way.

Leaving at 12:30 p.m. we headed north up 27 to 68 which we took to Crossville which was a fun ride full of grand views and sweeping turns. Before getting on I-40 we stopped to fuel up and fill our camel baks with water. At the gas station an older lady asked us the question that will most likely repeated throughout our trip. “Where are you boys headed?” We told her our destination and she replied that she was actually from Alaska and wished she could go with us The back window of her pickup was filled with old Alaska license plates. Providentially a truck driver stopped and informed us that I-40 was backed up with traffic so we headed out 70 W towards Nashville.
The alternate route turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. Blessing-wise if was a fun road to ride on, plenty of hills and tight corners but perhaps it was just a little too fun. As we came out through the mountains the road became long, smooth and straight. Heading down a small hill we saw ahead of us a black Chevy Impala pause then pull out directly in front of us. We both slammed on our brakes as the car quickly accelerated in front of us.
Such are the ways of cars and motorcycles, each a bane to the others existence. When a passing zone appeared we passed the car to leave the crazy woman driver behind. We came up on a truck and quickly passed as well with my bike finishing the pass just as the passing zone closed. To our surprise the Impala passed as well and began to tailgate us. Eric waved me to slow down and pull over to let mrs. crazy pass, when the lights came on. It was an unmarked, plainclothes officer She had us for speeding, passing on a double yellow and as icing on the cake Eric did not have proof of insurance with him. sigh. But after chatting for a while with her and the other sheriff that came up she let us go. It’s amazing what a little respect and smiling will do
After that incident we drove (albeit slower) into Nashville where me met some people for lunch. It was well over a hundred degrees and humid so we took our time eating. After Dinner we hit the road again heading southwest on I-40 to avoid traffic then took back roads all the way up to Cairo Illinois. It was a pleasant ride, watching the sun set and listening to Johnny Cash on my iPod. After dark we stopped for gas and I let Eric borrow my iPod because my ears were getting a little sore. A few miles down the road he pulled over and announced that the iPod had fallen from his tank bag we took a short hike up the road to look for it but to no avail. We mounted up again and road the rest of the way to Cairo, a small town on the Mississippi river.
At 11pm central time we pulled into a Days Inn, paid the inflated prices of a supply and demand market where the two are not balanced and hit the proverbial hay.