Entry for Thursday, 7 May 1998

The West End Cafe in Waynesboro, TN.

This is sort of typical of bicycling on the Trace Parkway -- lots and lots of trees.

Barbara beside the Meriwether Lewis monument.

Neville and Barbara at a rest stop.

I had been trying to find a way to photograph the many fields of yellow Buttercups we had seen. This is probably the best view we had.

Locals relaxing in rocking chairs at the grocery in Williamsport, TN.

The Williamsport grocery also sells bait. But Turkey Livers?

The Tennessee Traders in Columbia really want your business.

Last Modified on 5/9/98 at 4:48:34

Day's Narrative: When I got up I looked out the window. It had been raining, there were puddles everywhere and the sky was very overcast. This looked like it was going to be a really wet ride today. I dressed and rode a mile or so to the West End Cafe to have breakfast. Neville and Barbara were at the Waynesboro B&B so we were to meet after breakfast down on the town square.

When we met about 8:45, they said last night would be a night to remember. The owner woke them up when the tornado warning siren went off at 4:10 a.m. They sat in the living room with couch pillows in their laps-- the lowest place in the house -- until the alert was canceled about 40 minutes later. They said the water was being blown horizontally against the windows and the wind was really loud.

As we rode the 12 miles to the Trace the sun started to come out a little. Still no rain. The later it got, the nicer the weather was. By the time Connie caught up with us, the sun was out and the sky was partly cloudy. We had a tailwind and beautiful weather the rest of the day.

We stopped at the Meriwether Lewis monument (Lewis was the leader of the first exploration expedition of the west about 1800 -- the Lewis and Clark Expedition -- and discovered the Yellowstone area). As we were leaving the rest stop I looked at my rear tire, which had been "bumping" and discovered that there were several twists and knots in the tire, as if the threads had broken. I had two new tires in the car, but Connie had already left for Columbia. So we let a little air out of the tire and prayed that it would last the remaining 40 miles. It did.

We arrived at the turnoff to Columbia about 3 p.m. and started the last 12 miles of the ride. We stopped at the village of Williamsport to get some food, and discovered a country store (photos) that made great sandwiches.

We arrived in Columbia about 5 p.m. Neville and Barbara went south to the Locus Hill B&B, and I went north to the Ramada Inn.

Tomorrow we will go directly east to Murfreesboro. We have left the Trace completely. Tomorrow is the last day of the trip. Connie and I have reservations at the Quality Inn and Neville and Barbara will be staying with their friends there. Connie and I are discussing going to Munfordville, KY for the weekend, before driving back to New Mexico. It's only two or three hours north. We have to call first to see if it's ok if we visit.

Return

© Ray & Connie Poore, 1998