Posted on by ToadMama

Middlesboro to Pleasant Hill

I have to say, I was a bit upset to walk outside and see FOG on Wednesday morning. Not because of what it would mean for riding, but because we were in Middlesboro to see the Cumberland Gap (a pass through the mountains). But all the mountains within view of the hotel were obscured by FOG.

See those lovely mountains? No? That's because it's FOGGY.

Initially, I’d hoped to leave around 9:00AM. I wanted to spend some time in the national park and have lunch at Cumberland Falls while still allowing enough time to reach our destination before nightfall. Since it was foggy, there was no need to hurry. So we strolled next door for breakfast. It just so happened there was a Hardees mere feet away from our hotel. That is CLASS, right?

Hardees was a very popular place.

Notice who else was there? Here’s a closer look…

The town mortician enjoys Hardees biscuits, too.

After a leisurely breakfast, we moseyed back to our room to pack up our stuff. We were both on a motorcycle. Just how much stuff could we have to pack?

Yay for luggage trolleys!

That’s a lot more stuff than one would think, isn’t it? We really were happy to have a luggage cart available. That’s a lot of stuff to schlepp back and forth.

By the time we were finally ready, the fog had cleared. So off to the national park we went.

My bike after a couple of rainy days riding through coal country.

Take a look at how dirty my poor bike was. Know what’s scary? My legs were just as dirty. My cool, assless leather chaps need polishing!

In front of the visitor's center at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.

We didn’t have a whole lot of time to spend at the park, so we hurried off to the Pinnacle Overlook, which is 2,440 feet above the valley floor.

Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap
Hubby at the Pinnacle Overlook.
Cumberland Gap

See what we would have missed if the fog hadn’t cleared?

The mountain view included three states: Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky.

After a nice, long look at the Cumberland Gap, it was back on the bikes for about a 160-mile ride to our final destination. After a nice little cheese-and-crackers lunch at Cumberland Falls.

ToadMama atop Cumberland Falls.
Looking down river from atop Cumberland Falls.
Hubby heading to the foot of the falls.
The happy couple at Cumberland Falls.

I think we have more pictures of the two of us during this vacation than ever before. Probably because now I have a point-and-shoot AND my big camera.

Anyway…

We had our lunch, finished a fabulous run through Daniel Boone National Forest, and a splendid ride through the flatter part of Kentucky, ending around 5:30 at the Shaker village.

That’s where we transformed from mountain-riding bikers into somewhat civilized folk.

The hallway outside our room in the West Family Sister's House.

I’ll share more Shaker Village pictures soon. It was a VERY cool little place. If 3,000 acres is little…

Don’t forget to check out the map of the day’s ride.

8 Replies to “Middlesboro to Pleasant Hill”

  1. Now where’s the picture of you in those assless chaps!? lol!

    Wow the waterfalls are gorgeous, that is some beautiful country.

  2. Hmmm. I really think I could teach you guys something about packing a little lighter, lol. Neither my 44 week RTW trip nor my two week trip to Scotland required a luggage trolley!

  3. I find it amazing how rugged bikers can transform into “somewhat civilized folk.” You two are prime examples of that.

    And thanks for the link to May’s chaps post. That’s a classic!

  4. What incredible scenery pictures! I’m sure you see so much more on bikes than in cars and I’m glad you do such a good job of capturing everything. So what? There were no animals on the entire trip for You Capture? I may sound like I’m yelling at you but I am. No excuses next week – think Orange.
    I love your luggage cart. It looks like ours does when we travel except you don’t have a desktop computer on it like we used to until I got my laptop. LOL http://musingsofthesixties.blogspot.com/2009/03/were-going-to-colorado.html I mean who travels without their computer?
    Anyway, great post and I can’t wait to see more Shaker Village pics.

    1. Mary,

      That traveling desktop of yours is pretty funny.

      I actually did take a bunch of animal pictures at Shaker Village (you’ll see them soon), but not specifically for You Capture. So I didn’t want to cheat. I’m already thinking orange. And I am going to try really hard to avoid pumpkins.

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