The Road Ahead ................. (Florida Ride 2013): Been There Done That But Not Yet

Missing from my visits to major Civil War battlefields is the Battle of Chickamauga on the Georgia / Tennessee state line at Chattanooga. It lies along my intended route north and is on my “must see” list during the return ride from Florida.

Rather than make a “b-line” to the Chickamauga Battlefield, as well as Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls, two other nearby considerations, I might first meander north into the Smokey Mountains and take a ride down the “Tail of The Dragon”, a renowned motorcycle experience touting 318 curves in 11 miles. I partially assume, based on what I’ve read and heard, it is reserved only for those knee-dragging-curve riders who give rise to the term “crotch rocket”, the purpose of the ride being to see how fast you can make it through the curves and to the bottom of the steep mountains. A laid back Harley rider such as me might not be welcome, or even allowed to stroll through those curves at a reasonable yet impeding speed. On the other hand the map tells me it is a public road open to anyone with a driver’s license, cars and motorcycles alike. I’ve even seen pictures of trucks with semi-trailers rounding those hairpin curves, taking up the whole road and obviously a hindrance to record-busting daredevils. It certainly isn’t a priority that I veer off course a hundred or so miles to “Deal’s Gap”, Tennessee, the apparent apex of the dragon's tail, only to backtrack to Chattanooga, but it’s of considerable consideration.

The purpose of staying a northerly course from Georgia, rather than continuing a perimeter of the country, is two-fold. First, I’ve already been to the crowded, time-consuming and expensive East Coast. It was great. Again, if time and money weren’t an issue I’d do it again.

Second, is my quest to whittle down the number of states I’ve never been in, Florida being one of them. After adding Florida to my “been-there-done-that” list, there will remain 9 states I’ve never been in – Alaska, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Delaware and Rhode Island. My intended course will take care of Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. Taking a left turn at Michigan will take me across Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. The other three states will just have to wait.

Sherry and I might see Alaska someday but doubt we’ll see Delaware or Rhode Island, two states we were within a stone’s throw of back in 2000 but never crossed the line. We almost missed New Jersey also, but spent about one minute in the state when we overshot Port Jervis, New York while seeking lodging at the end of a long day. Upon seeing the sign, “Welcome To New Jersey” we realized we went too far and turned around. But we did cross the line and can therefore include New Jersey on the states we’ve been in list.

Hopefully, Chattanooga will be the last big city I’ll have to put up with for a while. I plan to stick to backroads and small towns as I snake my way north through the foothills of the Smokies. Smack dab along the route is an attraction I hadn’t thought of before but looks like an excellent point of interest to include —“Mammoth Caves National Park”, an experience that should be akin to Carlsbad Caverns. If I recall correctly, I think the 1950’s movie about Tom Sawyer included filming in those caves?

I visited Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace outside Hodgenville, Kentucky back in 2001. What I failed to realize at the time was that only a few miles north is the burial place of my 5^th great grandfather, Thomas Newman, a revolutionary war soldier awarded land in Kentucky, a common payment to veterans of the war. Thomas Newman expanded his Kentucky holdings to more than 700 acres along Lick Creek east of Bardstown before his death and burial in what “was” the Harned-Newman Cemetery about a half mile east of the unincorporated settlement of Boston, Kentucky on Old Boston Road.

Like his son, Isaac, whose grave I found in the obscure Newman Cemetery in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky in 1998, I’m guessing Thomas’s grave and the whole Harned-Newman Cemetery is lost to time and is on private property. In fact, I’ve checked the street view in Google Earth, inspecting the reported location of the cemetery and there is nothing but a grassy field to be seen. Nevertheless, it is important to me to stand in the vicinity and mentally drink in its history. I'll seek lodging in nearby Bardstown.

Though not a big city by any means, history-rich Bardstown is the seat of Nelson County and only 40 miles from the metropolis of Louisville where I might be forced to find a Harley Shop for a rear tire change, undoubtedly due by then if not before. A 5,000 mile service might also be in order.

I'd never heard of Washington, Indiana before but it’s my next stop after Bardstown. Another Navy buddy I reconnected with after 40 years, via the Internet this past year, has lived his whole life in Washington, Indiana and I intend to pay him a visit.

Continuing north in Indiana, I’ll skirt south around (avoid) Indianapolis and eastward to the border of Ohio, thereby including it on my list of visited states, albeit the visit will be short and just across the state line at Fort Recovery. I could stay in Ohio long enough to meet another guy from my Navy days who lives in the Cleveland area, but that's 230 miles east of my route and against my rule of avoiding freeway mazes in big cities. But I'm sure I would enjoy a visit with him.

The significance of stopping at Fort Recovery? It is where Sherry’s 5^th great grandfather, Inslee Anderson, age 32, was killed in a 1791 Indian battle known as St Clair’s Defeat. Miami Indians under the command of Little Turtle annihilated U.S. Army troops under Major General Arthur St. Clair who was on a presidential mission to protect settlers who were oozing into the wilderness after the American Revolution. Major "Mad Anthony" Wayne was sent to pick up the pieces and ordered a fort built on the battle site, appropriately naming it "Fort Recovery." A mass Indian attack was launched against the fort in 1794 but was successfully repelled and led to defeat of the regional tribes. I don’t expect to find much at Fort Recovery, except a monument where perhaps Inslee Anderson will be among the engraved names.

I struggle to find logic in my intent to travel up the Michigan peninsula and across the 7-mile-long Mackinac Bridge that divides Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. That entire region looks fraught with freeways and mass population, reducing the likelihood of my sticking to backroads. Wading through all that is merely for the sake of adding Michigan to my list of states visited. An alternative would be to merely cross the Michigan border to satisfy the list, and then set a westward course below the Great Lakes. But that would take me through Chicago, not a desirable alternative. Then again, I could swing south and bypass Chicago, although that hardly seems practical if I want to access Wisconsin and Minnesota. Nope … crossing the Mackinac Bridge seems less illogical. Besides, once across that bridge, the road west looks as if it might have minimal population (my preference) and remain for the rest of the trip.

I have no idea of what to expect from Wisconsin and Minnesota, and I don’t anticipate a comfortable experience crossing North Dakota, much less any points of interest other than Fort Abraham Lincoln near Bismarck, a place I do want to visit. Two things I "do expect" while crossing North Dakota, and not in a good way, are desolation and high wind. I hope I don't arrive in the "north country" too early, when winter might still be on the menu. Hopefully, it will be June or close to it before I get to Michigan.

That about wraps up the plan for my pending odyssey. Once I get into Montana I’ll be in familiar territory, having been there several times. Although, not really, not until I get south of Great Falls and near Missoula. From there it will be "homeward bound" and I should be able to do it with my eyes closed.