RFP #17 - Tennessee Dirt Devil Camp & Ride, May 29-31

[Nice Goat]

RFP = "Ride for Pie"

Why?  Because pie fixes everything!  And the bonus is ... I buy the pie!  And give you free stickers!

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THIRD ANNUAL --- TENNESSEE DIRT DEVIL RIDE & CAMP!!!

Friday, May 29th - Set up camp at Natchez Trace Encore Thousand Trails Campground on the Natchez Trace.  Map: https://goo.gl/maps/p2iR4ZUF1iCAc2cD6.  Make your way to the campground whenever and however you want.  I'll be there by 4:00PM.  I have reserved one cabin (two people) and two campsites (max 20 people).  There are plenty of trees if you want to hang your hammock.  There are showers and restrooms next to the campground.

Saturday, May 30th - Ride 166 miles, mostly TN Dirt Devil.  Mostly smooth dirt roads (some not so smooth and unfortunately, some pavement) with 20-25 creek crossings.  Depth of creek crossings will depend on rain that week, but usually they are not too challenging.  We will stay on public roads and avoid private property.  Lunch will be at/near the gas station due to Covid restrictions on restaurants.  Wear swim trunks under your riding pants, so you can cool off in the creek!  Back at the campground, there will surely be plenty of entertainment and lively conversation.

Proposed Route is 180 miles (counter-clockwise, tracks attached, map below):

• Leg A - 63 miles to gas station
• Leg B - 38 miles to lunch & gas station
• Leg C - 31 miles to waterfall and cooling off in the creek
• Leg D - 48 miles back to Hohenwald and campground

Faster pace this year!

Sunday, May 31st - Leisurely coffee and breakfast, pack up, clean up, and go home.

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Important Notes:

• KSU at 9:00am Saturday!.  We've got a lot of ground to cover in the morning, so be ready!
• We are not going to a gas station first, so if you need gas, please fill up Friday afternoon/evening.
• It may be hot & humid, so please wear a hydration pack with 2-3 liters of water.
• We may encounter horses & buggies ... slow to minimum speed and be as quiet as possible as you pass.
• Watch for dogs and other animals.
• Bring your own camp food, camp stove, dehydrated eggs, instant coffee, tuna packs, crackers, Count Chocula, etc.
• No organized breakfast or dinner plans, but Hohenwald is only 20 minutes away from the campground, if you prefer not to eat camp food.

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Hopefully the weather will be great and the creeks will be just right in both depth and temperature, so dust off that camping gear and come on out!  Let's get those bikes wet!

Link to 2019 ride: http://www.motorcyclealabama.com/rides/index.php?topic=3438.0

Link to 2018 ride: http://www.motorcyclealabama.com/rides/index.php?topic=2723.0







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[Nice Goat]

Most of the creek crossings are less than 24 inches deep.  This route is generally big-bike friendly, but it depends on your skill level.

- Some of the creek crossings are slick!
- There are a few places with soft, deep gravel!
- There might be downed trees!
- There is a 1/3 mile stretch that might be super muddy!

[Fencejumper09]

Looking forward to another great ride!!

[kylepeterson]

these are some of the best rides ever, looking forward to it !

[TWJohn]

I missed last years :( I will definitely go this time. Too much fun

[2372ighost]

I put it on the calendar. Last ride was great!

[Jwwr]

Planning to make this! You should too!

[rider_marc]

Using the AT for this one @Nice Goat?

[Nice Goat]

Using the AT for this one @Nice Goat?

Nope... KTM

[TFancher]

Hey Goat, is this one still on?

[Nice Goat]

They haven't opened the campground yet, but hopefully it will be open in the next couple weeks.

[2372ighost]

I hope this campsite opens!!

[Nice Goat]

UPDATE! - This ride is still on... But the campsite has changed!

The state and federal parks are taking their sweet time about reopening, so I had to find another place for us to camp.  This place is about six (6) miles south of Meriwether.

Natchez Trace Encore Thousand Trails Campground - Link
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/p2iR4ZUF1iCAc2cD6

This is a big RV campground which used to be a KOA but is now owned by Encore Thousand Trails.  I've never stayed here, but the photos look good.  They have cabins, tent camping, RV slots, etc.  They also have showers!  The campground is beside a lake, and there is a swimming area. 

They seemed easy to deal with on the phone.  I have reserved a cabin (two beds) and two campsites.  They say no more than 2 tents or 10 people per campsite, and they have no policy against hammocks.  If we need more campsites, they said that it should not be a problem that weekend.  The cabin was a little expensive, but it's right next to the tent camping area.  I tried to get their largest cabin ("The Lodge"), which has eight beds, but it was already taken.

It's not ideal, I know.  We prefer the Meriwether campground, which is free and more primitive.  But we'll have real showers this time.

Looking forward to seeing everybody there!

[Nice Goat]

I modified the GPX tracks "A" and "D" to show the new starting and ending point.  The updated GPX files are attached below.

"B" and "C" tracks remain the same (in the first post).

[Nice Goat]

We'll probably eat lunch at/near the gas stop.  Restaurants in TN are at 50% capacity, so Beacon Light Tea Room only has 10 tables and only six per table.  Since we don't know how many people we will have, or what time we will arrive, it's not fair to the restaurant to try to reserve 33% of their capacity.  Don't worry... I'll have pie at the campground that evening.

Since we are not eating at the Tea Room, we can push the start time to 9:00am.  We won't be in such a hurry if we have no appointments.

Lessons learned from last year and previous rides....

• This is a fantastic route that we have planned.  The morning is classic TNDD from the official map, and the afternoon is the best of Ken's Hickman Loop.
• Probably 85% of the route has some shade over the road.  Lots of cool vistas, old farms, old houses, etc., and ... water!
• Most of the creek crossings are easy, but there are a couple that have loose gravel or slick rock bottom.
• We are going counter-clockwise again this year.  Same swim hole as last year — shallow and crystal clear.
• When we start Saturday morning, please have enough fuel to go 65 miles to the first gas stop.

I'm looking forward to it!  It's going to be a great ride and camp weekend!