Hello all,
My wife and I are planning a self-supported bike touring trip this fall from Nashville, TN to Raleigh-Durham, NC and are seeking advice on our route. We have scheduled 12 days on the road (from Sept. 21 – Oct. 2) flying in and out of the two city’s airports. While we will have camping gear, there seems to be a few spots where we might need to get a motel because I can’t find a campground. We plan on averaging 50 miles/day (with a max of 60 or so) and have a rest day or two in there. We realize that likely we will need to end the cycling part of our trip in either Winston-Salem, NC or Charlotte, NC and take a bus from there to the airport in Raleigh-Durham to make our returning flight. So, does anyone have any advice on a good route between Nashville and either of these two NC cities?
· Tentatively I have planned to go from Nashville to Knoxville via: Lebanon (via.70), Cookeville (via.70N), Wartburg/Frozen Head S.P. (via. 62), to Knoxville (via. 63).
· One idea following Knoxville was to go east through Sevierville, Newport, Greenville, Johnson City, Elizabethtown, over hwy. 321 to Boone, NC then to Winston-Salem. Any thoughts on this?
· Another idea following Knoxville was to go thorough Sevierville and Newport to Asheville, NC and some how make our way to Charlotte. Any thoughts on this route?
· While we are expecting hills, the steepest hills or the highest passes are to be avoided as we will have fully loaded touring bikes.
So, if anyone has any advice, and I bet some of you do, please let me know. I won’t share your e-mail addresses with anyone (I found them all from your club or bike shop websites).
Thanks a lot,
Ben Peterson (and Rachel Peterson)
Seattle, Washington
Hey Ben,
I'm 50+ miles SE of Nashville on 70s. If you came out this way, I'd be glad to offer a room or a place to camp. I have locations on 70s before Woodbury and off 53, 6 miles South of Woodbury.
I've not done any touring, but when I do I won't be riding roads as busy as 70. I'm a way-back road connoisseur.
great trip to you and wife.
wp
One (semi) famous rider (NoPayRay) advised to camp in back of small churches out in the country. We can come up with a route of known roads from Mboro at least to Sparta & could probably find several places to stay when you're here.
Just a note. 70 sucks. Get a Tennessee Atlas & Gazetteer. We used the hard copy for years to make routes. It's a topo map with all but the newly made roads. That with Google Earth etal will get you a better ride. One of our members went to school in Cookeville so would know those roads.
Yeah, now that I have some support on the issue--that's exactly what I was thinking. 70 is loaded with traffic as far out as Watertown. The shoulders are gravel. It's a big 5 lanes once you get to Snows Hill just west of Smithville-and then back down to 2 all the way to Cookeville. But I'd go up the old road (Snow's Hill) instead. "Old" segments of 70 may be better, but I'd really be looking for smaller E/W roads. The Atlas/Gazetter thing is great, I've gotta find mine. And my latest Google Earth developed route was great.
the book-- http://www.maps.com/map.aspx?pid=837
Perhaps someone could meet you at the airport & shuttle out to the decent roads. Either start in Murfreesboro or get a send off from the club in Wilson County & leave from Mt Juliet or Lebanon..
is a high volume & not cycling attractive road. We met a cyclist from Johnson City on BRAT. See if Johnson City has a club (I think so) & hook up with the Knoxville club. We can get you to Crossville.
http://www.granfondocycles.com/club/cycling_club_leisure.html
Is probably a good source for LD routing info per the Randonnuering riders there.
They have a cue sheets for Mid-TN to Chattanooga on "safe country backroads" at the bottom of the page.