June 15, 2019 - Lebanon, TN

Today was rally day.  We spent the day talking with vendors, sitting in on a couple of seminars and thinking about where we want to go next.  We spoke with people about Mexico, Ecuador, New Zealand and Morocco. Don't know if we'll ever go but it's fun to think about it.

Time to head home early to deal with some family issues.

June 14, 2019 - Lebanon, TN

We had a glorious ride today from Chattanooga to the rally in Lebanon, TN.  The temps were in 60s to 70s, full sun, very little traffic and we took some winding, back roads through beautiful rural areas.  There is something special about the smell of fresh cut "northern" grass and hay.  We got into some of the best twisties we've had in awhile, really fun on the bike.

We were able to meet up with my brother at the rally and see LOTS of BMW motorcycles and fellow riders.  It's hard to get the full impression from the pictures but there are a lot of vendors also.

One of our pleasant suprises was arriving at our Airbnb outside Lebanon. It is a beautiful one bedroom apartment on about 15 acres.  The property has a cool pool/pond that has a central area lined with concrete and is kept clean through an aeration waterfall system and algae all without chlorine.  Not really sure how it works but I went swimming in it and it felt great.

The swimming pool/pond at our Airbnb

The GS resting at our Airbnb

Some classic BMWs at the rally

Vendor hall at the rally

Entrance to the rally

June 13, 2019 - Chattanooga, TN

"From Old Rome To New Rome"

Most bios on Time's main drag had these plaques

It seems that Google stopped supporting Blogger so that it is very cumbersome to upload photos but I figured out a way to do it.  Unfortunately, the postings may be a little clunky looking.  I am going to catch up in posting pictures so hang on.

The picture of the female wolf was in front of the Rome, GA City Hall.  It seemed really odd to me so I had to post it.  Apparently the city got it from Benito Mussolini, the Duce of Fascism, which makes it even more weird to be in front of the City Hall.

We had a short ride today from Rome, GA to Chattanooga, TN.  Beautiful weather.

I added a couple of pictures of pictures of Chattanooga on the north side of the Tennessee River. The North side feels younger with a bohemian vibe.  Tattoo shops, craft beers, coffee shops, local retail.  We were here a couple of years ago and in that short time it has grown is more active.  The picture of the bridge was taken from the north side looking southeast.  The bridge in the middle is a pedestrian bridge.

Cathedral Caverns, AL

The cave opening

Susie seems smaller on this trip

Cathedral Cavern

Our 15 year old guide made sure we knew these are called columns, not pillars, because pillars are what you sleep on in Alabama

A crappie to beat all crappies, Lake Weiss, AL

The Bread House, Albany, GA

Rome, GA

The New Beast in front of some keepers

North Chattanooga

North Chattanooga

June 12, 2019

Hard to argue with that track record.  Makes one wonder about the competition.

June 12, 2019 - Rome, GA

We had a nice day today riding about a 200 mile loop to the Lake Weiss area in Alabama, then to the Cathedral Caverns also in AL then back to Rome.  Weather was in low to mid 70s and overcast most of the day.  We felt a little cool for some of the time.  Very little traffic and we saw maybe 6 other motorcycles all day.

The geography of the area reminds us of North Carolina without the larger population. Lots of small towns with distinct identities, some economically depressed and some looking healthy with vibrant downtowns.  It was really fun to check them out.

We saw some really impressive yard art that looked a lot like things they put out in their yards with the intent to sell and kept adding to it.  Old cars, old lawn mowers, cribs, clothing with long un-mowed grass ringing the items.  They put to shame the areas along 441 south of Gainesville.

For my planner friends I had to post the picture of the sign at the Lake Weiss Motel stating that it had passed the health dept inspections with a score of 100 (not sure out of how many) for 6 years.  This could be a new form of economic development, promoting businesses that have not been tagged by the health dept.

June 11, 2019 - Rome, GA

Day one on our Rally Trip we started rolling around 7:15 am from Gainesville, FL. We started north on I-75 then hit secondary roads from Valdosta to Rome.  The weather was great and the traffic was almost nonexistent except for a couple of towns in the afternoon.  We did not hit one drop of rain and temps were in low to mid 80s and overcast. Great riding weather.

Mid-morning we stopped for coffee in Albany, GA at a place called The Bread House and Grainary.  Really nice bakery in a refurbished old home. They support a women's recovery center in Albany for women with drug problems including having them work in the bakery to help them re-enter the real world.  Check it out if you're in Albany - thebreadhouse.com

We decided to stay 2 nights in Rome and check out the local sights.  Staying at Hawthorn Suites at Wyndham located right at the confluence of the Oostanaula and Etowah rivers forming the Coosa River.

Nice little downtown area in Rome. We ordered take out 2 blocks away.  I walked down to the Oostanaula River and saw a really nice water park with kids splashing around.

Can't seem to be able to post pictures right now.

Intro to Trip

Susie and I will be leaving on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 to head north from Gainesville, FL to the 2019 BMWMOA Rally in Lebanon, TN and returning Saturday, June 22, 2019.  We'll be riding our 2018 BMW R 1200 GS Rallye that we picked up last October.  After the rally ends on Sunday, June 16, 2019 we're going to head west to check out Arkansas.  We have never ridden there and hear it's beautiful.  I will try and post on this blog at the end of every day of our trip so come back to this site to see how we're doing.

I will be using a GPS tracker that will show our progress in real time.  So if you are interested in following us on a map click HERE.