Another fabulous day to motorcycle.  I picked up Dave and Barbara Corbett who are visiting from Wisconsin to combine business with pleasure.  Dave brought his new 2004 Harley Screamin' Eagle Electra Glide which had all of 85 miles on the clock.  The day was to start and end with events!  No sooner had we pulled into the McDonald's parking lot to wait on riders than one of Alcoa's finest pulled in behind us in his patrol car.  Heartbeats quickened and I started to think what the violation might be?  Had Dave's new bike not been fitted with a registration plate?  Did we speed?  Or not signal upon entry to Ronald's establishment??  Nope, Officer Phil Russell just wanted to get a close up of Dave's new ride!  After a short chat, Phil (also a biker) posed for a picture (you gotta look at this one!)  We gave Officer Russell a CRGR card and invited him to join us sometime (couldn't hurt having the law with you on a ride, could it?)

 

We picked up 4 more riders (3 bikes) at Calhoun's (Rick and son Chad Williams, Sandee Bible, and Willis).  We cruised up Pellisippi Parkway picking up Hwy 170 East south of Oak Ridge and meandered across the rolling countryside to Hwy 33 and into Tazewell, then up to Cumberland Gap, TN for lunch at the marvelous Webb Café in downtown Cumberland Gap (but not before stopping to let Chad eat a biscuit for breakfast along the way - Rick, feed that boy!).  Following lunch was the prerequisite ride up to the pinnacle overlook for a superb view.  Taking our leave we went to the principal destination for the ride, Glacier Girl.  We were in luck as the airplane's resurrection project manager was tending the museum that day and gave us some new facts I had not heard in previous visits.  We also learned that on Labor Day the P-38 will fly again and a second P-38 will be brought in to also fly in an air show at Middlesboro.  With only three P-38s in flying condition in the world, this will be an event.

 

Leaving Middlesboro, I decided to return on a different route.  Sandee needed to go so she bid us ado and returned to Morristown via the southerly route back through the tunnel.  We turned westward and planned to follow KY 74 through the coal country toward Jellico.  We were in process when event #2 occurred...or didn't occur.  What didn't happen was Rick's gas cap top broke and the plug stuck on his Harley gas tank and wouldn't come off to allow him to refill.  Fortunately, after several tries by various members of the group, the stubborn plug was coaxed out and we were off again.  Hwy 74 is a motorcyclist's dream (as long as the coal trucks aren't running...which they don't on Sunday).  The road winds through some beautiful back country with jutting rock formations, waterfalls along the highway, and little traffic.  The road number changes to 90 when you cross into Tennessee and the road ends near Morley at US25W.  We then headed south on 25W down to LaFollette and continued back to Knoxville capping off a great ride of about 220 miles.