Smoky Mountains Trip; Day 9

This morning we left our motel, gassed up and were on the road westbound at 8:15.  It was a cool 64 degrees under cloudy skies.

At Waverly, TN the police had a major intersection completely blocked so a big herd of elementary school children could cross from one side to the other.  Each class appeared to have its own color shirt.parade of elementary school age children crossing the highway; Waverly, TNIt made us smile and think of our grandchildren.

After riding over the Tennessee River and through Camden our next stop was in Big Sandy, TN located on the Tennessee River Trail Scenic Byway (Hwy 29A).at Melton's Fillin Station; Big Sandy, TNChris had been spotting irises (flowers) the whole trip.  She said they remind her of her maternal grandparents and the farm where they grew the flowers.  She kept wanting me to stop so she could get a picture of them but I refused to accommodate such and unreasonable request.  In Big Sandy she walked two blocks to get this picture while the rest of us were taking a butt-break at a gas station.in Big Sandy, TN (Chris had to take this picture because irises remind her of her maternal grandparents' farm)She is a very determined woman.

From Big Sandy (I like that name) we rode through Paris (Tennessee) and then north into Kentucky to Murray, home of Hannigan Motorsports (where brother Carl bought his motorcycle trailer years ago) and Murray State University, where Kirk (friend and former co-worker) played baseball and took some classes.

We left Murray and rode to Mayfield, where we had lunch at a DQ (first and only DQ stop of the whole trip).  Then it was on through Arlington and Wickliffe before crossing the Ohio River into Illinois near Cairo.  Hwy 3our route from Cairo, IL to just east of East Cape Girardeau, ILtook us to Hwy 146 where we rode east crossing the Mississippi River into Cape Girardeau, MO.

After riding through Jackson and Fredericktown we stopped for the day at a Super 8 in Farmington, MO.  We rode 277 miles today under mostly cloudy skies.  It rained very briefly and very light as we left the Mayfield, KY DQ but it was sunny for the last hour or so of our ride.  The high was a very pleasant 77.

For more pictures from today click on the following link: https://plus.google.com/photos/104542123131082631220/albums/6148888899941906593?authkey=CNKb_4Ksyp3VwgE

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