Thu. 30 Jun - Nashville to Memphis

Earlier start today, so were up at 5.30, get ready, have breakfast at the hotel (very good), then load the van and are ready to ride out of the garage at 8.15. By 8.35 we're down the road gassing up.(1.24 US Gal. costs $3.50, and milage reads 10644, so about 645 miles since the start)

A bit of freeway work to get clear of the Nashville envions then its back to the raods less travelled.

Most of this mornings ride is on the Natchez Trace Parkway

We stop for a butt break and a look at the historic memorial to Meriwether Lewis who played an important part in developing the US.

The NTP goes on and on. The road surface is perfect, the large verges are perfectly trimmed, there's very few turn offs and any curves are very gentle.

It also has a 50MPH speed limit which we stick to.

The first 5 miles rare good, the next (i don't know how many) are just as good but, well there's nothing to do. The bikes sitting there, on criuse control at 55, nothing to brake for, just keep it on the road. I do remark to myself that there's hardly any bikes coming the other way, which is unusual compared to the other roads we've been riding.

There is some respite as we have come off the NTP for a diversion route, but then we're back on it again.

Riding the NTP south, we pass from Tennesee to Alabama, cross the bridge over the Tennessee River, a few miles later we turn off onto Route 72, towards Corinth.

At Corinth we stop for lunch at a Cracker Barrell (see this wiki link)

Mrs K and I each have the Apple Pie with Ice Cream. Good lunch stop. ACtually we stayed at one of these before when we were doing Route 66 and this one is exactly the same as I remember the previous one to be,

We have a bit of fun with the rocking chars outside, and I have an interesting chat with an old guy (well not that old or else I'll be calling myself old) in a pick up out in the parking lot. He;s fairly local having migrated fron California where he says the're all cra-zee. He reckonds Tennesee is a lot more laid back.

So, saddle up and on towards Memphis. It;s getting hotter. We stop to fill up with gas - always using the highest octane available, but even so the pumpoften says 'contains up to 10% ethanol'.

milage is now 10900, added 2.488 US Gal. cost $6

Riding this afternoon is a bit quicker, mainly dual arriageways, so we're cruising at about 65.

Soon we've reached the Heatbreak Hotel, in Elvis Presley Blvd, Memphis, out hotel for 2 nights. Milage at the end of the day is 10914