Start of ride: New Years Day 2006
4 Days riding the new Kentucky and Tennessee Sections
of the Trans-America Trail

In 2004 me and several friends road what portions of the Trans-Am-Trail Sam Correrra had laid out in Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas. Sam hadn't finished the Northern Tennessee section then so we rode from Sparta, Tennessee to the Oklahoma border. Now Sam has finished the Northern Tennesse portion in which you can purchase maps for right now.
However me and my buddy John Mann got the chance to ride with Jeff Hoess who is a GNCC pro rider and friend of Sam's. We were scouting a future section of trail from Slade, Ky. South to Beattyville, Ky. that you may never get maps from Sam for as Sam has considered it too difficult for the average adventure rider---this is still up in the air---they wanted my opinion and you will get it in the following ride you are about to read. We also rode the newest section that will soon be available from Beatyville, Ky. to Jellico, Tennessee. I suppose we were the first riders to ride both these sections and what a better time to start it---------New Years Day !!!!!!
So here we go--------4 days of spectacular riding from Slade, Ky. to Sparta, Tennessee in unbelievable weather for this time of year.

Left to Right: Mark Sampson (Husqvarna TE610), Jeff Stoess(Africa Twin), John Mann (Africa Single--KLR)

Today was to be some of the best riding you can imagine. It was a beautiful winter day with a day time high in the upper 50's.

Real quick I realized I had way too much air in my tires from the road ride to the start of the trail---I took both tires down to about 17lbs. I had my KLR all ready for this ride as I hadn't had time yet to rig up my Husqvarna for packing gear. At the last minute I found I could mount my aerostich tank panniers on the Husky's tank--this gave me just enough room for adventure traveling-----but not carrying camping gear. I had all my riding gear and was prepared for freezing temps, which didn't happen----and all the tools and equipment to make minor repairs or flats.

No dust today---or tomorrow--nor the next several days.
We hit some really slick mud for miles in rough terrain which has Sam Carrerra thinking twice about including this route in his "Trans America Trail" which now extends from Beatyville, Ky to the West coast in Oregon. I was so glad I was riding a small bike---as I wasn't a GNCC rider. It was amazing watching Jeff dancing on his footpegs like a balerina thru all the mud---he was so smooth and made it look so easy on the big Africa twin. It was a real hoot in here and we are coming back in the fall to ride it when the fall colors are out.

As when climbed up some mountain switchbacks we ran into a bunch of jeepers who were looking down this gulley where a vehicle had slid off the treacherous muddy climb.

They were doing their doing their civil duty of cleaning up the mess and relieving the vehicle of it's motor---someone had already took the drive train.

They had some very modified rigs and were having no trouble with the terrain.

We finally climbed to the top of the ridge at a nice overlook and we are sitting on top of a huge natural arch in this picture. We were to see many more. I never expected to see any arches---what a treat. This rocky climb was a little difficult---I had to be careful not to bottom out on the rocks as I don't have a skid plate on my bike yet. I am having one made but it's not done yet.

We rode for miles and miles in much like this------it all had a bottom to it tho. Of course we didn't bail off into those huge holes----Me and John tried our best to copy Jeff and keep our feet on the pegs---we had a ball, but it wasn't real pretty. Jeff was such a nice guy and good leader----I'm sure he could have have ran off an left us if he wanted to---but he was way to much of a gentlemen to do that.

Gettin' a run at this hill wasn't an option--there was just enough traction in those muddy bottoms to barely get us up.

I got a little cocky and past the leader for braggin' rights.

Here's what cocky will do for you !!!!!!

Later on the sun was going down and it was Jeff's turn---your next John !!!

We rode for I bet 15 miles on an ATV trail that was hardly used in the dark---it was almost like a single track trail riding on the side of hills. Me and John weren't used to trail riding in the dark but finally were really getting into it. The river and creek crossings were really scary---but we always had Jeff's good line to follow.
We thought of building a campfire and shooting the breeze till wee hours of the morning----but why do that when we could be riding
It was about 60° with a sky full of stars---I did not want the riding to end.

One more bridge for the night.

Jeff and Sam Corrrera had came to this same intersection and sign while on a scouting run some time ago. They were wanting to route thru here but turned away. We pulled up here and Jeff told me you couldn't get through----I grinned at Jeff and said "You know--about 65% of the time a well prepared adventure rider can get thru"---that was all the prodding it took for Jeff to let out the clutch and off we went.

Here's a really good picture of Jeff's AfrcaAlp----it's a Honda transalp with africa twin body work.

Oh there was a bridge all right.

But----we had to cross in the creek of course.

I never expected to see any stone arches--we were to see many today.

None of us had ever been thru here----you had to go down river about 150ft. before you could climb out the other side and the bottom looke like quicksand to me.

I thought Jeff was just going to simply disappear.
And then there were the 2 alligators !!!!!

"Oh-----I don't know about this--brand new bike--thank goodness there was no Missouri green slime in the bottom.

An Oasis !!! Coffee time !!!

She wanted to go reall bad---but didn't really like the lime green KLR.

Hmmmm---PPpprrrrrrrrrrrrrr--this is nice---is it fast---where you going to sit ???

That cat had ridden on the hood of a car for miles to get to the Kountry Kupboard.

Are we in Utah ?????

Jeff went over it----I went over it----but John was the last to cross----ever :)

We had a good hard ride today---the temps were warm enough we just ran our heated grips occasionally. We were so glad to have ridden with Jeff. I shook his hand and told him I felt like I had made a knew friend and Jeff rode off North as he had a long ride back home as he had to be at work the next day. Me and Jeff had just met on the internet (as me and John had) and we both thought we would be good riding partners---and we were. Thanks so much Jeff !!!!! I'm sure we'll ride together again.

Jeff bailed out near Jellico, Tennessee which is a designated stop on Sam's trail. Me ad John are now on our own to ride the unridden section from Jellico South to Sparta, Tennessee. John had purchased the maps for this section---I converted it to a GPS route and we left the maps at home.

Me and John rode for hours well past dark in a foggy rain. We finally bailed out in an old Mom and Pop motel for night and the party began. We ate, drank and told good ole' "Hee-Haw" jokes like all good adventure riders for at least 15 minutes when I just couldn't hold my Coke-A-Cola any longer----passed out and fell out of my chair. Slept in my boots just like the cowboys did.

After a hearty breakfast we found this very long old bridge along side the new.

I think you could have rode across this very wide river---we didn't chance it as it looked to be just full of Missouri green slime.

A few miles before you get to Sparta, Tennessee you'll ride for many miles on an old abandoned railroad bed.

For years this is where Sam's famous Trans-Am-Trail has started. And this is where we started riding South and West 2 years ago. It is in Sparta, Tennessee. It was about noon---me and John grabbed lunch at the Sparta cafe and wandered North for 2 days riding West of the trail we had just ridden South on and found more great riding and Adventure ourselves. After leaving the official trail we thought our ride would be boring as we would never find as good a riding as Sam and Jeff had found-----we did.

After lunch in sparta---we headed North back into Kentucky on some fine backroads just scouting on our own. I don't remember really what led us down this remote one lane mountain road to this mine---might have been one of those "I wonder where this goes" moments.
Mine
N36°42.642'
W84°36.972

Neat Nearby Cemetary
N36°42.018'
84°36.933'

We found out from locals later in the day many miles from here that these mines were closed a long time ago and the contaminated water coming out of them is polluting their rivers and streams. Millions has been spent to try and contain it but nothing seems to work. I witnessed the same thing out in Colorado las year near Indiana Pass at the superfund clean up sight.

We poked around this area for over 2 hours going down one dead end trail after another---but the riding was oh so good and not a soul was out here. I was almost out of gas but John was carrying about 4 gallons still so I never worried. We ended up in Whitley City for the night at a Mom and Pop motel with an attached Mom and Pop cafe-----perfect.

While eating breakfast in the cafe the next morning I spied a big picture on the wall of an obviously very old bridge like structure----I couldn't figure out what it was ???? I inquired to the waitress what it was and where it was-----we spent the next 4 hours finding it and riding all around that area.
First-----our quest led us to the huge Blue Heron Coal mine which has been closed since 1942. It was a completely restored mining camp with bathhouses, barber shop, doctors office, housing, store etc.
The mining camp is about 4.5 miles Southwest of Whitley City, Kentucky or here:
N36°41.267'
W84°31.650'

The place was closed for the season------a good thing as nobody was around----expcept one of the owners who spied us dirt bikers probing around the area. We struck a converstaion with him and he ended up opening up all the old buildings there that were in their original condition with all the contents of the period. What a treat. He was such a nice fellow and he and his ancestors were all coal miners. The railroad gong thru here was still a live one and the rails were original dating 1922 and looked completely wore out as the tops were flattened and curled under like the top of an old chisel.

This is the old doctors office and here you see "The chair of pain".

And of course the "ole' barber shop"

Now this is very interesting---we were in the general store and I spied this ice box in the corner with a strange looking apperatus on top ??? What was that ??
It originally was an ice box and years later when electricity came to the camp a refriigeration compressor was added to the top of it. I have never seen anything like it before. We could have looked for hours at all antiques in this store.

He took us to another building where a lot of old mining equipment was on display. All kinds of gear, helmets, lighting stuff----and yes a bird cage. When the bird died----get the heck out if you still can. They also had other types of methane sensing devices much more modern than the bird cage----some sort of lamp looking device in which the height of the flame was measured--when the flame turned blue and got real tall----kiss your butt good bye. We talked of the mine tragedy now going on in West Virginia---kind of weird we were looking at some of these safety devices at this tragic time. I'm sure our guide had witnessed many deaths and tragedy's in his day. There was a 91 year old gentlemen living nearby who worked in the mine when

OK-------here's the structure I saw in the cafe. It has been restored by the Federal Government. This is called a "Tipple". Coal came from one mine from the West, another mine from the East---they end up here---the coal is sorted and drops into railroad cars.

OK----on to more riding !!!

Poplar Gap-------just Southwest of Mt. Vernon, Kentucky.

The warm temperatures and sun are killing me but I have a little left.
We jumped over some railroad tracks and found this old rock mine and in we went.

We were having a hoot in here rat racing around and I shot up this steep rocky hill-------------I could not see what was at the top and luckily stopped at the sharp peak.

It was almost straight down about 50ft. into the river---a little more momentum and I would have went swimming.

We came out of the rock quarry and lo and behold across the road was a covered bridge. The floor was wood 2x6's and the gap between the boards was just wide enough for a 21" tire to fall down into and put you on your ears. How we rode thru that thing and back on the same 2x6 was nothing but luck.

Heading North again on some remote narrow gravel and dirt roads the road started to detoriate a lot. It got real rocky---then it turned into a trail and then the trail was totally in the creek for miles with baby head size rocks and John's bike was starting to overheat. We kept going forward and our hearts sank as we ended up at this gate----on the wrong side. And the dogs wanted us for lunch.

I'm sure they heard us for miles and just waited for their meal to come to them. The landowner would shoot us and then leave us for the dogs.

With this dog nipping at my heels I eased up to the gate which was chained but not locked---a house was right there too.
I took the chain loose and had to unwire the No-Trespassing sign to get it open and John scampered thru. All the while I kept looking at the house knowing somebody had to hear us and would be coming out. Turns out after going thru the gate the gravel road dead ended at this property and there was only two ways out------thru the gate or back the way we came. John shut the gate and we scurried down the road which went for miles before intersecting another road---this place was really isolated.
Location:
NNo°Trespassing'
WKeep°Out'

After I realized the ride was over---my Husky decided to take a nap----poor girl I had ridden her very hard and she put up with me without the slightest wimper !!!

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