Although it wasn't a sanctioned ride, we had great participation for this ride.

The Argo clan met up with the Kohl clan and rode over to Cartersville to meet up with everyone else. Even though we ran into some very heavy traffic and arrived at the meeting point an hour late, everyone was there and waiting. From there we rode on up to Chattanooga where we met up with Doug and Teresa. The cast was assembled, the stage was set, and the event would unfold on Saturday morning.

BUT, before that we managed to have a rip roaring good time for dinner at Taco Mac in Chattanooga. The restaurant is only a short walk from the hotel and our crew of 23 descended on that poor restaurant with no warning. We all had a great time and kicked the sound level up several decibels in the restaurant. The servers even managed to get into the spirit a little. Then to finish the night off several of us went to City Cafe Diner for some of the most ridiculous desserts you have ever seen. At this place they don't bring a desert tray to you to choose from, they take you to the desserts for a tour. You had to be there. Taco Mac and the Diner are a tradition of sorts so next year if you go, you can experience it all.

Saturday morning we were up at the crack of dawn. The ride starts at 8:00 am sharp and you have to be in line around 7:00 am to avoid being at the tail end. This is another experience you just have to see. This year the turn out at the start of the ride was the largest ever. I never heard an official count, but we are talking about tens of thousands of bikes. CMA provided free biscuits and coffee.

At 8:00 on the dot we pulled out. The morning air was cool and crisp as we wound our way around Lookout Mountain and followed the Tennessee river for a while. The scenery was beautiful and we rode through some morning fog and watched as the sun brightened the day and burned off the fog. After crossing the river we worked our way into Alabama. All along the way we would pick up bikes making the trail of bikes longer and longer. The ride moved along at a pretty good pace most of the time. We would slow down as we went through the cities and towns. On the open road we would be riding at the speed limit.

As you would ride, there was a constant gallery of viewers. Whether it was someone sitting on their porch watching the steady stream of bikes go by, or hundreds standing and sitting on the side of the road. People would set up grills and cook out. The bigger the town, the more people that would be watching.  It was like a parade going through the town. In every town, police had the side roads closed off as we rode through. This was the 13th year this ride has taken place, and the town (Police and observers) knew what to expect.

A little over halfway everyone has to stop in Madison, AL. They have a few vendors there and food is available for a lunch. We had been riding for about 3 hours at this point. We had made one gas stop and everyone was ready for the break and some food. There was a Captain D's as well as vendors with BBQ, and hot dogs.

After about an hour we rolled out again. Our destination was Florence, AL which was about 65 miles to the west. That ride took about two more hours, but it was two hours of riding and waving. Upon arriving at Florence we parked along with about 100.000 other bikes. There were vendors of all kinds....food....drink....Indian arts and crafts...motorcycle clothing...motorcycle products...and more. At the center of it all was a large circle where they performed Indian ceremonial dances.

We stayed in the park for about an hour and a half and then got back on the bikes to head back to Athens, AL for the night. Athens is about 50 miles back to the east and took a little less than an hour to ride. Upon arriving in Athens we checked into the hotel and freshened up before going to dinner. About half of us went to a nearby Ruby Tuesday's and the other half walked to a local restaurant. I was in the Ruby Tuesday's crowd. However, I heard that the food at the local restaurant was excellent. So good in fact, that some stated if they are ever in the area again (like next year) they will definitely go there. Ruby Tuesday's was...well....Ruby Tuesday's....but we had a blast. It was Darren's birthday so we tried to embarrass him as much as possible.

After leaving Ruby Tuesday's we went across the street to Shoney's for dessert and another chance to embarrass Darren. It was pretty quiet when we got there, but we livened it up a bit. By the time we left it was pretty loud for a place that doesn't serve alcohol. We had a baby throwing tomatoes. Waitresses attacking each other. And then when we got ready to leave....a bike that wouldn't start. Gary II, our resident mechanic had to do some pretty major work and then ended up holding the starter switch together with a rubber band and duct tape!.....You never know what you are going to miss with his group!

Everyone met back at the hotel and chatted in the parking lot for a while. It had been a long day, it was late, and we had the ride home tomorrow facing us, so the parking lot party didn't last too long. We all retired for the night. It had been a great day.

Sunday morning, being in no real rush to get home, we didn't head out until about 10:45 am. Just like Saturday it was a nice clear sunny day. The mornings were very pleasant and the afternoons hot with highs in the low 90's. We rode for a little over an hour on the interstate, passing through cotton fields and crossing the Tennessee River. We made a gas stop and decided to go ahead and hit the Cracker Barrel for lunch. After filling our bellies we headed out again. We passed  through Birmingham and turned east towards Atlanta.

Several gas and refreshment stops later we were home. The day's ride had probably taken a little longer than anticipated, as is usually the case. However it was hot and we had a large group, so the breaks allowed everyone to stay fresh and alert.

Overall, it was a great weekend. I think everyone enjoyed the ride and the camaraderie. You will hear good and bad about the Trail of Tears ride. I have never experienced anything but good. You get 100.000+ bikes on one road and in one place and there will be a few incidents. Its unavoidable. However, the event is very well managed and coordinated. Police are out in force and controlling traffic. If you didn't go this year, plan on going next year. It is an event you will never forget. We had 22 at diner on Friday night. Hopefully next year will we will have an even bigger crowd.

Attending:

Doug & Teresa Turco
Gary & Maria Kohl
Steve & Kay Argo
Mitch Argo
David Hughes
Chuck & Cindy Pierce
Preston & Stephanie Howard
Gary II & Charity Kohl
Ryan & Angel Dunlap
Darren & Kim Smith (& Jacob)
John & Sharon Saari