BRAT 2011

September 11-17, 2011

Ride Report from a Recumbent Point of View

Saturday, 9/10/11: Registration day!

Chris and I arrived last night and camped pitched our tents in the campgrounds. When noon hit and registration opened, we were there! After that, we took a ride around the park. The road to the inn had a nice hill right around the first curve which required my granny ring. I am so glad that I brought the bike with a triple chainring!
After our ride, we piled into the van and went off to town for lunch and supplies. Then we spent the rest of the day bumming around while more and more riders came in and registered.

Mi = 6
TT = not available
Av = not available
Mx = not available

NoCom, parked in near the tents. I ran it without spoke covers this year.		This is a good view of the registration, parking, and camping area.

Sunday 9/11/11: Montgomery Bell State Park to Daniel Boone State Park

Breakfast was onsite. Scrambled eggs, bacon, biscquits and gravy, and oatmeal/cream of wheat stuff.  I ate well and was ready to go at about 7:15. Chris was actually ready before me, and  we left at 7:20. At that point, about 80% of the riders were gone.

The route took us through the park and out the south side. Shortly after that, a ranger was parked on the far side of the road, waving. Of course, I waved  back and continued up the hill. Nope, that was supposed to be a turn. After a few climbs and a beautiful downhill I realized I was the only bike on the road, and turned around. That little detour was good for 8 extra miles.

I started passing bikes, many of which were the ones I’d already passed. There weren’t a lot, because I’d started so late. So, when I followed another biker up a hill, it didn’t immediately register that once again we were the only ones on the road. THAT little detour was good for 10 extra miles (18 total for the day.) The ride continued without further incident for a while. Eventually I came to the town of Hohenwald. Rounding a corner, Chris hollered and waved me down to a Subway. Lunch quite frankly wasn’t very good, but I got rehydrated. After that, we got to ride on the Natchez Trace Parkway.

After Hohenwald, the terrain flattened out a bit. There was still lots of hills, though! We passed LOTS of other bikes. By the time we got near Lawrence, we were running out of bikes to pass. One of the last groups we saw was doing what I guessed as about 18-20 mph. We were doing 32 at the time, and as Chris passed them, the lead rider looked back at his fellows and gave a “what the hell?” look. Then I passed them, too. I wonder what he did then? Probably didn't even see me.

In Lawrence we turned downhill and went through some road work. Only one lane was open, so it took a while to get through. At the  bottom of the hill, we turned into David Crockett State Park. Of course, from there we climbed! After what seemed like a couple miles of mostly climbing, we reached the camping area, which was an open spot at the top of the hill. Just down the other side of the hill was the restaurant. Showers were even further down the hill, at the pool building. The pool, of course, was closed for the season. In spite of all the bikes we passed during the day, quite a few riders beat us in – maybe a quarter of the group. Dinner was at the restaurant’s buffet: roast beef/carrots/potatoes, chicken,  mashed potatoes, and vegetables. There was also ice cream, peach cobbler, apple streusel, and banana pudding for dessert.

After dinner, we got a presentation on Daniel Boone, including a black powder demonstration. We learned that black powder was somewhat unreliable, as she mis-fired three times.

After 102 miles, I was bushed! I made my phone call to my better half and went to bed. I sure hope I have legs tomorrow!

Mi = 102.4
TT = 7:00
Av = 16.2
Mx = 44.4
Elev = 4058 (not including my optional miles)

Road like this was common.	Chris follows me on the Natchez Trace as we crank up the speed.

Monday 9/12/11: Daniel Boone State Park to Henry Horton State Park

Contrary to the original extended forecast I went by when packing for this trip, the call this morning was a 40% chance of rain. So I left my helmet cam in my baggage. Breakfast was at the restaurant. There wasn't any bacon; but we had leftover ham substituting for Canadian bacon. I liked it, anyway.

As yesterday, everything was wet with dew. We packed everything and loaded them onto the trucks, then found a porta-potty with paper (most of them were out,) before leaving at just abut 8:00. The route out of the park was mostly downhill; then the park entrance we turned left and climbed. And climbed. Once out of town, the roads turned out to be nicely rolling. It took a while to get my legs going, but once they did we made good time. I wasn’t afraid to use granny on a few, rather than hurt my legs; but I probalby could have made them all in my middle ring.

By mile 35. I was ready for lunch, but the map said food at 50 miles. At mile 40 we had the hill of the day. Normally my climbing limit is about 20% grade, and this one beat it. When my speed drops, balance on the NoCom becomes almost an exercise in Zen. Any distraction at all can put me off-balance so that I run over my chain and stop dead. In this case, a granny in a mid-sized car came along, refusing to give ground to the bikes and forcing them off the pavement. Several riders thumped her fenders and yelled at her, but she was oblivious. OK, so I walked a bit. The downhill was stupendous, and I hit my high for the day, hitting the brakes for a curve down toward the bottom.

A few miles later, there was a BRAT-sponsored rest stop, where Chris and I regrouped. We rode about another 5 miles to lunch, which was a Burger King at mile 55. After that, the map said only another 9 miles; but we had a few Danny Miles added to the route, and I rolled into camp with 66 miles showing. Danny Miles, by the way, are named in honor of Danny McCullough, who was ride director the first time I did BRAT. They are the extra miles that nobody seems to count going into or riding out of the parks; and sometimes the mileage can be significant, as can the elevation change.

Camp was in a sunny field across from the inn, and the temp was about 90F; so I took my sleeping pad across the park road to a line of trees and took a nap in the shade. Dinner in the restaurant was pasta. After dinner there was a social at the convention center.

Mi = 68.6
TT = 5:00
Av = 17.6
Mx = 49.8
Elev = 2489

Chris leads the way down the hill to the park entrance.		An old barn along the way
For once, the NoCom isn't the space alien vehicle of the group.		Much of the route was like this. Never far from the hills, but not necessarily in them, either. In other words, good recumbent terrain!

Tuesday 9/13/11: Henry Horton State Park to Montgomery Bell State Park

The day started cool, like the others. Cool being upper 50s (F). Skies were clear, without much wind.Chris took off without me while I was pumping up my tires, so the pressure was off for speed. The route passed through town on our way back to Montgomery Bell State Park, and the hills started at the city limit. At first they weren’t severe; just middle-ring types that cut my speed.

At first I thought I was making great time, showing 20, then 30 miles in short order. Until I noticed I was watching elapsed time, not miles. Oops! Other than a few hills, the terrain was mostly open, with lots of false-flats in both directions.  Somewhere down the road, I caught Chris, who was just pulling out from a rest stop. The pace picked up a bit from there, but I didn’t let him lure me into charging off into the distance.

I was getting pretty hungry by the time we got to Fairview for lunch. We stopped at a subway. Good thing my experience was a bit better than it had been at the previous Subway! We met Fred Larimer, fellow recumbent rider, who had been about halfway through lunch when we arrived. After lunch we finished the remaining dozen miles as a loose group. By now the temperature had gotten into the high 80s or maybe even low 90s, and I was starting to feel it. The last stretch was very hilly, and I spent a lot of time in my granny ring. Even the last hill in the park was a granny-ring grinder. But, we finally arrived! The bunk houses looked nice, but I decided I'd just pitch my tent. So did Chris and Fred.

We lay around in the shade for most of the afternoon, sweltering. None of us wanted to make the effort to go down and get the van. Dinner was pork and chicken, with baked potatoes and vegetables; and for dessert we had ice cream and (again) banana pudding. After dinner there was a concert, but the three of us sat around the tents and listened to Chris’ stereo instead.  Everyone was ready to turn in by 8:30.

Mi = 65
TT = 5:00
Av = 16.8
Mx = 49.3
Elev = 2786

A long steady grade on Tuesday morning. The rock layers are angled against the road, so it's only half as steep as it looks.		Anticipating a nice downhill on some new pavement!
Fred takes the lead into Montgomery Bell State Park.		The cabins sure looked nice, but I opted to camp in the clearing.

Wednesday 9/14/11: Layover Day

Layover day – no miles for me! I got up at 9:00 and hung out, visiting with whoever walked by. A lot of the BRATers went on the loop ride, which was about 40 miles.

Chris and I took a trip into town to do laundry. While we were in town, we got a few supplies, too.

There wasn’t much more to do when we returned to camp. We’d just missed the opportunity for a canoe/hiking trip, which would have been fun. So, we just cleaned the  bikes and got ready for tomorrow’s ride to Paris Landing. Since rain was expected, I tried to secure my tent, and discovered that I was missing a tent stake. I asked at the HQ area, and Don there found me a huge nail to use. Worked great, but I think it made the other stakes feel inadequate! 

Dinner was late getting set up.  Due to the threat of rain, the food line was in the dining hall instead of the serving tables just outside. But it went off without a hitch. On the menu was pork, chicken, baked potatoes, and vegetables. Yep, and more banana pudding for dessert. Also ice cream and several toppings.

Once dinner was done, though, THEN it started sprinkling. I was in my tent by 8:00, when we were alerted that a severe thunderstorm was moving into the area. Most of us in tents filed into the dining hall, just in time for the astronomy lecture. Due to the rain and associated clouds, it was a PowerPoint(tm) presentation on astronomical distances, rather than with the telescope. It looked like the storm had passed by the end of the lecture, so most of us filtered back to our tents. Another storm moved through. It produced lots of thunder and lightning but very little wind. It finally died down and I could fall asleep.

Thursday 9/15/2011: Montgomery Bell State Park to Paris Landing State Park 

It rained on and off all night, and we awoke to a light rain. It was about 50F and windy – 10 to 20 mph from the north; in other words, headwind! Breakfast was the same as we’ve had almost all week: bacon, biscuits and gravy, hot and cold cereal, and hash browns. We left in the middle of the pack today, and turned toward Dickson, but a mile or so down the road we headed up a steepish hill and Chris dropped his chain going to granny. I went by him.

The first rest stop was at mile 20, and I waited for Chris for about 20 minutes. No-show. By then the rain had mostly tapered off, so I stowed my rain jacket but kept my windbreaker vest. I was getting cold, so I kept going, figuring that I'd wait someplace where I could stay warm.

The next stop was at Erin, at about mile 32. I stopped at the Subway (what else???) and had lunch. Eventually Chris showed up. Sure enough, he’d had problems getting his chain back in place and up the hill.

On the far side of Erin, I decided I didn’t need the windbreaker anymore, either. Somehow, it stashed in the bike, too. From there, the roads seemed to open up a bit – they were wider and didn’t have quite so many tight curves. We still had some pretty impressive climbs, though. I would hit granny ring and then find a comfortable cassette gear, because I never knew when the road would turn nasty around the next curve. I had to brake several times because I was going too fast for the curves.

Finally we came out on Highway 79. From there, it was a straight shot downhill to the bridge over Kentucky Lake. I was booking down the hill, finally settling on a nice easy spin of my 52/11 gear at a speed just north of 32 mph.  I took the lane and the few cars went around me. The bridge itself was 60 feet of climbing, and road work constricted it to one lane in each direction. That was not a problem, as I managed to pop right over it and no cars backed up behind me. Paris  State Park was a few hundred yards past the bridge, just enough time and distance to let me pass a few more bikes! I was number 39 into camp. Chris followed 7 minutes later. But he got to listen to Steely Dan!

The shower situation left something to be desired. The ride had reserved five rooms at the inn, and riders registered at the front desk to wait for one to become available. I waited about a half hour before the ranger announced that four more rooms were available. Some riders decided the wait was too long and took a cold shower at the pool building or went across the highway to the campground. Speaking of pool building, just about everyone used the rest rooms at the inn rather than the inadequate facilities at the pool. I took about an hour to get my shower. Overall,  I score these facilities in the ‘minus’ category.

The temp never made it to the predicted 70F. It got maybe to 65F, with a ferocious north wind. Everything dried out in record time! Dinner at the Inn was pork and pasta. I had a mint chocolate brownie for dessert. After that, we went downstairs for a wine-tasting party, accompanied by a small bluegrass band on the patio. There wasn't much incentive to buy any wine, though; the wines weren't any better than what I could get at home (in my amateur opinion,) and Tennessee has a 10% sales tax. Yow! Finally, everyone filtered back to their tents to crash. I felt pretty good, if ‘good’ includes totally out-of-gas legs. I’ll need my sleep if I want to keep up with that velomobile tomorrow.

Mi = 70.5
TT = 5:20
Av = 16.2
Max = 46.4
Elev = 4138

Those cabins sure look nice on a wet dreary morning!		Gray clouds but the pavement is drying out on high ground, at least.
Rest stop at 20 miles		Bikes ahead means I haven't missed another turn!
Pushing up yet another hill. Hey, I'm actually catching someone!		Seeing Kentucky Lake down there means we're getting close to Paris Landing. This shot shows the rumble strips on the major roads. While they sound like a good idea to motorists, they really impede bicycles.

Friday 9-16-2011: Paris Landing State Park to Clarksville

This morning was the coolest morning yet. I wore my fleece jacket when I walked the half mile to breakfast at the inn. By the time I was fed and packed, it was warm enough to make do with just a windbreaker.

The climbing started almost immediately. The first climb was just the bridge. It was against the wind, of course. That was easy. Then, the climb away from the lake was tougher, simply because it was so long. We turned away from State Highway 79 at the same point we turned onto it yesterday and followed the back road further east.
Today the terrain was quite a few more grinders. There were quite a few longer climbs of several miles at a time; but whether long or short almost all of them were too steep to power over. I spent a lot of time in my 42/32 or my 30/28. I sure was glad I took the bike with a triple chainring! The unrelenting hills got to me after a while; and it didn’t help that the route seemed to take us up every small road with a hill, then back out onto highway 79.

Approaching Clarksville, we wound our way through every small neighborhood. Of course, that meant a serpentine route down every hilly back road, lots of stops, and of course was very slow. We finally got to Dunbar Caves SP and then went all the way around it to find the camping at the City Park.

When I got there, there were very few tents up (other than Bubbaville.) The rangers were working with the park staff to get the water turned on. The facilities consisted of two cold showers, two stalls, and two standers, for all the men on the tour. Similar facilities for women, but then there were fewer of them. I considered that totally inadequate. Since there were NO showers at that point and I hadn't eaten since breakfast, I got directions to the nearest food and found some lunch.

Since food was at least 3 miles away, through dark hilly, curvy streets, the local chamber of commerce paid for busses to take us downtown for dinner. Once downtown, we were presented with about six choices. We immediately ruled out the Hookah Bar. I don't think they got any business, especially not with the guy sitting by the door smoking a water pipe. I know very few smoker cyclists. Except the ones that are smokin' fast on the road. Chris and I chose a brew pub over the steak house. I had a turkey sub, while Chris had a smothered chicken thing. The bill was somewhat higher than I’d have liked, but not exorbitant. And the food was excellent.

Busses were running every half hour, and we got back to the pick-up point just as one rolled up. The concert was just getting started on Strawberry Row a few blocks over from the restaurants; but we didn’t hang out. It was back to camp for us.

Extra note: I was going to put on sunblock when we stopped for lunch, but no such opportunity presented itself. So, I got a bit burned on my nose and arms. Strangely, my legs didn’t get burned. Maybe they were spinning too fast for the UV to hit them? (No, probably not that…)

Mi = 70.7
TT = 5:40
Av = 15.0
Mx = 45.4
Elev = 4075

There were even a few small caves visible in this rock face, although this picture didn't capture them.		Another long shallow grade
Cumberland River		There's always a nice downhill after something like this.

Saturday, 9/17/2011: Clarksville to Montgomery Bell State Park

I awoke to a nice sunrise, with sunbeams streaming though breaks in the clouds. Today was a short day, so the plan was to ride until we found a place to stop for a snack, then eat at the end of the ride. They didn't feed us today; so we just packed our stuff, made a final trip to the pool building, and took off.

As expected, the route out of town was hilly. In fact, the route was as hilly as I was afraid it was going to be. I spend more time in my lowest gears, and then I’d fly down a hill only to brake for the inevitable curve at the bottom, then the grind back up the next one. It took forever to get to the rest stop at mile 20. I stopped long enough to get some trail mix and a drink of cold water.

The miles were a slog, with each mile seeming to take an eternity. Other than the occasional church, it was entirely rural. No businesses, and more importantly, no food to be found along the way. Finally, I reached highway 49. From there, the hills were a bit shallower and the curves more open. I still had some big swooping downhills, which I recorded on my helmet camera; and I didn’t have to winch myself up them as often.

I rode through Charlotte; but I didn’t see any places to stop there, either. A bit further, I got to the turn toward White Bluffs. There was a quik-stop there, so I pulled in. They had just what I needed to get me the last 8 miles: a Little Debbie fruit pie and an energy drink. I sat and visited with a few locals. As I sat, up pulled Chris. He caught his breath and got a drink, too; then we pulled back onto the road, to finish the ride. We stayed together for a few more miles, until we took another side road. Chris led up the first vicious little hill, but I passed him near the top and continued on. That was the last I saw of him.

The last few miles went much faster, and before I knew it I was braking for Highway 46. The park entrance was almost across the road. When I rolled in, the pavilion was full of bags, as almost nobody was there yet. I found my bags, and dropped them next to the van. Then, with no Chris in sight yet, I went off to find a shower at the campground. Chris came in while I was at the campground. He’d broken his chain and had to be sagged in the final 5 miles. He got his shower, too; then we loaded the van and started the long drive home.

Mi = 54.1
TT = 4:20
Av = 14.9
Mx = 45.0
Elev = 3934

Sunbeams shine through the breaks in the clouds		Once out of Clarksville, the morning promises to be a good one
Back roads and lots of small hills		We went through this community. Don't blink!
Last rest stop before braving the final 8 miles		One more view

I usually try to "rate the ride," so here goes:

Category	Grade (out of 10)	Comments
Campsites	7	Facilities were a bit sparse in several parks. Only Clarksville was significantly lacking, though.
Food	10	Excellent food throughout! The restaurants in the parks may not be gourmet, but they're the best food I've had on a tour.
Hills	8	I'm sure a lot of mountain goats would have loved more steep stuff; but it was more than enough for this flat-lander.
Rest Stops	6	They did a good job of putting them where they were needed, typically at rural churches. But there was no rest facilities, not even the infamous traveling kybo. I guess I'll have to start carrying paper on the bike.
Road Markings	8	I had a heck of a time with the markings the first two days. Things like left-turn markings that were so close to the intersection we couldn't move over in time. After the first few days, though, they got better. Multiple 'Dan Henrys' before, and confirmation marks after, are Good Things(tm). Single ones right on top of the intersection are Not.
Routes	9	Looking at the maps, I don't think there even was a good way into Clarksville. And the last day, while a bit shorter than the others, was bereft of places to stop. Otherwise, I liked the routes.
Scenery	10	Even when I was cursing the Hill Gods while going up those 19% grades, the scenery was great.
Support	10	I saw SAG vehicles constantly; in fact one was right there when a dog chased me. The ranger had a friendly word with the owner and as far as I know there were no further problems with it.
Weather	9	Rain on two nights doesn't count against the ride, but the morning of light rain does. Let's call it 'almost perfect.'

That gives an overall average of   8.5

Although the tour seemed pretty hilly at the time, it was due to the steepness, not the amount of climbing involved. The vertical feet each day didn't look all that impressive. I loved the downhills, though! Things I'd like to see to improve the ride would be better showers and more porta-potties. Even if that means the tour costs more. It's not an expensive tour; in fact it's pretty darned cheap considering how much food it includes. I don't think the food, the support, or the scenery could be improved upon at any price, though.

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