Days 32 and 33 - Dyersburg, TN to Knoxville, TN then to Brevard, NC

I'm still trying to catch up, so I'll put the past two days into one post.

Day 32 - CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S ROUTE

Today would be just a day of chewing miles - the main objective was to get to Knoxville for a quick visit with my friends Mike and Melissa. Unfortunately, Melissa had to travel for work this week, but I'd get a chance to catch up with Mike for an evening. 

I arrived at their place around 5:30, and shortly after that we were heading out for Mike to show me some of Knoxville's brewpubs. Our first stop was at Schulz Brau Brewing Company (click for more). They brew primarily German Style beers and have a great biergarten 

This was the last night of their annual Oktoberfest celebration, so we both partook in the Best of the Wurst! Washed down with a nice black lager.

Our next stop would be the Crafty Bastard Brewery (click for more). This place was much smaller, but had a really great selection of beers. Both of us were pretty stuffed from the first stop, so we only had one beer here. The next stop would be at the Back Door Tavern. I love a good dive bar, and this one didn't disappoint. worn carpet, dart boards, old photos and news clippings on the wall... this place checked every box. After a beer here, we headed back to the house and caught up some more. Mike and I grew up about 40 miles apart in Southern Maryland, so we spent quite a bit of time the rest of the evening talking about growing up there.

It was nice to not be in a hotel for the night, have some coffee in the morning, and have a garage to stow the bike in for the night. Big thanks to Mike for being a great host!

Motorcycle note - for a few days, I had been worried that the I would need another new rear tire on the bike before I got home. If needed, I planned on getting one while in Knoxville. As soon as I got out of Oklahoma, the rough chip-seal roads disappeared, and I have been on smooth asphalt most of the time since then. The tire is wearing much slower now, so I am sure it will get me home.

Today's miles - 357 (574 km)

Total miles - 7,232 (11,639 km)

Day 33 - CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S ROUTE

The original plan was to finish the trip today. I was going to ride from Knoxville, back to Durham. Somewhere along the way I decided that I wanted to take an extra day at the end to swing by the western part of NC. 10 years ago this month, we spread my Mother's ashes in the western part of the state. I don't get this far over very often, so I decided to add an extra day so I could stop by. 

It was an absolutely beautiful day to be on the motorcycle. I rode south out of Knoxville, and a few hours later crossed the very last state line of the trip. This was the best one yet!!!

A short time later I arrived just outside of Brasstown, and spent a bit of time sitting under the little gazebo. I need to make a point to get out here more often it's a really beautiful place.

Somewhere after Brasstown, I missed a turn somewhere. Before I noticed it, the GPS had already re-acalculated the route which added about 50 more miles to the day. I was a bit annoyed when I realized what happened, but it was a beautiful day, and I got to ride some roads that I had not been on before. This will be the last night in a hotel! Tomorrow I will be HOME!!

Today's miles - 248 (399 km)

Total miles - 7,480 (12,038)