This past weekend I attended the Return to Shiloh rally in Counce, Tennessee. It was a quaint gathering of about 450 folks. The main attractions of this rally are the great camping area, the dam, and nearby Shiloh National Battelfield Park.
The camping area
Their motto is “Best Rally by a Dam Siteâ€Â
A HOG had a gathering in the same area two weeks ago, and the TVA officers were in no mood for a repeat performance. They were playing hardball Friday afternoon. No alcohol in the campgrounds meant just that. As the club president stated, there was significant alcohol abuse on Friday - the rangers made several rally goers pour out their beer.
Friday’s festivities were topped off with a barbeque dinner and a live band, the New Outlaws. The barbeque could have been warmer, the dinks could have been colder, but the band was awesome!!
Saturday morning I rode over to Shiloh with my buddy Don “The Cigar Man†Stover. We watched a short movie that recounted the events of the battle, then we took the park tour on our bikes. This was by easily the photo of the day. Look at the base of this monument. That’s my R on the left and Don on his GS on the right.
Some gents were on hand demonstrating civil war life. Every two hours they were doing a live firing exercise. Boom!!
There were lots of monuments and other fun things to see. We spent about three hours in the park and didn’t see 1/10th of it.
Upon our return to the campsite, Don and Jennifer grilled steaks, and we had an awesome meal to celebrate Don’s 50th birthday. The meal was almost spoiled when Don and I both chuckled out loud as Jennifer’s father, in the process of blessing the food, thanked God for the MANY years he had given Don.
A small cigar, a short nap by the river, and a huge bowl of gumbo around a great campfire filled the rest of the day.
On the way back home Sunday I stopped at the Gordon House, one of the many sites along the Natchez Trace Parkway. I live a mile form the Trace, and I haven’t come close to seeing all it has to offer.
At the Gordon House I bumped into a guy on a bicycle. He had flown into Nashville from L.A. the day before. He had his bike shipped to Nashville and was in the process of riding the entire length of the Natchez Trace. An Iron Butt rider of different sort.
The weather was perfect. The leaves were starting to turn. I ate too much and smoked too many cigars. I rode a little with some good friends and made a few more new friends. I spent WAY too much at the Gerbring trailer. In short, it was a good time.
I missed the weather protection and the ponies that my FJR offers, but the Roadtser reminded me why she was the first motorcycle I truly loved.
