Bibbyman’s fall 2009 travel through Tennessee and Kentucky

[Bibbyman]

Maybe we were in a town near you?

Son Chris wanted me to ride along with him to the Museum of Appalachia in eastern Tennessee.  He picked me up last Thursday morning.  A major storm was moving in and had already rained a couple of inches.  We drove east on Missouri highway 94 then south on 19 through Hermann, Owensville.  Then onto 49 through Ellington and continuing on south and east through the boot hill cross the Mississippi to Dyersburg, Tennessee where we finally ran out from under the oncoming storm for the evening. 

We continued on 51 to Union City and stopped into Dixie Gun Works where we staid the night.  We went out to supper at a restaurant at Reelfoot Lake at a place called Boyettes. It was excellent food.

Friday morning we again did some shopping at Dixie Gun Works as Chris is into black powered guns. The storms were just hitting in full force when we headed out of Union City, TN on HY 22 and then to 54 to Paris where we picked up 79 through Clarksville an on to Jamestown on 52.  We ended up at Caryville on I75 for the night.

Saturday morning we made our way down 75 to Norris and spent the morning touring the Museum of the Appalachia. About noon we kicked out of there and went back up I75 into Kentucky.  We branched of I75 at Williamsburg onto 92.  We stopped at Pine Knot at a café there for dinner.  We continued on 92 until Monticello where picked up HY 90.  We continued on 90 until Cave City where we picked up HY 70.  Then on to Madisonville, KY where we spent the night. 

Sunday morning we headed west on HY 70 out of Madisonville until we got to Dycusburg.  From there we had to take some combination of routes until we got to HY 62.  We continued west on 62 until Paducah and then to Wickliffe on 286.   We stopped and toured the indain mounds at Wichliffe

We crossed over into Cairo, Ill and continued up 3 to Cape Girardeau, MO.  A short ways up I55, we turned at Jackson and got on HY72 to Fredericktown on HY 67.  We continued north on 67 until Bonne Terre where we picked up HY 47 to Washington, MO.  We crossed over the Missouri River at Washington and went east on HY 94 to Defiance, MO. where we toured the Denial Boone home.  From there we went to Wentzville, MO. and got on I70 and came home.

During the first three days we were somewhere on the leading edge of the major rainstorm that came through.  In Tennessee, we did see a lot of tobacco barns that were smoking.  All along we saw a lot of sawmills, logging trucks, and skidders, etc.  Looked like all the mills were still running.  Their lots looked to be muddy messes.

The trees were starting to turn in some of the higher elevations but no better than back home.

We seen a lot of ice storm damaged trees in western Kentucky and SE Missouri.  But it was south of Farmington that we saw the most damaged forest.  It looked like 2/3 of the timber was down.  It had fallen in one direction – I'd say to the east.  Chris thought it may have been a tornado or straight line winds but the devastation was far too wide. A lady at the gas station explained it was a land hurricane that did the damage. 

I just know we had to have passed nearby a lot of Forum members.  We didn't have a route or time schedule planned and Chris was driving so it wouldn't have been practical to have tried to arrange to meet anyone along the way.  Sorry we couldn't have stopped and visited.  But I would like to know if we were close to where you live.

[DR Buck]

I sure hope you passport was up to date.  :D :D    The feds have noticed a few omissions in your itinerary.  You forgot mention a few of the restaurant stops.  ;D

[Banjo picker]

Bibbly did you get crappie at Boyettes?  Its one of the few places in the south where you can get game fish in a eat joint.   I worked on the Air Park Inn state park up there on reelfoot a couple of decades ago..We completely remodeled it....My mantel board is made from boards I laminated together that came off some of the buildings there...Tim

[Bibbyman]

 



This is the first of only a few pictures I took.  We had catfish along with onion rings, fries, slaw, green beans, and hush puppies.  Washed it down with sweet tea.

[fishpharmer]

Now who would eat a crappie meal when you can have catfish? ;)  :D :D ;D ;D ;D

Bibbyman, thanks for sharing your trip with us.

[thecfarm]

Sounds like quite the road trip.You sure can rattle off some route numbers.  ;D  Glad you took the time to enjoy your son and have a good time.

[Bibbyman]

It'd been much more enjoyable if I'd been driving my old Buick Roadmaster.  But this was Chris' trip and he did all the driving.  I was just along for the ride and to read the maps.  We drove through storms most of the way.  The defroster in is Isuzu Trooper didn't work very well so the windows were foggy most of the time.  It has a 5 speed manual and he didn't know the meaning of easing out the clutch. He drives like he's mad – cussing the people in front of him, in back of him, those that don't turn off soon enough. He drove about 10mph over the speed limit most of the time and at least 10mph over what would be advisable under the bad weather conditions. 

The Trooper has a high center of gravity and a hard, small seat that only has back tilt adjustment.  The day before we left on the trip,  I did an injury to my back removing a window air conditioner.  So from the driving standpoint, the trip was pretty much torture for me.  When we did stop some place,  I could hardly get out of the thing.

Here are a few pictures I took at the Museum of Appalachia.





Old fellow sharpening the teeth on a circle saw mill.  The mill was powered by and old John Deere tractor.





The guy swinging the mall is 90 years old.  The cubby young fellow didn't do any better.  They were given an awful ugly bunch of cedar logs to try to make rails out of.





Blacksmith making a hook.

[ronwood]

Does not sound like a good way to spend that much time on the road. I don't do well starting and stopping quickly in the car.

You were less than 15 miles from my place when you went through Washington Mo.

Ron

Ron

[Bibbyman]

We came up from the south on HY Z into Warrington, MO.  Looked like they planted a 1,000 acres of new houses!  They all had the same gray vinyl siding and shingles, etc.  Maybe they had a couple two or three floor plans – some turned one way, some the other.  Man!  I'd hate to come home in some impaired state and try to find my house!

We stopped at Maggie's on I 70 in New Florence and had a catfish dinner.

[ely]

well bibster you sound like you made the trip good anyway.
nice photos thanks for sharing.

you also sound like a pleasure to travel with, ;D

ps. i think you couldnt have been much more than 8 hours from my place.

[metalspinner]

Norris is just on my northern most range of going to pick up a nice walnut log. :D  I won't go that far for anything else. :

We have been having lots of rain. Not only this past month, but all year.  On my trips back from NOLA, it's always nice to get back into east Tennessee.

[timberfaller390]

 Bibby were you at the museum for the homecoming? I haven't been in awhile but me and some of my pickin' buddies used to go every year.

[ADAMINMO]

You came through Ellington and didn't stop in and say hey??? Whats up with that?? Had to be on a weekend or after hours cause I know the Bibster would stop in and say "Hey" .

[Bibbyman]

Bibby were you at the museum for the homecoming? I haven't been in awhile but me and some of my pickin' buddies used to go every year.

Yea,  we didn't know it was the homecoming.  Cost $25ea. to get in. I guess that would have been ok for those that came for the homecoming but we came for the museum and then had to pay $3ea to go through one barn!

You came through Ellington and didn't stop in and say hey??? Whats up with that?? Had to be on a weekend or after hours cause I know the Bibster would stop in and say "Hey" .

I said "Hi" as we went by.  It was at noon so I figured I'd see someone I knew at the cafe.  We visited with one ol' guy there that knew some fox hunting people in our area.

[caver]

   I worked on the Air Park Inn state park up there on reelfoot a couple of decades ago.. ...Tim

I used to fly my ultralight down there from Sikeston when I wanted some new   scenery. Nice little strip.

[semologger]

You wasnt to far from me either bibby. I could of used a couple of hands stacking some pine post. Ive been running my mill non stop.