Notes on Amateur Radio
Happened to just run into a cannon! I was out doing rides for the Tour of Honor, HOG challenges and AULDR. Found this cannon at the Harley Davidson dealer in Gettysburg, PA. Didn’t realize when I parked, but I was parked was directly in the line of fire for the cannon.
I ended the day yesterday visiting a Tour of Honor site and noticed as I was leaving that there was a cannon behind the memorial.
Simmesport, LA
Today I was hoping for two sites. I wanted to get a sign of some sort for Jacksonville, AR and one for El Dorado, AR.
I visited a site to finish up Louisiana and started working on Arkansas. I knew that El Dorado was one of the Coddiwomple sites. As I came into town, I saw a huge mural on the top of a building, When I stopped, the building in front blocked the view. I was still hopeful and found the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce! Being a Saturday, they were closed which left the parking lot empty for me to park for the best view.
Great day to be out on the bike. Hot, but still a great day. I set a very aggressive agenda for today, but scaled it back as I neared Memphis.
The plan initially was to visit the Veteran Cemetery off Jackson Avenue in Memphis, the Doughboy in at the Art School in Overton Park, the Gold Star Memorial at the Liberty Bowl Stadium, Graceland, then to Helena for a photo op with the Doughboy and the Merci Train there.
I started riding the road I would travel about every other weekend my first year in college when I lived in the dorms. Ah, US-64. As I neared Hornsby, I thought about going through town on the old US-64 since the “new” US-64 by passes the town. I haven’t been through the town of Hornsby since the spring of 1977. I am sure that I can pass through safely, I know that no one involved is either alive or would even remember me. But I don’t want to take chances.
As I neared Memphis, I realized that visiting the various sites in Memphis would add a lot of time to my ride today, and have me going through parts of Memphis that could have traffic. I set the GPS to skip all of those sites. I can go visit another time this year. Today I will focus on Helena, AR.
I hopped on the Interstate that went around Memphis and set my sites on US-61 south. There wasn’t much traffic, something that I enjoy.
I made the turn on US-49 off US-61, the theoretical “Crossroads” where Robert Johnson made his deal with the Devil. This 10 mile stretch of road was the worst paved road I can ever remember. It wasn’t that there were potholes, the road had cracks and bumps. Some repaired and some not repaired. It was hard to tell whether the repairs improved the road or made it worse!
I crossed over the Mississippi River into Arkansas and the road improved. I set my first stop at the Doughboy. I found a parking lot and was able to find a spot where I could get the picture of the bike and the doughboy. As I was getting set up, some lady parked next to me, REAL close! I had to move the bike to another parking lot, this would require two pictures. Pictures taken and I was on my way to the Merci Train.
The Merci Train is a few blocks away. I think there is a military/veteran museum, but I have never seen any indication of anyone around. I parked in the parking lot of a medical building, which also looked deserted.
As I was coming into town, I saw a small park with a cannon. As I had gotten closer to the Doughboy, I passed two other parks with cannons. I liked the first one the best, so I stopped there on my way back out of town on my way home
It wasn’t the best angle, but I was able to get the cannon, bike, and rally flag in the picture.
As I was walking back to the bike, a lady pulls up in her pickup truck. At first, she reminded me of Ms. Sue from Maggie Valley, but this lady appeared to be a few years older than Ms. Sue. But you could tell this lady was still as feisty as Ms. Sue. She told me that she lives behind the park and tries to keep a watch on things. She even cuts the grass for the lot next door since it is a vacant lot and she doesn’t want people to see it all grown over.
My ride home was great. I got home, got a shower, MaryJo prepared a bagel sandwich for me and had a bottle of Gatorade waiting for me. About 475 miles in 9 hours. Not a bad pace.
First, I added a new photo to the post on July 2 with an additional photo to verify that I was in Waterloo, AL. I took the BMW for a ride today and the Post Office in Waterloo was the first stop.
I tried to visit Artsy Coffee in Muscle Shoals, but couldn’t find the entrance. I tried the road next to the shop and hoped that it would circle around. No luck. I will give it another try later this week.
I rode to Huntsville to visit for some Tour of Honor points. While getting some pictures in the front of the museum, I notice a cannon! I grabbed a quick photo, then resume my Tour of Honor photo collection.
On Wilson Dam Road, there has been a building with a sign that a coffee shop is coming soon. A few days ago, I noticed it was now open! I made the stop on my way home. Neat little coffee shop, I will have to give it a try one day.
Even as I was doing the final checks on the routes, I was still undecided whether to do a day ride and leave the next two days for a two-day ride, do three single day rides, or do a single three-day ride. Not being in a rush this morning, and not having a bag packed, I decided that today would be a one-day ride.
I set my loop to go to Murfreesboro to visit the Tour of Honor site and a few other places in town. Along the way, I would see about some Coddiwomple sites, these are more of a scavenger hunt since the I only know what to look for, but don’t know where I can find it.
First stop is the UPSP office in Lewisburg. The challenge is in honor of music pioneers, this is for Lewis. The name of the pioneer need only be a part of the location’s name. Hence, Lewisburg works for Lewis
There is no surprise that I am overweight. Okay, I am fat! BUT, I seem to be able to spot a BBQ place, almost like I follow my nose. Shortly after leaving to Post Office, I spot Ziffel’s BBQ in Lewisburg. I can’t pass it up.
I was going out of my way to not only avoid interstates, but to minimize my time on four-lane roads, at least until I am ready to start getting home. I meander into Chapel Hill, TN. Stopped at the light, I spot a rooster! The light turns green and I pull into the bank’s parking lot. I notice that there are some veteran memorials in the small area next to the bank, but my focus right now is the rooster.
I had managed to pull into the exit lanes, the drive is one-way and I am pointing the wrong way. To make it more fun, the bike is pointed downhill. I maneuver the bike around and get ready to start rolling. I wait for the light to change so I can have a clear road. As I pull out into the road, I spot a coffee shop! South Arrow Coffee Co. I pull in. The parking has the bike pointing downhill again, so I angle so I can turn around in the empty parking spot next to where I stopped. I get the picture and ready to roll. As I am turning around, a lady, oblivious to the fact that I am trying to turn around, pulls into the spot that would give me a little extra room to make the U-turn. Gee, thanks. I manage to get out, while she is still on her phone.
My Tour of Honor sites were in Murfreesboro. I visited the Tour of Honor site which also is a 9-11 memorial. One picture, two points. I make my way to the Harley shop to do my check-in there and update my miles. I visited the Stone River National Battlefield to get a picture of a cannon. Cars and motorcycles are not allowed on the trail near the Visitor’s Center. I take a picture of the bike with a cannon in the background. I am not happy with the picture. When I got to the Veterans Cemetery which was across the street, there was another cannon. And I could pull up next to it. Much better picture!
Meandering on mostly two-lane roads to get back home. I stopped at a BBQ place where we had stopped for lunch a few years ago. It still looked good, but I had supper waiting on me. I will be back to the Ole Gin House BBQ!
June 4 was a great day to get out and ride. I managed to put in over 300 miles of back roads while trying to get my long distance mojo back. The purpose of the ride on June 4 was to meet with some people from the Mid-South Long Distance Riders group at the monthly supper (held on the first Wednesday of the month at Collierville Commissary at 6pm).
My first stop was to get replacement picture which met all the requirements for the Starbucks and Friends portion of the Coddiwomple challenge. I stopped at the Starbuck near the house and got the picture. That evening, I learned that ALL the photos on the camera taken that day were washed out. I have spent a couple days working to save a few, but not all could be saved. This one at Starbucks was lost.
The reason I had to revisit the location is that for the Starbucks and Friends portion of the challenge, the coffee shop must be in a separate building (not in a food court or mall kiosk setting) and must have the NAME (not just the logo) of the place. My photo for the previous submission had the Starbucks logo, but the name was not on that side of the building.
My planned second stop was in Waterloo. I had stopped at the Harley shop for a bit, then headed up the Trace to the exit for Waterloo. Nice secluded roads in that area. As I was about a mile from Waterloo, the road was blocked and the detour was going to send me on a dirt/gravel road. A quick look at the map warned me that this particular road would take me a LONG way out of the way. I decided to visit Waterloo another time. I backtracked to CR8 and rode up to Savannah Highway and was back on track.
Second stop was at Hickory Pit in Savannah. It will take a longer visit to earn the BBQ challenge for this place. BUT, they not have a chicken statue outside! I pulled up to get the picture and a girl came out and started posing while I was getting ready to take the picture. I started taking her picture. She laughed then started to walk off. I told her that I needed her to hold my rally number so I could get a good picture of the chicken, bike, and the rally number. The picture was a little washed out, but I will see if the organizers will accept it. If not, I can go back in a few weeks since it is less than an hour away and I need to visit a few other sites in that area.
I headed over to Adamsville to visit a great little BBQ place. The picture there was too washed out to use, so I will have to revisit there. I will make sure that my visit there will be on an empty stomach.
I headed to Shiloh National Military Park. I have visited here so many times, Mom used to have a picture of my when I was three or four climbing on a cannon ball memorial. I had submitted the initial photo for the cemetery here at Shiloh. I need to plan a day to ride/walk the park. Maybe take a lunch and find a place to relax. I think it was my great-great-grandfather who had fought here with three of his brothers. All four lived through the battle.
As I pulled into the park, I found a display with a couple of cannons. This meets the requirement for the Coddiwomple’s cannon challenge. The photo was a little washed out, but not as bad as the others for the day.
I took backroads on to Collierville. TN-57 is one that I love. Other than the spot where the police were set up with the school zone lights flashing and was passing out tickets, the trip was great. Why was that spot not so great. First, the parking lot at the school was empty. Second, the sign on the front of the school stated that school was out for summer vacation. What a sneaky way to increase the town coffers.
I eventually made my way to Moscow, TN. A nice little town with a low speed limit. I keep it slow, the trees over the road and the old mansions are beautiful to view. My headset shut off as I entered town, so I was keeping a watch for a place to pull off and plug my headset into my battery pack. I found the Town Hall and pulled over. I noticed a couple of cannons! I got a picture of the cannons and of the markers explaining the Battle of Moscow. They were all washed out, but I think the one of the cannons can be used. I will submit it and hope they accept it.
I headed on into Collierville. I was about an hour early for the group supper. I filled up the bike and got a couple of drinks. While waiting at the restaurant, I drank the Gatorade to get some fluids into me.
The meeting was great. There were 12 people who came. Some I have met before, other I met for the first time. None were strangers when we parted. One guy had gotten up that morning and decided to join us. He rode from Minnesota, leaving at 5:30am to get there. He made it through snow flurries in Minnesota, smoke from wildfires in Iowa, extreme thunderstorms in St. Louis, and 90 degree temps as he crossed into Tennessee. He planned to spend the night and ride home doing an Iron Butt ride.
The ride back from Collierville was a chance to test out the lights. I found a stretch of road where I could test the distance. I turned on the high-beams and the spotlight. I identified a spot and checked my odometer. When I got to that particular spot, the odometer indicated that it was almost a half mile! I still need to fine-tune the focus/aim since I think they are a little to the left and a little low. Both are hard to gauge when on a hilly and twisty road.
June 5
I decided to take the bike to the Tuscumbia Lodge this evening. I decided to take a quick stop at the Starbucks to get the picture that was washed out yesterday. The picture this evening is much better.
I made it to lodge and was able to do another test on the lights. The aiming is getting better. I think it is pretty close to the center where I want them, not I need to raise them a bit.
Left Maggie Valley to head home. I had a few Tour of Honor bonus sites that I wanted to visit on the bike along the way, but I also kept an eye open for potential sites for the Coddiwomple Challenge.
After passing Cherokee and turning onto US19/74, it eventually went from four lanes to two lanes as is wound along the Nantahala Gorge/River. Suddenly, I see a BBQ sign. I pull into the gravel parking lot to get the picture. Place has a simple name, BBQ Shack. Officially, the address is Bryson City, but the closest town is either Wesser or Almond. I’ll list as Bryson City in case someone tries to find it.
Next spot I found was a large chicken in front of a salvage and collectible store. The person working there came out and I explained what I was doing. He smiled and went back inside. This was in Cleveland, TN
My goal today was to avoid interstate at all costs. The closest I came was when I passed over a couple of interstates. I meandered my way to Dayton, TN. As I turned onto US27, I saw a small BBQ place. I got a picture of Alexander’s BBQ in Dayton, TN.
After passing through Dayton, I saw Dunkin’. The company was Dunkin’ Donuts for many years, it guess they just dropped the donuts part from the name. Maybe because the donuts weren’t all that exciting.
I continued and visited a few Tour of Honor sites. As I was in Dunlap, I saw a little coffee place attached to a thrift store. I got the picture of Sunny Valley Coffee.
As I was finishing up my last Tour of Honor site in Whitwell, TN, I noticed a cannon! I couldn’t pass it up since this isn’t really in my normal routes to places.
Though the goal for today was to visit a few Tour of Honor sites, I was able to visit a few Coddiwomple sites.
After filling up the bike, I headed to St Florian. This is a town founded by German immigrants. This would make it pronounces as Saint Flo-re-an. Not in Alabama, talk about lazy talkers. It is pronounced as Saint Flor-een. Anytime I talk about the town, I always make sure that I mis-pronounce it according to the locals.
This little town has one stop-light. It is with mixed opinions whether it helps or hurts traffic. Just past the light, ease to the left and there is Pop’s BBQ. In front, on either side of their parking lot, is a hog and a chicken. The Coddiwomple gives points for chicken statues and BBQ places. The BBQ place MUST have BBQ or one of the spelling variations. “Smoke Pit” or “Pit” in the name only counts if it also specifically says BBQ. If it doesn’t say BBQ in the name, I could go in to a place to get a copy of their menu if it lists BBQ, but that is too much trouble.
Anyway, back to Pop’s BBQ. I got a picture of the outside with bike in front with the rally flag. I managed to park so I could walk around the bike and get a picture of the chicken with the bike. I cannot take one picture of the store and the chicken and submit it for both points.
I head up Chisholm Rd to Collinwood, then over to Savannah. I thought about getting the picture of Hickory Pit, but I would have needed to get a copy of their menu as I mentioned above. BUT! Across the street from Hickory Pit is a Civil War memorial with a couple of cannons and a stack of cannon balls.
Before I got to my first Tour of Honor site, I was at a stop sign waiting to cross a major highway. I noticed a BBQ place. A lot of cars in the parking lot, but one parking spot was open under their sign. I pulled in, got the picture, and was on my way again.
The rest of this ride was for the Tour of Honor. I will include this when I post on the Serendipity Riders with the full day ride.
I ride and support the Tour of Honor. This little park has a Huey and a Gold Star Memorial. I was about to leave when I noticed the 40mm naval cannons. I wasn’t able to get as good of a picture as I wanted due to the two anchors that are positioned around the cannons.
Since these are usually mounted on battleships, I don’t know if this actually meets the requirements of the challenge. I’ll leave the post up anyway, I learned a lot about this.
SCORERS: DO NOT LOOK BEYOND THIS POINT
What I learned, Dual cannons can fire about 120-160 rounds per minute PER BARREL! We are talk 4 to 5 rounds total per second! Also, an effective range of 4,000 yards (2 1/4 miles!). Truly an FAFO weapon!
Now I understand why God doesn’t want me to win the lottery. This and a tank. I’ll just keep riding the Harley, BMW, and Spyder.