Category: Coffee

Coffee shop photos

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October 16

This was going to be a rest day on the GA, NC, VA, then back home trip. I slept late, planned a quick route, and dropped a note to an old friend in town to see if they were free for supper. I’ll go ahead and note that they had plans. Since today was a last minute decision to stay the extra night, I didn’t have time to give them advanced notice.

VERY relaxing breakfast. The staff in the morning were top notch. I have been lucky with the people I have met on the road this trip. Even this evening, the bartender was super nice (great Whiskey Sour with Buffalo Trace).

I set route to avoid interstate. I don’t have any time requirement getting back to the hotel since I had extended the stay yesterday so tonight was already set.

The first stop was at Bulldog HD in Smithfield, NC. Construction as I got near required that I hope on the interstate a couple of exits. Great place. Boy, did they try to get me to trade bikes. This as the 20th dealership where I have had the mileage checked this year! I have accomplished all the milestones in the Ride for Heroes challenge for Harley Davidson.

Back roads from Smithfield toward Pinehurst. I love the meandering two-lane roads. Slow moving vehicles aren’t in the way long enough to bother me.

Cox’s Double Eagle HD was my next stop. As I pulled into the lot, I parked ne to the sign for the photo op. I got the picture then started to move the bike. I was going to park on the other side of the car, but as I turned toward where I expected a parking, it was the exit from the dealership. I quickly swung the bike back to the right. I didn’t have enough speed and lost concentration, the bike went down. Bike has 60,000 miles and this is the first time I have dropped it. And I did it in the middle of the parking lot! I don’t think it had fully fallen over before two of the guys ran over to help me pick it up. I wasn’t even off the bike yet! I helped by getting the kick stand down. I parked it and went in for a break. Small dealership, but the staff was super friendly, which is the norm for most Harley dealerships, more especially smaller shops.

Again, backroads to get to the hotel. Many roads that bring back memories. I rode through what I remembered as the “Drop Zone” where we would camp as Boy Scouts. I remember one of the GI’s who would help the leaders bring his dirt bike once. He let a few of us take turned riding in the dirt. Also, I learned to drive a “deuce and a half.” It was a big truck, with a manual transmissions, and we would do donuts while singing “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” by Elton John. Ah, the fun we had.

I passed so many little coffee shops, BBQ places, and even chicken statues. All of which are points of interest for the BMW Coddiwomple challenge. Most I saw too late to stop. I even passed a sign with a mule and passed it, TWICE!

As I neared Spring Lake, traffic was picking up. Luckily, the traffic was coming towards me. I noticed on the other side of the road a pawn shop with two chicken statues! I guess they don’t just want the three balls, they now want your… nevermind.

There was no place to turn around, and I tried to decide if I wanted to turn around at a break in the median. As I was deciding, I saw a Starbucks on that side of the road too! Okay, the stars are aligned to make the U-turn.

I make a quick U-turn and head to the Starbucks. I ride through the parking lot, hoping to find a spot close enough to get a good picture. Not a chance, but I did get a decent picture.

I got back to the main street and headed to Jery’s Pawn. I pulled through the parking lot and parked next to the chicken for the picture.

I left Jery’s and crossed the road to get back on track. I was just shifting when I saw a Dunkin! Another stop for the BMW Coddiwomple. Already here, no reason to not stop.

I turned back onto Bragg Blvd and there was a Seven Brew on the right. Already here, I might as well get this picture too.

I finally was on my way back to the hotel. I decided to not go on the express route, I opted for Honeycutt Rd., an old haunt of mine. As I got to McArthur Rd., I saw one of my favorite quick eats places, Peaden’s. They used to have 24/7 gas pumps. You could put in a dollar bill and it would dispense a $1.00 worth of gas! Five $1’s woulc fill up my old Pinto!

Besides the 24/7 gas, they had the best BBQ sandwiches! I pulled into the parking lot and got a picture of the front. The gas pumps are no longer there, but the BBQ sandwiches are still the best! They have expanded to have seafood and they cater parties. Big place that can hold a couple of large parties.

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September 27

After a couple days working almost full time on the bike to get the camera working, I needed to take it for a ride. One option was to go for a couple of days, but I wasn’t getting started early enough, so I decided that I would just do a day ride.

The next question was simple: where? The question was simple, not the answer. I thought out a few options. I settled on a ride to Memphis. I picked out a couple of Tour of Honor sites and plotted a route. I got the GPS connected to the computer and waited. And waited… And waited. It seemed to take several minutes for the GPS and computer to recognize each other so I could load the route.

I had moved the bike outside before MaryJo went to run her errands. That was when I brought in the GPS. As I went out to put the GPS back on the bike and leave, MaryJo pulled back into the driveway. I was leaving MUCH later than I had planned.

I stopped at the bank to pick up some cash for the trip.

I’ll add more text later… But I need to get the pictures loaded…

Picture at the Dixie Memorial Pet Cemetery where the K-9 Memorial is located

Leaving Millington, I spot a Scooters Coffee.

Memphis Veterans Cemetery

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September 18

I was planning to do a multi-day ride with Randy. He wasn’t feeling well this morning and decided not to go. I understand, if you are sick and try to ride, you WILL be miserable.

I thought about a couple of plans, then decided to make a little change to the route I was planning to ride with Randy. I got the GPS out, edited the route then got ready to go.

I gassed up the bike, started both trackers, and started rolling. I got a few minuets down the road and went to turn on the route in the GPS. I couldn’t find it! I knew the first location, so I entered it into the GPS. I would just add the next site once I got to each stop.

My first stop was at Hooligan’s HD. This is in Oxford, AL and Tim belongs to the HOG chapter here as well as the chapter where we got our bikes.

I went in and was warmly greeted! I regret that this isn’t usually the norm. The salesman helped me get the check-in with the HOG app, then helped me got checked it with the riding challenge, even getting the latest keywords. I can see why Tim likes this place.

I went outside and got my picture with the bike in front of the dealership for the dealership challenge. Harley has so many challenges going on at one time, it can be confusing which dealership participates in which challenge and and which challenge is yearly or one that is on-going. Maybe one on-going challenge and one annual would be enough for people, but there are a lot of people who ride Harleys and each one like different challenges, so Harley wants to have something for every one.

The only one that I did which required a picture was the dealership challenge.

The next stop was in Tallapoosa, GA. This was to verify that I had been to a town mentioned in Johnny Cash’s song “I’ve Been Everywhere.” Tallapoosa is one of the towns he mentioned. I learned a few weeks ago that BMW is VERY specific as to what is and isn’t allowed. I used the Chamber of Commerce in El Dorado and they denied it. I had used a historical marker in the past with a sign “Welcome to Waterloo” in the background. They denied that one. I was able to go back to Waterloo and and took a picture at the Post Office. So, for Tallapoosa, GA, I was going to use the Post Office there. I entered the Post Office into the GPS, and I was on my way. Only about 30 miles away, so I would be there quickly.

As I entered the town, I remembered the Veteran’s Park which had a Huey and several other military items. I thought that across the street from the park was a city limits sign for Tallapoosa. And I also wondered if there would be a cannon in the park. As I got into town, the GPS pointed left for the Post Office, but I made a right turn to go to the park (also, there was a “no left turn” sign at the intersection.)

I got to the park and went to look for the Huey. I found it, but they were doing some restoration work on it and I didn’t think it would be a good picture. I looked around for a cannon or two, no luck. As I left the park, I didn’t see a city limits sign. Okay, at least I have to Post Office in the GPS!

As I head back into town, I pull into the parking lot of a BBQ place, “Turn Around Bar-B-Que.” It is in the same building as an equipment shop.

A few blocks away, I found Owen’s BBQ.

As I was leaving, I noticed a coffee shop! I parked in front and ran across the street to get the picture of K&M Coffee.

As I started rolling, I saw the Police Department on my right with the parking lot mostly vacant. I liked the idea of pulling into the parking lot on the right, then make a right to get back on the road. I have had great luck with police officers and sheriff deputies in the last few weeks, I thought this would be a fitting tribute, as long as they don’t come out and office me a tour and a place to stay for some reason.

I sat here for a few minutes to try to enter in my next locations. This was turning into too much trouble having to type in the names, especially when the keyboard is split between to pages that I would have to switch between. I decided to just head back home. I managed to get 400 miles on the bike today, which was what I was going to get if I had stayed with the initial plan. But, this was I get to sleep in my own bed tonight!

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July 16

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.

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June 10

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!

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June 8

I had a meeting with the Widows Sons and made a quick side trip on the way home.

I thought that Rogers was one of the names on the Coddiwomple list, but after getting the picture of the sign that says “Town of Rogersville,” I realized that it wasn’t. I decided to do a quick ride through the block of downtown off the main road. I happened to see a chicken in the air. Not a flying one, but a metal one that would work with the challenges. I got a quick picture and was on my way home.

On may way through Killen, I noticed a Lawler’s BBQ. The parking lot was empty, so the picture would be easy to get. I pulled in, got a few pictures, and was back on my way.

Near the house is a Dunkin’s. These were once named Dunkin Donuts. I guess that they didn’t want to be known for their donuts anymore. It has been a while since I had one of their donuts, or even a cup of their coffee. Neither were worth the stop in the past. Judging by the parking lot and number of customers at any time of day, I doubt it would be worth the stop even now.

The house is only a few block away, so I was home in only a few minutes from the last stop.

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June 4 and 5

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.

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June 2

Left the house early to run to lodge and decided to stop at a few coffee places along the way.

After gassing up the bike, I made my way to Starbucks. Though larger town will have Starbucks on every corner (some even across the street from each other), we only have two, and one is on the campus of UNA. I stopped in at the Starbucks by the mall. I got a quick picture and was on my way to my next stop.

As I was leaving Starbucks, I realized that there is a gourmet coffee place across the street. Multiple lanes for drive thru. It wasn’t busy so I don’t know how efficient they would be in a rush. I pulled into SevenBrew and got the picture. Access was a bit challenging since it is at a corner that can get busy at times, especially since none of the streets have stop or yield signs.

I left to visit another new place. This one is Scooters Coffee. I wasn’t sure of the exact location, so I took the safe route. Ended up that if I have taken the other route, I would have turned into the coffee shop without getting on the main highway.

I made a quick stop at the Veterans Park to get a picture of the Huey and the 9-11 memorial for the Tour of Honor challenge. Then I headed to the lodge.

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May 31

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.

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May 30

After spending the day at Wheels Through Time, which is truly my “Happy Place,” the weather cleared a little and I decided to visit a few spots for Coddiwomple.

The first stop was at Caffeine and Chaos. This is a coffee and ice cream shop. It also have a game area. I didn’t go in, I may have ended up getting something which I wouldn’t have needed.

The next stop was at Butts on the Creek. This is a BBQ place in Maggie Valley which overlooks Jonathan Creek. Aaron and I came here with Ms Sue and Brad last year. The food was awesome and the prices were great.

June 23 update:

The Caffeine and Chaos photo was rejected. I was supposed to have a picture of the building. The sign is okay for a BBQ place, but I must have a picture of the building for coffee places. Since I was back in Waynesville, and on the Harley this time, I revisited Caffeine and Chaos after Randy and I had stopped for supper.