The Trans-America Trail, known by many as ‘The TAT’, is a mostly dirt path that stretches over 5,000 miles across the USA.  The trail was designed by Sam Correro specifically for dual-sport and off-road motorcycle enthusiasts who are looking for a back-country riding adventure.

For Sammy’s senior spring break he suggested that he and I ride the eastern portion of the trail.  Sammy has ridden dirt motorcycles on tracks and trails since he was 8 years old.  I rode some as a kid and then picked it up again when Sammy started riding.  But, an 8-day trip with everything packed on our bikes was something new for us.  So, the planning began…

We sold three motocross style bikes and bought two dual-sport, enduro (and street legal) bikes.  Because the TAT makes use of forest service and county roads, all motorcycles on the trail must be street legal and tagged.  Sammy set his sights on a KTM 690 Enduro R, which I just happened to find hidden in the back of Andy Malcolm’s garage.  Thanks Andy for hooking us up!  For me, I secured a KTM 1190 Adventure R thanks to Mark Eldred.  I know it broke his heart to let her go… Somewhere along the way we recruited my good friend Rich LaSalle to join us.  Rich is a very experienced rider and I felt much better having him with us.  He proved to be fun, entertaining, and quite patient!  His motorcycle stable consisted of high-end street and MotoGP style bikes, so he too went on the hunt for a TAT-able ride.  Rich found and bought a super clean Kawasaki KLR 650 that became affectionately known as ‘The Tractor’.  Like Rich, the KLR was steady, reliable, and ready for anything!

Next came the gear…  Saddle bags, tank bags, panniers, backpacks, camping gear, snacks, clothes, and more.  Then came the maps.  We ordered maps and roll charts for the Tennessee TAT, the Lake Hill Motors Loop (East & West), and the Mississippi Hill Country Loop.  This route would take us from Andrews, NC to Gluckstadt, MS and would cover almost 1,600 miles.  This would prove to be more than we could do in the days allotted, but what did we know?

Day 0 – Good Friday Indeed

The boys were out of school on Friday, April 3rd so we were able to get a jump start on our ride.  Although our bikes are street legal, Sammy and I trailered our bikes from Marietta to Andrews.  We owe a big thanks to Felmer Cummins who volunteered to ride up with us and bring our truck and trailer back to Marietta – THANKS Felmer!!  Rich rode his bike from Alpharetta to Andrews so we met him at the hotel.  We grabbed dinner in Andrews and settled in for the night.  About 2am Saturday morning I woke to the loudest, hardest thunderstorm I’d heard in a while.  Great…

Day 1 – Time to Hit the TAT!

Saturday morning met us with mostly clear skies and NO RAIN!  Whew…  We knew the trails would be wet, but at least we weren’t riding in the rain.  We loaded our gear onto the bikes and we were off…

The TAT trailhead is just about 2.5 miles from our hotel, so it didn’t take long to get started…  Our first leg would be from Andrews to Tellico Plains, TN.  It was a beautiful piece Western North Carolina mountains and Cherokee National Forest of Tennessee.  This first leg would be a series of Forest Service roads that were better than we had hoped.  It was absolutely perfect riding…

Rich took the lead and I was perfectly happy with the pace he set.  The trails were wet and quite slippery at times.  The 119o weighed about 650 lbs and didn’t track very well in the mud.  But, it really was Sammy’s trip so he quickly took the lead…  He and the 690 were right at home blazing along a steep drop off at 50+ MPH.  I had visions of rounding a corner and finding him on the valley floor…  This would be the pace for the rest of the trip.

Somewhere between Andrews, NC and Tellico Plains we came across a nice waterfall and a rushing river.  We stopped for a quick rest and some pics…

We made it to Tellico Plains, but not until about 3pm.  A bit later than expected and very happy to find TelliCafé.

After lunch we got back on the road with Sammy in the lead.  No more than 2 miles outside of Tellico Plains we were back on the dirt.

Our goal for the second half of the day was to reach Dunlap, TN.  We fell short by quite a few miles, but made it to the Hiwassee State River Recreation Area.  The trail coming out of the Rec Area dropped us on US 411 just south of Etowah, TN.

The ride between Tellico Plains and the Hiwassee Rec Area was exciting to say the least.  The first section of the leg was a beautiful run along a ridge.  Road was smooth, mostly dry, and fast.  The next two videos are a bit lengthy, but show how great of a ride it was…

Next came the real fun.  Between Tellico Plains and the Hiwassee Rec Area we crossed four creeks.  Typically, these creeks would be 3″ to 6″ deep.  But due to Friday night’s thunderstorms the rivers were high and fast.

The first creek was fun and not the least bit challenging…

But, it got a bit more challenging…

And more challenging…

And finally, the most challenging.  It’s probably not easy to see in the videos and photos, but the river bottom at this 4th creek was quite odd.  It was solid rock that has been eroded into angled trenches.  If your tire stays in the trench, you’re fine.

Sammy studied it a bit looking for the best path…

then he attempted to cross.

Next up was Rich.  He took a slightly different path and had a slightly different result…

Based on Sammy and Rich’s experiences I cheated a bit and power-walked my bike across just below the spillway…

A short ride after our 4th river crossing we picked up the Hiwassee River and followed it through the Hiwassee Rec Area.  The roads were great and we made good time all the way through the Rec Area to the Visitor Center.  There were several groups fishing and camping all along the river.  I intend to revisit this area and do the same.  It was beautiful.

VIDEOS / PICS of HIWASSEE PARK

We found pavement about 5pm on Hwy 411 just south of Etowah, TN

In Etowah we found the Quality Inn.  Given the high degree of moisture in our boots and pants, the Quality Inn was a welcome sight!  We found Michael’s – a great local eatery, but with NO beer or wine.  Rich quickly learned that we could bring our own, so he hoofed it next door and returned with a 6-pack.  Perfect!  Great dinner followed by great sleep…  Day 1 in the books.

Day 2 – Murphy’s Day

Not exactly our most productive day, but a fun one none the less.  Plus, we learned plenty!  Woke in Etowah, TN to a sunny morning. Headed out with Sammy in the lead.  A bit more pavement on this run than we hoped for, but certainly beautiful countryside.

A bit west of Etowah we needed to cross the Tennessee River.  This required a short hop on the highway where construction kept the pace nice and slow.  Not sure I ever appreciated highway construction!

As soon as we really get underway (and in the middle of nowhere!) my front tire pressure indicated alarmed.  Sure enough, the previous day’s gravel had taken its toll and I have a small, but determined leak.  Fortunately, Rich’s portable pump allowed me to limp into Dunlap where we met up with our support team AKA WALMART!  Every Adventure Rider’s best resource!

We were well behind on our schedule and the day was getting late.  So, we hopped on the highway to cross Mont Eagle.  This landed us in Winchester for the night.  It was late so we stopped for dinner before finding a hotel.  And – believe it or not – we found a great sushi restaurant!  … in Winchester, TN!  Sammy proceeded to spill a full bowl of hot miso soup in his lap, which entertained Rich and me for quite some time.  We found and settled in at a Best Western where we found much needed laundry facilities.

Day 3 – Mother Nature’s Day

Much like the day before, Day 3 was not very productive in terms of distance.  Everything was good as we left Winchester.  We started at the local Waffle House and were on the road fairly early.  But, after a few miles we ran into a bit of rain…  and rain…  and rain.  Not sure whether to keep pushing or to stop and wait it out, we spotted signs for the Jack Daniel’s Distillery.  uh…  okay, we’ll stop.

Once it was clear the rain wasn’t stopping, we hit the road.  Somewhere between Jack Daniel’s and Fayetteville Sammy’s chart holder malfunctioned, which left us without directions.  For those not familiar with a chart roller, it is the device that holds and displays turn-by-turn directions for our trip.  Much of the roads we travel are not found on GPS devices, so the roll chart is our only way of finding our way.  Fortunately, we made it to Fayetteville and found a great hardware store.  Sammy bought an assortment of bolts and nuts with plans to fix the holder.  Fayetteville is also home to the great Marvin’s Family Restaurant.  The food was great and the owner let us camp out a while as we dipped dry and repaired our chart holder.  From Marvin’s we found a nice Hampton Inn where we settled in for the night.  The day was not the most exciting, so Sammy found some trails and a large flooded field behind the hotel.  He also found a shortcut to the hotel.

We chose to order pizza in the hotel so we could dry our gear and fix our chart holder.  Turned out to be a great night…

Day 4 – Our Day

Having given Day’s 2 and 3 to