David Kollen's 48 Plus Trip Report - Day 2
Note: Numbered days are "official" days starting/ending at 10:15 A.M. CDT.
- HyderSeek 2003, 48 Plus 5/20/03 - 5/29/03
Day Two (Wednesday) - From Century we headed back north to
pick up I-65 and then proceeded to Montgomery and the junction with I-85
which would take us into Atlanta. [Note to self for future rides: it is best
to avoid Atlanta during rush hour, especially if there are thunderstorms.]
We stopped in Norcross for dinner at Denny's and gas, and then continued
north to Greenville, South Carolina and US 25. From Greenville our route took
us north on US 25/I-26 and as we headed for Asheville, North Carolina we
arrived at the Blue Ridge Mountains just as dusk was arriving. Having never
driven through the Blue Ridge Mountains I was disappointed by our timing. Just
before reaching Asheville we came to I-40 and took that west into Tennessee
and its junction with I-81 east of Knoxville. From there we went northeast on
I-81 for a short while and then exited towards Morristown, Tennessee on our
way to Middlesboro, Kentucky, where Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky meet near
the Cumberland Gap. It was on the road between Morristown and Middlesboro, in
an area that was pitch black with no landmarks, that we had our first "GPS
moment". One of those times where in an advanced state of weariness you look
at the GPS, look at the road signs, look at the map and then try to figure
out where the hell to turn (or not). We finally got our bearings and arrived
at Middlesboro just before 1 A.M. At Middlesboro we made a route change and
decided to backtrack to I-81 instead of taking a slightly shorter route
through the mountains along the border of Virginia and Tennesse. Mountain
roads, night, critters and our recent GPS experience made us decide to play
it safe.
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David Kollen and Preston Bebee
We just didn't have time to get lost out in the middle of nowhere. After an
hour or so driving northeast on I-81 we came to Baileyton, Tennessee and
decided it was time to sleep for a few hours. We awoke to, you guessed it,
rain and continued our trek towards I-77 which would lead us north into West
Virginia and a quick fuel stop at Bluefield. Day Two ends as we are crossing
the border back into Tennessee.
This feature originally appeared in June 2003 - Updated: 06/21/10
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