AARoads Forum

I am gauging interest in a potential road meet in northeast Alabama in late October or early November. There are several roadgeek items of interest (and a few non-roadgeek ones too):

- AL 35 southbound bridge (http://bridgehunter.com/al/jackson/scottsboro/) (BB Comer Bridge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comer_Bridge)) across the Tennessee River in Scottsboro is being replaced. The original truss bridge from 1931 will soon bite the dust when the new bridge is finished sometime next year, unless preservation efforts can save it. This is also the only major construction project in the area.
- Farther upstream along the Tennessee River is the AL 117 crossing, or the Captain John Snodgrass Bridge (http://bridgehunter.com/al/jackson/stevenson/). The BB Comer Bridge would be the main feature of this meet.
- AL 227 through Guntersville State Park is signed north-south but you go north to go south and vice versa along the segment through the state park. The northernmost portion of AL 227 (https://www.google.com/maps/@34.449184,-86.134408,3a,75y,292.98h,89.27t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1syNlmIUK-0sg7JtjQ2CUZDw!2e0) is along an improved two lane facility that, along with AL 62 (a four-lane road!) (https://www.google.com/maps/@34.437664,-86.190729,3a,75y,316.93h,90.09t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sLujuqEhc-WHE8Qw_7lDMtw!2e0) and Dekalb CR 400, was part of a grander plan I believe to bridge the Tennessee River, but it never came to fruition. AL 62 served a Monsanto plant on the Tennessee River.
- US 431 northbound through Guntersville features a Runaway Truck Ramp at the foot of Sand Mountain (the only one in Alabama for now until the Anniston Eastern Bypass opens). US 431 also has a one-way street configuration through downtown Guntersville.
- There are several old US highway alignments through Albertville, Boaz, Arab, and Scottsboro for US 431, US 231, and US 72, respectively. The old US 231 alignment through Arab is not state-maintained, but old US 431 through Albertville/Boaz is AL 205, and old US 72 is AL 35 between Woodville and Scottsboro, and AL 279 between Scottsboro and Hollywood.
- AL 35 and AL 40 ascending Sand Mountain and AL 79 ascending Cumberland Mountain are quite scenic.
- Of non-roadgeek interest, there is the Payne's Sandwich Shop and Soda Fountain (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g30829-d4292483-Reviews-Payne_s_Sandwich_Shop_and_Soda_Fountain-Scottsboro_Alabama.html) in downtown Scottsboro which serves lunch and has an old fashioned soda fountain. It is the oldest continually run business in Alabama, and started operation as a pharmacy in 1869. There is also the Unclaimed Baggage Center (http://unclaimedbaggage.com/) in Scottsboro as well.

I would probably have the lunch either at Payne's Sandwich Shop or the Lake Guntersville State Park lodge, although it may be better to have dinner at the lodge since the lodge offers spectacular views of the Tennessee River and the sunset. I admit that there aren't as many major roadgeek attractions as one would usually have at a road meet, but this is a very scenic part of Alabama, especially during the fall. The weather is also the best in the fall, too.

I'm definitely interested. :)

Depends on finances, but I'd be interested, for sure.

Of course you know I would be interested but the thing about October for me is at the end of October is mine and Steph's wedding anniversary and she does want to go some where for a weekend that does not involve a toy show or a road meet so will see. Also early November starts a BIG run of toy shows for me each weekend  in Novemeber up to the middle of Decemeber so will see on that too.

Yes, I am certainly interested.  We will see if work schedules or family obligations interfere.

Interested, but don't really have the time & money right now.

Interested, but would be a weekend affair - fly to somewhere near there on Friday night and back on Sunday night - subject to flights as we get closer.

I'm toning down after NYC for the year at the minimum.  Finances need to shift to other priorites (Of course I've said that before and look what I'm doing now :P)

It definitely looks like there is enough interest for us to start zeroing in on a date.

I was wanting to pick a time close to when the fall colors peak around here, which is late October or early November. That leaves the following dates:

Saturday, October 25th
Saturday, November 1st
Saturday, November 8th

I'm going to do a poll to tally up the preferences.

Here is more information on the Lake Guntersville State Park lodge restaurant we would be eating either lunch or dinner at: http://www.alapark.com/LakeGuntersville/Restaurant/

And here is lodging information at the hotel near the State Park lodge in case anyone is interested in that option: http://www.alapark.com/parks/images/lake-guntersville/Lake-Guntersville-State-Park-Accommodation-Rates.pdf

I am in.  Let me know the specifics when you get them.

Changed poll to allow multiple answers
Right now, anything works for me. I won't know conflict dates till I get much closer.

It's a bit early for me to decide, but it does sound interesting.

This would be slightly more likely for me than Oologah (don't tell bugo!). With my financial situation, I'd give it a 40%. The possibility of riding with A.J. helps.

Looks like as of right now October 25th and November 1st are tied. I am leaning towards November 1st as of right now.

As with Oologah, my answer to attending a road meet in that region is "not this year".

Or maybe "not again this year" since I was in Nashville.

I would like to go, however, it will depend on how my election goes.

Looks like October 25th is in the lead. I have went ahead and created a Facebook event (https://www.facebook.com/events/1488999707983662/?context=create&ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming&source=49) for the meet for that day. Either RSVP in this thread, on the Facebook event, or PM me.

I said "maybe" on the Facebook event, and I'll say "maybe" here. It's a long way out on the calendar for sure and it depends on a number of factors -- about 99 percent financial.

I'm interested, but I most likely wouldn't be able to go.

Talked it over with Steph, I am a "maybe" for now but that may change to going :-)

I have been really terrible about updating this thread.

The meet lunch has been relocated to Wintzell's Oyster House in Guntersville (14455 Us Highway 431, Guntersville, Alabama 35976) at 11 AM. I have also created a map showing the route of the tour and the stops which be found here (https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zLF8lxjYMAkg.krehQk3Mfg1c).

I will be creating a formal itinerary soon.

That's ok, Steph and I are still plannign on beeing there, will be getting into town Thursday afternoon and staying until saturday, after all it is our 13th anniversary :-)

My fiance' if is from Guntersville.  We went this past March and stayed at a cabin across from the Little Mountain Marina just down the road from the state park.  On the way to the lake, we came to an intersection where the 2-lane road I was driving had the right of way instead of the 4-lane divided road it intersected!  Apparently there are no images available, but here it is:
https://www.google.com/maps/views/explore?gl=us&vm=1&ll=34.440041,-86.174408&bd=34.438601,-86.176674,34.441481,-86.172141&z=18 (https://www.google.com/maps/views/explore?gl=us&vm=1&ll=34.440041,-86.174408&bd=34.438601,-86.176674,34.441481,-86.172141&z=18)

Quote from: cjk374 on September 23, 2014, 10:21:24 PM
My fiance' if from Guntersville.  We went this past March and stayed at a cabin across from the Little Mountain Marina just down the road from the state park.  On the way to the lake, we came to an intersection where the 2-lane road I was driving had the right of way instead of the 4-lane divided road it intersected!  Apparently there are no images available, but here it is:
https://www.google.com/maps/views/explore?gl=us&vm=1&ll=34.440041,-86.174408&bd=34.438601,-86.176674,34.441481,-86.172141&z=18 (https://www.google.com/maps/views/explore?gl=us&vm=1&ll=34.440041,-86.174408&bd=34.438601,-86.176674,34.441481,-86.172141&z=18)

This area will be covered in the meet. it is very strange.

Ooh, the road to the old Monsanto plant! I've wanted to see that since learning about it and had no idea it'd be covered in the meet. :)

Quote from: getemngo on September 24, 2014, 06:03:49 PM
Ooh, the road to the old Monsanto plant! I've wanted to see that since learning about it and had no idea it'd be covered in the meet. :)

Indeed! Unfortunately, we won't be able to drive up to the old plant location. The road is barricaded off about a half mile or so before you would reach the plant.

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 24, 2014, 08:10:19 PM

Quote from: getemngo on September 24, 2014, 06:03:49 PM
Ooh, the road to the old Monsanto plant! I've wanted to see that since learning about it and had no idea it'd be covered in the meet. :)

Indeed! Unfortunately, we won't be able to drive up to the old plant location. The road is barricaded off about a half mile or so before you would reach the plant.

What did they do/make there?

Quote from: cjk374 on September 25, 2014, 11:01:21 PM

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 24, 2014, 08:10:19 PM

Quote from: getemngo on September 24, 2014, 06:03:49 PM
Ooh, the road to the old Monsanto plant! I've wanted to see that since learning about it and had no idea it'd be covered in the meet. :)

Indeed! Unfortunately, we won't be able to drive up to the old plant location. The road is barricaded off about a half mile or so before you would reach the plant.

What did they do/make there?

Destroy agriculture and our food (as we knew it for thousands of years) with GMOs


iPhone

I would really like to attend this, but sometimes my work and family life changes on a 24-hour notice, and I've used up all my vacation time. :(

Quote from: Laura on September 26, 2014, 07:53:23 AM

Quote from: cjk374 on September 25, 2014, 11:01:21 PM

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 24, 2014, 08:10:19 PM

Quote from: getemngo on September 24, 2014, 06:03:49 PM
Ooh, the road to the old Monsanto plant! I've wanted to see that since learning about it and had no idea it'd be covered in the meet. :)

Indeed! Unfortunately, we won't be able to drive up to the old plant location. The road is barricaded off about a half mile or so before you would reach the plant.

What did they do/make there?

Destroy agriculture and our food (as we knew it for thousands of years) with GMOs

Which has been done throughout the entire history of agriculture.  Breeding is one form of genetic modification.

I wish I could go, but we're moving my fiance' in on that weekend.

Quote from: Brandon on September 26, 2014, 01:05:05 PM

Quote from: Laura on September 26, 2014, 07:53:23 AM

Quote from: cjk374 on September 25, 2014, 11:01:21 PM

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 24, 2014, 08:10:19 PM

Quote from: getemngo on September 24, 2014, 06:03:49 PM
Ooh, the road to the old Monsanto plant! I've wanted to see that since learning about it and had no idea it'd be covered in the meet. :)

Indeed! Unfortunately, we won't be able to drive up to the old plant location. The road is barricaded off about a half mile or so before you would reach the plant.

What did they do/make there?

Destroy agriculture and our food (as we knew it for thousands of years) with GMOs

Which has been done throughout the entire history of agriculture.  Breeding is one form of genetic modification.

Oh, I know. I was just being reactionary ;) farmers have always saved their best seeds for the next year to improve their crops.

The main reason Monsanto gets a lot of flak is because of the corn they've genetically modified with genes that resist Roundup, meaning that they can spray the crap out of those crops and they won't die. I am not a fan of that kind of genetic modification because it is harmful to our environment. Also, the idea that they've patented their seeds and make them unsavable from year to year is not beneficial to the farming industry as a whole.

However, genetic modification is useful for crops being able to resist diseases, particularly in developing countries where that virus could kill a farmer's only source of income and a village's food source. Those types of genetically modified crops are helpful.

tl;dr: not all genetically modified crops are bad, especially if done for goodwill purposes. Monsanto does not have a good rep because they have modified crops to sell their products (roundup) and make money (patented, unsalable seeds).


iPhone

Indeed.  It doesn't help that Monsanto has been known to throw multi-million dollar lawsuits against farmers that don't use their seeds but had some blow over from a nearby farm that does.  Or that the pesticides don't magically disappear when the food gets to the supermarket or is processed.  Just because it takes a much higher dose to kill us doesn't mean it's not unhealthy.

Quote from: codyg1985 on September 21, 2014, 01:04:50 PM
I have been really terrible about updating this thread.

The meet lunch has been relocated to Wintzell's Oyster House in Guntersville (14455 Us Highway 431, Guntersville, Alabama 35976) at 11 AM. I have also created a map showing the route of the tour and the stops which be found here (https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zLF8lxjYMAkg.krehQk3Mfg1c).

I will be creating a formal itinerary soon.

Wondering if I've missed the formal itinerary and the order of the stops.

If I am able to attend (that's still iffy) and I don't ride south from Tennessee with Brian Reynolds I will probably drive solo and peel off somewhere along the route before the tour ends.

If I can swing it to be able to attend, as it currently stands I have a conference in Lexington on the Friday prior. If I attend, and that's not certain until I see the itinerary, it will affect my travel plans.

A suggested/recommended conference in Louisville the Thursday prior to the Merritt Parkway meet will probably negatively impact my attendance at that meet if other circumstances would permit it.

This is looking even more do-able than I originally anticipated. Seeing as it's the nearest-to-me announced meet remaining this year, and I haven't heard anything said about any meets in November or December, I'd really like to do this.

The biggest issue is getting there. If I leave on Friday, I'll have to leave from Lexington. Since I want to clinch US 231 in Tennessee while I have the opportunity, I will need to get to either Lebanon or Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Friday night.

There will be traffic issues if I take US 60 to the Bluegrass Parkway to I-65 (Keeneland traffic in addition to normal afternoon Lexington rush hour traffic) unless the conference ends early enough, or unless I blow off the last session. There will also be construction issues on I-75 between Berea and Mt. Vernon if I opt to go to Somerset and take the Cumberland Parkway. (A paving project that, according to all reports I've heard, has been a real cluster foxtrot where delays are concerned.) There have also been some construction issues on I-75 between Lexington and Richmond. US 27 south to Somerset? Uh, no, because that involves getting across town and then Nicholasville Road. Any route south from the Bluegrass Parkway involves the Keeneland tie-up. And I-64 west to Frankfort, then US 127 south, isn't an option because of resurfacing on I-64 between Lexington and Frankfort that has also been a cluster foxtrot.

The plan is to take US 231 and US 431 from my overnight destination to the meet. Depending on the tour's timing, I will likely peel off early and head toward Chattanooga. I can stay Saturday night anywhere between the Kimball/Jasper area and Cleveland, taking US 72 instead of I-24 to clinch it in Tennessee. (Is the new bridge open yet?)

Once I get to Chattanooga, the plan is to take US 64/74 east to Ducktown (getting me a clinch of US 74 in Tennessee), then north on TN 68 to join US 411 at Madisonville. Then I plan to take US 411 north to Newport, thus clinching it in Tennessee (and hoping that leaf peepers departing the Smokies and Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge on the Sunday of the last weekend of October on US 441 don't impact traffic on US 411). Then I can just shoot up US 25E back to Kentucky.

I'd given some thought to driving straight from home on Saturday, but that would rule out the US 231 clinch. And the thought of leaving home at 4 a.m. and driving for three hours (two of them on I-75) before daylight at the time of year when deer are most active is not an appealing thought.

I am considering making the BB Comer/Scottsboro part of the tour the last part, but I am not sure yet. I have received input on the hiking portion so we can see the BB Comer Bridge, and it looks like most people are indifferent about it. On one hand, if we do the BB Comer towards the end of the tour, sunlight angles will be favorable for better photos, but on the other hand, depending on the timing, we may be pushing it in terms of daylight.

As for your return trip, I have not heard that the US 41/64/72 bridge over the Tennessee River is open yet, but it should be really close. I am going to meet a friend in Rome, GA tomorrow, so I may be able to swing back through Chattanooga and then see (I want to see what the progress is on the US 27 rebuild anyway).

There is an interchange rebuild underway at I-75 and US 74 east in Cleveland that might be of interest.

H.B., it looks like the US 41/64/72 bridge is about ready to open to traffic, but the approaches look to need at least one layer of asphalt beforehand. Not sure if it will be ready when you come through or not.

There are plenty of reasons to be wary of the Monsanto Monster, but the abandoned Guntersville facility probably is not one of them. 

Monsanto is a huge and varied corporation with many product lines.  Guntersville produced polyester filament, which is about as far as you can get from agribiz.

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/15/business/monsanto-halts-a-fiber-line.html

The plant closed in early 1981.  What might account for a steep decline in demand for polyester?

Admittedly, this is only a theory, BUT:  Disco music had already peaked, and the associated fashions were already passé.  For those of you who might be too young to remember, read on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure_suit

I don't say "yes" to Facebook events or confirm my attendance because nosy people, but as of now, I do plan to attend this.

Brian R.: I won't be able to take advantage of your generous offer to share accommodations and transportation because of my schedule, and not being able to leave Lexington on Friday until 3 p.m. at the earliest. I'm not sure where I will be staying Friday night.

Contact me (email is fine) with your planned route to start your Kentucky county visiting excursion and I'll let you know the latest on construction delays. The slowdowns on I-75 south of Berea are still causing problems.

Is anyone that hasn't posted on the Facebook event interested in attending? Just trying to cover all of the bases. :)

I will not be there this time.  Not enough money and time.  :-(

I know we're only a few days out, but I'm not 100 percent yet. Still trying to get a grip on trip planning and justify the financial outlay.

Steph and I are still good to go, looking forward to it :-) We will be getting into Guntersville sometime Thursday late afternoon\ evening and spending Friday sight seeing in the area, maybe some side trips. Weather is looking very nice for all 3 days we will be in the area (Thurs-Fri-Saturday)

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday!

'Tis better to ask forgiveness than beg permission.

Also 'tis better to make room reservations early and cancel them than it is to wait too late.

Right now it looks like I am going to make this one. Will be leaving from Lexington Friday afternoon and my intent, as I've mentioned before, is to clinch US 231 in Tennessee on the way down. I need almost everything south of I-40. I had intended to stay in Murfreesboro Friday night and then drive on down to Guntersville Saturday morning.

i checked room prices and availability on Monday, and there were plenty of inexpensive rooms at decently-rated motels available for Friday night. Went online to book this morning, and two of the hotels I was considering had sold out, one only had a jacuzzi suite available at close to three figures for a night, and another had doubled its price. I don't know what's going in in Murfreesboro this weekend, but I wish I had gone ahead and booked Monday instead of waiting until this morning.

Ended up getting a room at Lebanon, so that will add an extra half-hour to the drive on Saturday morning. It also means I won't get to eat Culver's or Cook Out on Friday night, since Murfreesboro has both and Lebanon has neither.

Having taken a look at the tour itinerary that Cody posted (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8jwngCopIbZekZCVUJPeVF5TTQ/view), looks like I'll be departing at #40 (stop #7) to head toward Chattanooga for the night.

I didn't realize Murfreesboro had a Cookout. Knew they had a Culver's though.

I corrected a few errors in the itinerary, so I had to reupload the itinerary with a new address: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8jwngCopIbZS1UzRnVEZDB3TFk/view?usp=sharing

Glad to hear you are coming HB! You will be driving right by our house when you approche the north side of Lebanon, when you see Al's Foodland, you will be 2 blocks away ;-) Steph and I will be heading down tomorrow and staying in Guntersville tomorrow night and Friday night.

I won't be able to attend sadly.
I've got school (as in homework) and a few side projects of mine I have to do this weekend. Maybe some other time.

Quote from: codyg1985 on October 22, 2014, 02:18:58 PM
I didn't realize Murfreesboro had a Cookout. Knew they had a Culver's though.

They have two Culver's. Cook Out and one of the Culver's locations are out on the southeast side of town on US 70S. The other Culver's is out near I-24 just off TN 96.

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FxxMVoNd.jpg&hash=bf68033be62566b15a0bcd0601ebeee7674c57dd)

I see the Send Help sign got dragged out of retirement. :-|

Yes, it's still alive and well in the southeast!

My thanks to Cody for putting this meet together.  By every measure, this was a successful gathering of like-minded individuals with a common peculiar interest. 

I have never hosted a road meet, but I want to take a moment to express my appreciation for those who do.  It takes weeks of planning, preparation, scouting and fine-tuning.  When it is done right, the meal and the tour look easy and effortless. 

It takes a lot of effort to make it look effortless.  Again, thanks Cody.  I hope you enjoyed the day as much as I did.

Thanks a bunch, Brian! I really enjoyed having everyone down for the meet. I feel like it was successful, and it had the right number of people, too. It wouldn't be what it is without everyone getting to come and experience it!

I'm glad to hear that everything went well.  I would have been at the meet, but couldn't because of work commitments (not the first time this has happened).

Quote from: jdb1234 on October 30, 2014, 08:11:46 AM
I'm glad to hear that everything went well.  I would have been at the meet, but couldn't because of work commitments (not the first time this has happened).

Nor would it be the last 8-)

Quote from: SSOWorld on October 30, 2014, 12:12:19 PM

Quote from: jdb1234 on October 30, 2014, 08:11:46 AM
I'm glad to hear that everything went well.  I would have been at the meet, but couldn't because of work commitments (not the first time this has happened).

Nor would it be the last 8-)

Which is why I am looking for another job (that and I am tired of working nights).

Quote from: jdb1234 on October 30, 2014, 09:26:10 PM

Quote from: SSOWorld on October 30, 2014, 12:12:19 PM

Quote from: jdb1234 on October 30, 2014, 08:11:46 AM
I'm glad to hear that everything went well.  I would have been at the meet, but couldn't because of work commitments (not the first time this has happened).

Nor would it be the last 8-)

Which is why I am looking for another job (that and I am tired of working nights).

I am still eyeing doing a second Birmingham meet probably in Spring 2016 after (hopefully) the I-22/65 interchange is completed. I hope you are able to make that.

I just want to chime in as well and say how much I really enjoyed this meet. Cody did a great job of putting it together. It was a lot of fun and was great seeing everyone! I'm so glad I made it.

I echo Brian Reynolds' comments. I've never hosted a meet before and probably never will, but I can imagine that it takes a lot of work to pull something like this off. Thanks to Cody and to everyone else who hosts road meets. They have been a significant (and fun!) part of my life over the past ten years or so.

Had a great day for a meet and good weather for the drive there and back.

I left Lexington at 3 p.m. with my destination being Lebanon, Tenn. Took the Bluegrass Parkway to KY 555, then south on KY 55 and around the Lebanon bypass, then US 68 through Campbellsville to Greensburg. Just south of Lebanon I noticed a wide sign where I didn't think one belonged, so I turned around and shot a photo of a 24x36 US 68 sign.

I had to stop several times between Lebanon and Greensburg to read and answer several text messages and make some phone calls, which delayed me a bit. Out of Greensburg, I took KY 88, KY 436 and KY 218 to US 31E, which I followed to Scottsville where US 231 joined, and followed that route on to Lebanon. It was a pleasant rural drive and I was thrilled to find gas prices in the $2.579 range in Lebanon.

The next morning, I got up and followed US 231 through Tennessee, clinching it in that state. Tennessee's signage practices are such that sometimes you're not sure if you're following the regular route or a truck route, such as in Fayetteville, where signage indicates that "Truck Route US 231" turns left when in reality it's actually US 231. Also, US 231 is signed as taking a bypass of downtown Shelbyville, but official Tennessee maps don't reflect this yet.

There's a grade-separated interchange with TN 437 north of town; I don't see the need for that interchange or that road.

US 231 is a pleasant drive into Alabama, and I was reminded of Texas in driving through Huntsville with the system of frontage roads.

After making a couple of stops in Huntsville, I used US 431 to get to the meet location and arrived right at the appointed time.

As for the meet itself, I peeled off at Scottsboro rather than go back to Guntersville and then have to head back toward Chattanooga. I drove US 72 in order to clinch it. The bridge crossing Nickajack Lake is not yet open to traffic, but it looks like it should be ready to go. The pavement approaching the bridge was new and had been striped. I drove all the way up to the closure point and used I-24 to cross the lake, then got back on US 72 and drove into downtown Chattanooga, so I consider it clinched in Tennessee.

That bridge on TN 156 at New Hope looks really impressive and can be seen from a great distance.

Sunday morning, I took US 11/US 64 to Cleveland, then US 74 east to Ducktown to clinch US 74 in Tennessee. From there, I used TN 68 back to Madisonville to pick up US 411 to get a clinch of it. Some of the signs are missing in Maryville, making it a bit difficult to follow the route. The quality of the road northeast of Maryville is much worse than southwest; only the concurrent section of US 441 and a few miles east of Sevierville are improved. However, it looks as if the final three miles of US 411 approaching Newport are being relocated.

My original plan was to head north toward home after reaching Newport and clinching US 411, but I was doing well on time so I opted to gain some new mileage on US 321. There is a segment between Newport and Greeneville that has been four-laned, but segments on either end are still two-lanes.

Tennessee's poor signage practices are in full effect in Greeneville. It's confusing whether US 321 follows the truck route around the west side of town, or goes straight through downtown. I drove both routes to make sure.

From there, I took US 11E south to I-81, then I-81 to TN 160 to US 25E at Morristown. They have been working on a grade-separated interchange at the shopping mall there for several years and the project still isn't finished.

From Morristown, it was US 25E north into Kentucky (with the requisite detour through Cumberland Gap, Tenn. to check on the old "TENN-US 25E" sign) to Barbourville, then KY 11 north. Took a backroads alternate route north of Manchester using US 421, KY 1350 and KY 846 back to KY 11, which is somewhat of a shortcut.

It was an enjoyable weekend. I clinched US 231, US 72, US 74 and US 411 in Tennessee and got new mileage on US 11, US 64 and US 321. One new county (Marshall, Ala., where the meet was hosted).

Don't know when I will next be able to attend a meet, but if this one is my last one for awhile, I'll have some good memories of the trip. Thanks to Cody for putting it together.

The TN 437 interchange is to a bypass that goes to US 41A southeast of Shelbyville. I think there may be long-term plans to extend it back to either US 231 south or US 41A northwest of Shelbyville.

Finally got my photos from my trip to the Alabama meet in October up on my Flickr site:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hbelkins/sets/72157650077966099/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hbelkins/sets/72157648171413143/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hbelkins/sets/72157650084742650/

Good pics to see. I spent the first 18 years of my life in this area and my parents still live there.

When I learned to drive, the big test was being able to drive across the BB Comer and keep it in one lane.

Also remember my Dad taking me to the "new" bridge (that's now about 25 years old) and we walked across it the day before it opened to vehicle traffic. Prior to that the BB Comer was the only crossing and traffic was 1 lane in each direction. It was definitely a tight fit at times.

Quote from: hbelkins on January 27, 2015, 07:39:39 PM
Finally got my photos from my trip to the Alabama meet in October up on my Flickr site:

Those pictures are great, H.B.  Thank you for sharing them!