I just got back from my ride through Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and North Carolina. The trip was about 2300 miles. Over the winter I had changed out my Road King leather saddlebags and tourpak for a color matched set which really made touring easier.
I left North Carolina and rode to Nashville to pick up the Natchez Trace. Getting on the Trace included a stop at the Loveless Cafe for breakfast.

The Trace is a relaxing ride south to Natchez. I thought it was nice to sit back on cruise and enjoy the fresh air, but as people have commented before there is not a lot to see except for loads of wild turkeys on the northern end and a few scenic stops along the way.



I took a detour off the Trace to Vicksburg. The battlefield is undergoing some major road renovations while I was there. I found the USS Cairo exhibit to be well worth the visit. I met one of the National Park service employees who had prepared a fine tribute to a WWII vet who had died and was recently buried in the cemetery. The vet had ridden a Harley WLA bike during the war, and the National Park service did something special for him since so many bike riders visit the cemetery.




I headed south to Natchez, then to Baton Rouge, and back up into Mississippi and Alabama to reach the mountains of Tennessee. I was fortunate to arrive at the Cheratola at dusk which was a spectacular ride. It was quite cold and windy but the views at sunset were simply breathtaking.



Beyond Robbinsville in NC, I drove through Highlands, Cashiers and Lake Lure which is another beautiful ride. The roads parallel streams with cascading waterfalls. I wish the turnoffs were safer for motorcycles though, since they are often on steep inclines. It is very hard to come to a safe quick stop on these winding roads that are anything but level.

All in all a great ride with reasonably good weather. I had been wanting to do the Trace for awhile. I'm not sure I would do it again, but I did enjoy the trip!

 

Thanks for the write up
I have thought about doing that ride also
The Highlands, Cashiers and Lake Lure roads is one I have traveled many times
Love it and yes it is too bad you can't pull off and get a better look at some of the falls.

 

rde - great story and awesome pictures.

BTW, do you mind sharing how many $ to convert your leathers to hard side bags? Been thinking about doing the same thing and didn't know the pain/expense.

Keep posting your rides and stories.

 

The saddlebags will run around $1200 to get a color matched set with locks and keys. The installation is easy, you just need to move the brackets around a bit. I suppose you can get them somewhat cheaper from an online store like Zanotti's-I try to support my local shop. The chopped tour pak is about the same once you add in the locks, the leather backrest, etc. Is it worth it-I think so. You have loads of luggage space and you can lock everything up when you go inside to eat on a trip. Clean up is easy with a hose and water when you wash your bike-the leather can be a pain to keep treated and clean. I went with the chopped tour pak since I ride solo 90% of the time on trips.