The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Total Eclipse of KY

August 18th to August 26th

Ride Director: Greg Corwin
Ride Co-Director: Bo Newsom
Report by: Carolyn Monteith

An enthusiastic group of about two dozen cyclists converged in Nashville, Tennessee on August 18 for a seven day trip through the rolling hills of northern Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky with the namesake event of the ride being the 2017 total solar eclipse, the first such eclipse in the contiguous 48 states in over 38 years.  Our ride leader, Greg Corwin, BAC webmaster and eclipse enthusiast, had astutely anticipated the high level of interest in this rare total solar eclipse and had planned a route that would place us in the path of totality for the day of the eclipse.

The first day dawned warm and sunny, and riders grouped up and headed out for Ashland City with a number of us adding a few miles to the route by circling the lovely Centennial Park with the full-size replica of the Parthenon several times before figuring out how to pick up the greenways to get out of town.  We had no worries as we had all day to cover the 37 miles to Ashland City.  Once out of Nashville, we rode on scenic country roads through the Cheatham Wildlife Management Area and through farmland with points of historic interest including Newsom’s Mill, built on the Harpeth River in 1862 replacing the original 1808 gristmill.  Upon getting close to our lodging for the night, the flatlanders among us were greatly relieved to discover the inn was at the base of the looming steep hill and not at the top.  That evening, we enjoyed a group happy hour and dinner at the Riverview Restaurant overlooking the Cumberland River.

Day two was a typical day, riding about 50 miles up and down rolling hills, and a few steep ones, for an elevation gain of about 2,000 feet.  The route was pastoral, meandering through woodlands and fields of tobacco, corn, and soybeans, passing sheaves of hand-cut tobacco leaves air curing on racks and fire curing in barns with smoke wafting through the roofs. The roads were narrow and smooth with what little traffic we encountered being very accommodating.  Our destination was Oak Grove, Kentucky, a small town on the path of totality for the solar eclipse.  An unexpected evening treat was a presentation on the eclipse by an astronomer in the hotel lobby. 

Eclipse aficionados who had worried about the possibility of overcast skies were delighted to awaken on day three to brilliant clear blue skies. While thousands of others across the country debated whether the potential for gridlocked traffic offset the opportunity for observing the rare astronomical event, we cyclists were ensconced in our comfortable hotel and surrounded by professional and amateur astronomers.  We enjoyed a late morning brunch including homemade quiche prepared by Samantha, Greg’s wife.  Greg handed out our eclipse glasses and we moved outside where astronomers, eager to share their knowledge and excitement, had set up telescopes with various filters and spread out sheets for observing the fascinating and elusive shadow bands that sometimes accompany an eclipse.  The eclipse was memorable with the sudden darkness and cooling of the air upon totality and the sunset pink sky on the horizon in every direction, with the corona and “diamond ring” visible.  The remainder of the day was spent relaxing or riding the nearby country roads past farms and the occasional horse-drawn wagon.

The group was back on the road and heading to Kenlake State Park on day four.  The route took us onto long high bridges crossing two 50-mile long parallel lakes, Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, created in the 1960’s by the TVA.  The area between the lakes, Land Between the Lakes National Recreational Area, provided miles of scenic riding through hardwood forests and along narrow roads edged with late summer wildflowers. The only rain of the week fell after all had arrived at the Kenlake State Resort for the night.

Day five offered three options for rides ranging from 32 to 57 miles with the routes traversing beautiful forests and rural areas.  Highlights were learning the history and culture of the area at the Land Between the Lakes visitor center and seeing grazing bison along the roadside.  Our lodging for the night was at a mom and pop motel in the small town of Dover where we enjoyed friendly people and delicious BBQ across the street, although a highly experienced member of our group was sternly chastised for draping his freshly washed jersey and shorts over the concrete deer in front of the motel. 

On day six we were back on the winding country roads, pedaling along lakes and rivers, through forests and fields passing churches and graveyards dating from the early 1800’s and remnants of a blast furnace built in the same era for processing iron ore from local mines.  Our ride for the day ended in the quaint college town of Clarksville at a hotel with a wonderful indoor pool, a nearby bike shop, and a selection of good restaurants.

All good things must end, or so the song goes, and we headed back to Nashville on day 7, transitioning from the bucolic countryside back into the traffic of the city.  The successful week was celebrated with a festive group dinner at Ted’s Montana Grill with talk of future rides.