Day 5: Franklin, NC to Chelsea, AL

Before discussing the day's travels, we would like to pay respect to all the frogs who were strangled by the torrential rains that accompanied us on our trip from Franklin, NC to the Alabama State Line on I-59. Looking like the Michelin Man might not be as cool as a leather jacket and old blue jeans, but warm and dry is the coolest look going when the Almighty wants to reenact Noah's Ark during a motorbike trip. And that expression; that is dazed exhaustion.

Today's "Song of the Day" selections (in this order):
-Rain, Rain by Bill Frisell
-Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin
-Winter Always Turns to Spring by Bill Frisell
-Ghost Town/Poem for Eva by Bill Frisell (this song was used in the film Walk the Line)

We started the day's trip off with a stop by The Rathskeller Coffee Haus in downtown Franklin. The Rathskeller has one of our favorite coffee drinks anywhere, the Cuban. Being drenched after the nine mile trip from the Triple J to downtown, we needed a Cuban or two to help us make it to our next stop in Cleveland, TN.
The rain from Franklin to Cleveland, TN was the hardest we'd yet seen, but with a temperature in the 56-degree range, we felt all warm and cozy compared to Wednesday and Thursday. By the time we stopped in Cleveland, I had to tape garbage bags around my feet because my boots were so full of water. Shane had another fried bologna sandwich, but it wasn't even close to the Big Boss.

From Cleveland we made our way through Chattanooga,TN; or so I'm told. I'm pretty sure we took all the right exits in Chattanooga, but I never got a clear sense of where we were. The hour between Cleveland and the Alabama line were definitely more "riding by faith and not by sight" than anything else. The rain was so heavy that visibility was limited to less than a quarter mile; by far the worst rain of the entire trip. And then we crossed into Alabama.

As soon as we entered Central Standard Time the sky got blue, the clouds got white and puffy, and the sun was shining. We stopped in Fort Payne (former sock capital of the world), took off all the rain gear, and had one of the most enjoyable hour and a half sections of the trip as we made our way home. Dogwoods were blooming and there was green, Spring-looking stuff everywhere. Other than the Mt. Pisgah, NC section of the Parkway, this was the best-looking scenery of the trip. We made it back to Chelsea around 7:20, parked and unloaded the bikes, and went home. It was a good trip.

Total Mileage for Relay on the Ridge 2009 (Mon. 03/23-Fri. 03/27): 1,745.5 miles

Donation Total Thus Far: $597.00
Thanks to Sarah and G.W. Weldon (Nanny and Paw Paw) and Dawn and Mike Arnold for their contributions.

Donations can be made until April 30th. Thank you for your support.