Day 20: Atlanta, GA to Knoxville, TN

My plan to leave Atlanta early wasn't a good one. I didn't miss the commuter traffic and there was lots of fog. As a result, navigating through downtown on the interstate was a bit nerve-wracking. Poor visibility and lots of fast cars and trucks, all of whom knew just where they were going. I was having to read every sign (lots of them!) to make sure I was going the right way. I was very glad to finally get out of the city and stop for gas and breakfast.

I knew I was going to get to Knoxville early in the day as it was a short ride. I was worried that I would get to the motel where I was to meet my son Rich too early to get a room. I got there just after 10:30AM. Well, they had one clean, non-smoking room with two beds. Yea! I took the room, climbed into bed and slept until the phone rang. It was Rich, outside, in the afternoon heat begging me to open the door before he melted! He had left home at 4:00AM to get down to Knoxville to ride with me, so he was pretty well fried. He showered and fell into bed where he slept for about 4 hours.

We walked down to "Famous Dave's" Bar-B-Que for dinner - it was really pretty good food. Then back to the room to plan the next day's ride. Rich had a good idea of where he wanted to go and it sounded good to me. It looks like we'll be riding the infamous "Dragon" tomorrow!