T.A.T. Day 1

Day 1 – Thursday 6th August

Well it was a fun and relatively easy start to the T.A.T., despite my bike spewing out all of it’s oil as we stopped in Tellico Plains for fuel.

 

 

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Ed had just pulled up to chat to some other TAT riders, and as I leant my bike over a sudden puddle appeared by my feet. ‘Erm, Ed!’ I shouted. ‘I’ve got a problem!’ This was much to the other guys’ amusement, as I wandered over to get some tools to investigate. ‘We’re prepared, honest!’ The truth is we couldn’t be less prepared if we tried. Ed’s engine is on it’s last legs, his panniers fell off yesterday and had to be reattached with bungies, and my bike, the reliable one, had suddenly deposited all of it’s oil on the forecourt of a fuel station. ‘Let’s hope this isn’t a case of start as you mean to go on!’ I said jokingly, taking the side casing off my bike. Luckily my issue was an easy fix, as I discovered that the oil seal for the gearbox output shaft had popped out.

 

 

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We couldn’t work out why it had happened, last time it did it was because the breather pipe was full of ice. In baking 30C heat there definitely wasn’t any ice, and with a quick check we found that the breather pipe was completely clear. A lot of the seals had gone hard from riding across Canada in the winter, so with a good splodge of super glue we pushed the seal back in and we were off on our way.

 

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The day was a mix of paved backroads, gravel roads and dirt roads through the forest, with a few river crossings thrown in for good measure. We’d been told that people were going round the river crossings as a few bikes had been taken down, but with information usually being inaccurate we decided to check them out for ourselves. Having not had any rain in the last week they were all pretty shallow, apart from the first one that looked shallow but was actually quite deep in the middle, which Ed discovered when he was halfway across it.

 

 

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His bike cut out as the water covered the exhaust and the air filter, and he was forced to put his feet down to keep it upright. Needless to say he got rather wet, as did the contents of his panniers as they aren’t waterproof anymore and we forgot to get some dry bags. We did however discover that his boots are completely waterproof, as absolutely none of the water that had got in them could get out.

 

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His spark plug was wet and the air filter was soaked, but with a few minutes to drain and dry it the bike started first kick.

 

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The gravel roads were pretty easy to ride, except when there were fairly big rocks and gulleys to navigate over, which saw multiple items from Ed’s bike get flung in different directions, along with my boobs. Note to self: wear sports bra tomorrow.

The second crossing saw us riding through a flurry of yellow butterflies, and as I came up the other side Ed said my eyes came out on stalks. It was quite steep and my eyes tend to do that when I’m not entirely sure that I’m going to make it, or if I lose control. Either way it means that something interesting could happen at any moment.

The third river crossing was rather slippery but we both made it unscathed, although I did my usual rag doll impression as I bounced around trying to stay upright.

 

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River crossings weren’t the only obstacles, as we came round a corner and discovered a massive tree right in our path.

 

 

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Luckily Ed’s got an axe and he likes using it, so while he was slaving away cutting the tree down, I nibbled away on some berries that I found under it.

 

 

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Having small bikes we could have got away with cutting a small branch down to get through, but knowing that the three guys we’d just met on bigger bikes were going to be following in a few days, Ed decided to chop down the larger one so they’d be able to get through too.

 

 

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After lots of chopping, hard work and sweating he’d finally done it, and we were able to ride on and see what was round the next corner.

 

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The weren’t any more river crossings and trees blocking our way for the rest of the ride, just back roads and gravel roads with potholes and bumps. The latter saw the contents of my basket explode all over the trail, and Ed’s lights went flying down the road after a particularly bumpy section; we definitely need more Duck tape and bungies.

We were going to ride until around 7pm, but with the city of Cleveland nearby we decided to divert off the trail around 5.30pm to find some food and a motel, the latter of which we can’t actually afford but we decided to treat ourselves anyway, especially as our all-you-can-eat dinner buffet only cost $8.99! Result.

 

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6 thoughts on “T.A.T. Day 1

  1. Jim and Janice

    Miss Rachel, It was nice to meet you and Ed today…hoping the rest of your Oklahoma journey is full of beauty and safety.. so proud of your desire for adventure….may your hearts desired be filled and may your eyes not only see the wonders of the land but also the awesome greatest of the one who created it all..Gods blessings to you both and comfort to your families as you continue your journey.

  2. frank dollosso sr.

    when you get to west coast I’ll try to meet up with you.

  3. Joe

    We are in NW Arkansas, not far from the TAT in the Lincoln-Skylight Mountain area. Having ridden old Honda Ct-90’s in the American southwest desert, I am very impressed with your touring adventure. Please keep us all updated, and ride safe! And if you are in our area and run into any problems, send an email and we will provide what support we can.

  4. Jackie Briggs

    Hi guys,
    John and I have loved following you. Such fun and crazy adventures. We leave for about a month on john’s big bike (BMW 1200 GSA) on sept 14. We have rented a large house in Durango, Colorado from sept 23, heading to Moab on the 26th. If you guys are in the area we would love to put you up. The place we are renting sleeps lots. We will be traveling with our good friends, Chuck and Deb too.
    Safe journeys, have fun.
    Jackie

  5. Rob Harris

    Well done! I wasn’t sure that you were crazy enough to try the TAT, but am impressed as always. Good luck with the rest. Cheers, Rob

  6. Luke Atwell

    Rachel, you guys look like you’re having fun. My brother Snake rode from Ashville NC to Memphis TN about a month ago on the TAT. I recognize those crossings :-). We had our Yamaha 250 and Honda 230 decked out for the ride. We quit in MS as the red mud from the logging trucks and all the cut pulp wood was pretty ugly. Plant to pick the trail up in Colorado next summer. Please add me to your blog so I can follow you two. And if you ever get to Las Vegas, let me know and I’ll give you both a bed to sleep in… :-). Please be safe… Luke

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