TAT Day 4, 5, 6

Day 4,5,6
Sun 9th, Mon 10th, Tues 11th

There hasn’t been much to report as far as riding goes (hence putting 3 days in 1 post) so I won’t bore you too much with the other stuff. We ended up visiting Broadway in Nashville on Sunday morning, and had a whiskey and deep fried pickles while listening to some country music. We’re not actually whiskey or country music fans but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

 

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We also needed to get some supplies for the trail that we’d forgotten, so spent the afternoon doing that. The good thing about the T.A.T is that you’re not thrown right in at the deep end, so if you’re useless and unorganised like us you have time to sort out extra bits and pieces that you need without putting yourself at risk. It was at the first river crossing that we realised that we’d forgotten to buy dry bags, and when trying to reattach my headset to my helmet we discovered that we’d run out of Duck tape; a code red for adventure riders!

After a night in a free campsite (a rarity in the land of the fee) we made our way back down to the town of Corinth, not only to pick up the trail again, but to visit the legend that is Sam Correro; the creator of the T.A.T. It was an absolute pleasure to meet Sam, and I was very surprised to discover that he’s 75! You wouldn’t know it to look at him, obviously staying active and riding motorcycles is good for you; any excuse as far as I’m concerned.

 

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Sam welcomed us with open arms, and not only bought us dinner that night and lunch the following day, but also took me to do our laundry and drove us back to a town 30 miles away, as numnuts here had forgotten her purse while picking up a parcel at a UPS store.

He was such a great guy and made the T.A.T even more meaningful to us. He has invested endless hours over the last 30 years to creating, maintaining and rerouting the Trans-Am Trail, and has inspired thousands of people to get off the road and explore the multitudes of off-road trails that the states has to offer.

 

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He’s dedicated more time than you can imagine to riding and plotting the trail, giving riders the best off-road experience that they could have in the US without having to ride the not so good stuff to find the good stuff. The latter is particularly useful if you’re short of time, as you know that you’re not going to be wasting time trying to find the good trails. The leg work has already been done for you, leaving you with map reading and navigation which can be a full time job in itself! And talking of full time jobs, despite Sam being retired he still has a full time job with the T.A.T. In between looking after us he’s been darting in and out of the office to answer emails, print and post maps, and sort out roll charts.

 

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I also didn’t realise that he goes off on trips along the trail several times a year to map diversions and to re-route it when needed. While this may seem like fun and a bit of a holiday, it’s actually a lot of work. Yes he gets to go out riding every day, but he also has to stop every mile or so to write down gps points which later have to be typed up on the computer. Motels, fuel stops and restaurants also need to be kept up to date, as many are sadly closing due to the economy.

Talking to Sam and seeing him in action showed me just how important it is to support him, and show appreciation for the time and money he has dedicated to creating the trail for everyone to enjoy. Buying the gps points and maps from him not only supports Sam and the time and effort that he has invested in the trail, but it also makes it possible for him to continue his ongoing work in keeping the trail up-to-date and current. Sorry if this seems like a plug, but seeing as my current blog is about the trail, and after meeting and talking to Sam, I felt it was important to explain just what has gone in to making the Trans-America Trail what it is today.

 

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3 thoughts on “TAT Day 4, 5, 6

  1. Jake

    I randomly came across one of Ed’s videos and enjoyed it so much that I had to watch all of the videos and read through your website. It’s great to see people that get out there and take advantage of this wonderful planet we get to call home. I appreciate the amount of work that you’ve had to do to share your adventures, thanks for providing me with some quality entertainment on a Thursday afternoon! If you are coming through San Francisco feel free to get in contact. I live two blocks from the Pacific Ocean and I have a shop full of tools if you need to do any repairs. Hope you guys are having a blast wherever you are and I’m looking forward to hearing about more of your adventures! Take care!

  2. Elizabeth

    Hi there…been keeping an eye on your travels ! Great to see ll is well. Trinity winding down in next few weeks .
    All the best on your journey!
    Elizabeth and Ed

  3. Lindsay

    No need to apologize for plugging Sam Correro’s good works, in my book — I’ve never even seen a photo of him. Nice to hear a little about the man behind the TAT. Been enjoying your blogs, thanks for the vicarious trip!

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