Birthday ride up to 65 miles-Balm, Lithia, Boyette, Bunker Hill and Wimauma.

A great group of SMBC’ers showed up for an early and later rollout to get the birthday miles in.


Too serious taking Pete’s pic




Joy
Don

Rest stop at Bunker Hill Missionary Baptist.





A staggered return to Balm Park depending on mileage and a couple of mechanical issues. We all headed to an El Sol Mexican Restaurant lunch. Super b day and thanks to all my great lovely knucklehead bicycle friends! Big peace out Tres dog

Rainy day-NC Gem and Stone Show and Penland School of Craft

A rainy day had us out to Spruce Pine, NC and the gem show. Wow!



On to the Penland School of Craft.

Lucy Morgan built a cabin on a Ford truck and drove from Penland, NC to The World’s Fair in Chicago selling crafts and showing others the craft making abilities of this region in 1935. She is legacy here.

Actual truck.


The gallery. Incredible. Did not do it justice.





Stay dry. Big peace out Tres

US 221/Blue Ridge Parkway-30.3 miles and 2438 feet of elevation.

An overcast morning but no rain at the Inn at Ragged Gardens. Great sleep and lovely made to order breakfast of eggs, bacon, english muffin and the best/creamiest stone ground grits with cheddar cheese I have ever eaten Gib!

I left with a foggy morning but this ride is a classic. Not a lot of pics because of total white out.



Just wanted to get this ride in before the weather. Stopped at the horse show. Julian Price Memorial Park below.



Mariella walking while I rode.


Cumberland Falls and Eagle Falls hike

A super easy roll out with the wife present. We stopped at Cumberland Falls on the way in yesterday. A couple of pics.





A short but strenuous hike to Eagle Falls was chosen. Jordan, do you like the strenuous spelling? LOL.






A cool soak at Eagle Falls

4 states in 4 days. A 5th state tomorrow. Whew! Big peace out, Tres.

ATL-Truist Park- MTSU and Murfreesboro- Cumberland Falls, KY

A 5:45 AM out got me out on the road to my old friends Darren and Cici great house in Tucker, GA. Nap and away to the Braves/Brewers game at Truist. WOW!

Battery Park found us at the Omni for the absolute quintessential burger before the game. Oh yeah baby!

The Dog and the T dog

A rain delay made our late arrival after dinner right on time. Absolute blast with 42,502 at the game.


A gourmet breakfast of this everything all in egg/frittata casserole that Cici made with fresh baked croissants and jam. Out of this world. Gib!

I went to meet some cousins from my grandfather’s side of the family that had just taken a chance and reached out to me via the blog at Murfreesboro. It was incredible. Our grandfather’s were brothers and they had ancestry.com records and books. I was sent a recent historical article about my grandfather, Rupert McAdoo Smith Sr. I am the third. He distinguished himself at Vanderbilt in 1921 as a quarterback and halfback in an undefeated season as the leading scorer. Only to marry my grandmother a year later and go back to school and coach and teach.

This picture was from the restaurant we ate at. It is from 1917 or so of the Tennessee Normal School. My Grandfather also played for MTSU before playing at Vanderbilt. I was three when he passed.

Leather helmut. The visit was so incredible. I also learned of family and a home in Lacasses(sp), TN about 10 miles. I have a ton to read and catch up on. What a lovely family.

Mariella comes today and we get to visit Cumberland Falls before going to Blowing Rock. Big couple of days. Big peace out.