Author: Bob

Had a really good fried bologna sandwich at the Shady Valley Country Store. We rode the route from Damascus, VA to Shady Valley, to Mountain City, TN and then back to Damascus. Route 133 from Dasmascus to Shady Valley was a nice stretch of road through a valley. You might even see a black bear or two. Stop at Backbone Rock and make the very steep climb to the top if you have the energy. There is a good sized parking lot on the southwest side of Backbone Rock.

This parkway, particularly the northern end, has turned into one of my favorite places to ride in the fall. Early November is an ideal time to catch the leaves at peak color and the weather is just right. Visit Loveless Cafe at the northern terminus and stop in Leipers Fork just a few miles down the road. There you will find three cool places for food or music: Fox & Locke, Big Bad Breakfast at Country Boy, and The Davis General a few miles down the road in Boston. Meriwether Lewis' burial site near Hohenwald is a good stop for history buffs and French Camp, MS is a good stop for history and food at the Council House. The road surface is near perfect with little traffic except maybe around Tupelo and Jackson, MS.