We headed west on TN 62 from Oak Ridge, then south on TN 95
(The Oak Ridge Parkway, a great 2 lane road--with huge 8'+ shoulders). 
Thursday, October 17, 1996
Departure time: Noon. Weather: rain.
Because it was raining, I had my microcassette recorder and digital camera sealed away in One-Zip bags, so didn't record my notes for much of the day or take many pictures.
There is a bicycle store in Oak Ridge. We left late because we were waiting for the store to open (10:00). We went there to get Ritt's front derailleur adjusted so it wouldn't drop his chain when he shifted into his granny gear and to find the cause of a click coming from my front wheel. The store was short-handed, but the owner did his best to address our problems. He adjusted the set screw on Ritt's derailleur and noted that Ritt needed a major overhaul--news that Ritt had already heard. He pulled my front wheel and repacked the bearings, noting that I'll probably need new bearing cones or a new hub by the end of the trip. Riding thousands of miles on a bicycle is tough on it; especially with heavy loads like I've been carrying, but apparently Cannondale had used relatively low grade wheel components.
We headed west on TN 62 from Oak Ridge, then south on TN 95
(The Oak Ridge Parkway, a great 2 lane road--with huge 8'+ shoulders).
We crossed the Clinch River--part of the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) dam project.
By the time we reached I-40 and stopped for lunch, the rain stopped.
From there, we headed down 321 to Lenoir City, where we stopped at the Loudon
County Visitor Center for directions. We rode another 2 miles down 321 (with
great shoulders) and then turned onto US-11 and our shoulders shrank to
about 18" and the traffic sped up considerably. 
When we got to the bridge over the Tennessee River at Loudon, Tennessee, our shoulders were completely eliminated. There is not 6" between the truck in the picture and the right side of the bridge rail, so we elected to walk our bikes across the bridge on the sidewalk. The Loudon Bridge is old and in very bad shape. There were rust holes through the steel plated sidewalk. And, there was broken glass everywhere; including numerous pieces of mirror.
Walking along the sidewalk it was quite evident that we'd made the right choice. There would be no way to ride across the bridge without taking the lane and blocking traffic for about 15 minutes.
The bridge crosses a rail line.
The river below is quite impressive (that's a motor boat).
We had hoped to make it further, but as we rode into Sweetwater, I was experiencing a great deal of discomfort from indigestion and didn't think I could continue on. It is laundry day too, so we elected to seek a motel, laundromat and restaurant. We stayed at the Comfort Inn in Sweetwater. Tomorrow, we should reach Georgia.
Total miles today: 49.
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© Ed Noonan 1996, 1997