October Trip to Kentucky

[creole]

Friends are wanting to take a bike trip from Northwestern Oklahoma to about Mammoth Cave park in Kentucky in Late October this year. Sounds like a good time to us, should be nice colors in the trees and one last chance for a trip before the cold weather really sets in. We don't get that direction much and wondered if anyone had any advice to what the Kentucky weather typically is around the last of October. Also wondered if Local folks in that area had advice on things we should see / experience while in the area.

 

Thanks much,

Creole

[djh3]

I get to ride over that way about once a year. This year we rode a strech called "mountina Parkway" or something to that name. I'll have to get into TYRE and see exactly what road number it is. Bob Myers on this fourm is from over that way and has loads of roads he has run in Ky. May be chilly in the mornings. Last year my buddy and I left out for Knoxville from Cincinati about this time of year and it was 28 deg @ 7 am. It stayer pretty chilly most of the day until about Knoxville. I am leaving for the NC mountinas in about a week, we are hoping for some cooler weather but not that cold. Oh by the way dont know if you have ever seen this but here is a neat tool on the weather channel site to help figure the weather along your route. Zip codes work best if you know them, sometimes it dont have the town listing your looking for.

[Ky. Rider]

Hey Creole, typically that time of the year is good riding weather here of course that varies with rain and can be a little cool. I recommend riding the Trace in Land

Between the Lakes if possible. It runs north/south and is about 60 miles long. Non commercial traffic, no businesses or houses and a nice ride. If you ride south on the Trace you will come out at Dover, Tn. where Ft. Donaldson from the Civil War is a nice stop and a trip to Paris Landing just a few miles west is very pretty and eating at the Lodge is a nice setting with good food. If you ride north you will come out in Grand Rivers, Ky. just off I24 and a trip to Patti's is a must. I live in far western Ky. near a little town called Sedalia a couple of hours from the cave. If you pass through my area you are welcome to try looking me up. I say try cause I'm on the move alot. . Hope you have a great trip and if I can be of assistance let me know. Bill

Edited October 1, 2012 by Ky. Rider

[creole]

djh3,

Thanks for the information. That sounds kind of cool to us too!, but we plan on having to bundle up a bit. Hope it's warmer than 28 in the mornings, but we'll make do. We're really looking forward to seeing the country out there, we mostly go west, have not been east of home much. Always wanted to just haven't had the opportunity. Now the opportunity is here and I'm sure the scenery will not disappoint even if a bit frosty. Thanks also for the weather channel tip, I'll check it out!

 

 

Ky. Rider,

Also a big thanks for the tips, we had planned on riding through the land between the lakes although we didn't really know what it was, and the information on the other routs, we will surely look up. It's nice to have a local's opinions and not get in a bind somewhere away from home! Nice of you to offer help when we're in your neck of the woods, never know when the unexpected will blind side you. As I said above, we are really excited to come out and see Kentucky. My wife has been doing some genealogy on our families the past couple of years and unbeknown to us, a good part of her family comes from the Kentucky area with some interesting history. We surely will not have time to follow the family tree this trip. I doubt our friends in toe will not find as much interest in it, but it will mean another trip out that way, hopefully in the near future! I'll have some motel time this week and the routs you mentioned will give me some research to do.

 

Thank You for the input!

Creole

[djh3]

Shows as Hwy 402 from about Lexington to Pikeville is where we got on. Bert Combs Mountian Parkway is name. Check link for a map.

[Steel Horse Cowboy]

Creole,

I live over in south central Ky (between Lake Cumberland and Green River lake), if your trip brings you that far and you need anything my contact info is on my page. We had a real dry summer so the leaves will not be colorful for very long in October.

Also I am with the PGR here in Ky and we are having our fall get together in that area (Mammoth cave) Oct. 26-28, you and your friends would be more than welcome to join us. Ride and BBQ is Saturday, Oct. 27.

 

Hope you have a great trip,

C.R.

[eazyduzzit]

There's a Corvette museum just south of Mammoth Cave. There was a storm moving in when we were there, so we got out of town, and didn't visit it, but it looked like it might be interesting.

[dacheedah]

The bourbon trail is awesome, if you get a passport (free) and do all 6 you get a free T shirt. Lots of cool history.

[creole]

Sure appreciate all the information! We probably wont be disappointed in the foilage even though the area has been dry. Western Oklahoma has been really dry the last two years, even the sage bruzsh is starting to wilt....thinking about selling the boat because the lakes almost don't have enough water to reach the boat ramps.... anyway, we will check into the routs suggested and see where the road takes us. This forum is great and obviously has great members.

 

THANKS ALL

 

Creole

[Wrench]

Hey Creole, I'll try to meet up and ride a little with you, I live about an hour north of Mammoth Cave. If you come into Ky from the southwest you can pick up Hwy 68/80 at Aurora, which is on the west side of Ky. Lake. You could also come in thru Wickliffe, Ky., pick up Hwy 60 and stop in Owensboro for some BBQ at Moonlite. Just let me know your plans and I'll see if I can make it, looking forward to meeting you.

[djh3]

LOL Woodward being Western. At least you all have trees and lakes. I lived over in Altus and had one lake for 100 miles and nothing but cotton and mesquete bushes. Got to get east of I-35 to get to green trees and vegitation. Man I dont miss that red dirt getting into everything.

[creole]

Wrench,

I'll try to keep you posted, Our friends are doing most of the planning, I'm just gathering information to feed them. Would be nice to meet you too.

 

djh3,

So you know the red dirt huh? We have lived with it our whole lives although I'm originally from "Just south of Enid" , we had trees, red dirt and sand. Then moved on west to the woodward area and the trees and sand seemed to disappear. We like it though.....Kind of wish there were more trees and water though.

[creole]

Had a long day of riding yesterday and made some good miles. They got much better once we got out of the Oklahoma wind. Arkansas weather is great right now and much better than we had hoped for. Hopefully, the weather in Kentucky will be as nice. We should make Paducah sometime this afternoon and slow down to take in some of the local sights!

 

All suggestions welcome!

 

Have a great day All!

[Wrench]

Creole, looks like you guys may have to just sit it out tomorrow. Sounds like it's gonna be pretty wet, and really cooler most all day, but Saturday is supposed to be dry and sunny with a high around 57. Let me know your plans for Saturday and I'll see if I can get down that way to meet you, at least for a little while. If you're looking for something different to do there's a bike shop just on the south side of Mammoth Cave Park, it's called Chrome Crazy. He mostly caters to the 'wing crowd but he's got a lot of Kuryakyn stuff for other bikes too. He and his wife are really good people, and enjoy having company, just be sure to sign the book if you go. Sorry I hadn't gotten back with you, I started a new job yesterday and my butt was kicked last night!

[creole]

Wrench.

Don't worry about it. We rode the trace yesterday and knocked around taking in the local sights in that area.. Spent a good chunk of our day around Dover, checking out the history there. Had a great day and really enjoyed Kentucky, most definately will come back and get further East.

Anyway, the weather spooked us a bit. We really need to keep moving, so we dropped south and ended up In Jackson TN. Rain chances were lower and the days high looked a bit better to start shaking our way west. AS dry as our state has been..... we cant believe we're running from rain! LOL

 

Enjoy that new job!

 

Creole