2010 Tom's 50th
High School Reunion in Kentucky
I suggest you set your window just a little wider
than the photos and scroll down.
This is most of the actual trip as it turned out,
which is a bit different than it had been planned.
Two hours into East Texas, I
found myself on Squirrel Road. If you don't know, Squirrel Road is right there
between Woodchuck Road and Sheep Road, near the home of our friends Lynn and
Lindy.
They
weren't home, but a stop at their place always inspires
Heading
diagonally southeast across Louisiana with the sun on my back.
Into
Natchez for a late dinner
After
a quick look around the next morning
I
left with a trace
I
had ridden some parts of the Trace Parkway before, but this time I would ride
it all
It's
a sweet road if you adjust your attitude to just take it easy. (Hint: Getting
older helps.)
These
guys crossed the road in front of me, then left "without a Trace"
You
can walk short stretches of the original trace in some places
This
guy could just get by with his cane, but once on his Gold Wing Trike he was
good to go.
These
very cool guys from Argentina flew to Nashville to rent Harleys and ride the
Natchez Trace.
We
all agreed that now it's my turn to come south and ride the incredible roads of
Argentina. Yes!
The
Choctaw ancestors of my ex-wife Margaret came from this area
They
get a lot of hay from the meadows that line the Trace Parkway
More
of the dozens of native burial mounds
Too
bad they didn't know what they were being duped into.
This
is one of the few places where you can ride on a part of the original trace
I
knew this had happened but didn't realize I would come across the site on this
trip
There
are no stop signs on the Natchez Trace Parkway. At some intersections you cross
under.
At
others you cross over.Ý It's controlled
access but the control isn't intrusive
This
big crossover was just south of Nashville, where I got off the Trace at its
north end
An
hour of I-65 north from Nashville is all I could take of the superslab
So
I turned east onto KY 100, which I had never ridden before. It was far more
pleasant.
As
long as I ignored politics of course
\
Halloween
is coming
This
is much like the Kentucky I knew as a kid
I
was pleasantly surprised to find a good motel in the little town of
Tompkinsville
I
came onto the last remaining state run ferry in Kentucky. It was free so of
course I tookÝ it.
I
had forgotten how much the Kentucky fog collects in the low places in the
morning.
This
lake seemed mythical when I grew up near the Cumberland River about 60 miles
east
Now
I'm getting back near my home turf.Ý I
rode this road so many times about 50 years ago.
I
parked my little Harley 165 here many times when I was in high school
I
often swam out to that big flat rock and dived into the Cumberland River
There
were of course no signs like these back in the good old days.
Tourists
above the Cumberland Falls
Some
60 years ago, I shot my own little popgun in this same spot
And
walked often to the falls to see the rainbow. It's also famous for it's
moonbow.
It
was so glad to see me again it came through with a nice double rainbow
I
wish I had all the photos taken of me in front of these falls, but most are
long lost
If
the CCC program hadn't pulled my folks through in the late 30's I probably
wouldn't be here
Dupont
Lodge, where we held our 45th reunion five years ago
The
famous (to us back in the day) "Dry Land Bridge"
My
friend Glen, the "Hummer Boy" lived here
And
I lived for 18 years here at 110 18th St. I was shocked that it and
three others had vanished
Once
when I was about to give up finding my missing arrow I found it stuck in that
upstairs door
My
first job was washing mugs here when I was thirteen. Two summers of that bought
my first car.
My
folks later bought the A&W and made it successful enough to still later buy
this house
The
"Concrete Bridge" where I often played
My
quarters during the reunion weren't here of course back in the day
But
the Sanders motel and restaurant were
Mom
and Dad and I often ate the Colonel's chicken here when he served it to us
himself
He
also cooked it himself in this kitchen. My dad knew Harland well before he was
the Colonel
Dad
eventually bought this Laundromat, mainly so he could fix the machines when
they broke
Dad
and I pulled tourists from these rooms into his fishing boat when Corbin
flooded
Except
for the KFC and the Hardee's signs, main street looks much like it did in the
50's
This
is the old L&N depot located on (you guessed it) Depot Street
We
began the reunion by gathering outside the old Edwards Gym
And
had a classic car parade through downtown
This
low underpass sometimes trapped 18 wheelers. They would deflate the tires to
get out.
The
old football stadium
Classic
cars? Hey they were young when we were
The
class of 1960 always did draw a lot of cops
My
high school sweetheart (and first wife) Patti and I had a good laugh once she
recognized me
The
mayor of Corbin came out to speak the memorial service for our 11 classmates
that are no longer here
Bo
Eubanks, Peggy Sturgill Eubanks, and Mrs. Ima Sturgill (who is the cause of all
of this)
I
was glad to find my old friend Doug Cornn, who often rode to school on my
Harley 165
He
now has a truss manufacturing company with his son
Doug
lives next to his shop the same way I do mine
My
dad's brother Clyde operated this shovel in the coal business for decades
It
morphed into a general excavation business now run by his son Mike
We
were treated to a nice little play about returning to CorbinÝ (Nibroc is Corbin backwards)
I
fell in love with Triumph Bonneville parallel twins and Harley Sportster
V-Twins while I was in high school
I
also fell in love with these twins at about the same time.
Ý
I
waited 50 years and they all just kept getting better. Patience really does pay!
Every
time I stopped to see my first mother-in-law she was out running around
somewhere.
I
finally caught up with and met my third cousin Scott, who is Mike's son
One
last look at the old A&W where I worked for many years
Dad
taught me to drive on the days we went to this ice plant to fill the chests for
the motel where he worked
My
parents moved to this place in "Woodbine" while I was away in college
I
never did catch my second cousin's wife Wilma at home.
But
I finally did catch his son Mike and his wife just before I had to head out
I
passed this place often in college but didn't know about it. There was no sign
and no access until recently
I
just had to take old Hwy 25 north to Berea, which is about 20 miles south of
Richmond where I went to school.
I
had a great visit with my first brother-in-law Dan Brewer and his wife Donna
Dan
has a cool job making and fixing all kinds of stuff for Berea College
Don't
you use clamp blocks from your machine shop to hold down your P-38 parts?
This
is how a college office should be
I
passed here a hundred times while in college but couldn't afford to stop and
eat. Today I splurged.
Boone
Tavern is known far and wide as a class act.
I
have very fond memories of Eastern, and still visit every chance I get.
In
1961 I ended the first ride of my wife Patti when I dumped my Allstate 250 in a
patch of oil right here.
This
Amphitheatre was a fine part of campus life and it still is.
Patti
and I lived here at 228 Brockton for three years. It was brand new,
inexpensive, and great.
My
class was the first to graduate in the new Alumni Coliseum in 1964
I
was standing on these steps when I learned that JFK had been shot in Dallas
Dr.
J. G. Black, my mentor and friend, was head of the EKU physics department and
lived here on Oak Street.
I
rode the Western Kentucky Parkway, and near Paducah I saw this very interesting
Harley shop.
Here
I crossed the Ohio River to ride a half mile in Illinois
Then
I crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas
I
wound my way across beautiful North Arkansas
Back
in the 70's I often visited Jack's with my good friends Bill & Bobbie
Curtis
Bill
once tried to borrow Steve Goodman's guitar from John Prine for me here, and he
almost pulled it off.
We
had great times on the White River in Jack's boats. Sadly I learned Jack had
passed just this summer.
The
dock at Calico Rock is a few miles on up the White River from Jack's place.
I
bet these guys are visiting from Kentucky to teach the locals how to run.
Yep!
Look close and you can tell.
I
once rode into this spot near Harrison frozen in place on the Cagiva saddle. It
was 19 degrees.
My
friends Carol and Bill Goodson pried me loose and thawed me out.
Today
it's a lot warmer.
Bill
knows the roads here well and made some suggestions about my route.
I
found he was right on. The roads were fantastic.
I
learned the CCC is still teaching important skills to people in many places
around the country.
I
happened across a Bluegrass Festival because I had lived next door to Bill
Monroe when I was a month old.
Part
of the beautiful "Pig Trail" scenic byway
This
is just south of Fayetteville
These
people have the ultimate apple cider. I once lost a gallon I had bungeed to my
Gold Wing.
My
good friend and ex-wife Margaret (try it, you'll like it) had just gotten a
Nintendo Wii.
She
quickly made a believer of me and I'm getting one myself.
This
is her Granny's old churn that we refinished and the Indian that was carved
near Jack's about 35 years ago
This very special Choctaw
lady got her masters in Native American Studies about 15 years ago and returned
to work with her people in Oklahoma. She ran two Cherokee Chief elections then
went to monitor the first democratic election in Mozambique with Rosalynn Jimmy
and Carter.
Margaret's
mother Maggie lives in Soper, Oklahoma, a few miles west of Hugo.
I
stop in to visit her about every 15 years or so. She just gets younger as I get
older . . .
That's
all folks!