444 Miles on the Natchez Trace Parkway

Life on the bicycle is simple for the most part. You pedal, navigate, track down food and water, and look for a safe dry place to stay. You wake up in a new place, meet new people, and have new experiences—every day. It’s a gift. So when we wrapped up 444 miles of slow and scenic riding along the Natchez Trace Parkway, we wanted to reflect. Here are 6 experiences that rose to the top:

Refreshing change of pace
A lot of the locals we talked with find the Trace to be a boring tunnel of green. It’ll get you to where you need to go, but it’s slow. For us, it was anything but boring. And the lack of traffic, congestion, streetlights, and fast food establishments were a welcome change of pace. On loaded bicycles, we aren’t traveling fast anyway. But we loved how it forced you to slow down even more and took you back in time. There are a ton of historical markers and structures to check out along the way, but it’s cool to think about how early people traveled through here. There aren’t too many places in the country that are like it.

The Music Triangle
Nashville, Memphis, and Muscle Shoals are the epicenter of Southern Music. While we missed Memphis this trip, the Trace helped us to scratch the surface of this gold record road. We went through Tupelo, Elvis’ birthplace. You can go by the hardware store where he purchased his first guitar. (Funny thing about that was his mom wanted to buy him a bike, and Elvis wanted a gun. The guitar was the compromise.)

We made a quick stop in the Hit Capital of the world, Muscle Shoals, AL. More than 50 hits were produced here between 1964 – 1980. And when we got closer to Nashville, our friends T & S took us to Muletown in the Round. It’s an intimate venue where hit songwriters showcase their songs and the stories behind them. It’s awesome.

Reconnecting with friends and loved ones
This is definitely one of our favorite parts of the Ramble Project. Our good friends T & S moved to Tennessee almost 10 years ago. And while we’ve stayed in touch, we haven’t seen one another since they left. T has been encouraging us to come out for years. It’s crazy to think that we needed to do a cross-country cyclotour to make it happen. When we were in Texas, we were looking for a route to take us to their home in Leipers Fork, and the Trace took us straight to them. They are a kind, loving, and giving family, and we’re so grateful we were able to catch up and see the beautiful life they’ve built. (Thank you, T & S, for everything!!)

The list of “Strange Places We’ve Slept” is growing
On this journey, we’ve slept in a converted school bus, a library, dispersed campgrounds, a fancy shed, and a barn, to name a few. But now we can add a fire department to the list! Collinwood, TN, is a small town just off the Trace. We discovered that if you call ahead, they’ll provide free housing for sweaty cyclotourists. (How cool is that?)

These types of things keep happening on this trip and I’m always amazed by the kindness and generosity of strangers.

Being even more strategic about resources
There are pros and cons to everything. And while the Trace is bucolic and peaceful, it’s not always easy to restock food or to find lodging. It’s not always clear where you can find water either. Stores are few and far between and often miles off the Trace. And if the temperature drops below freezing at night, we try to stay inside. We had one cold spell in particular so we made a 20-mile detour to Muscle Shoals. It wasn’t easy but it was worth the extra pedaling. We were able to rest our quads, discovered a Muscle Shoals Spotify playlist, and a got good night’s sleep.

Free camping is a thing
On the Trace, most of the camping—in nice campgrounds—is free. Coming from the West Coast, this is unimaginably awesome. Cortney and I understand that camping isn’t for everyone, but for some people, it’s everything. We’ve encountered more people living in campgrounds full time, either tenting, RVing, or adventure vanning.

We ran into this nice couple from Albany, OR, at a couple campgrounds along the Trace. They were true nomads and had been living out of their car for the last year. They’re slow-touring the US, looking for a slower place to settle—somewhere that’s more affordable. We hope they find it.

The Trace brought us into Nashville. Even though our time there was short, we were able to see a lot and biked 20 miles along the Cumberland River and into the downtown area. One of the hardest things to accept on a trip like this is you aren’t able to see everything. Each place is its own universe, you could spend a lifetime exploring. So we do the best we can with the time we have. And we’re proud of that.

-Erik