THE 2023 MSTA STAR RALLY • PART 1
If you have read the previous post you’ll know that I arrived safely in Knoxville, Tennessee for the 2023 MSTA STAR Rally. Let’s get the acronyms out of the way right up front. MSTA stands for Motorcycle Sport Touring Association and STAR is the name given to their annual national rally. Acronyms only from this point forward. It will save me a lot of typing.
Spa Day
The venue chosen for the 2023 MSTA STAR Rally was the Holiday Inn-Knoxville West. The hotel is situated in the heart of the city near the intersection of interstates I-40 and I-75. This urban establishment was chosen for its ability to accommodate a few hundred rally goers and provide for all of their lodging, catering, parking, vendor space and meeting room needs under one roof. Despite the metropolitan location great motorcycling opportunities were just a short ride away.
The Holiday Inn • Knoxville West
Unlike the last two mornings I didn’t get my butt out of bed till almost 9:00AM this morning. After the last two days riding and hiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway I’m laying low today. I made a good call on the weather yesterday and got into Knoxville by late afternoon…before the real severe weather hit. The worst thing I have to worry about today is whether or not the temperature of the hotel’s hot tub suits me.
I had some important emails and voice messages that required my attention, and I needed to put the finishing touches on the programs I would be presenting to the rally’s attendees over the next two days. Oh yeah…laundry was a priority today, too. I’ve been on the road for seven days now and was in dire need of revitalizing my supply of clothing suitable for public wear.
Which begs this question: Don’t hotel laundry operators realize that it is 2023? In this day of high tech electronic payment methods (e.g. credit or debit cards, Apple Pay®, Google Wallet, etc) why are hotel laundry facilities still coin-operated? Don’t they know how inconvenient (nearly impossible) it is to come up with $5.00 in quarters these days? C’mon, folks. Get with the program.
A Rider’s Rally
Unlike a lot of other “biker gatherings” I’ve attended, the folks that attended the 2023 MSTA STAR Rally came here to ride! Gibby’s, the hotel’s in-house pub, was virtually deserted by 9:00PM every night. Breakfast was served at 7:00AM every morning. By 8:00AM most of the attendees had eaten, donned their riding gear and emptied the parking lot that held a few hundred motorcycles just an hour earlier.
The fine riding opportunities in Eastern Tennessee are endless. There are legendary motorcycling roads that most every rider has heard of. There are also unique destinations that would escape you if they weren’t brought to your attention by the devoted folks that put on this event. Multiple kiosks in the hotel lobby featured pictures and maps of suggested rides in the area. There were pre-planned routes…road riding and off-road tracks…with downloadable GPX files just a simple bar code scan away.
New Destinations
Tuesday morning I was back in my road trip routine of getting up early. No, it wasn’t one of those 4:00AM affairs but I was one of the first folks to hit the expansive breakfast buffet put on by the 2023 MSTA STAR Rally crew. Amply fed, and fully fueled with caffeine, I was climbing into the saddle of my BMW before 8:00AM. I headed west on State Road 62 out of Knoxville towards Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I was expecting to find a couple of aged country-western singers sitting in wooden rocking chairs on the porch of a rustic log cabin. What I found, instead, was a vibrant city of more than 35,000 residents.
Stopping in a large, modern convenience mart/gas station I struck up a conversation with a local police motorcycle officer who was probably old enough to know who The Oak Ridge Boys were. Not only was this guy one of the most skillful riders I’ve ever seen in my life, (aren’t they all?) he was a fountain of information on the history of Oak Ridge.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee played a crucial role in America’s development of nuclear weapons during the Manhattan Project, which was a top-secret research and development effort during World War II. The city was established as one of the key sites for the project and became an integral part of the scientific and technological advancements that led to the creation of the atomic bomb. Oak Ridge was constructed as a purpose-built city to house the thousands of scientists, engineers, and workers involved in the Manhattan Project. The facilities in Oak Ridge were extensive, including research laboratories, production plants, and support infrastructure.
The Manhattan Project had a profound impact on the population of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The population of Oak Ridge grew from around 3,000 in 1942 to over 75,000 by the end of World War II, making it one of the largest cities in Tennessee at the time. Many of the workers who had migrated to Oak Ridge for employment opportunities during the war left the city once their work was no longer needed.
Off To Prison
I continued west on State Route 62, then turned north on Route 116. My next stop was the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, located in Petros, Tennessee, a maximum-security prison that operated from 1896 to 2009. Nestled in the rugged Appalachian Mountains, it gained a reputation as one of the most infamous correctional facilities in the United States.
Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary was known for its harsh conditions and strict disciplinary measures. Inmates were subjected to hard labor, including mining the nearby coalfields. Over the years, Brushy Mountain witnessed several notable events and well-known prisoners. James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was incarcerated here for a period. Following years of declining conditions and legal challenges, Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary closed its doors in 2009, however, the prison has gained a new lease on life as a historical site and tourist attraction.
I didn’t leave any of my hard-earned vacation dollars at the gate, though. Due to my early start I had arrived long before the prison opened its doors for the day. Anyone wishing to visit this historic site should note that it opens to the public at 10:30AM daily.
Technical Challenges Ahead
Leaving the penitentiary grounds you’ll start seeing some prominent warning signs on the side of the road. Though these signs are erected to discourage truckers from attempting to traverse this byway; they are the type of signs that bring smiles to a motorcyclist’s face.
Welcome to the Fork Mountain section of Route 116. It was every bit as technically challenging as it appears on the map below. Sadly, this exciting stretch of road is only about four miles in length…just long enough to raise your heart rate to dangerous levels. Not long enough to earn the legendary status of roads such as “The Tail of the Dragon”, but equally as challenging technically. Novice riders have no business on this road. Take a different route if you’re not sure your skills are up to the challenge, but you still wish to see some of the same attractions I’m heading towards.
Next Stop: Norris Dam
Continue north on Route 116 to the town of Rocky Top, Tennessee. Make a right on route 441 and travel east approximately 4-1/2 miles. You’ll be approaching Norris Dam at this point. Look for the signs pointing you towards the overlook.
Parked at the Norris Dam/Norris Lake overlook
The construction of Norris Dam began in 1933 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program. It was one of the first major projects undertaken by the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) a federal agency created to address economic and environmental challenges in the Tennessee Valley region. Norris Dam is an impressive structure, standing at a height of 265 feet above and 1,860 feet across the Clinch River.
The primary purpose of Norris Dam was to control the flooding of the Tennessee River and its tributaries. Additionally, it aimed to provide a stable water supply for irrigation, navigation, and industrial purposes; as well as to generate hydroelectric power.
When you leave the scenic overlook continue on Route 441 and you’ll be treated to a ride across the top of the dam with views of Norris Lake, to your left; and the Clinch River, downstream to your right.
Breaking From The Shackles of History
Continuing on Route 441 you will find yourself at The Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tennessee. At least I did. According to the information on their website:
“The Museum of Appalachia is a living history museum — a pioneer mountain farm-village that lends voice to the people of Southern Appalachia through the artifacts and stories they left behind. Founded in 1969 by John Rice Irwin, the Museum is now a non-profit organization, and a Smithsonian Affiliate museum.”
Parked briefly on the grounds of The Museum of Appalachia
I had to resort to their website for the blurb above because a funny sensation had come over me just as I entered the rough gravel parking area. I’m a rider, damn it…not a historian. This day started innocently enough. Armed with my maps, cameras, and a misguided sense of ambition, I embarked on a self-guided tour through the historical wonders close to the 2023 MSTA STAR Rally venue. Between visits to the birthplace of the atomic bomb, a notorious prison and an engineering marvel I was starting to feel less like a biker and more like one of those woeful souls trapped in the clutches of a mind-numbing bus tour. I had to get out of here…quickly. I just wanted to let you know the museum is here if you feel inclined to brush up on Appalachian antiquity. I took the quick snapshot above to chronicle my visit. As my dear friend, Gregg always says: “Without pictures it never happened.”
Back To The City
Route 61 out of Clinton is another fine motorcycling road conducive to “spirited” two-wheeling. Slow it down a bit just below Big Ridge State Park, and again when the warning signs alert you. You will encounter a few tight switchbacks to negotiate between the remaining segments of this road that beg for a fistful of throttle. The southbound portion of Route 61 eventually runs out at the intersection of Route 33. This fairly busy byway will bring you right back into the heart of Knoxville 25 miles later…not the most scenic road you’ll ever ride on, but still a whole lot better than any interstate.
Tonight’s conference room set for the first of my two rally presentations
So ends my first day of riding at the 2023 MSTA STAR Rally. Tonight will be my first appearance as a guest speaker. The program will be entitled “Roads Less Traveled”. It is a long form one hour presentation that discusses my captivation with remote, rural backroads, why I gravitate towards them and how I find them. There’s simply not enough room in this post to recap the entire live exposition, but you can get some of the most important goodies by reading the blog post that goes by the same name. You can access it by clicking on the photo below:
In the next post from this road trip I’ll be visiting The Foothills of Eastern Tennessee. I hope you’ll join me virtually for the ride. As always we welcome your comments below. Click Here to view an interactive visual index page where you can quickly browse through all of the great features that are published on the Roadcraft USA blog. Be sure to subscribe to Roadcraft USA. We send out monthly email notifications about new features that have hit the blog.