Natchez Trace-STR Post Ride Day #2

Natchez Trace Parkway (Mile post 444 to 430 and back): 29.57 miles
Comments: Ride Time was 2 hours 29 minutes, average speed: 11.8

Today we drove to the Northern Terminus of the Trace and parked at the Loveless Café where we planned to have lunch after our ride. I would recommend today’s ride to anyone who owns a bike—it was just fabulous! The fall colors were everywhere we looked and the road was smooth as glass. Traffic is minimal on the Trace and held to a speed of 40 mph along this stretch of the Parkway.

Our little group headed south towards mile post 430 with plans to go into the historic district of Leipers Fork. Once at the Fork, we realized the town closed down on Monday and Tuesday so we choose to rest at the market and then turn back towards our start where lunch was awaiting at the Loveless Café.

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the famed Loveless Café—a Nashville tradition since 1951. The Café started serving its famous fried chicken and biscuits in 1951 when Lon and Annie Loveless served it right out their front door to travelers on Highway 100.

An Evening in Franklin, Tennessee
We decided to drive into the historic town of Franklin for our evening meal. We noticed an Irish Pub listed in the Franklin ads and wanted to walk in the footsteps of the Civil War soldiers as they fought the battle of Franklin in this Tennessee town.

The historic Lotz House was at the epicenter of the Battle of Franklin, a pivotal battle in the Civil War on November 30, 1864—the five bloodiest hours of the American Civil War.

The Carter House, built in 1830, was caught in the midst of one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War. The home was used as a command post for Union General Jacob D. Cox during the Battle of Franklin. The Carter family sought refuge in the cellar as horrific fighting raged all around the house. Franklin was a turning point in the Tennessee Campaign of 1864 and helped spell the end for the Confederacy. Casualties were extremely heavy—nearly 7,500 Southern troops and approximately 2,500 Federal troops were killed, wounded or captured.

We completed our visit of Franklin with dinner at McCreary’s Irish Pub and Eatery. The guys ordered beer which came with a shamrock indentation in the foam. I was not able to order my usual evening drink as the pub only served beer and wine—I debated the right this bar had to be called a “traditional Irish Pub”. We each split a delicious shepherd’s pie and then drove back to the hotel. I was still looking for a nightcap so Bill and Marsha joined Dennis and I at Jonathans before retiring for the evening. We had a wonderful conversation and enjoyed getting to know Bill and Marsha better. We said our good-byes in the hotel lobby closing this chapter of our Post tour ride south of Nashville, TN.