JeepSnake
December 29th, 2005, 08:13 AM
Hey y’all,
While visiting Unique last week, we all got to talking about the possibility of a cruise to Lynchburg, TN.
Sandy & I took a weekend trip up there this last fall, and I thought I’d pass along the route we took in case anyone was interested. We drove this route in reverse coming back, but I’ll give it as if you were traveling from Gadsden to Lynchburg. It’s all beautiful country, with a lot of farming ranging from livestock to row crops. The roads were good, and traffic was light on that Saturday.
Leaving Gadsden, you would take the standard “Homecoming Cruise” route north up Lookout Mountain Parkway. Rather than turning down to Desoto Falls, continue on the LMP straight into Mentone, AL. The road intersects AL 117 at the stop sign in “downtown.” Here, there are two options: immediately turn north (left) on AL 117, or stop in at the Log Cabin Deli for a homemade fudge cake with ice cream before proceeding north on AL 117. (It goes without saying that the fudge cake option is highly recommended!)
After turning left (north), AL 117 takes you off Lookout Mountain, and into the valley through Valley Head & Hammondville, crossing I-59. Continue on AL 117 north across Sand Mountain, through Ider & Flat Rock. The highway then comes down the mountain and crosses the Tennessee River on one of the few remaining 2-lane, iron frame bridges across the river in Alabama. The ironwork overhead and the river to either side are sights to behold from a top-down roadster!
Staying on AL 117, you pass through the river town of Stevenson and head north toward the Tennessee state line. At the line, the highway becomes TN 56 (classified as a “secondary” state road on the map). It continues through the communities of Anderson & Sherwood before climbing the ridge into Sewanee. TN 56 will tee into US 41-A / US BR 64. Turn left/north/west toward Winchester.
Once in the town of Winchester, you need to look for and turn on TN 50 toward Tims Ford Dam & Lynchburg. (The streets were a little confusing in town, so I won’t try to give specific traffic lights, etc. on this turn. Just turn on TN 50 to the west toward the dam & Lynchburg.)
Following TN 50, you go through horse & cattle country. You cross the Elk River just downstream & within sight of Tims Ford Dam, a massive rock & earth fill structure with a spillway blasted out of the underlying rock. Finally, TN 50 intersects at a stop sign with TN 55 just on the southern outskirts of Lynchburg. Turn right/north on TN 55 into town.
Some notes about things we saw, learned, & did along the way:
- Bring a truck and/or trailer if you want a Jack barrel from the Barrel Shop. There is no practical way to haul one in a Cobra or late model Mustang convertible, and you don’t want to pay the tariff to have one shipped to you!
- Stop for old men waving their hats from the roadside. They can share wise advice with you, such as: “Combine’s a-comin’ down the road. Better pull off the side for a minute.”
- The Iron Kettle Restaurant on the square in Lynchburg serves up a mean cheeseburger, and they’ve got good sweet tea. It’s also the choice of the local paramedics, law officers, & tire shop mechanics – as fine an endorsement as you can ask for in my book.
- Take your time on the drive, and don’t hurt your neck from all the looking you’ll do.
- If the weather’s pretty, be prepared to wave a lot!
While visiting Unique last week, we all got to talking about the possibility of a cruise to Lynchburg, TN.
Sandy & I took a weekend trip up there this last fall, and I thought I’d pass along the route we took in case anyone was interested. We drove this route in reverse coming back, but I’ll give it as if you were traveling from Gadsden to Lynchburg. It’s all beautiful country, with a lot of farming ranging from livestock to row crops. The roads were good, and traffic was light on that Saturday.
Leaving Gadsden, you would take the standard “Homecoming Cruise” route north up Lookout Mountain Parkway. Rather than turning down to Desoto Falls, continue on the LMP straight into Mentone, AL. The road intersects AL 117 at the stop sign in “downtown.” Here, there are two options: immediately turn north (left) on AL 117, or stop in at the Log Cabin Deli for a homemade fudge cake with ice cream before proceeding north on AL 117. (It goes without saying that the fudge cake option is highly recommended!)
After turning left (north), AL 117 takes you off Lookout Mountain, and into the valley through Valley Head & Hammondville, crossing I-59. Continue on AL 117 north across Sand Mountain, through Ider & Flat Rock. The highway then comes down the mountain and crosses the Tennessee River on one of the few remaining 2-lane, iron frame bridges across the river in Alabama. The ironwork overhead and the river to either side are sights to behold from a top-down roadster!
Staying on AL 117, you pass through the river town of Stevenson and head north toward the Tennessee state line. At the line, the highway becomes TN 56 (classified as a “secondary” state road on the map). It continues through the communities of Anderson & Sherwood before climbing the ridge into Sewanee. TN 56 will tee into US 41-A / US BR 64. Turn left/north/west toward Winchester.
Once in the town of Winchester, you need to look for and turn on TN 50 toward Tims Ford Dam & Lynchburg. (The streets were a little confusing in town, so I won’t try to give specific traffic lights, etc. on this turn. Just turn on TN 50 to the west toward the dam & Lynchburg.)
Following TN 50, you go through horse & cattle country. You cross the Elk River just downstream & within sight of Tims Ford Dam, a massive rock & earth fill structure with a spillway blasted out of the underlying rock. Finally, TN 50 intersects at a stop sign with TN 55 just on the southern outskirts of Lynchburg. Turn right/north on TN 55 into town.
Some notes about things we saw, learned, & did along the way:
- Bring a truck and/or trailer if you want a Jack barrel from the Barrel Shop. There is no practical way to haul one in a Cobra or late model Mustang convertible, and you don’t want to pay the tariff to have one shipped to you!
- Stop for old men waving their hats from the roadside. They can share wise advice with you, such as: “Combine’s a-comin’ down the road. Better pull off the side for a minute.”
- The Iron Kettle Restaurant on the square in Lynchburg serves up a mean cheeseburger, and they’ve got good sweet tea. It’s also the choice of the local paramedics, law officers, & tire shop mechanics – as fine an endorsement as you can ask for in my book.
- Take your time on the drive, and don’t hurt your neck from all the looking you’ll do.
- If the weather’s pretty, be prepared to wave a lot!