About Margaret Dean

Only two hours from Nashville (four hours the Riding Obsession way), Chattanooga is the destination Robin and I were most eager to explore. We’d both heard good things and just had a feeling about it. The population is about a quarter the size of Memphis or Nashville. It’s bordered by mountains and the Tennessee River, home to several colleges and invested to rehabilitate and redevelop it’s downtown and riverfront areas. It’s ranked in the top 10 for most livable cities.

Tennesseans in Memphis and Nashville say Chattanooga is a “cute town.” It could be a backhanded compliment but it’s true, Chattanooga is a cute town in the best way. It’s like the kid sister or brother of your friend you never noticed before until one day, you do and then it’s all over, you’ve got a crush.

We found a great AirBnB place hosted by a musician in the Southside Historic District. The house is filled with instruments and has an open community atmosphere. It’s warm and inviting and the house’s inhabitants are happy to inform you about all things Chattown. Once again, we landed in a hot neighborhood near good restaurants, bars, shops and 10 minutes from downtown.

Nashville marks the next leg of our Tennessee trip and we’re looking forward to getting there via the Natchez Trace Parkway. NTP is a two-laner, much like the Blue Ridge Parkway but less traveled, following the countryside like any rider should. There are no commercial trucks, traffic lights, billboards or stop signs.

We’re on high deer alert while enjoying the quiet and rustic scenery. The Trace between Memphis and Nashville isn’t intensely twisty per-say but beats taking I-40 East direct hands down. Thanks to our Sena SMH10s, Robin and I have the option of listening to music, podcasts or e-books. Still, we often choose to talk as if we were in our car. We discuss life and our goals/dreams. We make each other laugh. We practice the art of communication.

Traveling on a gentler roadway like Natchez Trace facilitates that. You don’t always have to fill space with noise but if you do, why not fill it with real conversation and connection?

Every May, my husband and I take a long distance motorcycle trip to kick off the riding season. This year we chose Tennessee for it’s twisty roads and as a contender for future relocation. We’d both heard good things about Tennessee via friends in Memphis and Nashville but what about the riding? Many visit the state for dirt biking. Our plan focuses on all things paved.

We decided to explore Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville for livability while eyeing the tarmac, traffic and twisty roads between. Starting out towards Memphis, we rode down Illinois following the straight line of I-57 which is flat farmland, an opportunity for road-hypnosis if you’re not careful. With an overnight stop in Mount Vernon, Illinois we continued another twenty miles before Robin found a rural route which took us through Shawnee National Forest.

Gotta say, Memphis is a fun town. People outside of Tennessee generally think so, although it seems people within Tennessee view Memphis as “different.” Memphis is full of flavor in food, people, attitudes, dress, housing, neighborhoods, attractions and of course, tourists.