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Journal: Tennessee State HOG Rally
Wednesday, June 1, 2011. Frank Rouchka, Mike & Kat Smith and I left Sedalia at 6am via Hwy 65 to
Springfield, Mo., then 60 E., to 57 N. The bridge was closed at Cairo IL due to flooding the water had risen
to the edge of the road and the air was thick with the odor of rotting vegetation. We crossed the
Mississippi River from the North, then doubled back across the Ohio River to the South on 51 and dropped
down into Kentucky riding on south into Tenn., and arrived in Jackson about 7:30pm. The temperature was
97* but the ride was complimented by very little traffic and beautiful scenery.
Thursday, we picked up our Tennessee State HOG Rally packets, visited Bumpus Harley Davidson and the
Rally venders, where Kat and I had custom heat guards installed on our bikes. Next; a poker run with one of
our stops at the Crown Winery where a well dressed gentleman driving a limo approached us and asked us
if we had ever heard of the “Weasels”? I responded “you mean the dirty rotten, stinkin no good weasels?
He said “ya that’s us”! Yikes…… He laughed and said they were a Drinking Club with a Motorcycle problem,
established in 1993. They just like to ride and drink! Hummmm.
Friday, we rode out the rest of our poker run, and one of our stops was the W. Tenn., Delta Heritage
Center. With three unique museums dedicated to the agriculture, music and the natural wonders of the
region it was an insightful view of the people, places and legacy that makes up this beautiful state. On the
way back to the Host Hotel, we stopped off to tour the Casey Jones Home and Rail Road Museum, a well put
together tribute to the Engineer who was killed when his passenger train, the "Cannonball Express,"
collided with a stalled freight train at Vaughan, Mississppi on a foggy and rainy night. His dramatic death,
trying to stop his train and save lives, made him a hero and he was immortalized in a popular ballad sung by
his friend Wallace Saunders and remains one of Tenn. top tourists stops. Every meal in Tenn. was graced
with Southern goodness, but the buffet at the Casey Jones General Store was about as Southern down
home yummy as you could dream of. That evening the “Bikes, Blues & BarB Que Concert” on Shannon
Street was a little too hot with no accommodations for seating and made our visit short lived.
Saturday, temperatures were predicted to climb in the upper 90’s AGAIN and kept us out of crowds in hot
parking lots. Attracted to the story behind the man Buford Pusser we rode out to Adamsville, Tenn., to the
home of the legendary Sheriff. The tough lawman of McNairy County was shot eight times, stabbed seven
times, fought off six men at once sending three to jail and three to the hospital. Destroyed 87 whiskey stills
in 1965 alone, killed two men in self defense and hopped on the hood of a speeding car, smashing out the
window and subduing the man who attempted to run over him. The movie “Walking Tall” was based on his
life’s story. His home is now a museum and a tribute to a man bigger than life, whose mission was to clean
up organized crime near the Tennessee-Mississippi state line. In 1974, not long after the movie was made
of his life’s story, he was killed in a mysterious car accident. Hummmm….
Because of the heat the closing ceremonies were moved inside of the Host, All Suites Hotel in the pool
arena. It was air-conditioned with comfortable seating, but we chose to watch from the balcony of our suite,
which gave us a great view advantage. On the poker run stop at the Crown Winery participants were invited
to sign a bottle of wine and it was auctioned off bringing $250.00 for The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The
Jackson HOG Rally Flag was signed by all registered HOG participants and was sent to one of the Jackson
HOG Chapter members that is now serving in Iraq.
After the ceremony people lounged around playing cards, having some drinks and enjoying Karaoke. There
was a lot of talent displayed but I think Tom Bumpus and his foggy mountain friends singing their version of
the theme from “Oh Brother where art thou,” which included a little jig, beat everyone out in
entertainment value.
Although Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State, it could easily be named the Friendliest State! People
everywhere were friendly and engaging, and invited us into conversations about where we were from, and
thanked us for coming. The food was homespun, the Rally was the best I’ve attended, and company was
awesome. Our trip spanned +1,200 miles, through four states, in sweltering heat, but reconnected us with
“America the Beautiful”, it’s history and it’s people. Once again we were covered with God’s Mercy and
Grace in our safe return home and I give thanks to our service men for keeping us free! Susan Horton
…………………. o~/o
2011 Tennessee State HOG Rally Journal
