Jon's Rides

Knoxville Greenway Expanded

As you know, I ride various parts of the Knoxville Greenway each week. :bike: (Though lately, my riding has been waaaay down because of illness and weather! ) Anyway, I used to ride from my office on Central through the Worlds Fair park, taking the old pedestrian bridge across Cumberland Avenue, going through the UT parking lot and connect to the Greenway next to Neyland Stadium. However, UT in its infinate wisdom decided to tear up the parking lots I rode through to get to the Greenway,thus forcing me to ride through downtown Knoxville and access the Greenway by Ruth Chris Steakhouse.

Well today, I read in the Knoxville New Sentinel that the City has opened up a new Greenway route that takes you through the Worlds Fair Park and dumps you on the Greenway. I hope to try that route this afternoon and see how it works out. I will report my findings after I ride it.

Here is a link to the Knoxville News Sentinel article if you are interested.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/feb/29/extension-of-greenway-opens/

 

Re: Knoxville Greenway Expanded

OK. Today it was BEAUTIFUL. Didn't have any teleconferences scheduled so I rode my recumbent today. Weather was sunny and 70!!!

My goal was the find the new Greenway connector from Worlds Fair Park to Volunteer Landing. Well I found it. Here are the instructions.

• Park at the Worlds Fair Park.
• Head toward the convention center past the Sunsphere.
• Follow the side walk between the convention center and the water ponds.
• Cross over the bridge that goes over the water feature at the south end of the park.
• At the Rachmaninoff statue turn left over the old Worlds Fair pedestrian bridge that takes you over Cumberland Avenue.
• On the other side take ramp down to UT parking lot on left.
• Cross parking lot and enter new greenway connect to Volunteer landing.

I used to go this way before they tore up the parking lots. Now that it is back, I will go this way since riding through the Worlds Fair Park is so beautiful.

See attached pictures. The last picture is just a picture of the greenway. Not very green today, but it will be soon. Had lots of joggers, walkers and bikers on the trail. I was the only recumbent.

Hope others get out and enjoy the day!!!!

Pictures are:

• Knoxville Sunsphere
• Rachmaninoff Statue
• New Greenway ramp to new UT parking lot
• Greenway

 

Ride Today (3-6-08)

I have a client in Oak Ridge who I will be meeting with until 2:00 PM. I am then going to ride the Greenway starting at Melton Lake. If you are interested in meeting me, call my cell phone 310-7151 and let me know. We will park at the park next to the Chinese Restaurant on Melton Lake. Should ride for about one hour.

 

Ride - Melton Lake Greenway & Emery Valley Road Greenway

Ride Date - Thursday, March 6, 2008
Weather - Sunny, 60 degrees, little wind.

I thought I would start a thread outlining some of the rides I go on. Boring but no one else is posting so bare with me!!!

Believe it or not I am NOT going to talk about the Knoxville Greenway. Yesterday I rode the Melton Lake and Emory Valley Greenway. Rode for 1.2 hours and did 15 miles.

These two greenways are up by Oak Ridge Tennessee. The Melton Lake Greenway parallels the shore of Melton Lake on the West side. Access is easy. From Knoxville, you go toward Oak Ridge, cross the bridge at Solway and go right on Edgewater Road. You then turn left of Melton Lake Drive (catchy name don't you think?). Melton Lake Park is halfway up the lake on the right next to the Chinese restaurant. You park there and can get on the greenway going either north or south. Click here for a map.

For those not familiar with Melton Lake, it is considered one of the best rowing lakes in the country. It is a long narrow lake which is shielded on all sides by mountains thus keeping winds at a minimum. When I was leaving, they were have some woman's rowing regatta there getting ready to row. (I hated seeing all those young women taking off their sweatshirts and getting down to t-shirts and shorts. (Dave reminds me of the wine tasting event on the KATY trail.) But I digress.

The Greenway dead ends at the southern point of the lake and you can ride past the north end of the lake following Melton Lake Drive on a sidewalk to Oak Ridge Turnpike. Total round trip is about 5 miles.

Perpendicular to the Melton Lake Greenway is the start of the Emory Valley Greenway. To access this, you go south on the greenway, past the Chinese restaurant and then turn west across Melton Lake Drive and up into the Woods.

Emory Road greenway is much narrower than the Knoxville Greenway through the woods. It then pops up and basically is a wide sidewalk right next to Emery Valley Road which heads into Oak Ridge. I go about 5 miles then turn around when I enter Oak Ridge and all the stop lights.

I am attaching pictures of the Melton Lake Greenway, Emery Valley Greenway and the rowing boats getting ready for the regatta.

BTW I take all these pictures with my cell phone. They are not the best, but definitely give you a feel for the ride. I always have my cell phone though don't usually take my camera with me unless it is a big riding event. If you double click the picture, it will bring up a full size picture which is much easier to see.

 

Jon, this is terrible. You post about those warm temperatures while I'm out chopping ice... I need to go for a ride...badly. Wife and I walked a mile on the road today. She has to wear ice cleats to keep from slipping. I don't have much of a problem there but even walking our faces got very cold. Yes, too cold and icy to ride yet up here.

 

Re: No one else posting

My dad passed away Feb. 26. I had to go out of town for over a week and did not have the opportunity. I have been reading...but not posting. Have not really felt up to it.:nah: However, I am trying to "move on" as they say. So be patient. You'll get more comments from me soon.

 

Re: No one else posting

Keila,

That comment was NOT aimed at you. Please don't take it personally. My Dad is still alive buy I lost my Mother 18 years ago and it still hurts. I was just giving everyone a jab to post something... anything.... since this board has been soooo quiet.

I hope I didn't offend you!!!!

 

Keila,

My condolences on losing your father. I know how it is to lose your parents. Grief will lessen as time goes on. It helps to remember they would want you to move past the grief and be happy.

 

Keila, hadn't heard about your dad until now. Sorry for your loss. My parents are still holding on so haven't yet needed to deal with such as you have. But Dad is not doing so well. I wish the best for you and your family.

Jon, your cell phone take remarkably good pics. My Razr doesn't do nearly so well.

Dave

 

Re: No one else posting

No, Jon, no offense. I was just letting you know that i haven't disappeared. As you can see though, I am posting again. I like to post...when I find something that I can relate and/or have something to comment about. Things are getting better. I am sure they will get much better once I can get out riding.

 

I use a Razr cell phone to take the pictures. You need to take your finger off the lense to make it work though!!!

 

Rode again today. Weather cloudy, 51 degrees, slight breeze. 15.2 miles. Rode the greenway again. (Won't go into details this time.)

However, I wanted to give the group a "heads up". I use a tandem wired bicycle computer (only wired computer long enough for my V-Rex) and a Garmin 305 GPS when I ride. I bought a new office computer and upgraded to Vista from Windows XP. My Garmin software won't work on Vista. Luckily have kept my old computer. Now I have to hook up my Garmin to my old XP computer and through Desktop Remote can play with it on my Vista machine. Why is life sometimes sooooo complicated??? Garmin needs to upgrade their software so it works on Vista.

 

Weather, PC and for a change, above freezing. 35 degrees! Wanted to go for a ride but too much ice yet. Took one step from carport and then laid on the ice for a bit. Was able to get wife's attention to get help getting back into house. Dang it.... When is Spring ever going to arrive?

 

Rode the new Razer's edge LWB today. Have pictures and a report tomorrow!! Stay tuned!!!

 

Jon, FYI what you rode was not one of ours. It is an extra left over from the original company. It still has the "old company" logos on it. There are some differences in our bikes that you won't see or tell just by riding the "old" one. Be cautious...that was not quite "OUR" bike.