Day 3: Crows and Cumberland Gap

Day 3 of the cross-country vintage Harley ride started early at Hungry Mother State Park and carried the 1933 Harley-Davidson VL and 1934 Harley-Davidson VLD west toward Cumberland Gap.

After a wet first night of camping, the ride moved through southwest Virginia, briefly into Tennessee, through the Cumberland Gap area, and on toward Russell Springs, Kentucky.

Crows at the first campground morning on Day 3 of the cross-country vintage Harley ride after rain overnight — Day 3 started with crows making enough noise to end the first night of camping early, after rain had already made the morning dreary.

Day 3 Ride Stats

Date: September 21, 2015
Start: Hungry Mother State Park near Marion, Virginia
Finish: Russell Springs, Kentucky
Distance: just over 240 miles
Route: Southwest Virginia through Cumberland Gap to Russell Springs, Kentucky
Motorcycles: 1933 Harley-Davidson VL and 1934 Harley-Davidson VLD
Gas added: 6.457 gallons total
Oil added: 1 quart total
Roadside issues: none noted

Day 3 Ride Journal

Our first night of camping was cut short around 5 AM by a flock of crows that descended on our campsite and began making a noise that would put even the boldest rooster to shame. After about an hour, they flew off to wake up some other campers, but by then the chance of going back to sleep had already passed. So I dragged myself out of the tent and began the task of packing up. Of course, it also rained during the night, which made for a dreary morning.

On our way out of town, we passed an old train station and pulled in for a few pictures. The building now houses some offices and a tanning salon, which diminished the historic vibe. It still looks pretty cool if you don't look at the signage too closely.

Old train station photo stop on Day 3 of the cross-country vintage Harley ride — The old train station made a good photo stop on the way out of town, even if the modern offices and tanning salon inside softened the historic feel.

We rolled on through Virginia, dipping down into Tennessee for a dozen miles or so before making our way through the Cumberland Gap. I've heard that name all my life, most recently in the song "Wagon Wheel," and since it was time for lunch, we decided to check out the town.

Cumberland Gap stop during Day 3 of the cross-country vintage Harley ride — After riding through Virginia and briefly into Tennessee, we made our way through Cumberland Gap and stopped to look around before lunch.

Turns out Cumberland Gap is a fairly small place, but we did find a coffee shop that served an excellent lunch. If you're ever in the neighborhood, check out the Gap Creek Coffee House and Cafe.

Gap Creek Coffee House and Cafe lunch stop in Cumberland Gap during Day 3 of the vintage Harley ride — Gap Creek Coffee House and Cafe in Cumberland Gap made a good lunch stop during the ride west.

After lunch, we passed through the Cumberland Gap Tunnel and into the hometown of Lee Majors. For the next ten minutes, I couldn't stop making that 6 Million Dollar Man sound inside my helmet.

Not to be outdone, the next town had a large sign boasting that they were the home of an international trampoline champion. That was almost worth stopping for, but the afternoon was wearing on, so we pressed on to Russell Springs, KY.

Our home for the night was a large KOA campground, located well outside the city limits on a bluff overlooking Lake Cumberland. Based on the number of boat-related businesses we passed on the way in, Lake Cumberland must be a huge lake, but the campground was so wooded, we couldn't really make out the lake at all. Still, the campground was clean and being that it was off season, we had the place practically to ourselves.

KOA campground outside Russell Springs Kentucky near Lake Cumberland on Day 3 of the cross-country vintage Harley ride — The KOA outside Russell Springs, Kentucky, sat on a bluff near Lake Cumberland, though the wooded campground kept the lake mostly out of view.

So far, Day 3 was our top mileage day, covering just over 240 miles.