Truck Dead Got a Bicycle

 

There I am at the Tennessee Motorcycles & Music Revival (TMMR) at about 2 o’clock in the morning.  I am awakened in my slumber by a pull-behind RV backing into the campsite next to me.  I am nice and comfy in my hammock.  The hammock is hung off the back of my jeep at a 45-degree angle and partially in the path of the reversing camper trailer.  I see the red tail lights getting closer to me.  The trailer safely halts several feet from me and moves forward.  I am grateful the driver has some good backing skills and sees my hammock in the darkness.  The driver readjusts his reverse approach and positions his trainer with plenty of space between us.  I feel safe and it turns out there is plenty of room for his dirt bikes to be lined up between his camper and my Jeep.  

I admit I was a little bummed having someone camping next to me.  After all, when I am not motorcycling, I am camping somewhere remote and usually alone.  The crisp night air was pitch black.  I had to pee, so I exited my hammock and made my way to the nearest porta-john. I pass two figures in the darkness and proclaim “welcome” as I walked swiftly to the porta-john.  I was happy that our figures were outlined in the darkness and it was too dark to make eye contact.  I was on the verge of doing the pee-pee dance and was avoiding conversation.  I take care of watering the horse and return to my comfy hammock in hopes to get some sleep before sunrise. 

Less than an hour passes, and I need to pee again! It must be an old man symptom. I tried to ignore the urge to pee and go back to sleep.  That didn’t work.  I had to go!  I know my new neighbors had recently finished setting up their trailer.  I hurried down the familiar route to the porta-john. I pulled on the porta-john door while simultaneously getting the urge to do the pee-pee dance.  The door to the porta-john wouldn’t open.  I was confused.  There were not many tents in this area.  It was around 4 o’clock in the morning.  The late-night parties had stopped hours ago.  I thought to myself, could there really be someone else using this porta-john? I think I have been the only person using this particular facility for the last three days.  Could the door be stuck?  So I lightly tapped my finger three times on the plastic door.  Tap, Tap, Tap.  I heard a response echoing my same soft tap and rhythm. Tap, tap, Tap.  It confirmed to me that someone was inside. I quickly turned and made a beeline directly to the next closest porta-john as I could not wait. 

The next closest porta-john was less than a minute of walking fast.  It wasn’t a big deal - just me running around in the dark.  I returned to the shelter of my hammock to get some sleep.  As I lay relaxing, I heard a soft female voice in the darkness.  The voice confirmed she was my new neighbor and wanted to apologize for arriving in the middle of the night, making noise.  She shared that she and her husband had been traveling from Ohio when their truck broke down.  So they purchased a new truck to make the journey.  I learned my new friends were named Jo and Jason.  Jason went to sleep after the long day and drive.  Jo and I shared stories while watching the moon set and the sun rise. We moved from my hammock area and drank our morning coffee while sitting in the river, watching the sunrise.  Jason joined us shortly after sunrise then continued setting up there camp.

This couple made a major purchase of a brand-new truck to complete their journey to TMMR.  It was that important to them to attend.  Jo and Jason are small business owners and work hard all year long, so this event was a true revival for them.  Jo posted her and Jason’s truck broke down story on the social media app Instagram.  The TMMR officials learned about their story of determination to attend the revival despite their truck breaking down.  The TMMR officials text messaged Jo and wanted to meet her.  Jo and Jason returned from the meeting and were excited to report that the staff was to honor them during opening ceremonies on the main stage for the bands.  Jason was preparing what to say during the ceremony.

On the evening of the ceremony, Brad and I arrived early to get close to the stage.  Each evening, the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem were played before the bands performed.  This was a neat experience to feel the positive patriotic energy of the performers and of the crowd.  Jo and Jason were introduced by Loretta Lynn’s daughter or granddaughter. She spoke a little about Jo and Jason.  She was holding the microphone in front of Jason so he could tell his story.  Jason took hold of the microphone and began walking around the stage as he told his story.  I could tell that the organizers didn’t plan on that.  Maybe they were trying to keep to a schedule, and Jason was going to keep talking!  I had a flash of amusement as I thought the organizer was discretely trying to take the microphone back from Jason.  The story was told.  It was then announced that TMMR sponsor, Budweiser, had a gift for Jo and Jason.  The gift could help out if their truck broke down again.  Brad immediately thought Budweiser was donating a pickup truck to them.  As the spotlight moved to the side of the stage, a red and white Budweiser-themed bicycle rolled out.  Jo and Jason were presented with a Budweiser beach cruiser-type bicycle.  Cool gift!

Aqua Banjo Man

There we are, under two blue pop-up shelters that are usually seen around the fields at youth sporting events.  It is a dark and chilly night.  We were sharing stories with Kevin and Donna’s family when rain began to fall in sheets. Water was pouring off the edges of the pop-up shelters and splashing the backs of people seated in their camp chairs.  People stood and scooted their chairs towards the center to escape the range of the splashing cold rain.  Then, all the lights went out in the campground.  Kevin turned on his generator, which turned on the outdoor lights strung under the canopy of his two pop-up shelters.  The camping area immediately around us was pitch black.  The only lights were the lights under the shelter we were in.

There are about 8 of us under the two shelters.  We were engaged in stories, resulting in smiles and laughs as we shared some drinks.  Kevin and Donna shared some unique and awesome experiences raising a family abroad.  All their children are now adults and have impressive accomplishments.  Brad and I were telling stories from our Nowhere Rides.  

As the rain began to fall in sheets, a man and woman came running from the darkness.  The man had a banjo on his back.  The woman had dreadlocked hair that hung to her waist.  Their energy screamed minimalist, carefree nomads.  They asked if they could seek shelter from the rain under the canopy.  The couple stated they were on their way back to their tent when the heavy rain hit.  Brad offered the man with the banjo a can of beer.  The man gladly accepted the beer.  Instead of opening the beer, the man immediately placed the beer in his back pocket.  Yes, he hurriedly slid the beer can in his back pocket! I saw the man’s eyes light up when he spotted the bottle of bourbon on the table.  He asked if he could have a shot of bourbon.  I grabbed the bottle and a disposable shot glass and poured a shot for him.  He took the cup from my hand and poured the shot down his throat in one quick, fluid motion.  He obviously had experience with this motion of drinking shots. Without voicing any words, the guy smiled and then showed me the empty cup.  It was as if he was silently asking for another second shot.  After the second shot was gone, he silently held the empty cup to me.  He was asking for another.  Three shots of good bourbon in a row!  I usually sip and enjoy good bourbon.   

After the third shot of bourbon, the man started playing his banjo.  The group under the canopy gave attention to the first couple of songs.  Then we returned to their conversations, which were previously interrupted by these two carefree nomads.  I spoke with the banjo player’s girlfriend.  I learned that the man plays with one of the bands playing on stage at the rally.  As conversations continued, I heard the banjo player singing a chorus over and over.  The tuned words chanted something like this: “Would you pour me some more bourbon, please? I know you want to. I want you to.  Pour me a little more bourbon, please.”  He sang these words a few times as I saw his girlfriend smiling ear to ear at my discovery of the chorus.  I obliged and poured a shot. I extending the shot to the banjo player.  One fluid motion, and it was gone, the cup returned and extended towards me for another.  I poured another.  He extended the empty cup to me again.  I grimaced.  He spoke this time.  He told me this one was for his girlfriend.  Well, okay, I poured another shot, acknowledging this girlfriend on the opposite side of the shelter. The banjo man quickly drank it and formed a big smile.  Moments later, he thanked us for the hospitality.  He and his girlfriend departed the shelter, running into the rain and darkness.  Brad snapped this picture of us.  He said I reluctantly poured the bourbon.  The rain-soaked banjo bourbon drinker will be forever known to us as the Aqua Banjo Man.  This banjo-strapped stranger appeared from the dark rain.  Pocketed our beer.  Drank our bourbon.  Shared some songs.  Drank more bourbon.  Disappeared into the dark rain shower.  Cheers to you, Aqua Banjo Man, and your girlfriend. 

TMMR Events

The Tennessee Motorcycles & Music Revival (TMMR) 2025 ranks at the top of the list for motorcycle rallies we’ve experienced.  It is a family-friendly environment.  Loretta Lynn’s Ranch is amazing for this type of event.  The river, the hills, and trees offer the perfect outdoor setting.  Everyone we encountered was friendly.  Everyone was there to have. Great time with music and motorcycles.

Some notable rally events we witnessed were:

- Charity Rubber Duck Race.  Ducks were numbered and released in the creek.  The ducks raced down the current to a designated finish line.  Someone scooped up the first duck to check the number to declare the winner.  About a dozen folks with fishing nets captured all the rubber ducks as they passed the finish line.

- Hill Climb.  The Ranch has a designated hill to host the famous hill climb.  Picture-perfect location with old grain silos across the road where visitors park in the grass.  We saw motorcycles of all types - dirt bikes and full dressers (touring bikes) race up the hill.  There were a few riders that were probably 12 years old who raced up the hill competing with the gray-bearded riders. 

- Belly Flop Contest.  There is a pool near Honky Tonk Central camping area.  The pool had guys and gals of all ages competing in the belly flop contest, splashing as they landed chest-first in the pool.

- Dirt Track Race.  This was awesome to watch as bikes raced around the track and through the dust.

- Slow Race.  These are always fun to watch.  All ages and all types of motorcycles.  This one was elimination.  Winners kept circling the track to race again until the slowest rider was remaining.

- Classic Motorcycle Bike Show. I always get excited admiring the details of classic bikes with unique assessors and their paint.

- Burn out contest. Exciting.  Bring ear plugs and stay down wind from the smoke!

- Kick Start Contest. This one was interesting.  Need to know “how” to kick start a bike to win. It is more than just kicking the pedal!

- Parade of bikes through the camp.  This happened a few times I think. I saw a lot of young riders on their small bikes enjoying the attention.

- Cage of Death.  I think there were two motorcycles and a person inside the round cage.  The motorcycles were orbiting the person standing in the middle. 

- Bands.  It impressed me that the Pledge Of Allegiance and the National Anthem were played each night during opening ceremonies before the bands performed. 

This was a family friendly music and motorcycle event.  Brad and I felt like it was definitely a revival - we enjoyed it and consider the rally the best we’ve attended!

Black Widow

I arrived at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch a day or two before the events started.  I set up my hammock next to the river.  I put my rain tarp up over my hammock for shade.  I was relaxing in my hammock when a woman parked down the river from my campsite.  She drove a small car and parked where the gravel meets the grass.  She was obviously  much older than I.  She displayed a handicap tag from her vehicle.  I saw her pull a new tent out of its box.  I know tents can be a challenge to set up for the first time.  It is a good idea to practice setting up the tent at home.  I watched her efforts figuring out the new tent for a minute or two.  Then I went over to introduce myself.  She welcomed my assistance setting up her tent.  Together we made the task much easier.  It was a large tent and I could not imagine setting it up alone.

I discovered that this woman has been attending TMMR for several years.  She was here last year, and her friend had been killed in an unfortunate freak accident.  A motorcycle was traveling through the vendor area.  Her friend and she were crossing the street.  The motorcycle struck her friend.  Her friend hit her head on the pavement and later died from the head injury.  The woman telling me the story was walking next to her friend when she was struck by the motorcycle.  It was a difficult thing to experience.  So the woman decided to come to the TMMR event this year to honor her late friend.  She rented a golf cart to get safely around the venue.  The golf cart was a great idea.  She had a seat at all the events.  The cart could be parked in prime spots to view the events.    

As the conversation continues, I discover this woman went on a cruise last fall.  This is the same year as the unfortunate accident.  It was her and a different girlfriend on the cruise.  While the ship was underway, her friend passed away.  This was just a few months after the motorcycle accident that claimed her other friend.  I decided to keep my distance from this woman who was now referred to as the Black Widow.  I say that lightheartedly.  She was a nice woman honoring her friend.  I remember mornings sitting in the creek sipping my coffee.  I look downstream and see her tent perched on the riverbank.  The door to her tent opens.  She’d step outside and give me a wave before starting her morning routine.  I’d wave back.  

TMMR

 The Tennessee Motorcycles & Music Revival (TMMR) was the highlight of our 2025 Nowhere Ride.  Brad and I both agree that it was the best rally we’ve been to!  The annual event goes in the spring at the Queen of Country and Legendary Songwriter, Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.  The Ranch is an awesome setting with lots of trees, a creek, hills, and cool people!

 TMMR is four days of music and motorcycle events that will revive your soul. The Ranch is huge and offers many RV and camping sites.  There is Vendor Alley where swag and related products are for sale.  There are a couple of bars and food trucks. Many events throughout the days are scheduled.  All events are family-friendly.  The venue was packed with folks of all ages.  I was impressed by how friendly, respectful, and happy everyone was at this rally.  I saw zero aggressive behavior.  This was truly a setting to revive your soul!

 Brad was on vacation, spending some time with family in Virginia.  There must have been a lot of alcohol involved because he told me he woke up one morning to see Yogi Bear driving a golf cart through the campground.  I met Brad at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch.  He had reserved an RV site at Honky Tonk Central, a camping location designated for RVs.  He set up his RV and unloaded his motorcycle and mini bikes.  I am happy he brought two mini bikes.  We rode those bikes all over the camping areas!  

 I set up in what is called Camping Area 3 along Hurricane Creek.  I drove my Jeep and pulled my motorcycle on a utility trailer.  I was one of the first campers to arrive in that area, so I set up my hammock pretty close to the creek.  I enjoyed every morning with my feet in the water.  I returned to the creek in the afternoons.  I put a chair in the creek at just the right depth to enjoy the water’s current around my back and body.  A few folks would join me sitting in the water.  Several people floated by on rafts and tubes.  What a way to spend the day!  An amazing camping experience!

Conesville Redneck Revival 24

Brad and I met in Conesville at the Redneck Revival. We’ve been meeting at this rally for a number of years.  The appeal is to visit with friends who we met at this rally several years ago.  The rally itself is located in the middle of cornfields.  There is a quarter-mile drag racing track.  The track is open for anyone and any machine as long as the driver attends the driver’s safety meeting and wears a helmet.  A driver can race other drivers or just race the clock.  I’ve seen motorcycles of all types race down the track. The serious race enthusiasts zoom their nitros cars, trucks, and motorcycles down the track.  I’ve seen a motorized picnic table race down the track.  Pretty awesome entertainment.  Don’t forget earplugs!  The track gets extremely loud during burnouts and races.  The track is open to everyone to race any wheeled machine.  On Saturday morning there is a competition which is exciting to watch. 

Besides the two-lane drag track, the venue offers a number of events open to everyone.  Some highlights are the dash for cash.  This is where participants run through a mud bog course naked.  The winner gets a bucket of cash at the end.  There is a mud bog too.  After the dash for cash, there is usually a parade around the campground.  Rally goers ride their motorcycles, golf carts, or other all-terrain vehicles while wearing costumes or nothing at all.  If I recall correctly, the parade might occur multiple times during the weekend.  In the evenings, there are usually two bands scheduled to play at the main stage.  Directly in front of the main stage is a concrete dance area.  Viewers often park their golf carts and motorcycles in the grass on the edge of the concrete area.  This allows people to sit on their bikes to watch the bands.  Adjacent to the outdoor stage is a large covered area with another stage, bar, dancing area, and picnic tables.  On that stage, there is a DJ, comedian, or other shows.  There is a zip line extending from the stage along one side of the covered area.  Yep, a zip line.  There is an 8-foot soft penis to land on at the end of the zip line.  One year, there were a few mattresses under the zip line for folks that fall off before reaching the end of the line.  Apparently, one year, someone fell off and broke a leg and thus the mattresses were added. 

Events officially start on Thursday nights with a themed party.  The latest I recall was a 50’s-style band with slicked-back hair and 50’s attire. This band had a large double bass which sounded awesome.  Most people in attendance on Thursday night get costumed up in themed attire; couples are in character-matching costumes, short skirts, lingerie, and things your eyes won’t believe.  Adult party and no cameras allowed.  Thursday night is known as the “perv review”.  The perv review consists of various beauty and best-of-class-type contests.  Not for the faint of heart!  Brad and I get a kick out of watching people watch people. Watching humans consume alcohol at these themed events is a fun experience. 

On Saturday, there is a king and queen contest on an elevated stripper stage. The king and queen contests are separate.  Participants volunteer from the crowd.  Once the MC introduces who is on stage, the DJ will play a song.  The contestants will dance provocatively until the song ends.  Then the MC will use a noise meter to eliminate contestants. The loudest cheers from the crowd determine which contestant remains on stage to dance to the next song until the winner is declared.  The winner gets a bucket of money that contains donations from the crowd.  I think last year it was around $800 for the queen and maybe $400 for the king.  There is something to see for everyone!  

 The highlight for me in 2024 at Conesville was the tornado warning.  I can never remember the difference between a tornado watch and a warning.  A watch is when conditions are favorable for a tornado, so people should be prepared.  A tornado warning is when a tornado is imminent, and people should take action, like take shelter now.  I was in my hammock when the sky suddenly darkened.  The wind began to whip my rain tarp away from the trees, and rain started pouring down.  There was some thunder and lightning too.  My cell phone broadcasted an alert declaring a tornado warning and residents should seek shelter.  I felt the trees swaying and pulling my hammock with them.  I felt that my hammock was about to be converted into a hang glider against my will.  I have déjà vu from two years earlier when I was in my hammock at this exact same campsite, and a tornado warning happened.  Here I am again dealing with the same unexpected weather!  The intensity of the storm lasted several minutes.  It passed just as abruptly as it came.  I posted a short video on Instagram showing my hammock blowing in the wind.  Brad’s son, Andrew, saw my video and immediately called Brad.  Brad was inside his rock star bus.  Andrew said the man is going to die in the storm or get struck by lightning, let him inside the RV!  

Note that the pictures are my photos from earlier years at the rally and not all from 2024.  My short videos from those two tornados are posted at the links below.

Party Bus Route 66 Campground

The Route 66 Biker Rally Campground in Depew, Oklahoma, is our basecamp.  Brad and I arrived a few days early and explored the surrounding area.  We found the Pipeline Crossroads of the World.  We dined in the 50’s-style Boomerang Diner.  We found another bike rally venue nearby.  We spent some time chatting with a gun shop owner in Bristow. You can read those experiences in past posts on this blog.  

Now we are at the Rt 66 Biker Rally Campground as other event goers are arriving. The rock star bus is backed up to a large Butler-style building with roll-up garage doors along both sides of the building. Each RV spot has its own door to access the building.  I used the darkness of the building to adjust my headlamp one day.  As people arrive, they are parking their motorcycles inside the building for shade.  Folks begin to set up picnic tables and use the cooler climate of the building to serve meals.  Brad and I are invited to lunch with a large group set up on the opposite side of the building.  We share some stories and get to know more about our neighbors. There were many folks talking about their experiences at Little Sturgis.  Little Sturgis is a bike rally that takes place in July in western Kentucky.  Our new neighbors usually attend each July and have a lot of good stories about their experiences there.  We might have to add Little Sturgis Rally to our destination list.

The owner of the campground stores classic vehicles inside the garage the RVs are parked near.  There are some cool cars and trucks here.  While admiring the old vehicles, we discover a WWF-style wrestling rink set up in a room at the end of the building.  We learn there will be a wrestling match.  Every chair in the room was full the day of the match. Women were cheering on the muscle-bound male wrestlers as they ripped off their shirts when introduced for the match.  The energy was high in the makeshift area.  I can’t decide which was more entertaining, watching the wrestling match or watching the fan-crazed attendees. Definitely a cool experience.

Brad cooked, don’t tell Krista!  Brad decides to get his grill out and cook for our neighbors. Here is a picture because no one believes me that Brad cooked!

We met some new rally friends who set up camp a few sites down from us.  Randy & Shannon and Sean & Heather.  Randy and Sean make their living in the oil industry.  Sean makes money with his wells.  Randy makes money keeping well pumps working.  They each had a neat story on how they got started in the business.  The six of us shared hours of stories while hanging out around camp. We discovered the “Party Bus” together.  The Party Bus is an old Chevy school bus painted pink and green.  It has the words Party Bus painted on it among other things like free camping, lingerie show, screw cancer, etc. The seats inside the party bus were mostly intact like a traditional school bus.  There were two sections where the seats were replaced with bench seats along the sides leaving the floor open.  The open floor had dancer poles secured from the floor to the roof.  A few passengers lived their dream becoming exotic dance stars as the bus navigated a loop within the campground.  It was like a booze bus that picked partiers up around the camp sites and dropped them off at the main stage area.  One night after the bands were finished, Brad and I rode the bus continuously along the route maybe three times.  It was very entertaining to watch people get on and stumble off the booze bus.  

Overall the Rt 66 Biker Rally and Campground was a pretty cool experience.  There were groups that have been attending for many years.  The property has a pond with a slide where folks would swim, bands were good, the lingerie show was nice, most of all meeting people and hearing their stories were the highlight.  The owner carried a wallaby around in a shopping bag while smoking medical marijuana!  She was a hoot to listen to!