Honda Hoot 15 - 2008

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Cumberland Gap Ride

Cumberland Gap (el. 1600 ft./488 m.) is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland Water Gap. We learned that this path was made more accessible for pioneer travel when Daniel Boone used 35 axmen to widen it. Due to his work, pioneers could use wagons to journey into the western frontiers of Kentucky and Tennessee.

The Cumberland Gap Tunnel is a 4-lane twin-bore mountain tunnel that is 4,600 feet long, and it carries US-25E under Cumberland Gap between Tennessee and Kentucky, and it was completed in October 1996 at a cost of $280 million. We loved this tunnel so much we went thru the tunnel again, again and again, oh why not lets do it again......


The Cumberland Gap Ride was a road that was more difficult to manuveur thru than the twisties at the "Tail of the Dragon" which has 318 turns in 11 miles.

The Historic Town of Cumberland Gap is nestled at the foot of Cumberland Mountains inside Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Breathtaking beauty and charming "Mayberry" atmosphere will greet you as you come into town. It was full of motorcycles of all varities as this was one of the tours on the Honda Hoot. We didn't register so weren't able to have the delicious BBQ that was offered, so we told Pat and Cheryl that we would meet them at the restaurant where we had a wonderful lunch ourselves.

First known as the "Gateway to the West", then as the strong hold during the Civil War, Cumberland Gap is now known for everything from its specialty shops to the National Historical Park. Located approximately an hour north of Knoxville, Cumberland Gap is a great place to spend the day, or even spend a weekend.

Within a three block area of downtown there is a variety of attractions, stores, restaurants, and inns. In addition to the natural beauty of the area, some of the local attractions include the Iron Furnace, the Bicycle Museum, the Wedding Chapel, and walking trails, too numerous to mention.

After lunch we continued on our way back around the Cumberland Gap to our hotels taking in the breathing sights of the ivy covered hills and beautiful fuzzy pink flowering trees along the way.

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