Freedom Thighs 2012

I couldn't tell you specifically what I like so much about the Freedom Thighs bike ride. There's an inexpressible feeling it gives you, something pictures and text may not have the ability to convey, but I'll try.

Outside the Birdhouse

The bike ride happens each 4th of July, meeting at the Birdhouse around 4pm. Bikers line up in the street, listen to a rendition on the Star Spangled Banner (this year, Dolly Parton's), and begin their patriotic cruise through the neighborhoods of Knoxville.



Most attendees are decked out in American themed apparel. I myself bought a flag vest a couple years back for my first Freedom Thighs, and it's become a go-to for this ride each year. This year, two synchronized boom boxes towed behind bikes busted out jams ranging from Ludacris's Roll Out to some USA themed songs sung in Spanish.

Eagle on Rollerblades!

I couldn't tell you either, if there is any common thread that runs through each of the bikers who come each year to ride this ride.

 I overheard one hipster-looking biker say to his friends as I slowly meandered past them, "I can't tell if this race is satirical or not. It seems like there are a lot of truly patriotic people here, but I know there are some anarchists here as well... and just so y'all know, I bought this (American flag) t-shirt at Wal-Mart."



Sidenote: I don't know much about this subject, but it's true that there is a small contingent of anarchists that like to ride bicycles in Knoxville. They're some real nice people, yet would a true anarchist attend an American-themed bike ride? Are anarchists known to be especially ironic?*

Maybe what I like about the ride is the simultaneous delight and confusion I feel.



Freedom Thighs does mostly draw a bunch of white hipsters, it's true.

Part of the route winds through some East Knox neighborhoods which are predominantly inhabited by African Americans. These are some of my favorite streets to ride through because there is such a great community presence there. So many families came out on their porches to cheer on us white kids dressed like idiots.

And together, we all cheered on America.

 If that's not patriotic, I couldn't tell you what is.

Babe-raham Lincoln

We made a stop at the Pilot on Magnolia. That Pilot made a billion dollars yesterday, and so did the ice-cream man who stopped there when he saw all of us.

Love grows at Pilot

Then some idiot started shooting fireworks. Really? At a gas station? I can't say everyone on the ride is the brightest.




I saw many faces on the ride that have moved away from Knoxville over the past few years. They come back for this ride, and that's saying something.




I didn't end up finishing out the whole route. I think they went about 10 miles in all, making various stops to rest, consume cold beverages, and eat hotdogs, but I had a cookout calling my name.

The Ice-Cream man found us

If you have been intrigued in the slightest by this post, you should consider taking a chance on shenaniganery and joining the ride next year. No one fits in, but we all do because we're American, you know what I'm saying?



 Wherever the 4th of July took you, whether you were enjoying a/c with normal, calm people or with a bunch of hooligans on bikes, I do hope it was as merry one.

Facilitators of Freedom Thighs

*Questions for another time.

Another Knoxville Halloween down

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween yesterday and this past weekend. I love how when the holiday falls near the weekend, Knoxville spends night upon night in festive attire. This city has taught me a lot about Halloween, and I know if I ever move from here, it will most likely be on Halloween that I'll miss it most. Many thanks to all those who dressed up and made it a good one this year.

I noticed a strong Dia de Los Muertos presence this year. Also, lots of nerds and bloody people, even bloody nerds. I like, too, how lots of people wore normal stylish attire but had dark makeup around their eyes- Halloween's fashion models.

Here are some photos taken before the TVB Halloween Alley Cat Race last night. These crazy people rode about eight miles around town in their costumes. Pretty awesome.

All I have to say is: girl on right with unibrow.

I assume the guy on the left is dead somewhere in a ditch. How he rode on a bike in that thing, I don't know.

Can you guess what Wild Bill and I are? Btw, I think he just wanted an excuse to bare his chest.

In other news, they started decorating for Christmas today in Krutch Park

Sky, ho!

A new public art installation or a new way to forge Third Creek?

Shot along the Neyland/Third Creek Greenway, whose detour through the UT Ag Campus is supposed to last through the spring on account of KUB construction.

Cades Cove Full Moon Bike Ride

It hasn't been scientifically proven, but I think there is a strange correlation of humidity and hills to how many mason jars there are present in Knoxville that can make its inhabitants get a little crazy-eyed, a little hillbillier, if you will. If you stay here long enough, and allow it, it will get you, and you may find yourself walking around outside barefoot or jumping off a thirty or fifty foot cliff into water-filled quarries. During a full moon, it can pull a person all the way to the mountains.

I've ridden the 11-mile loop in Cades Cove three times by bike, but never in daylight. I've only done it at night during a full moon.

The first time I went was about three years ago. I met up with the group I was going with in Maplehurst. I immediately stood out in the crowd with my athletic looking attire. Everyone else was in plaid shirts, jeans, everyday clothes, and they were packing large amounts of liquor into their backpacks and saddle bags. All I had with me was water. It was going to be a different kind of ride than I had expected.



The first time you ride the loop in the moonlight, you may feel a whole range of emotions. For me, it was, "This is the greatest thing I've ever done," to, "We're all going to die." If everyone turns out their flashlights, your eyes adjust to the moonlight. You can see the road pretty well, until you enter a patch of road covered in trees. Then you're just winging it. You may hear the thumping of fast-moving hooves (or paws) next to you, and you hope it's a smallish baby deer. The second time I went, my group lost Max, and I was certain he had been eaten by a bear. Thankfully, he was waiting for us at the car when we finished.



Three years ago, the road was full of pot holes. Thankfully I had a mountain bike. Some of the hills are excruciating for an ever novice like myself, but you make it to the top, and without effort, coast down the following hill, out into the moonlight. Fields and distant mountains are detailed in a way I can't describe in words.



The last time I went was this past Tuesday. The weather was perfect and the road has recently been paved so I took my road bike this time. It was a little cloudy, but beautiful. Our group stopped in at some of the churches and cabins, settings at night that are eerier than any other place I've been.



The hills were still hard for me to climb this time, sadly, but everything else cancels that out. In the daylight hours, sitting at my office desk, I wonder when the next time will be when I can feel that cool mountain air tousle my moon-kissed hair as I descend a long winding stretch of road on my bike.



Photos 4, 5, and 6 are by Kat Campbell

sunlight on old brick

The 100 block is the best place to be during a summer sunset.

Just so you know.

Downtown view

Nice light after a short rain shower downtown.

Scenes from Rhythm and Blooms

I took my girlfriend, KTG, out for her birthday to the Rhythm and Blooms Festival. We took in an intimate show with Greg Horne at Remedy and a relaxing one with the Black Lilies at the Knoxville Botanical Garden.

I will now take the liberty to say that the Knoxville Botanical Garden is HANDS DOWN the best outdoor concert venue in Knoxville. With the sunset, great music, a good person by your side and of course beer and BBQ it's like seeing a show in the colorful and magical Tennessee Theatre but OUTSIDE. You can't feel the breeze inside now can you?

Ok enough jabber. Here's the take on the weekend.

what is this?

...a city for ants ?!


I've been obsessed with tilt shift photography, which works best if looking down on the subject. So I thought I'd try it from our splendiferous city-viewing platform.

Bricks!

I saw this circle-o-bricks while hiking at Ijams on Valentine's Day with my sweetheart and my dog. I have been to Meads Quarry at Ijams several times but have never noticed these bricks. I wonder what they are / why are they there? You can see them on the quarry loop trail near the owl themed water tower. And if you haven't been hiking on a brisk winter day, I strongly suggest it. Downed leaves and crisp winter air provide some nice clear views this time of year.

Views of Knoxville

An interesting time to be on the Square. It's exciting to think of how Wall Ave will also be changed once these two projects are completed. The urban fabric continues ...

The best thing that's ever happened to me

Something you may not know about being a writer for the Wigshop is how glamorous it has made our lives. Everyday people are handing us concert tickets, picking up our tabs, or letting us jump to the front of lines at clubs.


I'm joking. Obviously. (When do we ever go to clubs?)

Our compensation does come from the joy of knowing that there are people out there that read this blog. (Quite frankly, I think you're all crazy, but) It is such a great feeling.

However... it does not hurt for something more tangible to come our way every now and again.

That's why when I was invited a few months ago to visit the Titanic replica in Pigeon Forge because I had written a post about it, I was ecstatic. It was a sentiment much like Rose must have felt while dancing with Jack and his fellow swashbucklers in the hull of the Titanic.



It was a gray November day when I drove out to Pigeon Forge with two of my friends. We passed the large upside down mansion, and there on our right stood the smokestacks. We parked and walked inside the black trailer in the parking lot to meet our tour guide, Rick. Upon entering, a jovial woman announced, rather startlingly, "Welcome aboard!" I pursed my lips to hold back laughter, mostly from sheer delight.



Rick asked if we wanted to have the "Welcome aboard!" lady give us her spiel on the Titanic museum or if we wanted the tour first. I couldn't help myself. "The tour, please!"



We entered the ship, donning orange construction hats.

I have to say, it was a little disappointing. There was not much to see at this point but steel beams and concrete. Rick tried to paint images of its potential in our heads, of the Grand Staircase and the fine china place settings you would be able to touch in the dining room.



I'm not one to give you all the details of the inner-workings of the museum: "The Titanic was constructed with 50 gabillion tons of steel, blah, blah, blah..." Rick did inform us that it will be as factual as possible, a place where adult and child can learn in an incredibly ornate atmosphere. I did retain such information as, there will be an ice wall that you can touch at the end of the tour in a room with a starry filled sky overhead. Also, you will be able to get married on the Grand Staircase, and there will be a reception room above for after the ceremony. What a dream!



This spring, you too will have the chance to visit yourself, and it will cost you somewhere around $25. I can't wait to go back when it's all done, and you can be sure I'll be wearing (not a construction hat, but) my "Heart of the Ocean" necklace Rick gave me.

The first, second, third, and fourth photo were taken by Tracy Jackson

Tour Delight

For the most part, I maintain a quiet love for Knoxville, but every so often that love grows more exuberant. Last night was one of those times; I attended the "Tour de Lights" neighborhood bike ride hosted by Knoxville Regional Bicycle Program.



I'm not positive how many cyclists showed up, but it had to have been at least 200. Man, woman, child were decked out in Christmas attire, their bikes adorned in lights and tinsel.





The route started in Krutch Park, weaved through downtown to North Knoxville, and back again. Police stopped all vehicular traffic as we rode though intersections. People came out of their homes or stopped on sidewalks to wave and shout, "Merry Christmas!" which we gladly shouted back. It's probably the closest I'll ever feel to being like George Bailey running through the streets of Bedford Falls.



To top off the experience, there, waiting for us at the finish line, was hot chocolate and cookies. All of it made me quite happy to be a Knoxvillian, to be a part of what's going on downtown, and to know that there are many (crazy) people who feel the same way.



If you're interested in knowing when the next ride is, might I suggest befriending the Knoxville Regional Bicycle Program on Facebook. Otherwise, check out their website.