Reminder, there are many roads to camp… some folks will be on motorcycles, some will drive cars, trucks or minivans. You can choose to follow the entire twisted road all the way to camp, or you can meet us anywhere along the way… or short cut at any time straight to the camp site. There are no rules on how you travel… just join in the way that makes sense for you (there will most likely be some empty seats in some vehicles that you can just ride along as well). Unlike the previous two camping trips, the plan for this weekend includes coed / family members - not just dudes. So plan accordingly and invite / bring along whoever you think would enjoy the experience.
Our third “official” Miles and Hours weekend moto camping trip will once again take us into the back hills of central Kentucky (although nearly all the route past the Rockport bridge will be “new” roads we have not previously covered). Starting at 7:30 on Friday morning, the ride has the potential to be one of the longest single day rides to date with 198 miles planned to be covered.
This will be a full day of riding.
As usual, we have stops planned all along the way to avoid getting too tired and stretch our muscles. In fact we shouldn’t ever be in the saddle for more than an hour at a time. The route is also “strategically” arranged to provide opportunities for short cuts if we find the ride is going slower than we expected and need to shave some minutes to get into camp sooner.
Mammoth Ride thereDetailed GPS maps and routes will be available to anyone who needs / wants more info and times of arrivals and such for planning.
The Destination – Houchins Ferry Camp Ground
Speaking of camp… we will be staying at Houchins Ferry Camp Ground which is inside the Mammoth Cave Park. However, this camp ground is located on the western side of the park, and is mostly disconnected from the rest of the area – since the ferry across the Green River that the camp ground is named after has been out of operation since 2016 (the dam broke and water levels dropped to render it out of commission).
There are only twelve primitive camp spots, and the facilities are super basic (a water faucet and porta-pot toilets). We should enjoy a great feeling of being in nature and not be surrounded by RV’s and crowds (nothing against big camp grounds… those can be fun too, this should lean much more towards ”roughing it” and back woods adventure).
The road to camp:
We’ll leave out from Yankeetown and take the winding road to Rockport where we’ll take a very quick break at “the Bluff”. Only about 25 minutes or so of riding, this stop is a great time to jump off the bike, adjust the gear and check the bikes to make sure everything is in order before we cross the river. We’ll stay suited up, snap a photo… and hit the road quickly.
We’ll cover about 20 miles to the next stop at the city park outside of Hawesville KY. This section should take about 40min, and we should be able to make use of the public restrooms at the park as well as a quick stretch.
The road will get a bit more twisty and narrow outside of Hawesville as we head 30 miles toward the Wired Roaster Coffee Shop (probably about 50 minutes of ride time). We think this stop is a cool find because according to their FB page they serve one of our favorite coffees, Sunergos out of Louisville. We’ll rest here for 30 min or so and get caffeinated for the next 20 miles to the General Store.
At the general store stop, we will have covered 90 miles from Yankeetown and the next fuel will be in another 90 miles. So unless the bike can go around 200 miles on a tank, this fuel will be needed here.
Lunch is another 30 miles (about one hour of riding) down the road at Laker Drive In. This will be our first choice because it keeps us on the back roads and closer to the fun parts of the trip. However, if it is particularly cold, wet or we otherwise decide we don’t want to eat sitting outside, there are other options for food a few more miles away, closer to the town of Glendale Junction. While these options will cause the route to land on more “highways” if the weather is not great, that might be a good thing anyway.
After lunch, there are three more segments of approximately 30 miles each. These should be about 50min to an hour of riding because of how tight and twisty the roads are. The route has been created to maximize time spent riding on curvy roads, but these final sections are where the numerous ”short cuts” can be taken if needed to get to camp or if anyone is getting tired and sore.
All in, we should arrive at camp around 5:15 to 5:30.
Immediately before arriving at camp, the route will visit Brownsville Ky, There is a grocery store on in town for anyone who wants to pick up provisions for camp that night (as well as an ice cream shop too).
As for details on camping activities and meal prep… we’ll make another post about that specifically as those plans solidify. Again, the emphasis is on inclusion and giving folks the most opportunity to be involved… so if you wanna cook, bring food, or plan some games or other campfire stuff… speak up!
The drive home will be shorter to provide some more time in the morning at camp with family and friends, but the roads will be no less epic… a post on the ”Back Again – Mammoth Kentucky Roads” will be coming soon.
