Backroad Adventure Tracks

Newby Country Store is one of the coolest little country stores there is. It’s completely in the middle of nowhere, but they have great sandwiches, and the friendliest staff. Be sure to stop here, listen to a story, tell a story, and grab a bite to eat. Saturday evenings they often have music on the front porch. Grab a photo of you or your bike at the Newby Country Store to complete this checkpoint.

The NEK BAT travels to and near several distilleries, but goes right through the grounds of the Wild Turkey Distillery and Visitor Center. Get a photo of you or your bike at the distillery, with the Wild Turkey Logo to capture this checkpoint.

Completed in 1879, this was the first Cantilever design bridge built in the United States, an engineering marvel of it’s time, and a design still used in bridges today. Get a photo with the bridge for this checkpoint.

In the deep dark hills of Eastern Kentucky, there’s an abandoned limestone mine left open and readily accessible. It’s private property, so we advise you don’t enter, but many a motorcycle has ridden into this old mine which goes well into and under the hill. From a legal spot alongside the road, get your photo with the mine, or the interesting train tunnel next door, to complete this Challenge Checkpoint.

They just don’t make them like they used to.. Fitchburg Furnace is a fine example of the care and precision put into structures of the past. Each stone was hand cut, and hand fit to great precision, to build this immense double chamber iron furnace. It is perhaps the finest surviving example of dry fit masonry in the entire country. Get a photo of this beautiful structure with you or your bike, to check this point off the list.

Everyone loves a trip through the Nada Tunnel. Completed in 1911, the 900 foot long hole was blasted through the mountain by a lumber company as a railway tunnel, to supply lumber to a nearby sawmill. Today you can ride through the single lane tunnel on your motorcycle. Stop and grab a pic to complete this Challenge Checkpoint.

Buffalo Iron Furnace is another great dry-fit masonry structure. Largely in-tact, but very accessible. As you’re facing the furnace, walk to the back left corner and find a small face carved into a corner stone about eye-height. Collect a photo of you or your bike with any part of this furnace, for this checkpoint.

In the middle of the 2nd intermediate section of Day 4, after a couple good creek crossings, you’ll find an old abandoned car along the trail in the middle of the woods. This car is your NEK BAT Challenge Checkpoint #8.

Dry Fork Creek Road coming into this trestle has several concrete low water bridges. It might be a challenge making it to this checkpoint if the water is high. The trestle is worth the trip though if you can make it! Get your bike under this train bridge to complete this checkpoint.