Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! 
Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to Great Smokey Mountains National Park, HWY129 the Dragon, FS roads, and Skyway on GSM Motorent bikes September 6, 2012.
My son Nathan and I were on our way from Houston to New York and New Jersey to drop off a car and return him to school. It seemed a shame to pass so close to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park without getting a ride in on the fantastic twisties in the area. Then I remembered seeing a post on TWT for dual sport motorcycle rentals in Townsend, TN. I contacted Dan at GSMmotorent.com and reserved a WR250r for Nathan and a KLR650 for myself. Nathan was really looking forward to a day long “test ride” on a WR250r as we have been considering getting this bike for him.
We started the long haul from Houston early so we could arrive before it got too late (14 hrs later). We also lost an hour due to the time change. However it turned out that Dan was still waiting for one more cycle to return when we arrived so we needn't have worried. We stayed on the property in their Avion camper trailer which was plenty comfortable. Then next morning about 7am we met with Dan to pick up our bikes. We completed the paperwork and then he gave us a full run down making sure we were comfortable with the controls on each bike. We chose the loop that passes through the Great Smokey Mountain National park, HWY129 (the Dragon), Cherohala Skyway and forest service roads . He gave us a set of turn by turn directions for this ride he calls the Cherohala Dual Sport Loop. Later I would realize how important those instructions were. We fired up the bikes and off into the lifting fog we rode.
HWY 73 took us directly into the park after less than a mile. Next we hung a right onto Laurel Creek Rd on our way to the Cade’s Cove Loop. Once in the park the traffic on Laurel Creek Rd was about 30mph with mostly double yellow lines. It gave us a chance to warm up to our rides and practice tight delayed apex curves without being overly concerned about deer. We entered Cade’s Cove Loop which is a one way one lane road so again our signed speed limit was fairly low. At 20mph the speed limit just gave us time to loosen up, enjoy the fresh mountain air, and drink in the stunning scenery. At one point a large herd of “wild” horses was running parallel to Cade’s Cove loop (and us!) for several minutes before they finally reached their destination. It felt like we were just part of the galloping herd for a while. Perhaps the grass was greener on the far end of the field? Occasionally very slow moving tourists would slow us further but there were plenty of pull offs and they would let us by.
Finally about 17 miles into the ride we turned off onto the dirt Parson’s Branch Rd. Right at the entrance was a sign that read “High Ground Clearance Vehicles Required, Limited Emergency Services”. It could have read instead “Perfect Road - Trail Combination for Large Dual Sports!” Since the road was one way we didn’t have to worry much about meeting oncoming traffic. Actually we didn’t see any traffic for the full 10 miles of the best dual sport road I have ever travelled. Usually I lead Nathan but with no chance of left turners I figured Nathan would like to be up front so off he went. The surface was mostly dirt and rocks with some gravel but not loose pea gravel like on some roads. Lots of elevation changes were punctuated by multiple curves and too many water crossings to count. Big trees lined either side of the road so I made sure to keep my bike well under control. I came over one hill a bit too hot and had to brake hard to pull up before running off straight when the road curved. I should have practiced an emergency stop immediately after entering Parson’s! I was also glad I was wearing full armor as hitting one of those trees even at relatively slow trail speeds would still hurt. Dan had warned us that the concrete water crossings could be slippery, but in my book that just adds to the fun. Nathan did almost slide out on a slippery wooden bridge but the WR was light enough that he brought it back under control. I love it when the trail conditions dictate our maximum speed rather than traffic or some arbitrary sign! Finally Parson’s Branch Rd ended right at the tail of the dragon pavement!
We rode the dragon’s tail, passed the Deals Gap motorcycle resort, and slowed down as we passed the scenic dam. Traffic this early was negligible but when we returned later it would be heavier. We continued on 129 till we hung a right about 10 miles later onto the paved SR1134 Joyce Kilmer Rd. Somewhere along the route the road changed to SR1127 Santeetlah Rd. Then several miles later we turned onto FS81 just before the Cherohala Skwy. Another “High Ground Clearance Vehicles Required, Limited Emergency Services” sign suggested that this gravel road would also be fun. This was also the point at which Dan’s turn by turn directions were far superior to any map. The location straddles the state line between TN and NC and is right on the corner of every map I have (with over half the areas beyond the edge). Plus some of the roads were not marked very well. Following the directions and watching our odometers kept us on track as we climbed up through the mountains for about 10 miles to meet up with the Cherohala Skwy. We then headed over on FS81 for a fast paced gravel run due West up to Stratton Gap. This road was graded a bit more than Parson’s Branch but the up hill ascent enabled us to keep our speeds safely up even on the loose gravel. We would find out how different a descent could be later. After the FS81 gravel ascent we climbed onto the paved Cherohala Skyway. The Skyway is SR165 in Tennessee and SR143 in North Carolina. The Cherohala is similar to the Blue Ridge Skyway with wide sweeping curves, wide open mountain vistas, and a speed limit that encourages relaxed riding. The first overlook provided a great place to stop for a quick rest. We discussed the route so far and agreed that Parson’s Branch was among our favorite dual sport trails. Parson’s was perfectly suited our skills as matched with the WR250r and the KLR650 we had chosen for today.

Nathan on the Skyway.... and yes that is a big grin under that helmet.
Next was a relaxed pavement jog for about 20 miles into Tellico Plains for gas and lunch. A beautiful mountain stream paralleled our ride along SR165 and through the town on the last portion of our outbound ride. After a relaxed lunch under the shade trees we headed further into town for gas. Then it was back out for a short jog on the skyway before turning off toward Green Cove via the scenic paved River Road. We practiced our delayed apex curve skills on the twisties as we followed the river back up into the mountains. Ten miles in we turned right onto North River Road FS217 and climbed the twisty gravel road back up to Stratton Gap. After riding back through Stratton Gap and under the Cherohala it was back onto FS81 only this time a down hill run. Keeping the bikes under control on the downhill gravel descent challenged us far more than the uphill ascent. We made it down safely to Santeetlah Gap but this time climbed up onto the Skyway for one more relaxed run all the way back to US129. We headed back to the dragon on 129 riding the entire length up from the Skyway and then through Deals Gap and back down into Tennessee. The moderate traffic on the Dragon was mostly motorcycles. There were three photographers who snapped our run and then later posted them on the internet for purchase. I took the bait and the results are listed below thanks to
http://129slayer.com/129Slayer/129_Slayer_The_Dragon_Photo_Specialist_on_US_129.html and http://killboy.com.

Fortunately they give us a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License so we can legally post them.


After we returned home I stumbled across a couple of Dragon wreck videos and one video of what happens when a semi attempts the dragon (WOW!).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=a3ifyoxJf1A
During the ride I was more concerned about a sport biker loosing control and coming across like this.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGns4YyqDrs"]Funny Motorcycle Accident at Deals Gap Tail of the Dragon - YouTube[/ame]
We were there on a weekday. I would not want to ride the dragon on the weekend as I was told there are usually 5 wrecks per weekend day vs just a few per week during the week. To reduce the risk from other vehicles we used our skills as learned from Proficient Motorcycling by Hough to enter and stay on the far outside of the curve until we could see all the way around and then dive in for a delayed apex. The dragon is a fun road but there are many others in North Carolina just as fun. US276 out of Brevard, NC and NC215 through Balsom Grove come to mind but there are many many others and most have far less traffic.

Nathan prepares to apex after seeing all the way around the curve.

I am glad he caught the 129 sign with us!
After successfully completing our dragon run we headed back to base on 129 and then the Foothills Parkway. The Foothills Parkway is similar to the Skyway with wide sweeping curves and 45mph speed limit. We returned to GSM at approximately 3:30pm and decided we could fit in a bit more riding. We repeated the Parson’s Branch and the Dragon’s Tail route this time stopping at the motorcycle resort at Deal’s Gap. Of about 40 bikes parked at the resort we were the only dual sports. Nathan enjoyed seeing an Aprilia 450 (motard version) and we chatted with the owner for a few minutes.

Nathan got a kick out of the sign at the side of this picture... NO BURNOUTS.
Next it was back on the bikes for one more Dragon run and then back to base. Dan was in the shop as we pulled up. He seemed a tad surprised that neither Nathan nor I had dropped a bike. Given Nathan’s close call with the slippery wood bridge and my required emergency stop I can see why. Looking back now I wish we would have added a Rich Mountain Road loop through the park. Still, after our ride we were grinning from ear to ear. We could have slowed down just a tad and even new riders would have had no problem on that route but at our speeds it was plenty of fun and challenge for us. It seems that big grins are the usual reaction Dan sees after folks ride his dual sport loops.
My son Nathan and I were on our way from Houston to New York and New Jersey to drop off a car and return him to school. It seemed a shame to pass so close to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park without getting a ride in on the fantastic twisties in the area. Then I remembered seeing a post on TWT for dual sport motorcycle rentals in Townsend, TN. I contacted Dan at GSMmotorent.com and reserved a WR250r for Nathan and a KLR650 for myself. Nathan was really looking forward to a day long “test ride” on a WR250r as we have been considering getting this bike for him.
We started the long haul from Houston early so we could arrive before it got too late (14 hrs later). We also lost an hour due to the time change. However it turned out that Dan was still waiting for one more cycle to return when we arrived so we needn't have worried. We stayed on the property in their Avion camper trailer which was plenty comfortable. Then next morning about 7am we met with Dan to pick up our bikes. We completed the paperwork and then he gave us a full run down making sure we were comfortable with the controls on each bike. We chose the loop that passes through the Great Smokey Mountain National park, HWY129 (the Dragon), Cherohala Skyway and forest service roads . He gave us a set of turn by turn directions for this ride he calls the Cherohala Dual Sport Loop. Later I would realize how important those instructions were. We fired up the bikes and off into the lifting fog we rode.
HWY 73 took us directly into the park after less than a mile. Next we hung a right onto Laurel Creek Rd on our way to the Cade’s Cove Loop. Once in the park the traffic on Laurel Creek Rd was about 30mph with mostly double yellow lines. It gave us a chance to warm up to our rides and practice tight delayed apex curves without being overly concerned about deer. We entered Cade’s Cove Loop which is a one way one lane road so again our signed speed limit was fairly low. At 20mph the speed limit just gave us time to loosen up, enjoy the fresh mountain air, and drink in the stunning scenery. At one point a large herd of “wild” horses was running parallel to Cade’s Cove loop (and us!) for several minutes before they finally reached their destination. It felt like we were just part of the galloping herd for a while. Perhaps the grass was greener on the far end of the field? Occasionally very slow moving tourists would slow us further but there were plenty of pull offs and they would let us by.
Finally about 17 miles into the ride we turned off onto the dirt Parson’s Branch Rd. Right at the entrance was a sign that read “High Ground Clearance Vehicles Required, Limited Emergency Services”. It could have read instead “Perfect Road - Trail Combination for Large Dual Sports!” Since the road was one way we didn’t have to worry much about meeting oncoming traffic. Actually we didn’t see any traffic for the full 10 miles of the best dual sport road I have ever travelled. Usually I lead Nathan but with no chance of left turners I figured Nathan would like to be up front so off he went. The surface was mostly dirt and rocks with some gravel but not loose pea gravel like on some roads. Lots of elevation changes were punctuated by multiple curves and too many water crossings to count. Big trees lined either side of the road so I made sure to keep my bike well under control. I came over one hill a bit too hot and had to brake hard to pull up before running off straight when the road curved. I should have practiced an emergency stop immediately after entering Parson’s! I was also glad I was wearing full armor as hitting one of those trees even at relatively slow trail speeds would still hurt. Dan had warned us that the concrete water crossings could be slippery, but in my book that just adds to the fun. Nathan did almost slide out on a slippery wooden bridge but the WR was light enough that he brought it back under control. I love it when the trail conditions dictate our maximum speed rather than traffic or some arbitrary sign! Finally Parson’s Branch Rd ended right at the tail of the dragon pavement!
We rode the dragon’s tail, passed the Deals Gap motorcycle resort, and slowed down as we passed the scenic dam. Traffic this early was negligible but when we returned later it would be heavier. We continued on 129 till we hung a right about 10 miles later onto the paved SR1134 Joyce Kilmer Rd. Somewhere along the route the road changed to SR1127 Santeetlah Rd. Then several miles later we turned onto FS81 just before the Cherohala Skwy. Another “High Ground Clearance Vehicles Required, Limited Emergency Services” sign suggested that this gravel road would also be fun. This was also the point at which Dan’s turn by turn directions were far superior to any map. The location straddles the state line between TN and NC and is right on the corner of every map I have (with over half the areas beyond the edge). Plus some of the roads were not marked very well. Following the directions and watching our odometers kept us on track as we climbed up through the mountains for about 10 miles to meet up with the Cherohala Skwy. We then headed over on FS81 for a fast paced gravel run due West up to Stratton Gap. This road was graded a bit more than Parson’s Branch but the up hill ascent enabled us to keep our speeds safely up even on the loose gravel. We would find out how different a descent could be later. After the FS81 gravel ascent we climbed onto the paved Cherohala Skyway. The Skyway is SR165 in Tennessee and SR143 in North Carolina. The Cherohala is similar to the Blue Ridge Skyway with wide sweeping curves, wide open mountain vistas, and a speed limit that encourages relaxed riding. The first overlook provided a great place to stop for a quick rest. We discussed the route so far and agreed that Parson’s Branch was among our favorite dual sport trails. Parson’s was perfectly suited our skills as matched with the WR250r and the KLR650 we had chosen for today.

Nathan on the Skyway.... and yes that is a big grin under that helmet.
Next was a relaxed pavement jog for about 20 miles into Tellico Plains for gas and lunch. A beautiful mountain stream paralleled our ride along SR165 and through the town on the last portion of our outbound ride. After a relaxed lunch under the shade trees we headed further into town for gas. Then it was back out for a short jog on the skyway before turning off toward Green Cove via the scenic paved River Road. We practiced our delayed apex curve skills on the twisties as we followed the river back up into the mountains. Ten miles in we turned right onto North River Road FS217 and climbed the twisty gravel road back up to Stratton Gap. After riding back through Stratton Gap and under the Cherohala it was back onto FS81 only this time a down hill run. Keeping the bikes under control on the downhill gravel descent challenged us far more than the uphill ascent. We made it down safely to Santeetlah Gap but this time climbed up onto the Skyway for one more relaxed run all the way back to US129. We headed back to the dragon on 129 riding the entire length up from the Skyway and then through Deals Gap and back down into Tennessee. The moderate traffic on the Dragon was mostly motorcycles. There were three photographers who snapped our run and then later posted them on the internet for purchase. I took the bait and the results are listed below thanks to
http://129slayer.com/129Slayer/129_Slayer_The_Dragon_Photo_Specialist_on_US_129.html and http://killboy.com.

Fortunately they give us a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License so we can legally post them.


After we returned home I stumbled across a couple of Dragon wreck videos and one video of what happens when a semi attempts the dragon (WOW!).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=a3ifyoxJf1A
During the ride I was more concerned about a sport biker loosing control and coming across like this.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGns4YyqDrs"]Funny Motorcycle Accident at Deals Gap Tail of the Dragon - YouTube[/ame]
We were there on a weekday. I would not want to ride the dragon on the weekend as I was told there are usually 5 wrecks per weekend day vs just a few per week during the week. To reduce the risk from other vehicles we used our skills as learned from Proficient Motorcycling by Hough to enter and stay on the far outside of the curve until we could see all the way around and then dive in for a delayed apex. The dragon is a fun road but there are many others in North Carolina just as fun. US276 out of Brevard, NC and NC215 through Balsom Grove come to mind but there are many many others and most have far less traffic.

Nathan prepares to apex after seeing all the way around the curve.

I am glad he caught the 129 sign with us!
After successfully completing our dragon run we headed back to base on 129 and then the Foothills Parkway. The Foothills Parkway is similar to the Skyway with wide sweeping curves and 45mph speed limit. We returned to GSM at approximately 3:30pm and decided we could fit in a bit more riding. We repeated the Parson’s Branch and the Dragon’s Tail route this time stopping at the motorcycle resort at Deal’s Gap. Of about 40 bikes parked at the resort we were the only dual sports. Nathan enjoyed seeing an Aprilia 450 (motard version) and we chatted with the owner for a few minutes.

Nathan got a kick out of the sign at the side of this picture... NO BURNOUTS.
Next it was back on the bikes for one more Dragon run and then back to base. Dan was in the shop as we pulled up. He seemed a tad surprised that neither Nathan nor I had dropped a bike. Given Nathan’s close call with the slippery wood bridge and my required emergency stop I can see why. Looking back now I wish we would have added a Rich Mountain Road loop through the park. Still, after our ride we were grinning from ear to ear. We could have slowed down just a tad and even new riders would have had no problem on that route but at our speeds it was plenty of fun and challenge for us. It seems that big grins are the usual reaction Dan sees after folks ride his dual sport loops.
