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Fathers and Sons Rocking the Smokies! June 15-22, 2019

Tourmeister

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Huntsville
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Scott
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Friday
Okay, so I am going to start this over...

Roger RSquared is retired now. We've been doing trips together for years. I... am not retired. Fortunately though, he still pesters me about going on trips because... well... you just never really know! So he was planning to do the BMW Rally in Lebanon, Tennessee in mid June and was trying to get me to go. Having just gone to Arkansas for a long weekend Memorial Day weekend, I wasn't sure I could get away from work again so soon. So I said no a few times... and a few more times.

Then, things kind of start falling into place. Sitting on the couch one evening, I causally ask my wife what she thinks about me taking our son, Daniel (almost 13) on a week long trip riding to North Carolina. He had also gone with me on the recent Arkansas trip. Amazingly, and almost without hesitation, she says, "Sure." :shock: I get all giddy and then all panicky. I now have less than a week to plan a week long trip to North Carolina. Getting routes together won't be a problem. Finding places to stay might be. Later in the evening I fire off a message to Roger to see if he'd be interested in staying over beyond the rally to join us for a week of riding. Then I mention that it would be really cool if his son, Mason, could come with us. It is crazy short notice, but it can't hurt to ask!

Not so much to my surprise, Roger is good with it. Totally to my surprise, Mason is actually able to get off work on such short notice. Roger only has his new 2018 MW R1200 GS with him, and I know there's no way he's going to want to ride that on the routes I am planning. So the new plan is for Mason to bring the KTM 1190 Adventure and the KTM 690 Enduro up to my place so we can get them loaded in my trailer with my BMW R1200 GS Rallye. Mason will get here as close to 5:00pm on Friday as he can and we'll leave as soon as I get home from work. Daniel and I get all our stuff packed and in the trailer by Thursday evening so all we have to do is hug Beth and the girls, hop in the truck, and roll!

Friday arrives and all goes according to plan. We pull out of the driveway right around 5:45pm. We were a few minutes late because my parents stopped by to show off their new puppy :doh:

All tucked in for the ride. Once you go enclosed, you will never go back to an open trailer willingly!
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The GPS said something like 15 hours from here to Dalton, Georgia, where we will meet Roger and start the trip. My ability to just suck it up and drive through the night is dwindling rapidly of late. So I've booked a cheap hotel with big parking in Vicksburg. The trip up US 59 to I-20 through East Texas is pleasant and uneventful. I-20 going into Louisiana is smooth as glass... until we reach Shreveport!! :eek2:

Roger had already mentioned that I might want to be careful on the drive out because his new trailer suffered some damage from the rough roads when he left for the rally earlier in the week. It seems an axle carrier broke! As we start bouncing around I can understand why. The speed limit has been lowered to 50mph, no doubt because trying to go much faster on such a poorly maintained road could end in disaster! It cannot be a coincidence that so many of the road side bill boards are for attorney's asking if you've been injured in a vehicle accident :roll: Once we get clear of Shreveport, things smooth out and we are soon pulling into Vicksburg around 1:30am. Tomorrow will be a leisurely drive to Dalton, with an early arrival so we can get the bikes and gear ready to go, enjoy a nice relaxing evening, and then get a good night of sleep.

If I can get checked into the hotel in Vicksburg... :wary:

I hit the buzzer and wait... It is an outside window of THICK plexiglass with a slit at the bottom just big enough to slide some paper and a pen underneath. Just another reason why I like having an enclosed trailer. After a few more buzzes and no response, I finally look up the hotel confirmation in my email and get the number to call. I think the night clerk may have fallen asleep. She came walking out slowly as she was answering the phone. She was nice though and got us checked in pretty quick. The room was nice and clean, and we were soon snoozing away. :sleep:

Other than plenty of parking space for the truck and trailer, the reason I picked this hotel was that it was right next door to a Cracker Barrel, one of my favorite places to eat! We head over for a nice breakfast. Afterward, we load up and pull out of the parking lot at the crack of dawn... 9:00am... Well... it's freaking early for me :-P We have to do some on the fly navigation when we reach Birmingham, Alabama, because they are working on I-20. Not being familiar with the area, I don't catch it when pass the loop around downtown and we end up having to do a detour that takes us RIGHT THRU downtown! I can now say I have seen downtown Birmingham. Once is enough. Mason is on his phone doing the fast thumb navigation thing and gets us on I-59 heading North out of town. Perfect.

The uConnect GPS in my truck has gone kaput. I've no idea what is going on with it, but it thinks we are out driving in the woods somewhere, going totally the wrong direction. So it is up to Mason to navigate the rest of the way to the hotel. Things are going great, but then start to get interesting once we get off of I-59. I really couldn't tell you what roads we are taking, but Mason urges me to have faith in the pink line on the map... I will say that these would be fun roads to ride, but not so much in the truck hauling a trailer! I really started to get concerned after he had told me to take the next left... five or six times... :ponder: I mean, shouldn't we have done a full 360 loop by now!?

"Just do it. Trust the tech!"

No I am anxiously watching my mirrors as the right trailer wheels cover the white line and the left wheels cover the yellow line! The road twists and winds through beautiful scenery. I just hope anyone coming the other direction is paying attention to the road and not the scenery because there isn't going to be any swerving to miss someone! We miss a few turns and manage to find even smaller backroads to get us back on track, and then almost as if by magic, we pop out right in Dalton and the hotel is just across the highway!! Roger is already there and checked into his room. Time to get everything unloaded.

WELL lit and in view of the security cameras! The Red Roof Inn owner agreed to let us leave the vehicles for the whole week since we booked two rooms on each end of our trip :thumb: That is Roger's new Taj Mahal on the right.
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It sits a bit low, but it is a nice setup!! I think he plans to raise it a few inches.
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Coincidentally, this hotel is right next to a Cracker Barrel as well :trust: So we walk over and have a great dinner before retiring to the parking lot to visit for a bit.

He is awake... and sober... I just have this super power that lets me catch pictures of people when the close their eyes. :-P
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Mason... IF the bike is not moving, his phone is out and on :lol2:
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My still relatively new to me 2017 R1200 GS Rallye.
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After a few beers, we call it a night and head to bed. It is going to be an EARLY start tomorrow. We have to be ready to roll no later than 9:00am :eek2:
 
The GPX file for each day will be at the end of each day's post (or at least the first post for each day).

So morning arrives and Daniel and I head for the free continental breakfast. Roger and Mason head next door to the Waffle House.

Everyone's ready to roll right on time. As expected... Roger opts for the trusty 690 instead of risking his "Pretty" bike ;-)
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The first part of today's route will be taking us across Northern Georgia and the SW edge of the Smoky Mountains. Some of the roads on this part of the route will be new to me, so I am not real sure what to expect. We head out of town for Hwy 52, which runs right into the Chattahoochee NF. I last rode this back around 2003 I think. It was great then, and it does not disappoint this time. A few slow moving cars/trucks graciously pull aside to let us pass because there are no safe passing zones. I've got Daniel trained to give these kinds of folks friendly waves.

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I have to work with Roger. Even after all our trips, he still has a hard time riding past me when I stop to get shots of him coming around corners :doh::-P
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Just mile after mile of smooth as silk twisty pavement! :rider:
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Somewhere along the way the road changes to Hwy 2 and we make quick work of it, arriving in Ellijay. The range on Roger's 690 is the limiting factor for us, unless he gets into his custom reserve tank, which is a bit of a pain to refill. So whenever possible, I try to stop for gas if we've gone more than 75-80 miles without stopping. It's also good for us older guys that seem to need bladder breaks more often than we use to... :oops: We head East out of town for Doublehead Gap Rd., another nice piece of pavement, and then get on FR 42-3, which is where our first dirt of the trip begins.

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This crunchy grey gravel is everywhere. It is like riding on marbles unless it is deep. I prefer it deep.
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We keep working our way East, picking up Cooper's Gap Rd., which eventually brings us out on GA 60 just South of the famous Suches, Ga., home of the Two Wheels Only campground. As expected, there are bikes of all kinds everywhere! However, we don't stop. Not knowing what is ahead, I want to keep moving to allow us as much time as might be needed for anything unexpected. That said, if you ever get the chance to run Ga 60 from US 19 on the South end up to Morganton, DO IT! It is a superb ride!! For now though, we are headed to Wolf Pen Gap, GA 180 between Suches and US 19/129. The last few miles are seriously twisty and technical!

Unfortunately... we don't get to have too much fun because we get behind a few slower moving vehicles. The fun section is relatively short and there are no safe passing places, so I slow down a few places to let them get ahead so I can run faster until I catch up again. When we reach US 19/129, we cut South just a bit to pick up Helton Creek Road, another fun dirt/gravel road with a nice surprise!

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We come up on a bit of traffic and some parked cars. It looks like we've found one of seemingly endless waterfalls in these parts. At first, you tend to get all excited and take lots of pictures. After fifteen or twenty of them, you barely even make note of the name on the signs as you blast by them. This being Daniel and Mason's first time out here, I decide to stop and get it out of the way early on :-P

Daniel has already disappeared down the trail. Mason follows.
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It is not a difficult or long hike, but you do need to watch your footing to make sure you don't roll a joint unexpectedly. Short as it is, it doesn't take long to work up a good muggy sweat! I catch Mason and he tells me Daniel has gone down to the bottom of the falls. I see a trail heading up, so I decide to take in the view from the top... well... midway anyway.

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Despite me telling Daniel about how many people are killed each year from slipping and falling while climbing around on waterfalls, no sooner do I look down than I see him trying to climb up the side of the falls in his riding boots :doh: I bark his name pretty loud to get his attention down below and he looks up. I give him my best "What the heck dude!?" Dad look, and he remembers our conversation. It only takes him a few moments to find his way up the path to join me.

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We hike up to the top and there is yet more water fall up there! There is a good sized pool at the bottom of the upper falls with people wading around aimlessly. OF course Daniel wants to head out into the middle of it, but we need to be getting back to the bikes and start the hike back down.
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The view from the very bottom.
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Standing where I take this picture I can feel cool air flowing off the waterfall. It feels wonderful!
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I don't know what kind of flower this is, but it is EVERYWHERE in the Smoky Mountains! In some places, the entire side of the mountains under the tree cover is full of these flowers, especially near creeks and rivers.
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The lower portion of the path back up to the parking area. It gets steeper as the steps turn to the right.
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Now that we've all worked up a great sweat... It is time to get back on the bike and get some air flowing through the riding gear!! Just a short way down the road though, we come to our first water crossing of the trip, what I think is the Nottely River.

It looks like regular old cars get through here, how bad could it be...?
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[To be continued...]

GPX viewer
 

Attachments

  • NC 2019 Day One.gpx
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Day 1 continued...

So we arrive at the first water crossing and I pause to consider it... It is not moving fast, doesn't look deep, is fairly clear and I don't see any obvious big rocks... I motion for Roger and Mason to wait until I get across and get ready for them so I can shoot pics and video. Daniel and I make it across with no issues, other than getting wet! Fortunately, water stays out of my boots. Daniel is not so lucky as his dirt boots are not even remotely water proof. Yeah... I am really looking forward to that smell in the hotel room tonight :eek2::suicide:

Roger and Mason getting across

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All across safely, we soon reach Ga 348, yet another sweet ribbon of riding heaven! It is a great irony that when the riding gets the best, I tend to forget to take pictures because I am so lost in the moment of riding :doh: Suffice to say, in these cases, pictures would likely be pointless anyway because they will NEVER convey even remotely the actual reality of what it is like to ride some of these roads. :zen:

We soon reach Ga 75-Alt, just West of Helen and stop for a break. Roger could probably use gas. I suspect I am not the only one that needs a "break". Most importantly, there might be ice cream to be had here :trust: But then there might be COOL cars as well!

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And cool bugs... I know, I can't help myself when I see bugs... :shrug:
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Some tanks emptied and some tanks full, we get back on the road and head NE on Ga 356, pick up Ga 197, and then cut East on Burton Dam road, which runs along the Tallulah River. This is a really scenic ride. The homes along the river are amazing, like amazingly WAY out of reach of my budget!! :shock: It is obvious that this is one of the areas where some really wealthy people like to come and relax! I can't really explain why I don't get any pictures other than perhaps it was because I was focusing on not falling over from going so slow due to traffic :doh: The road gets very tight and twisty, but it is endless driveways and blind corners, so no hustling here. It only gets worse as we head down Seed Lake Rd., and Lake Rabun Rd. As pretty as it is, I am happy when we cross US 441 onto Wolf Creek Rd., and get away from all the traffic. We eventually reach US 76 and head over to SC 196, also called Chattooga Ridge Road. Here we just catch the far NW corner of South Carolina. We come out on SC 28 and head North. The road becomes NC 28. If we were to just head North, it would eventually end at Deal's Gap. We are saving that for later in the week.

The plan now is to run up NC 28 to Horse Cove Rd., and take the back roads into Highland. Back in 2005 I brought some poor unsuspecting souls back in this area when I had my 2002 R1150 GS, a BIG bike. They were on bikes like VStrom 1Ks and some other portly beasts. My old tracks show that we were indeed able to do the route, but today no such luck...

That is NC 28 on the left and Horse Cove Rd., on the right.
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It gets interesting right after the first corner and looks like we might be in for a challenge the further we go.

Sadly, it soon comes to an end... So what are we to do?
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That's not even one of the old guys! :-P
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At the dead end, it looks like people have been camping. I can see where the road used to go, but now there is a big berm blocking the way and the road beyond looks like it has been abandoned to the appetite of the woods... The remaining tracks are barely even visible. I do a quick check of the GPS and decide to run up 28 and look for Rich Gap Road. I seem to recall that this was one of the ones we were able to ride without too much trouble all those years go. Maybe it will still be open? The short run up 28 to the start of Rich Gap Rd., is fun. Rich Gap is now paved, and also quite fun. It actually hits the North end of Horse Cove Rd., just before we reach Highlands.

Highland is a pretty town, very touristy, and the homes all look very expensive. Think Aspen, Colorado, but in smaller mountains and denser forests. Everything is expensive here, so we don't bother stopping. We just head out of town on East US 64 a short bit to another of my favorite little paved roads, Buck Creek Road. I found this one by accident years ago and try to make a point of running it every time I get back out here. There is this ONE corner though... If you aren't paying attention it will BITE you even if you aren't hauling. It is a blind right hander that gets REAL right just behind the blind section! Even expecting it, it is still easy to over cook this one. They do at least have a 10mph sign posted for it now. The first time I encountered it, I started dragging the Jesse bags on my 1150 GS! We slip through it easily this time, leaning WAY over, and keep on going. Eventually, we drop out on US 64/NC 28 a little South of Franklin. This is just one of many fantastic roads in the area North of Highlands and Cashiers.

We make a short run up US 64/NC 28 to another of my favorites, Ellijay Road. It is a lot like Buck Creek Road, nice pavement and crazy tight curves. The 1200 GS is just eating it up effortlessly, even with all the added weight of Daniel and our luggage. I am running in Dynamic mode, which means all the power it can make with the fun grip. This bike makes so much more power, and does it so much more urgently, than my 07 1200 GS ever could. Still, it does it in such a refined and slick way that the bike handles like a dream. The braking is linear and predictable. I settle into a groove, working to be totally smooth in my transitions from gas to brakes and back again... "Like butta...", to quote a famous Spaniard MotoGP racer. :rider: We reach a familiar curve and I decide to pull out and setup for some action shots of Roger and Mason.

They will be coming up the hill from the right.
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I scream, wave my arms, point like crazy... :lol2:

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It's been a long day of non stop curves and even as a passenger, Daniel is starting to get tired.
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We catch up to Roger and Mason, hit NC 107, and run North to Sylva.
We checked in at the Blue Ridge Inn, only $90 a night, but clean and nice... well... except for the lady down stairs that smoked incessantly while we were there :puke: Even though we had a nice porch with rocking chairs and it was a beautiful evening, we couldn't enjoy it because it smelled so bad.

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Tourist Guide place across the street from the hotel, typical of many of the homes in this town.
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On the advice of the lady at the hotel, we decided to walk down the street to check out an "authentic" Mexican Food restaurant.

Traditional old Baptist Church along the way... along with the traditional playground church :lol2:
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So this is the place...
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As we walked in, I suspected we might be missing something about this place. Then they handed us the menus... It did not take long to look it over and realize that there wasn't much of anything Daniel was going to eat from this menu. Come to think of it, there isn't much chance of me eating any of this stuff either. It would seem that this is some kind of trendy "Fusion" Mexican food place. No chips. No salsa or cheese. Almost nothing with chicken or beef. But, if you like Tofu, sprouts, goat milk cheese, and more, you will feel right at home here :doh: A quick look around the table confirms that I am not the only one with serious doubts about this place. So I say it, "Are we walking out of here!?" I don't have to even think about twisting an arm. In fact, the others are out the door in a flash before I can even let our waitress know we are bugging out!

We head down the road a bit further and find a pizza/brewery. How bad could that be!?

After being handed the menu, I started getting that same feeling again :doh: Surely they can't screw up pizza! Finally, I find what looks like a basic pizza, even one that Daniel will probably eat. He gets a basic Pepperoni and cheese, I get some kind of chicken, cheese, bacon thing. We order some beers and wait for the food. It takes a while because they apparently misplaced our order. LOTS of other folks come in after us and get their food before us, and it was empty when we came in. When the waitress figures it out, she apologizes profusely and our food comes out pretty quick after that. Still, other than being a bit hungry, it is not like we have to be anywhere. Also, it is well worth the wait!! The pizza is awesome! When she finally brings the bill, she apologizes again and informs us that she didn't charge for ANY of the beer. Roger and Mason ask about to go beers and she gives them some plastic cups, not charging for those either!

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Stuffed and feeling lazy, we meander back to the hotel. Roger and Mason take up station on the porch, while Daniel and I decide to do some walking. He's and ACTIVE kid and sitting on a bike all day is hard for him. So he needs to burn some energy!

[To be continued]
 
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All these shots are from a short walk Daniel and I did near the hotel. The courthouse is really cool, especially when it is lit up at night.

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I think Daniel ran up and down ALL of those steps at least four or five times :shock:
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The statue about 2/3 of the way up is a memorial to Confederate soldiers. I wonder how long it will last...

Found this sitting on a bench near the bottom of the steps. No idea what the story on it might be :shrug:
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These a re everywhere. People have huge bushes of them in their yards. They are beautiful!
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As we walked up a long street, we found a cool park with all kinds of trees and bushes. I was not expecting to see this!
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Our Dogwoods here in East Texas have bloomed and gone by mid April at the latest. We see several more of these throughout the week in full bloom, in mid June!

The view looking South over the town from the courthouse
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One of the things I like about so many of the small towns in this area is their story book feel. They have modern stuff, but they also have enough of the old stuff that it kind of gives everything a bit of a fairy tale feel to it. This is especially true of the dirt roads we ride that are like tunnels through the dark forest. I keep expecting to see Hobbits pop out from behind the trees.

I really like this. It was on the sidewalk outside the courthouse.
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Nearby,
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The aforementioned statue
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And that's it. After checking in with my wife and talking to the girls, I headed up to the room and we called it a night.
 
Hydrangea's are the bluish purple round globs of flowers.
The white flowers on the bushes with dark green ovalish leaves near the creeks are rhododendrons.
 
Beautiful country. Were temps gear friendly?

The only day I really got hot was the last day. The rain moving through the area most of the week made for cooler temps, especially when up in the higher elevations. The sun really came out the last day and we also started hitting lower elevations. So when we stopped for more than a few minutes it got hot quick! As soon as we started moving, I was fine. I was wearing the LD Comfort long pants and long sleeve shirt under my KLIM Badlands Pro jacket and pants.
 
[GPX file for today is attached at end of this post]

So day two of the riding is set to start and be a somewhat long day. Day one was 230 miles or so. Today will be closer to 270 miles. An extra 40 miles might not sound like much, but out here it can be the difference between just the right amount of riding and a really long day... Weather is still a concern. There is a stalled front just North of us. It is causing flooding and all kinds of trouble. However, the say we should be somewhat clear with possible scattered showers in our area. When Daniel and I open the door to go outside, the smell of cigarette smoke hits us in the face immediately... :doh: I kind of feel sorry for this lady that she has to smoke so much so often just to get through her day. Anyway, we grab a bowl of cereal in the hotel lobby, then head back to the room to gear up for the ride.

We meet the guys in the parking lot and head out right on time. The sky is partly cloudy and deep blue. The plan is to run pavement all the way over to Balsam Grove, which is on NC 215 South of the BRP. We stayed there for a week on a previous trip in 2012 at the home of the father of TWT user @John Dirt. So I know the roads between Sylva and Balsam Grove are all awesome pavement! We head South out of town toward Cullowhee and loop around the East side of town on Old Cullowhee Rd., to NC 107. After a short run down 107 we head East at Tuckasegee on NC 281. When I first came out here back in 2005, this wasn't paved and I was doing it on my 1150 GS, in the dark, in the rain, and it was under construction... Yeah, that was fun! :eek2: Now it is just sweet twisty smooth pavement!

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Like so many roads out here, the corners just come rapid fire, one after the other, we barely any straight sections to be found anywhere. Just how I like it. It is also easy to get into a nice rhythm. There are a few slightly decreasing radius corners, but they aren't a problem unless you want to run stupid speeds. It doesn't take long to reach our next turn at Tannassee Creek Rd. But we are only on it for a very short distance before turning North onto Wolf Mountain Rd. We did this road road during the 2012 trip, but I was on my KTM 530 that time, so I didn't really remember it being a bad road... :ponder:

The road starts out nicely paved like so many others, but quickly becomes loose gravel and dirt... and steep... and rutted... There are times when you are a rock star and you can pick a line and run it like a boss. Then there are times when you pick a line and the road has other plans for you :wary: This tuns into a case of the latter. Normally after I roll onto a dirt/gravel road, I switch the bike to Enduro mode, roll off the gas momentarily so the computer will accept that choice, then get back on the gas and go. The problem this time is that the moment I come into the gravel, I am already working on that steep, loose, and rutted climb. There's on way I can switch modes, much less roll off the gas. There's nothing to do now but get up on the pegs, stay on the gas, and look for the top, letting the bike grind and kick around under me as we get tossed from side to side by the ruts. I'm trying to pick good lines, but the road is having none of it! I can always tell when Daniel gets a little concerned about what we might be doing because he goes real quiet on the communicator :lol2: He's not making a peep now! I manage to keep the bike moving and upright, slip through a few turns, and finally we reach a somewhat level spot where I can stop and set the bike in Enduro mode before we continue. I think I forgot that this wasn't a paved road :doh:

The nicest part of the road, at the top of the initial climb, where I was able to stop and reset the bike and my brain...
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This is my relieved face, relieved because we made it up that climb without any problems :-P
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I regret that I don't stop to take many pictures. This is one of the rougher and more technical roads I think we will ride this week... hopefully. It obviously doesn't get much traffic. Nor is it well maintained. It is muddy in places and there are quite a few large mud water holes. Apparently, some are deeper than they look :doh: In one spot I decide that the best line is probably right through the center of what looks to be a relatively small puddle, one that a reasonable person might think was only a few inches deep. A reasonable person would then get a face full of muddy water as it splashed up in front of the bike because the puddle was actually quite deep!! I had my visor open, but fortunately I am wearing sunglasses and they keep the mess out of my eyes. Also fortunate is that the water does not smell disgusting as it might if this happened back home in East Texas. Daniel finally starts talking again after he hears my reaction to the puddle. Even though we are slipping and sliding, we are having fun. It really is a cool road. We round a corner as we start descending and the road becomes just a big wet rock with small ledges in it. My first thought is algae, so I pick a line through the least amount of water and tip toe my way around the switch back. The rear end of the bike slides a bit, which always gets Daniel's attention, but the front tracks and we are good. Soon after we reach the bottom and come out onto Charley's Creek Rd.

A pic of the corner taken during the 2012 trip, but not as wet. It rained shortly before we got to this road on our current trip.
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I had forgotten about a neat spot to stop on Wolf Mountain Rd., Horseshoe Rock. It is a cool spot worth stopping at if you find it, but you do have to be looking for it because there aren't any signs. As a result, we rode right past it on this trip and I did not realize it :doh: You can actually ride right out onto it, but be careful to stay where it is mostly level or you might go tumbling down the mountain...

Myself and my KTM 530 EXC on our 2012 trip
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It is a short run on Charley's Creek Rd., over to NC 281, where we head South to Balsam Grove. There is gas here if you are ever in the area and need it. We've not gone far since leaving this morning so I don't bother stopping just yet. There are also some cook water falls in town with an old water mill, I believe it is Bird Rock Falls. We turn shortly after that onto Clinic Road and then Shoal Creek Road to head out of town. We pass John's Dad's houses where we stayed in 2012. It really is a cool place. Shoal Creek Rd., becomes North Davidson River Road and becomes dirt/gravel. This is a popular area so there is a bit of traffic, including a few big white passenger vans full of people, and that aren't always clear about which side of the road they should be driving!! :argh: I think there is a popular camping/hiking area back in here because I remember there being a lot of traffic here on the 2012 trip.

There is a parking area right where the road actually crosses the river. The road also become paved here and it is a fun run East to the Fish Hatchery. However, I am looking for another dirt road that heads North and eventually drops us out on US 276 not far from the Blue Ridge Parkway. I have this issue with missing turns... I hate the auto zoom feature on my Montana 600 GPS. I can't ever seem to get it to zoom in and then back out to a zoom level I like. It is either WAY in or WAY out. So I turn that off and generally zoom in/out manually... if I am paying attention :roll: The problem is that sometimes when I am not zoomed in far enough, the line on the map doesn't jive with the reality on the ground... and I miss turns. This particular turn just looks like a left turn. The reality is that it is more like a U-turn and after that the new road roughly parallels the previous road until it gets to the point where the new road actually turns North. I should have remembered this because I did the same freaking thing on the previous trip :doh: However, I eventually snap out of my stupor and get us on the right road, FR 475b.

This road is more of what I've come to expect from most dirt/gravel roads in the area, fairly well maintained and not real rough.
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We don't get very far though before we come upon a Suburban on the side of the road. I stop to see if the drive is okay and it turns out he needs help. He had stopped just to enjoy the spot and apparently left his headlights on, killing his battery. After a quick chat with Roger, we decide to try to use the KTM 1190 to give him a jump.

Roger and I pull up out of the way so we don't block the road while Mason gets the 1190 in place.
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Apparently, Mason loses his balance and starts to fall toward the front of the Suburban! Fortunately, the drive was standing there as and was able to help catch the bike so it didn't pin Mason to the front of the vehicle. It is all the more amazing when you realize the condition of the driver!
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We don't get a chance to actually spend any time getting this guy's story. He is obviously a vet. The fingers and thumb on his left hand are missing and his shown shows signs of having been burned. He is a cheerful guy though. He had stopped to enjoy the spot and read his Bible. Our attempt to get him going fails. We just don't have the juice, even with the bike running and revving. About this time, one of those white passenger vans rolls up and I flag them down. There are two young college age girls in there and I explain what the problem is, asking if they can give the guy a jump with their van. They look a little confused and worried, but I tell them we have the cables and all we need is to use their battery. While they are still confused and not sure what they want to do, a different van comes from the other direction with a young man in it. The girls mention something about being in a hurry and trying to be somewhere at a specific time, clearly not really wanting to be involved in our little drama, so I tell them goodbye and head for the other van. The young guy driving is more than happy to help, so we say our goodbye's to the driver of the suburban and continue on our way.

Just around that curve in the distance, the road stays nice and curvy until its end.
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[To be continued...]

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We leave the guy in the Suburban and continue heading North on FR 475b. It is already 11:00am and we still have a lot of miles to go, a good bit of it on roads I've never ridden before and I have no idea how long they will take. When the dirt starts getting twisty, our average speed really drops. With Daniel on the back, I am in no way going to try to push things in the corners to make time. Smooth and steady is the order for the day. There are creeks everywhere, like EVERYWHERE! We pass all kinds of road side camping spots, some occupied, others not. We also pass a collection of white passenger vans, presumably where the young girls were trying to get to in such a hurry. Soon we reach US 276 and start the short but fun run up the highway to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Blue Ridge Parkway should be a bucket list ride for everyone. The time of year can make a big difference though. It is not much fun if it is crowded as there aren't a lot of safe places to pass and many folks won't make use of the frequent pullouts to let faster traffic get past them. That said, the max speed limit on the BRP is 45mph :doh: It is patrolled by Federal Rangers and it is an expensive ticket... or so I am told ;-) We head East on the BRP towards Asheville. A few miles up the road I spot another GS pulled over at a lookout point and we pull in for a quick visit and break.

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We say our goodbyes to the other GS rider and continue heading East until we reach the Pisgah Inn. I stayed here several times for Triumph rallies back in 2001 and 2002. The rooms are simple and clean. All have private back porches with rocking chairs looking out over the mountains. There are no phones in the room. Of course now, there is cell service in the are so that nice little feature seems to be lost on folks. There is also a very nice restaurant on site with huge floor to ceiling windows that extend the full length of two sides, giving incredible views. We ate here a few times on the 2012 trip, but it is not on the schedule for today. However, I am looking for gas for Roger so we pull into the parking lot. I head over to where the filling station is... and there are no pumps!? Now I KNOW I've gotten gas here before because it is where I filled up every day when I was here for those Triumph rallies. It was a tad pricier than regular places, but it was also super convenient. I could swear it was here in 2012, but then my memory hasn't been working so great on this trip... Who knows :shrug:

Gas isn't a problem yet, so we just get back on the BRP and keep cruising. There is an annoying amount of traffic. The last time I was here was in May, so perhaps kids were still in school and families hadn't started going on trips then? Regardless, it is slow moving and passing is kind of pointless because we'll just get stuck behind the next car. Also, we are getting close to our next turn, NC 151, another of my favorite must do roads every time I come out here! You can find it on the map, SE of Asheville on the North side of the BRP. It is only the first 4 miles or so that is of interest. After that it tends to straighten and flatten out as it runs up to US 19. But, in that 4 miles, it drops over 1600 feet in elevation through tight 5 and 10 mph paved switchbacks. Some are so tight that it almost feels like the bike is just going to flop over on its side as we lean through them! The run down is fun and we make quick work of it. We stop about half way down at a nice spot for some pictures.

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Daniel needs to do a little stretching. He's an ACTIVE kid and is not used to spending so much time just sitting, even if it is fun.
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It's a good thing there wasn't a cliff behind Roger :lol2:
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Daniel heads off to check out a small water fall
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Have I mentioned his love of climbing...?
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After our break, we run down the rest of the way until the road starts to get boring. Then we turn around... I REALLY like going UP this road more than down. Coming down, we you are entering corners you are fighting gravity to get the bike slowed. Going up, the motor has MORE than enough power to take care of gravity, but gravity also means I don't have to brake as hard going into the corners, although I still brake pretty good going in. It is just easier to be really smooth. The bike just blasts out of the corners when I am running in Dynamic mode and keep it in first and second gear. There really aren't any places on this road worth bothering with any higher gears. There was a car that had passed us earlier before we turned around. I catch it pretty quick and take advantage of perhaps the only place with enough of a straight to pass. He slows and lets me get around, and then it is back to game on! When Daniel and I pull over at the stop sign once back at to top, we can smell the bike's tires and brakes. I have to say, the TKC 80 front and Shinko 805 rear really hold their own at extreme lean angles and under hard braking and acceleration (at least on dry pavement ;-) ). Roger and Mason quickly roll up behind us and we get back to heading East on the BRP, encountering 35 mph speed limits and much more traffic. :suicide:

Daniel really likes the tunnels, and the sound of the exhaust in them when I rev the bike or accelerate HARD as we go through them :-P You DO have to be careful with the tunnels though. It is not unusual for there to be water across the road inside the tunnel even on a dry pretty day and some are long enough to actually get pretty dark. We go through four of them in fairly rapid succession before we reach the exit for I-26 and Asheville. I decide this is probably our best bet for gas and perhaps a lunch stop as well. We get off the BRP and head South to the nearest I-26 interchange. There we find a gas station with Subway, Quiznos or something in it. Daniel and I just grab cold sandwiches in the gas station and Roger and Mason order something in the restaurant. Unfortunately, as we sit inside enjoying our lunch, dark clouds start moving in from the West and it starts raining pretty good :-( So once we are done eating, Daniel and Mason start donning their rain gear. Roger and I just zip up the vents on our pants and jackets as they are water proof (Gore-Tex). Then we head out.

As we get on the road, it actually starts raining a bit harder. However, as soon as we pass under I-26 and start heading back toward to the entry for the BRP, the rain stops and the road is dry! No sooner than we get back on the BRP we are once again stuck in what seems like a parade. I know I should be patient, but it kills me to be going so slow. In a break in the oncoming traffic I make a quick pass on a straight section. As I am rolling off the gas and coming up behind the next car, a motorcycle cop goes past the other direction and quickly flips his lights at me... Okay. Hint taken :zen: I just hang out until we reach our exit at Ox Creek Road NE of Asheville. This and a few other little back roads are just a short cut over to the main objective, NC 197. However, they turn out to be great in their own right! One section of Maney Branch Road has a couple of REALLY tight and STEEP corners that are challenging even in first gear! Daniel is complaining of being hot in his rain gear and wants me to pull over, but I want to find a place where we can actually get a little off the road and hopefully find some shade.

We find the perfect spot on Paint Fork Rd.
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Even most of the little out of the way going to nowhere in particular back roads have pavement like this!!! :bow:
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Daniel quickly removes his rain gear and is IMMEDIATELY distracted... :lol2:
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Recall that I said there are creeks EVERYWHERE. It is absolutely astounding how many homes we pass that have a creek flowing through their front yard that is as big, or bigger, than the one in the picture above. There is just something about a creek that kids can't resist. Daniel has been commenting about all the incredible homes and yards we've seen thus far, especially the ones with the really cool creeks. He has also noticed the amazing number of wild turkeys we've been seeing. We saw three huge turkeys in one front yard. One was just eating, but two others were doing some kind of crazy dance with each other. Their feathers were all fluffed out and they were going in a circle around each other. No doubt, the two dancing were males trying to impress the female that was eating and pretending to ignore the males :-P Anyway, with rain gear sorted and packed away, we get back on the road because it is getting warm standing around, even in the shade.

We soon hit NC 197 and head East. Most all of NC 197 is paved from one end to the other. However, the stretch we are about to run up through Cane River Gap is the only section that is not paved. As soon as the road starts to climb, it becomes a wide twisting gravel road. It is easy and fun, running under over hanging trees like a tunnel. In the space of a few miles it climbs from just over 2200 feet to a little over 4300 feet.

Typical of the road surface, and there are some fun switch backs going up.
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Once over the top, the road becomes nice pavement on the other side. I am not real sure why this one short section remains gravel? Perhaps the gravel section is in a different county than the paved section on the far side of the mountain? Either way, I am glad it is still gravel, but even if they do pave it, it will still be an awesome ride. The run down the NE side to US 19 is really fun and excellent pavement. Before we start down the far side, I stop and give Daniel my camera. He wants to try to video the descent. There is one cool section near the top where the road just zig zags back and forth four or five times and you can see all the way down through all of them at once. After that, it is just a sweet run down the mountain along the Cane River to US 19E.

[to be continued]
 
Next up on our menu is Double Island Road. Near the end of our 2012 trip, Roger and I did a 350+ mile day together and found ourselves out here heading up NC 80 North of US 19E. We fell in behind a group of riders that seemed like they really knew the road and we had ourselves and incredible run. Eventually we all pulled into a parking lot and had a nice visit. They were from New York. They had come down on a business trip some years back and just never went home... We were talking about great roads in the area and they mentioned Double Island Road, which I was not familiar with at the time. They showed us how to find it on my GPS, and with that we parted ways as Roger and I set out to experience this new road. It was awesome. NC 80 runs North along the East side of the North Toe River. Double Island Road runs North up the West side of the river. So they make a great up and down loop from US 19E, which is what we do today. Go find it on a map. It is twistier than what the map probably shows. It is also yet another road with incredible pavement quality!

The North end of Double Island comes out on NC 197, but we cut back toward the river on Roses Branch Road, which eventually follows the river back up through a TINY town called Toecane. When I was planning the routes for this trip, I was really torn between wanting to ride the roads that I KNOW are good and wanting to explore new roads to add to my list of known good roads. Grab a map and look at this area. There are roads EVERYWHERE that look like they would be awesome to ride! I envy people that live out in places like this and get to ride such incredible roads all the time. When Roger and I were talking with the group form New York, I asked them if it ever gets old or if it loses its magic? They looked at me like I had taken leave of my senses :lol2: Yeah... I guess that is what folks that live in boring places tell ourselves to make it easier to live there instead of moving somewhere like this :doh:

We eventually cross the river at Toecane, cross some railroad tracks and find ourselves at NC 226.

Just another little church in the town of Toecane
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We make a short hop over to NC 80 at Loafer's Glory and start the run down the other side of the river. It's just more of the same incredible riding all the way back down to US 19E. :rider: when we get back down to 19, there is some construction. As we head East and I am looking for my next turn, I miss it because of the confusion of the construction. Then Daniel mentions needed to use the restroom, so I run a little past the turn to see if there might be a place to stop. when it becomes obvious there is nowhere close, we backtrack to get back on our route and head South on Blue Rock and Halls Chapel Road. The road starts out climbing right away. As I come around a blind left hand corner there is a Sheriff's patrol car with one of those big steel bumper drifting over the double yellow into my lane. Fortunately, I run a wide line anyway so I don't have to correct, but he jerks back and clearly wasn't paying attention. Halls Chapel Road kind of follows the South Toe river until it hits NC 80, which then continues following the river heading toward the Blue Ridge Parkway. Once 80 crosses South of the BRP, it gets a lot more fun as the twist factor goes up considerably until it reaches Lake Tahoma where we stop to check out the dam.

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A quick "pit stop" in the woods for Daniel :-P
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Relieved and ready to roll!
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I gave Daniel the camera again...
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Not much run off space here... or air fencing... :eek2:
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The Dam at Lake Tahoma
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After the dam, we drop down 80 to US 70 and head East to Nebo where we pick up NC 126. It is getting late in the afternoon, 4:30pm or so, and there is still a lot of pink line showing on the GPS between us and Blowing Rock... We're not doing big number mile days, but the curves per mile factor is off the charts out here and that really takes a LOT of mental and physical concentration. After 200 miles here, I feel more like I've done 400-500 miles on the roads back home. NC 126 crosses Lake James and then starts to wander North up through the Pisgah NF. I don't know what the backstory might be, but there are a TON of No Parking signs along this road for miles and miles :scratch:

More of Daniel's random shots
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That's a LOT of mulch... :shock: ...and potential flower bed weeding :nono:
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We got a kick out of the fact that this pontoon boat was up on blocks in the drive way, not even sitting on a trailer.
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Still with the no parking signs... :shrug:
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We peel off of NC 126 on Fish Hatchery Road, which runs along the edge of the NF to NC 181. Then we pick up Brown Mountain Beach Road which also continues along the edge of the NF. At Wilson Creek, Brown Mountain Beach Road makes a sharp turn to the NNW and runs along the edge of the creek for miles. It son becomes a wide graded dirt road and there are people camping, fishing, swimming, and driving all along the road. I pull over at a wide area next to the road because I know Daniel is dying to get off the bike and go have a look at this creek, which honestly looks more like a river to me. Roger and Mason opt to keep going and I tell them we'll just meet them at the hotel.

Contemplating the best path down while wearing big clunky dirt bike boots...
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By the time we climb back up to the bike, I am huffing, puffing, and sweating like crazy! We need to get moving and get some air flowing through the gear! It's also getting late, close to 6:30pm. So we mount up and get rolling. The road eventually narrows a good bit, but it is still well maintained gravel.

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We come around a corner and are greeted by the sight of a pilot truck with flags on it and flashing lights. Behind it is a bigger truck with a huge trailer and some kind of portable building on it. I pull over as far as I dare, but I'm not convinced the truck driver will be able to get past me without the building hitting me. I motion for him to pull far left as possible and to stop, then to let me pick my way past. He seems to understand my gestures and does exactly what I want, allowing me to pick a good line past him without any trouble. Daniel gives him a big friendly wave as we go by. After that, it is just what seems like endless curves. I can feel fatigue starting to set in and I am working hard to maintain my concentration so I don't screw up any corners. I slide the front end in one just a tiny bit and immediately catch it, but that gets Daniel's attention. He is finely tuned to the movement of the bike and doesn't miss even the slightest thing... We're both tired and just tired of being on the bike. I can at least stand to stretch my legs and give my posterior a break. It's hard for him to stand even though he tries a few times. The road gets steep and twisty as we climb up and over the appropriately named Staircase Mountain. On the far side the road meets Johns River and heads North, following the river all the way to Blowing Rock. I am about to lose my mind wishing for a long straight section to give me a break from corner after corner after corner... And then finally... we make it into town.

As we reach the edge of town it quickly become apparent that this is another of those towns with REALLY nice homes! Some of the homes we see on the outskirts are 5 and 6 stories tall, perched on the sides of the mountain. The homes in town aren't all as large, but they are definitely very nice. The whole town has an upscale resort feel to it. We quickly find the Comfort Inn and get checked into our rooms. We are BOTH very disappointed to find out there is no hot tub... I could REALLY use a good soaking!! I am sore all over. We get to our room, clean up, and then meet Roger and Mason for dinner. There's an Outback Steakhouse about a block away and I can hear it calling our names!! 272 miles for the day... Whew!
 
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Thanks Daniel for the great pics!

Scott, I hate to tell you this but I like your new Beautiful Beemer Bike Better.
 
great write-up and pics.... as a side note, you do let Daniel take his helmet off when off the bike, right? :lol2:
 
great write-up and pics.... as a side note, you do let Daniel take his helmet off when off the bike, right? :lol2:

If it is just a quick stop, we usually leave them on because we can talk to each other over the communicators. However, if it is more than for a few minutes, I take mine off. He's a big kid, so he can do what he likes with his helmet :-P I have no idea why he kept it on while we were checking out that "creek". It was hot and I should have taken my jacket off as well!

I forgot to mention that moments after we arrived at the Outback Steakhouse, the skies opened up and it rained like crazy. We beat that to the hotel by about 30 minutes. By the time we had finished dinner and our beers, the rain had passed so we were able to walk back to the hotel without getting hosed. So far, we had been getting pretty lucky with avoiding rain. Some of the roads were damp in places, but with the type of pavement used in the area, that was never really an issue because the grip is so amazing.
 
Sympathy coefficient here is so far down on the scale.

I know. It's like reading your reports from Colorado :-P

Seriously though, the endless curves really do start to just wear you down and you start wishing for a decent straight or at least some big sweepers :lol2:
 
[GPX file for day three attached at end of this post]

Okay, so day three dawns. We watch the weather while eating breakfast and it is looking a big bleak... Parts North of us are getting all kinds of serious flooding. Nasty rain is supposed to be moving into the area where we will be riding today. Other than just getting wet, it shouldn't be too big an issue for today because the bulk of the route should be paved... I think... We finish up breakfast, grab our gear, and head for the bikes. A quick gas stop and we are heading West out of town on US 221. This is the further point East for the trip, now we start working our way back West.

the Blue Ridge Parkway runs real close to town. I am hoping the bulk of the traffic will be on the BRP instead of US 221. The section of US 221 just West of Blowing Rock is really nice. I rode it back in 2002 when I was out here for a VFR rally and have been wanting to ride it again ever since then. It runs just below the BRP and is a lot twistier. We get stuck behind a little slow moving traffic just as we head out of town, but once past Boone Fork, everyone turns off on side roads and the road ahead opens up for us. The pavement has wet patches on it from the rain last night, but the traction is still excellent! The road just wanders along the side of the ridge through the trees and it very peaceful. I run a nice relaxed pace and just enjoy the feel of the woods.

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In one section, I just happen to look up and spot the Linn Cove Viaduct section of the BRP, basically an elevated highway through the woods so as to not disturb the woods below when they were building it. I try to point it out to Daniel, but by the time he looks, we've already ducked back under the trees and around the next corner. I rode it back on that trip in 2002 and it is cool, but I still like this section of US 221 better. This is basically what we saw, just with green trees instead of the Fall colors (taken from the Wikipedia page).

Linncoveviaduct.jpg


Eventually, US 221 crosses under the BRP near Linville and we get on the BRP there. We continue running Southwest on the BRP for quite a while. There is traffic, but it is not too bad. There is a pretty good overcast, but it isn't raining and visibility is quite good.

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Mason
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We continue SW on the BRP until we reach Little Switzerland. This is a tiny town with buildings that kind of look like those you might see in the Swiss Alps. I stayed here during the 2002 trip. I first found out about it in 2000 when Beth and I were participating in the Triumph rally. There are two highways running South from town down to US 221, 226 A and 226 B. The 226 A is the original highway. 226 B is the newer more direct highway that has all the heavy traffic like RVs and big trucks. I've ridden it. It's not much fun, especially if you are having to breath the cooked brake fumes from heavy trucks and RVs! The real fun is the older 226 A, which sees very little traffic now and is nice and twisty! Now I just do a down and back run on the road, much like NC 151 on the other side of Asheville. It starts at around 3400 feet and drops down to just over 1500 feet in just a few miles. It is steep and twisty in many places with lots of tight curves. The pavement is damp, but not covered with running water. So far, we've been lucky and haven't seen any rain beyond just small sprinkles. The road does not disappoint! I attack this one a bit more aggressively than US 221 this morning and we are rewarded with a superb run to the bottom. Roger and Mason pull up behind us moments later and we turn around to run it back to the top.

Once back at the top, we cross under the BRP and head North on Chestnut Grove Rd. This is supposed to run mostly North and eventually drop us out on US 19E. The problem is that once we get to the other side and start to turn North, there is a sign saying "No Outlet". Sometimes I ignore these signs if they don't look like legit highway department signs because locals will put the up in an effort to keep out non local traffic. However, a quick check of the GPS shows another road slightly West of our position that runs North and brings us out at almost the same place. So we make a U-turn and head toward Crab Tree Creek Road. As you might have guessed from its name, the road winds along the edge of Big Crabtree Creek as it runs along a narrow and wooded valley until we reach US 19E.

[To be continued]

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We reached US 19E and headed East just s short hop to the start of Penland Rd. It is basically a short cut to get up to NC 226. It is a lot like NC 80 and Double Island Rd., smooth and really twisty, but it is relatively short. It is a short run up to Bakersville where we hang a left and continue on 226 through Loafer's Glory where we were yesterday. I originally had hoped to head North on NC 261 up to the state line and pick up TN 143, run US 19E West over to TN 173, cut South to TN 107, and run NC 226 back down to NC 197. Find it on the map and you will see why ;-) However, we just don't have that kind of time and it would make for a marathon day with potentially bad weather. Speaking of which, thus far the worst we have had has been damp roads and no real rain yet.

Heading out of Loafer's Glory we get stuck behind a big rig and also some kind of delivery truck. Looking at my GPS I can see we are getting close to some fun stuff and I'm thinking it isn't going to be much fun stuck behind these guys, but there aren't any places to pass where all three bikes will have a chance to get around. I contemplate pulling over and waiting for a bit, but right as I start thinking that, 197 spits off from 226 and they both head up 226 as we peel off onto 197 and the fun begins! :rider: The highway runs along the edge of the Pisgah NF and somewhat along the Toe Cane River valley, which makes for some nice views. Shortly before we reach the Tennessee/North Carolina state lines, 197 turns North away from the river and climbs up to Grave Gap and crosses the famous Appalachian Trail. It is a really sweet section of road! As soon as we cross the state line the pavement changes from the ubiquitous grey pavement used in North Carolina to a reddish rock aggregate pavement in Tennessee, which is still awesome! The drop down the back side of the mountains is tight and twisty, but then straightens out into a neat stretch through some tall trees and which has beautiful smoooooth black top!

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Roger and Mason take off while Daniel and I are farting around taking pics. As we are getting ready to get back on the bike a small car comes out of the woods around a corner behind us pretty quick. I wave to let them know we are good, but they slow anyway to make sure everything is alright. Nice! After we assure them all is fine... VROOOMMM! They take off again. We set off to catch up with Roger and Mason and soon enter a residential area, the outskirts of the town of Rock Creek. Here we have to hop on I-26 for a short bit, but soon get on TN 352 heading Southwest, which becomes NC 212 at the border.

Apparently, they take their football and smoked pork seriously here!
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I often ride with my helmet visor fully open to let in air when it is hot. The windscreen on the bike usually blocks most stuff that might get my face and my sun glasses are shatter proof riding glasses. Every now and then though, a bug finds its way past the windscreen and usually goes between my ears and the helmet lining. Those that are sure they are going to die apparently opt to aim straight between my eyes!! As we come out of a corner, something hits me RIGHT between the eyes on the top of the glasses frame and explodes!! Somehow, the guts and other assorted bits gets behind my glasses and into my right eye. I have to pull over and stop to clean it out. As I wipe, I see pollen all over the place. I think I took out a loaded honey bee :doh: I shed a few tears for him to rinse out the rest and I was good to go.

Here are some random shots taken by Daniel along the way down 352 and 212, and then Cutshall Town Road, Chapel Hill Roads, Big Laurel Road ( a favorite ridden on almost all my previous trips out here), Revere Road, and Guntertown Road. The little secondary roads are crazy twisty. Even if you have a good sense of direction, it would be real easy to get back in here, get all turned around, and have no idea which way was what without a GPS or good map!
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The Kudzu Vine is EVERYWHERE out here... It can RAPIDLY engulf entire mountain sides and all manner of abandoned structures or vehicles.

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Of the roads we've been riding, this is perhaps the worst stretch in terms of the condition of the road. It is still a blast though!
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This is actually NOT Kudzu vine. Looks like maybe Poison Oak/Sumac?
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More here...
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If you like old barns, this is a great place to see them. Many people grow their own Tobacco. So a LOT of the bars are just drying barns where they hang the fresh cut leaves to dry. You can usually tell those barns because they are tall, and have gaps in the side slats to let air through. Amazingly, there is also a good bit of farming even up in the mountains, so there are still some barns for livestock and equipment.

One of the less twisty sections of Big Laurel Road.
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Private drive off of Big Laurel Road
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This is typical of the pavement quality just about everywhere.
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LOTS of tight blind corners with potential surprises!!
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We came from the right and had to make the tight turn to pick up Revere Road going back up the hill.
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Mason is not used to spending all day on the bikes, day after day... :-P But, he has been rocking these roads and riding really well!
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So Guntertown Road eventually comes out where NC 212 joins NC 208. We head South on 208 and it follows along the banks of the Shelton Laurel Creek and Big Laurel Creek(which looks more like rivers to me :shrug: ). We soon hit US 25 and head West into Hotsprings where we stop for gas. As we fill up, the sky starts looking ominous to the North and there are occasional flashes of lighting and rumbling thunder echoing down through the mountains. We are about to head South on NC 209 toward Waynesville, so hopefully that will take us away from it! But, as we head South out of town, we get into a little bit of a shower. Fortunately, it stops almost as soon as it starts. I want to thank Mason for wearing his hot rain gear all day long so the rest of us don't have to worry about it raining for real :-P

I stop at an overlook to swap out of my bulky rain gloves. At this point, I don't care if my hands get wet.
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This is what is chasing us...
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NC 209 going South from Hotsprings is another of those crazy twisty roads with few, if any, straight sections. We just lay into one corner, exit and flip right into the next corner, over and over and over... The top half to two-thirds of it between Waynesville and Hotspring is the best. The South end straightens out as it heads into Waynesville. Today though, I decide to bail off 209 after the best part and run some little back roads that might be dirt. We cut off onto Meadow Fork Road. It is another narrow twisty road, but still paved. As we get further South, it starts to climb and then becomes damp dirt, eventually topping a ridge near 4000 ft at the headwaters of Meadow Creek, near the peak of Meadow Fork Mountain. Here we pick up Max Patch Road and pass through Fines Creek Gap. The roads goes through some switchbacks, dropping about 1000 feet or so, and then starts following Fines Creek down out of the mountains, eventually reconnecting with NC 209. Just before we reach 209, it really starts coming down pretty hard. Fortunately, there is a little general store and gas station right at the intersection and I roll in under cover right quick to zip up vents and get out the rain gloves. I look at Roger and Mason and can see they look a bit tired. I know I am feeling the last few days. I mention heading straight for the hotel and knocking off the planned loop on US 276, the BRP, and NC 215 back to Waynesville. The skies everywhere are starting to look nasty. We had thought about having dinner at the Pisgah Inn, but now we are just ready to get to the hotel, get showered up, and go get dinner in town. We cross under I-40 and pick up US 23/19, running them around the edge of town to our hotel.

We get cleaned up and sit out in the chairs on the porch. The hotel is on the other side of the highway from all the eating places and it will be a good walk to get to any of them. Then there is this...

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That Exxon in the distance is closer than any eating places...
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We eventually get Mason to see if there is Uber service here in town. There is and he soon has one on the way! It turns out to be a sweet retired lady that just does it to make some extra money and to meet interesting people from all over the place, like us :-P We don't really get to visit much though as she is only hauling us to the other side of the highway, maybe two miles away, and deposits us in front of Clyde's Family Restaurant. The lady at the hotel said it was good and has been here for something like 30 years. The parking lot is full, which is usually a good sign. We are quickly seated and waited on. The bacon cheese burger is awesome. I assume Roger and Mason enjoyed their food because it vanishes with astonishing speed. Daniel does his standard fare, chicken strips. After dinner, the skies don't look so bad and we decide to just walk back. After sitting on the bike all day, some walking will do us some good! We also pick up some beer at the Exxon.

Cool flowers at the hotel.
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We spend the rest of the evening sitting on the porch solving the world's problems while neglecting our own. The rain has cooled things off and it turns into a really nice evening, with even a little blue skies and some sunlight peaking through the clouds. Daniel is a bit bummed that the pool is closed but makes up for it by exploring the construction site next door and getting all muddy :roll:

Eventually, it gets dark and we head to our rooms for the night. 206 miles for the day. Had we done the extended loop, just the riding time would have added another two hours and 65 miles, not counting the time for dinner at the Pisgah Inn, which is not a fast food place. I think we made a good call. Full bellies, a relaxing evening, and a good night of sleep...

Tomorrow more of the BRP, back to the dirt, some exploring of parts unknown, and Deal's Gap.
 
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[GPX for Day Four will be attached at the end of this post]

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So day four... It doesn't look promising... :wary:

The plan is to run down the SW out of town on US 23/74to pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway and run it West. With ominous clouds moving filling the sky, Daniel and Mason decide to start out in their rain gear. It's a good call. No sooner than we start down the highway, it starts to drizzle. Traffic is light and we quickly reach the exit for the Parkway. As we climb up higher it starts to get cooler and the rain picks up considerably. Then comes the fog...

My Arai XD-4 helmet is great in dry weather. In rain... it is horrible. I have never had a helmet that was worse about being unable to keep the visor from fogging and being covered inside and out with rain! If I close it, it fogs so bad I literally cannot see. If I crack it to get rid of the fogging, water comes in at the top of the visor and runs down the inside. The wind blast doesn't seem to do squat in terms of clearing rain from the outside of the visor. My face is getting wet. Add in the fog and I can barely see the double yellow stripe in front of the bike to see which way the road is going. We creep along at about 15-20 mph... NOT having fun. :argh:

As we come around a corner I spot a pull out, normally to enjoy the view, but today there is no view. I figure it might be time to call an audible on our plan, so I pull in to stop and have a chat with Roger and Mason. As I pull up to stop, for some reason I just lose my balance and over we go on the left side :doh: Daniel ejects when he hears my grunting and creative word smithing. This is my fourth GS, and not the tallest or heaviest. I can't remember the last time I just flat out dropped the bike at a stop like this :roll: I check to make sure Daniel is good, and he is. Then I lift the bike, which is MUCH easier to lift than the 02 1150 GS I used to have years ago! The engine guards do their job and all is well. No harm, no foul. A quick check with Roger and we decide to get off the BRP and head to lower elevations in hopes of finding slightly better weather.

We eventually reach the exit for US 19 after what seems like a soggy and grey eternity. We head back East on 19 toward Maggie Valley. My thinking is that if we are going to miss out on some riding due to weather, we might as well do something fun and still moto related. Maggie Valley is the home of the Wheels Through Time museum. I've always wanted to check it out and just have never had the chance and I figure Daniel will enjoy it as well. We make it into town and start looking for it. I finally spot the sign for it and pull into an empty parking lot... except for two other bikes and riders. I pull up next to the other riders, what appears to be a husband and wife, and the wife is quite animated with her disappointment in the fact that the museum is not open on Wednesday. Great... :doh:

I ponder our options for a moment. The weather down here in the valley is hardly any better than what we had up on the Parkway. So I decide to head back that way and continue on our route. We make a quick stop for gas on the way out of town to make sure Roger is topped off. Once back on the BRP, the weather is actually slightly better, but I am still having a hard time seeing because of the helmet. A mile or so later, we reach our turn and leave the BRP behind for dirt. This is the start of the Heintooga Ridge Loop, which we did on our last trip out here and which is an awesome ride, but it is also a LONG ride, easily 3-4 hours. To keep the day manageable, I decided early on that we'd cut across the bottom of the loop on Bia 407 and Bunches Creek Rd. Even though it is wet, the road is actually nice because it is some kind of crushed rock bed. It twists and winds through the woods to a camp area near Bunches Bald and then keeps going through Bunches Gap, roughly paralleling the BRP.

This is typical of much of the road, although parts of it are a little more uneven and rutted. It's no trouble though and I can raise my visor completely and see.
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Bia 407 runs into Bunches Creek Road at Big Witch Gap. Here we head North on Bunches Creek and it immediately gets twisty and has a lot of switch backs as it drops about 1200 feet down into the Bunches Creek valley below.

Once we reach Bunches Creek, the road widens a bit, showing signs of more traffic than the road between Big Witch Gap and here. It simply winds and follows the creek down through a narrow valley until we reach the other side of the Heintooga Loop near Big Cove.

Bunches Creek dumps into the Oconaluftee River
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We follow Bia 1410 along the river SW toward Cherokee. The weather has improved considerably. The fog is no longer an issue and it is barely drizzling now. We head through town until we reach US 19 and make another gas stop. We're about to head out on some more dirt roads and I don't know exactly when we will find gas again. There are enough little towns scattered around that finding gas usually isn't an issue. After the bikes are filled, we hop on US 19 to US 441 to get on the South side of the river and head West on Old Number Four Rd., which follows the river down to the Tuckasegee River. We pick up US 19a and work out way to the South side of US 74, then start heading up over the mountains toward Franklin on Conleys Creek Road.

By now, you might have noticed that the vast majority of the roads out here have "Creek" as part of their name. As you might expect, there are indeed good sized creeks running along pretty much ALL of these roads. The number of creeks, rivers, water falls, and lakes in this area is just amazing! I find it very relaxing just being in this environment, even with the iffy weather. There is just something about these mountains that make me feel connected to my surroundings. I love riding in Colorado and other places with MUCH bigger mountains and views that are literally breath taking. But, when I am there, I definitely feel much more disconnected from my surroundings, like some kind of outside observer. I guess it is the openness of the high passes where there is nothing but snow and rocky crags. I feel exposed. Here though, the forest is thick and all encompassing. It's like being in the womb of nature.

Conleys Creek Road starts out around 2000 feet and gently starts climbing the base of the mountain. There are numerous homes and the road is a narrow pavement of lower quality than most. It soon gives way to a wonderful dark gravel base road that wanders into the dense woods.

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Hmmm... :ponder:
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Roger is VERY happy with the decision to leave his pretty GS safely and cleanly tucked away in the trailer back in Dalton, Ga.
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Mason is still tired... and his rain pants have a hole or five in them... So he's not happy with where and what is wet :lol2:
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Conley Creek
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Just after we stop for these pics, the roads starts to climb and twist, gaining altitude rapidly. The rain is starting to fall again. With my visor mostly open, my bearded chin is getting cold and wet... :-| As we climb, the road base gets rougher and more dirt rather than the crushed gravel. I can feel the bike slipping and sliding here and there as we go around some of the tighter corners. Daniel feels it too and lets me know. The gravel/dirt soon gives way to orangish red clay and it is SLICK! At one long spot, I stop and just spend a few moments pondering why we do these kinds of things. Then I decide to press on... because it's there! I do keep the legs out and duck walk the bike through the worst spots as it tries to squirt out from under me to either side. Daniel decides he's not a fan of mud when he's riding with me, but of course he LOVES it when he's riding his TTR110E :-P

As we press on and the curves get tighter and steeper, I can feel the muscles in my neck, shoulders, and arms getting tight as well. So I start talking to myself, "Grip the tank with you knees. Relax your grip on the bars. Keep your weight neutral. Let the bike find it's way. Rocks are our friends. Rocks equals traction. Smooth is everything." Daniel gets a kick out of hearing me doing this, but he doesn't interrupt me much. When he tries to point out something he wants me to look at, he gets a quick, "BUSY!" in reply. We reach a local high point near Pig Pen Flats at Wesser Gap, 4200 feet elevation. We drop down a bit, but then start climbing again as the road heads through Leatherman Gap between Leatherman Knob and Raven Mountain, a high of about 4300 ft. It is here that things really start to get a bit hairy on a big loaded bike with a back tire that is hanging on for dear life.

We are now on Huckleberry Creek Road, which follows Huckleberry Creek down out of the mountains. The road has a good bit of erosion from rain run off and there is a lot of exposed red clay. I try to ride around it where I can, but there are just a load of places where I have to ride through it. It is always a challenge to keep the bike moving fast enough to keep it stable from the gyroscopic effect of the wheels and slow enough that I don't feel like I am just slipping down the mountain out of control and a heartbeat away from going down hard. I really don't want to tear up the bike, Daniel, my luggage, or myself. We eventually reach Leatherman Gap Road, and start turning to the SW toward Franklin. Here the road improves tremendously, eventually becoming pavement again. My back, neck and arms are tense and tight despite my best efforts at relaxing. Have I mentioned lately that I DO NOT like mud on the big bike!!?? Give me sand over mud any day! :zen:

We finally reach NC 28, a little North of Franklin and stop for gas and lunch at the Cowee Convenience & Deli. The food is actually quite good. My sandwhich is hot and filling. It feels good as the heat radiates out into my gut. Mason is really not happy with his wet undies and he and Roger decide to just run up NC 28 to the Iron Horse Lodge and call it a day. The sun is actually coming out now, there is blue sky and broken clouds, and it is warm again. Daniel and I decide to press on alone to run the rest of the route. It should all be paved and not a problem. With that, they head North and we head South.

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I LOVE this part of the country, although I haven't ridden it for nearly ten years now, your photos and commentary bring it back fresh to my mind's eye.
Thanks for that and the awesome report.
 
I LOVE this part of the country, although I haven't ridden it for nearly ten years now, your photos and commentary bring it back fresh to my mind's eye.
Thanks for that and the awesome report.

If I could swing it, I would make riding out here for at least one week an annual pilgrimage... :bow:

This trip was right at seven years after my previous trip. The problem is that when you live somewhere like East Texas and come to North Carolina, it takes a few days to really get into your groove with the roads, especially the dirt roads. There is simply NOTHING in Texas that even comes close in comparison, not even the infamous "Twisted Sisters" in the Hill Country. Even at their tightest and twistiest, they are still tame compared to so much of what is in the Smokies. So you spend the first few days readjusting your brain and body to the riding, get to REALLY enjoy it for a few days... and then go home. Who knows how long it will be before you can get back? Of course, the gap is usually long enough that your brain and body mostly forget what they've just learned and you have to do the whole process over again when you do get another chance to ride out there. :doh: I don't get that same experience when I go places like Arkansas or Colorado (except for the high mountain passes around Ouray).
 
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