I knew it was going to be tough going when Tim woke me up about 8:30 and the sky looked like one of those Midwestern winter skies that turn everything gray for five months. Tim happily reported that it wasn’t that cold out, but I thought, _yeah, you ever been on a motorcycle going eighty?_ After stepping outside, I decided that he was right; it was not that cold, but it would be on the bike. I just hoped the clouds would clear out as the day progressed.
They did not. In fact, it got colder as the elevation increased. We stopped at Starbuck’s for a bit of coffee where we met a dude that commented, sarcastically it seems, that it’s a nice day to ride. Turns out he was serious, and gave us a tip to check out the Cherohala Skyway, from Tellico Plains, TN, to Robinsville, NC: about 40 miles of top-of-the-mountains riding right before Deal’s Gap. We couldn’t do that today, but I filed the information for a possible return trip. After our grande dark roasts, we headed north.
We traveled about twenty miles on I-575 northeast, until it turned into Highway 5. There, the Nighthawk had her expensive breakfast, and we turned east on 53 to Dawsonville, then north on 9 to Dahlonega. There we stopped at Zaxby’s to thaw out and have a snack. The cold didn’t seem as bad, since the sun began to tease us with its warmth through the clouds. Its coquettishness was short-lived, however, and by the time we got to extreme northern Georgia at Blairsville, at Highways 19 and 129, we were officially cold. I knew I was cold because instead of enjoying the ride, I was thinking about just getting to Dad’s for beer and dinner. Autumn suggested we don the rain gear, then we proceeded into North Carolina.
The rain gear was was like turning on the heater the first time in autumn. We were both instantly warmer, but kicking ourselves that we hadn’t thought of it sooner. The rest of the day felt as if we were in the sun, though for most it remained shy.
We headed east on 74 through Murphy an to 129 north towards Deal’s Gap. I figured a year of riding had adequately prepared my for a run on the Tail of the Dragon, 11 miles of mountainous curvies just north of Deal’s Gap in Tennessee. We stopped to photograph Chaoah Dam just south of Deal’s Gap, then on to the motorcycle resort itself. We poked around in the store where I purchased a map of the Smoky Mountains/Southern Appalachia by Mad Maps. It details several rides in this area, the first of which includes the Dragon and the aforementioned Cherohala Skyway. After a bit of a break, we took on the Tail of the Dragon.
What a great ride. My spirits lifted as soon as we crossed into Tennessee. The road improved and the sun finally broke through that region cloud to illuminate one of the most beautiful and challenging roads I’d ever ridden: eleven miles of nothing but sharp curves that took all the concentration I had. Autumn later asked me if I’d seen this or that, but I was just concerned with staying on the road. Adrenaline and all the training and experience I had was used during the half hour it took to ride the tail. I believe that somewhere along those eleven miles I had already made up my mind to return this way on Sunday. We stopped at an overlook where Chilhowee Dam was visible backing up the Little Tennessee River. After a photo or two, we traveled the rest of 129 to the Foothills Parkway, an eighteen mile road that lined the top of the eastern Smokies: on the left was a plain that overlooked Knoxville, while the right were beautiful vistas of the Smokies themselves. We wanted to take our time here, but we were quickly losing sunlight and I was beginning to think about beer and dinner.
We travelled the remaining twenty or so miles to Pigeon Forge on 321 through Townsend and Wears Valley. The last few miles were excruciating: we were stuck behind a timid tourist in a too-big car who had to break to 15 mph around every curve. I was quickly losing my patience, but we managed to get to Dad’s place before I was totally pissed. We quickly followed the same routine: hellos, beers, then food. Even though the day began too cold, it ended warmly with family, sweet Autumn, and good food. It should be a good trip.
