Re: Escape to Witch... er... The Smoky Mountains!
Monday, May 21:
Morning arrives. I roll out about 8:00am and am the last one up... as usual. Everyone is in the kitchen hovering around the TV to see what the weather is going to do. Scattered thunderstorms are predicted. I mull this over as I savor my apple cinnamon Pop Tarts and notice a BIG bag of powdered donuts sitting on the counter next to me... Roger has a thing for them. We both eat pretty healthy on a daily basis. But when we go on trips, we also engage in a kind of dietary vacation
I do Pop Tarts and beer... not at the same time... Roger does powdered donuts. I gave them up years and years ago. There was a time when I ate a pack a day, with a coke. Seeing them triggers a bit of drooling but I refrain.
I notice that we are all moving a bit slower than yesterday morning.
By the time we are all geared up and ready to pull out, it is almost 10:00am, slightly later than yesterday. But like yesterday, the morning air is damp and cool. With the mesh riding jacket/pants, some under layers are a necessity. I'm riding my 1200GS, Roger his 990 Adventure, John his new to him KLR 650 and Steve is riding his "big bike"... his KTM 690
The plan is to head for Deal's Gap and also ride the Cherohala Skyway, maybe doing some mild dirt roads here and there along the way and back. I've got TKC 80s mounted on the GS (knobbies). They really help with the manners of the GS on the unpaved stuff but they still rock on the pavement. So I don't have to worry about giving up any fun because of the tires. We head for the gas station to top of the bikes and then get serious about the day's ride.
We start by heading West on Tanasee Gap Rd. This used to be dirt, but like so many roads in the area, it is now paved. The only saving grace is that when the dirt roads get paved, they don't usually cut, fill, and grade them into boring roads. They still twist and wind with the sides of the mountains. At first, the GS feels all wrong. After spending all day yesterday flogging my bantam weight KTM around and rocketing out of corners, the GS feels like a big awkward pig. I slow down, focus on reorienting my brain, and soon start to find my groove. The GS is not about banging through the gears. It is all about use of the prodigious torque made by the big boxer motor. Most times, shifting is optional
We make quick work of Tanasee Gap and soon reach Hwy 281, where we turn North toward Tuckasegee. This is where we came out yesterday and went North. Today we turn South down Hwy 107 to look for the first of the dirt roads I want to explore, Cullowhee Forest Rd. The idea is to cut to the West, pick up White Rock Rd., and Mountain Grove Rd., and then come out near Franklin. As we head down 107, I get to having so much fun I don't realize we are coming up on our turn off for Cullowhee Forest and I blow right by it. I catch it out of the corner of my eye and so pull off just beyond.
The road we want is right back there where that little wooden fence runs behind the bushes to the left.
Now you can see why it is easy to miss!
We turn around and head down Cullowhee Forest Rd. It starts out really steep and winding, down into a little ravine, then climbs back out the other side. I get a bit of a pucker factor as I find out that I have no back brakes to speak of!! What the!? The GS is heavy and wants to pick up some serious speed going down into those tight switchbacks. I am not wild about getting on the front brakes, but with no choice I ease them on and use as much engine braking as I can. Going up hill is no big deal. When we reach the top of the climb on the far side, we come to a locked gate...
While we are turning around and I am looking for a detour route, a few vehicles come out the gate. They give us friendly waves and don't stop to see what we might be up to...
While stopped, I turn off my bike and then restart it, hoping this might fix the brake issue. What on Earth could this change you ask...?! I'll tell you. BMW decided that these bikes needed power assist brakes, their EVO brake system, which work in conjunction with the ABS system (anti-lock). I have no idea why they thought these bikes needed power brakes!? I mean, sure... they are kind of heavy, but they are not THAT heavy!
Anyway, the problem is that if you lose the power assist, you lose a LOT of your braking power and you have to REALLY mash the levers to get things slowed down! Not exactly my idea of a great system and I think they did away with the EVO stuff in later year models. When the bike is started, the braking system goes through all its checks. My thought is that something might have been goobered in this process and restarting might clear the issue. Fortunately, it does and the ride back out to 107 is much less stressful.
But where to go now...? Hmmm....
We could run back up to Tuckasegee and head to Cullowhee, then cut back SW on Ellijay road to get back on track, but that takes us pretty far out of the way and hits roads I want to run later in the day when we are on the return leg of the ride. I like to try to minimize road duplication where possible so I look for something else. There is Pine Creek and Walnut Creek roads. They are good fun and will drop us out just South of Franklin on US 64, not far from where we want to be. So off we go...
The run up Pine Creek is fast and fun. We climb to almost 4100 feet at Walnut Gap, where Pine Creek ends and Walnut Gap Rd., starts. It makes a tight quick initial descent of about 1200 feet in the space of a 1/4 mile or so and then opens up a bit for the run following Walnut Creek out to US 64. Nothing but pavement between here and Deal's Gap, but not just any pavement...
I remember the first time I came out to this area. Deal's Gap was the road that EVERYONE was all hyped up about riding. So of course we had to check it out. BUT... After riding it, we kept exploring and found two other spectacular roads, Hwy 28 North of Franklin, between Oak Grove and US 19, and Wayah Bald Road which comes from US 19 over where US 129 meets it, and eventually brings you in on the West side of Franklin. I have since done both roads many times and absolutely love them.
The best way I can describe the sensation of riding this section of Hwy 28 is to think of the feeling of doing a fast ski slalom. There is no time spent going straight. The curves are banked and tight, leading one to another. I settle into 2nd gear and just run as smooth as I can. The wide bars of the GS make flicking it from one extreme lean to another almost effortless and the bike holds its line through the corners with ease. Up until now, we haven't really seen many other bikes, yesterday or today. Now it changes. All manner of bikes come at us from the other direction, no doubt many having already been to Deal's Gap, which attracts bikes like moths to a flame. They stay in their lane. I stay in mine. I keep expecting the sounds of my pegs scraping the pavement but never hear it. Last time out here when I was on the 1150 GS, that was heard in almost every corner. The rhythm of the road soon takes me and I slip into that zone where there is nothing but the road, the bike, and me, all in blissful harmony. I'm not thinking about our route. I'm not checking the GPS. I'm just totally focused on the next corner.
And all too soon we reach Hwy 19.
I am half tempted to turn around and run down to Oak Grove and back. I doubt the guys would protest. But as we pull into the parking lot of the little gas station at the intersection, I notice I am a bit warmer now than I was earlier and think to myself...
"I bet they have ice cream in there..."
Ice cream is a real weakness of mine. I try to confine it to special occasions, like each new day that life throws at me. But seriously, I don't keep Blue Bell in the house any more... or the garage freezer either. So now it is kind of like the Pop Tarts and beer, savored on the bike trips. I head inside and sure enough, they have those little waffle cone ice creams with the chocolate and nuts on the top. You know the ones... You're probably craving one right now... I am
I snag one and head back outside to join the guys. Everyone is pretty stoked about the last few miles of riding and there are some serious ear to ear grins on every face.
After a nice break and shedding some layers, we head West on Hwy 19 and then pick up Hwy 28 to the North. In recent years, the Southern half of the section of 28 between Deal's Gap (US 129) and Hwy 19 has been WIDENED, made multi lane, and straightened. It was never an incredible ride, but now it is kind of lame and has a ridiculous speed limit of 55mph
Fortunately, by the time we get to Johnson Gap, where NC 143 intersects 28, the road starts to get fun again. Unfortunately, the traffic also gets heavier. I come up behind a couple riding two up on a cruiser of some sort and he is taking the corners soooo sloooowww that he is having trouble keeping the bike balanced! He weeble wobbles his way through each one while I hang behind them, wincing at every bobble. I figure they are probably on their own adventure and drop off so as not to make them feel hurried or annoyed. There will be plenty of opportunities for me to ignore the scenery later
By the time we reach Fontana Dam, I have managed to get around the couple without any drama. Once across the dam, the road follows the edge of Lake Cheoah. There aren't any serious elevation changes, but there are a lot of fun corners. Near the end of the road, it suddenly climbs about 500 feet and the last corner just kind of pops me out right into the parking lot of the Deal's Gap resort, which used to be known as The Crossroads of Time, but I don't know if that has been dropped or not. There are bikes everywhere, but it is not the most crowded I have seen it. This is a Monday. I have been here on Saturdays where it was hard to even get in and out of the parking lot!
The place has REALLY changed! See that dude standing on the left in the above image? Everything beyond him used to be a grass camping area. The shed thing on the right is covered and lighted working areas so you can work on your bike. It is newish. Same for the loading ramp thing in the lower left corner (I think it was there in 2004, but was not when I first came out in 2000).
The covered tables on the right are new, as is the BBQ smoker pit behind the tables
Everything on this side of the covered gas pumps is relatively new (built since 2000). It used to just be a small gas station/store with a mobile home next to it for the two guys that worked there.
This shot was taken in August of 2000 from the opposite side of the gas pumps
This was taken in May of 02, I think after ownership changed hands. Notice the deck in front of the store.
and here it is in Aug of 04, with the new restaurant added on to the original building
Anyway, whoever owns it now has REALLY worked hard to modernize the place. I have mixed feelings about it. I kind of enjoyed the "quaint" feeling of it before all the upgrades. It had kind of an old timey Route 66 cheap motel feel to it. Sure, it was popular with riders and car enthusiasts even then, but it just didn't have that commercialized feeling. On the other hand, I certainly do not begrudge the current owners their commercial success and I admire what they have been able to do. Even the nearby town of Robbinsville has gotten in on it, having built many new hotels and restaurants since my first trip out here. Motorcycle tourism brings in a LOT of money in this area!!
We take some time to just wander around, check out bikes, visit with folks and soak in the energy. Bikes are coming and going constantly. The variety of bikes is amazing. There are also quite a few really nice sports cars, even some serious high dollar ones.
Steve posing with the Tree of Shame, where you hang a bike part if you crash on the Tail of The Dragon (the named given the stretch of road here at Deal's Gap).
The covered picnic/BBQ area, which smells REAL good about now...
The new fancy sign where everyone poses for the obligatory pictures...
Here's the old one (Aug 04)
The parking lot seems to be filling up quickly!
Another new sign, this one up on the loading dock where you can park the bike in front of the sign if you like
A Honda Ruckus? I watched it ride away to tackle the Dragon! That cable thing is a security cable. Apparently these are highly desired...
Can you pick out the fast bike...?
The smell of cooking food starts to get to me. I suggest to the guys that we ride the Dragon, come back here and eat, then continue our ride for the day. They agree so off we go. I think the last time I actually rode the Dragon was in 2004 on my 1150 GS, also wearing the TKC 80 knobbies. I recall being held up by some "fast" bikes. This time fast bikes are not an issue. I take off, following Steve. I keep him in sight but when I come around one curve, it is just in time to see him passing two ladies on cruisers on one of the few straight sections of the Dragon. I also see that I will NOT be passing them
So I settle in behind them. They are going so slow that they are wobbling, just like the couple I got behind earlier. I am in first gear and coasting with the clutch pulled in. I should pull out and just let them go, but for some reason I just hang behind them and putt along. There are lots of places for them to pull out, but the lady in front of me has no rear view mirrors... Oh well...
I reach the overlook, typically thought of as the end of the Dragon, and find Steve waiting. Roger and John arrive shortly. They take a few pictures. I notice the two ladies getting ready to head back. I jump on the bike and take off so I can get ahead of them for the run back. The ride is MUCH more enjoyable this time. The two cars I get behind pull over and wave me around them. NICE! I'm not trying to go fast, I am just trying to be smooth. The Dragon has a lot of technical corners and the consequences of blowing any of them are not pretty... I enjoy the ride and soon reach the parking lot at the Crossroads. It is still packed. Time to eat
The grill selection at the restaurant is pretty good. I eat light when riding, so a small sandwich and a few fries for me. After lunch we are standing in the parking lot discussing the riding plans and the smell of rain is in the air... It is looking kind of dark and ominous to the South back down Hwy 28 but not so bad to the West, where I want to head. Steve has decided he's done for the day and wants to know the quickest way back to the house. I let him know that it is basically the same way we came. He's got his GPS with the track so he should be good. The rest of us decide to keep on with the original route and head for the Cherohala Skyway.
Steve heads back down Hwy 28 and we head down US 129 toward Robbinsville. This stretch of 129 runs right down the side of the mountain to the
Lake Cheoah Dam. All these dams are on the Little Tennessee River and are remnants of the TVA which sought to bring electricity to the area back in the early 1900's.
I don't know what is going on, but there is some kind of work being done around the power house. There are contractor trucks all over the side of the highway and they are bringing in some heavy construction stuff. Maybe they are updating the facilities
We get through it all and head down 129 toward Robbinsville. This section of 129 is relatively flat and runs along the banks of the Cheoah River. I have always enjoyed the sweeping curves and scenic valley on this section of 129. It is just a nice relaxing stretch of road, but you still have to keep your eyes open for those riders that want to use it like a race track and the LEOs out looking for them
We turn West on NC 1134 into the Joyce Kilmer Forest. It runs around the North side of Lake Santeetlah. It is a nice narrow but well paved road with the woods coming right up to the edge of the pavement. It is another of my local favorites.
The pavement is wet. It is not raining right now, but the skies look like they might open up at any time. We continue on toward NC 143, which becomes the Cherohala Skyway on the North Carolina side of the state line. We drop out right were NC 81 joins 143, which is the official start of the section of road designated as the skyway, at Santeetlah Gap.
Notice the fresh grass clippings in the road in the above shot? There was a LOT of that as we were coming through the woods. Grass clippings can be slick when dry, but when wet...
Even picking my lines very carefully, I still hit a few small patches and felt the bike wiggling around under me. Not fun.
The first of MANY overlooks
Top of the sign
Bottom
We see some other bikes coming from the direction we are heading. They are wearing rain gear. The clouds in the distance look menacing and low. Well, I have two great memories of riding this road, both on the same trip.
The first day of that trip we rode into this area via the Skyway from Tellico Plains on the Tennessee side. It was around 11:00pm, clear and COLD, especially once we got up to the 5000 ft elevation common along the Skyway. The road had newish pavement and still had reflectors on the center stripe. They could be seen reflecting as the road turned in and out from the sides of the mountains. The clouds had turned to fog and settled into the valleys below. The full moon was so bright that the stars were overpowered. The light from the moon hit the top of the low lying clouds and reflected back up the mountain sides. I had been on the bike for close to 12 hours and it had been a LONG day of riding. But in that moment, nothing else but the ride mattered. It was surreal, like riding through the heavens.
The last day of that trip, we were leaving the area via the Skyway. Beth's Triumph Legend was in the back of our new friend's pickup and heading to Dallas. She was riding in the truck. The bike and rider she displaced was riding with me on his Sprint ST. We stopped at the Black Knight Cafe in Robbinsville for a bite to eat before tackling the Skyway. The people inside looked out the windows at us as we got off the bikes and laughed as they saw me wringing the water out of my gloves. It was in the low 60s at the time. After lunch we took off for the Skyway and the skies opened up with a vengeance! The temperature dropped into the low 50s but it was not real windy, just a straight down pour. I was on my VFR 800 and fully loaded. For whatever reason, the other rider and I slipped into a shared groove and we had an absolute amazing ride despite the cold and wet. We stopped at a pull out next to the river on the low end of the Tennessee side for a high fiving session, and to warm up a bit. It had finally stopped raining.
My 98 VFR 800
His Sprint ST
As much fun as I had riding in the rain with my bud that time, I am not real wild about doing it this time. I was on much better tires then, not knobbies. And to really enjoy the Skyway, the speeds have to be a little higher than what I would want to do in the rain on the GS with knobbies. Still, we press on, if anything just so John and Roger can kind of get a feeling for the road. We get about 10 miles into the ride, right about to where the road first gets real close to the Tennessee border and starts to get really fun, and I am hearing the rumbling of thunder over the sounds of the bike and despite my ear plugs... The clouds are really getting dark now and I am getting some sprinkles on me. I pull into the next over look for a pow wow with the guys and we decide to turn tail, saving this for the next trip
There is also a ton of good DS riding in this area, so that gives us a good reason to get back out here.
We scoot back down the Skyway and run 143 all the way into Robbinsville, which is still a really fun ride. We hit US 129 and turn South toward Hwy 19. Traffic can get bad on this stretch of road but it is light today. The road surface is damp, but it is not raining. We turn East on 19. My plan is to introduce the guys to the Winding Stairs Rd. As the name implies, this is a very twisty road. It is unpaved and goes right up the side of the mountain via some tight switchbacks and places where the road is just a ledge cut into the rock face. Once it reaches the top of the mountain, there is a nice lake and cabin, then the road becomes paved. I rode it back in 2004 with Wasabi and Beemin.
This section of Hwy 19 is really scenic. It follows the Nantahala River. The woods are VERY dense and it almost feels like riding through a tunnel, especially because of the overcast skies. We reach the turn for Winding Stairs and cross the river to the base of the mountain.
The first of two bridges, there is an island in the middle of the river
The road on the far side
When I first pull up to park, I look down and there are these little purple/pink butterflies just flittering all over the place just above the ground. I am guessing there are maybe 50-60 of them. They part around the bike and then close in behind me. They do the same when I get off the bike. By the time I get the camera out and try to get a shot of them, most of them have already wandered off into the woods. We stop to take a break... you know... so Roger and John can attend to the call of nature, hehe.
Looking East down the river, a low fog hangs over the fast moving water...
The undergrowth is dense on this typical hillside
Made with Carnegie steel!
There is a hiking/biking path that runs along this side of the river. It doesn't look like much motorized traffic crosses these bridges, except maybe when people park cars here and go hiking. But there is a parking lot on the highway side of the bridges, so even that might not happen often. Excited about riding this road again, I give Roger and John a little bit of build up to get them stoked as well.
And then we go around the corner...
And there is a locked gate!
"Well, I promise it really is a cool road. I have no idea what would cause them to close it..."
So we turn around. We'll run Wayah Bald Rd., instead. It runs along the base of the mountains, the tops of which we would have been riding. The pavement is not as pristine as it was the last time I rode it, but it is still nice. There are numerous beautiful homes down in here, some of which even sit right on the creek, literally. With the dense woods, the flowing creek, and the nature of the style of homes, this spot has a real storybook feel to it. It seems far more likely that we'd encounter a dragon here than we would at Deal's Gap!
Itching to do some dirt still, I decide to forgo riding all of Wayah Bald and instead we head for Tellico Gap. The West side starts out paved but soon turns to a narrow dirt road that quickly climbs up to the gap.
Stopped at the top of Tellico Gap
The East side basically follows the big overhead power lines down out of the mountains.
My little point and shoot was having exposure issues, the overcast makes for a bright background against the dark foreground of the woods
This is a bit better
John on the KLR, Roger in the background
Roger on his 990 Adventure
John
A little darker than reality, but not much
Maybe a tad brighter than reality, the real deal being between this is and the previous shot. The woods really do block a lot of the sunlight. It is maybe 4:30-5:00 right now.
The road flattens out and runs on down along Tellico Creek to the Little Tennesee River. We turn off before that and head South on a road I've never done, but turns out to be fantastic.
[Time to head home now... might get back to it later tonight. If not, then tomorrow at work if we are not busy.]
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In fact, we are just making a big loop back toward Hwy 107. I stop at Cedar Creek Rd., to look over the map and ponder our options. With the sun going down, it is starting to get a tad chilly and we all decide to add some layers. There is talk of just running on down Hwy 107 to US 64 and "slabbing" it back to 215, as if you could really think of 64 in the normal sense of of boring highway 
However, they guys agree to run back up 107 so we can take a closer look for the start of Big Ridge.
So anyway... let's see... small bike day! We'll head South and see what we can find and maybe work our way over to the Highlands area to hit some roads I've ridden on past trips.
