Sponsored by
Blue Ridge & Smoky
Mountain Motorcycle Adventure Maps
(click & go)
Comment Received
May 1, 1997
"Only suggestion I would have, is to allow for some user input to tell
about trips (only in the Smokys & Blue Ridge)
and/or restaurants/points of interest/etc. that they recommend (from
experience). It would make for some great and informative reading."
Seems like an excellent idea to me. Send them. I'll
post them.
Share Your Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountain
Experiences
POSTE
Was
just down in Pigeon Forge, TN. Took a ride to my
sister’s house in
Came
back
Quite an adventure ride, over the dark, cold, snowy, Smoky mountains in February on my trusty old 1978 Suzuki GS750. Can’t wait till next year!!
Bill Gries
POSTE
Here is another great
story and a great ride to enjoy. My brother Ron had rented a house for a week
in
POSTE
The
This is a story of three bikes and five riders, Dawn (my wife) and
Randy (myself),
POSTE
I grew up in
I grew up in an
area called
As far as riding
goes you can’t go wrong any direction you go in. There are great roads
everywhere. Most people have heard of
You are also w/ in
a days ride (165 mi) of TWO Resort, Two Wheels Only,
in
Just take your time
and enjoy. Remember it is the journey not the destination that counts.
Coldwell Banker Elite
(800) 826-2943 x516
(703) 445-9100 x516
(703) 282-2618 (cell)
POSTE
RI
Even with the weather forecasts for the eastern warning of Hurricane Ivan's
possible approach, we chose to go ahead with our intended trip last week.On
Tuesday morning, Sept.14th, we left my son's adopted home town of Angola IN,
crossed northern Ohio and began crossing Pennsylvania on the PA Turnpike. Minor delays and his new V-Star's
break-in speeds slowed us down somewhat and we only got as far as
Continuing south on
the 16th, we continued to interact with Ivan -- that day and the next. We had
learned from a ranger on the Skyline
We met Ivan somewhere near
The bike landed on
the right side (and on my right foot), pushing the crashbar
back about four inches and causing the right mirror to break away. With the
help of my son and a motorist, we returned the Victory to the pavement and
checked for damage. We kicked and
pulled the crashbar back some-what-close to its original position, tightened
the mirror, and continued on our way.
I felt very fortunate that the bike wasn't hurt significantly and I
could still ride, with a sore foot, a sore hip, and a stiff shoulder. But, I could ride! (Victory of Terre
Haute MIGHT have to order a new crashbar and maybe a new right saddle bag lid
for me. I'm still deciding if the "damage" is even noticeable to
anyone but me.)
We chose to continue south into the storm and circle around the Smokies on
I-40, then over to Cherokee, still experiencing heavy rains, and trusting our
four tires a little less. Since weather radar had indicated the rain SHOUL
The fog, heavy rain, and some wind continued into Gatlinburg (and, I'm sure, on north). We stayed in that night and tried to dry some of our clothing with a motel blow dryer.
Friday morning, the forecasts and radar told
us that we could escape Ivan by riding west. We left Gatlinburg entered the
park for the mandatory photo at the entrance sign, continued west at the
Weather notwithstanding, the ride was one of our best. The condition and
surface of the
We finally reached one of our intended destinations,
Rt. 129. Yes, we rode the Tail of the
The staff even switched on The Weather Channel for us so that we could
determine what our next direction should be. Of course, the radar still
indicated we should go west and that we SHOUL
Why did we choose to ride in a hurricane's weather system? Because it was only
six-day "window", due to work schedules. We didn't invite Ivan! We had planned this trip for about four
weeks, the Farmer's Almanac had forecast warm and dry weather over our entire
planned route for the week, and other forecasts were good until about four days
before our trip. Still, it wasn't THAT bad. I've always felt that the WORST day
on a bike is still better than the BEST day in a car.
Our goals had included riding as much of the PA turnpike as we could, riding
the Skyline
We finally found sunshine and dry roads on Saturday as we left Chattanooga for
home (east Central Illinois). Crossing Monteagle was bright, sunny, and
great. Riding across
We also chose to skip a "normal"
The rest of our ride was pretty uneventful as we rode Rt. 45, the
By
POSTE
In
August of 2004 three brothers finally managed to get their respective acts
together (in other words convince their wives and make arrangements with their
employers) and coordinate a tour of the
Packing
the bikes for a week-long excursion, and guided by the trusty information
provided by Motorcycle Adventure Maps, the three brothers and three cousins
headed north to get on the
Our
first tourist stop was
From
the top of the
It was a wonderful bonding trip for all of us. You'd think that the boys would tend, in that situation, to bring their maturity levels up a notch or two to that of their fathers. But no, it turned out to be the other way around, as the three "mature" adults tended to devolve into their own former teenage selves. Food fights, key stealing and various body-noise contests were the norm. Needless to say we laughed ourselves silly the entire trip.
So take some time, get the package of materials from Motorcycle Adventure Maps, and ride on. You just don't know what your missing until you do. When you return, you'll have a lifetime of memories.
POSTE
Quest for the “
The tale of a
By Rich Flynn
http://ridestoofast.tripod.com
POSTE
"The Hotel"
We're from Anderson, SC. Been married 9 years and bought our first Harley together 2 years ago. First trip was 3 days in Western NC and Eastern TN. We have not been the same since! It's been like therapy.
I'd like to plug a great place to spend the night in Tellico Plains, TN at the western end of the Cherohala Skyway. Last March 23rd my wife, Lori, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Lloyd and Patti and I set out to ride the Cherohala Skyway for the first time. Loved it.
Arrived in Tellico Plains about 19:00 hrs. I asked a lady where the Hotels were at, and to my surprise she told me there's only one within about 30 miles. It's called "The Hotel". Uh Oh! The women were cold, hungry and I won't say what else. Oh yeah, Lloyd and I were craving a cold beer too. Now, we're used to the Comfort Inn and that sort. We found "The Hotel" easily but were not too sure about the place. I was nominated to go in and check it out. I opened the door and thought I'd just stepped back in time. A large room was filled with beautiful antique furnishings. Sitting around the room were about 8 elderly people (I'm 42). In the middle of the floor were about 5 people playing old gospel style music with guitars, fiddles, banjos and an old stand-up bass guitar. After I got over the surprise I then realized that I was wearing leathers and a headband, and I had to look to them like I was there to rob the place. I became very uncomfortable. I looked around further feeling embarrassed and saw no "sign-in desk". So I headed toward the back of the place and only found a kitchen with no one there. I now realized that I'm in the wrong place. This can't be a Hotel. I've just waltzed into someone's house, and now I've got to walk back out by all those nice people with my embarrassment. I turned to see an angel there to rescue me. The sweetest little elderly lady was standing in front of me smiling.
Mrs. Sinamae Cole owns and operates "The Hotel". Her Register is a little 5x7 composition book. She later told me that she has lived in Tellico Plains her entire life. She said that the hotel was originally built as a boarding house around the turn of the century. She is such a joy to chat with. She explained that what I saw out front was an every Friday evening event here, and that there would be more pickers and spectators coming later.
When I asked for one room with two beds (we're cheap travelers), she told me
she only had rooms with single beds and the rate is $60 per night.
"But," she added, "since I don't have a double I'll let you have
two rooms at $40 per night." I decided that if my brother-in-law felt this
was more than he wanted to spend, I'd spring the whole $80 just to see the look
on there faces when they walked in to what I just did. So I told her OK, and
went back outside to have a little fun. I got to my "crew" outside
and exclaimed like a good old southern redneck, "Ya'll ain't
gonna believe this #@!?." They hesitatingly
followed me to the door. Before opening the door I turned and exclaimed,
"Have I gotta treat for you." Miss Cole met
us at the door, and showed us to our rooms. My crew reminded me of Gomer Pyle, "Guuooooaaaalleee". We settled our
gear and left for some dinner. No beer. Oh well. At least the women weren't
still....never mind. We got back to our rooms, threw on some sweats and sat on
the stairway to enjoy the show. It was absolutely wonderful. You must add The
Hotel to your maps if it's not already there. Miss Cole is a precious little
lady, and I'd love to send her all the business I possibly could. Remember,
Friday is Jam Night! The telephone number to "The Hotel" is
423-253-2644. From
POSTE
Skyline
In May of 2001, I
traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway from the NC border south, eventually all the
way to Cherokee. In early October of 2001, I entered The Skyline
The Skyline
The Blue Ridge Parkway, on the other hand, is a highway without a destination
and few attractions, but the drive itself. The speed limit is posted at 45 mph.
One can travel at 55 mph and only downshift or lightly break all day long but
for few turns. And the experience only becomes more dazzling the farther south
one rides.
If you have to make choices due to time constraints, skip the Skyline
from Carl J. Kotheimer,
POSTE
This past Easter
weekend, I was staying at our cabin in Linville Land Harbor and took one of
many day trips on the Blue Ridge Parkway. As I was traveling south from Blowing
Rock to Grandfather Mt. on my R1100s, I met a Parkway Police officer heading
north. I knew I was caught when I saw his brake lights. He turned around and
got me at the next overlook. Clocked me doing 55 in a 35(the section around the
Viaduct is 35 rather than 45). Initially he was pretty gruff, however became
more friendly after he checked his computer and found I had no other moving
violations. He cautioned me, justly so, and let me off with a warning. He also
asked that I be careful, that he had worked many bad motorcycle accidents on
the Parkway. I thought this very kind of him and told him so. They really are
pretty nice and try to do a fair job.
from
POSTE
THE BEAR TRUTH
Clint and I had a
beautiful day riding the Blue Ridge Parkway east and south from Cherokee, N.C.
In pleasant contrast to several days of rain and fog, the sun was shining, the
sky cloudless, and the day warm and dry. In the afternoon, we looped back to the
town of Maggie Valley through Cruso via scenic North
Carolina state road 276. Since we planned to cookout that evening we stopped to
buy groceries for hunter's stew. Some great-looking tenderloin filets were on
sale, and since I usually do the cooking I decided to celebrate the perfect
weather and buy them instead of ground beef. I carry a little grill in my
motorcycle gear so our revised plan was to have grilled steak and fresh
butter/steamed vegetables for dinner. Next to the grocery a state-owned ABC store
was having a sale on Old Ezra, a true Cadillac of bourbons. Fortunately for us,
it wasn't selling well in North Carolina so they were blowing it out for the
ridiculously low price of $7.95 a bottle. So Old Ezra was invited to dinner,
too. We crammed our purchases--including Old Ezra--into the nooks and crannies
of our gear and left the sweltering parking lot for higher elevations. We had
decided to camp in the Great Smoky National Park at Balsam Mountain Campground
not far from the Cataloochee
POSTE
I just wanted to
e-mail you and tell you of a trip a friend and I just finished from NJ to NC/TN
and back. In all it was an OUTSTAN
Thomas Adamo
POSTE
Mid-Life: Running away from Home
Have you ever wanted to get rid of everything you own and just ride of into the sunset? Allowing stress into your life will give you a whole different outlook on what's important. With husband deceased and kids on there own and a really great orange '93 FLHS (perfect bike for a long trip) just begging to go for a ride, ride is what I did. I sold everything (in 3 days) and pack the bike for a trip to NC and the BRP. That was the only thing that could get me out of Florida.
I got to Atlanta on a
Saturday and headed out on Monday morning, during the first week of September.
Into Cherokee in time to set up a tent and get a good nights rest. That night
was so good I ended up staying for the rest of the week. All the back roads
into Tenn. were so enjoyable. I did stay away from
After leaving
Cherokee I traveled north on the BRP . Taking my time and stopping at every
overlook. It is so incredible and will give you a feeling of being a little
closer to god. Everyone you meet on the parkway is nice and very talkative.
Especially to a woman on a big Harley all by herself. Most nights I stayed in
the Parkway campgrounds. $10.00 per night will buy you a good clean campsite
and I always felt safe. After traveling to the Virginia border I decided to
stay in Boone for a week or so. I got a campsite at the Grandfather Mountain
Camp Grounds. The people were great. I was the only tent in the grounds with a
few motor homes. The showers were clean and hot. Really a great place.
Since I now live in
Atlanta, The BRP is a Weekend get away.........But, It's not the same. There is
nothing like living in a tent on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a month or more.
Someday I hope to do it again.
Lynda Butler from Atlanta and central Florida.
POSTE
GREAT RI
My wife and I just returned from a 5-day ride in NC and TN. We followed the 5 maps that we ordered from Gary. Although, we didn't start with map #1. Since we live in NW AL., We drove Fri. night to Cleveland TN with bike in tow. We stayed at the Budgetel Inn on I-75 exit 25. They were extremely nice about us leaving our truck and assured us it would be fine and they would watch it, all that and free breakfast!
Early Sat. 9/5/98 we set out for Asheville,
NC via 64 towards Ocoee and
We stayed in Asheville, NC at the Holiday
Inn, the staff was very nice and let us park the bike where ever we wanted.
Asheville is not the cleanest town around and the people we came in contact
with not the nicest. But I must tell you the drive out of town, down Tunnel rd.
then right on Town Mountain rd. is great! It takes you to the BRP. The drive
along the BRP (a little crowded being Labor
From Kodak we headed south to Pigeon Forge
then to the Foothills Parkway (beautiful road!) Then left on 129 (aka "THE
From there, if you like high mountain roads
ride the Cherohala Skyway!!! We started it on Wed.
morning at 8:30 and we thought we had the whole 50 miles to ourselves. By the
way when you read that the temps are cooler in the mountains, you better
believe it! We went to bed with the A/C on and woke up with the heat on. It
went from 90's that afternoon to 51 in the morning when we left. I've read
where people say this road isn't good! This is as good, if not better and less traveled,
than the BRP. RI
From there we took some unexpected great paved twisties back to Cleveland along 68n...39w....315s...30e...64w.
This may sound like a plug.. but go ahead and spend the money, these maps are great! they give you just enough info on some things and too much on others...but its well worth it!!!!!!
Heath and
POSTE
Food for thought on "Hassled at the Gap"??
It's amazing to Me
that folks ride The
Now, I'm not saying You should not have a good time, but at night drinking beer around the campfire, you hear Guy's talking about hitting 85 mph on the short straights through the Gap. Then you read on Gary's page and other internet articles about Sport Bikers being hassled by THE LAW.
Well
The second week in April '98, the Wife and I were camping at Crossroads and Pete told Me the Gap had made the local news 8 times already this year. More than all the year before. Now I am a Cruiser and Touring Bike rider and I don't go that fast. The Law has not given Me any problem, they just wave as I go past. I often watch the crotch rockets draw lines around curves at the Gap. I have had the shit scared out of Me when meeting a sport bike rounding a curve almost out of control.
I have been the first on the scene when a Honda lost control and hit a Chevy 4 wheel drive, broadside. The Honda hit with such force that the rear end of the Chevy Truck was pulled out. The Honda Rider was CLEARLY riding beyond his skill level, but He was still
hauling much ass.
In the spring of '95 I was at the Gap when a fellow from Ohio rode off the mountain and broke both legs and an arm. His speed was estimated at 75 mph in a 25 zone.
Now why do You suppose the Gap is a good place to get a ticket? Could the Sport Bikers, with their "No Fear Attitudes", have anything to do with it?
Could be.
Why don't these folks go to Road Atlanta and run flat out on a closed course and leave the mountains for Us Bikers who don't mind observing the laws of civilization.
In these politically correct times, We as Bikers should at least speak the truth among ourselves. Bikers breaking the law are screwing it up for everyone. The cruiser and touring bike crowd are not angels by any stretch of the imagination, but we are a little discrete. The Sport Bikers let it all hang out, forgetting that they are on a public highway.
And then can't believe they are being hassled at The Gap. boohoo. These Guys can dish it out but They can't take it.
The truth does hurt.
Just slow down and enjoy the scenery, cool out or better yet, find someplace else to ride. Learn to be a low profile rider and lets get the Cops out of The Gap.
Tim
Perry,
POSTE
As you're building your library of tourism trivia, add these to Maggie Valley ... Riverlet Motel - clean, neat and a good bargain on rates. Sits on the junction of two large creeks (stay in the back rooms along the back creek if you can). Biker friendly, even give you a bucket of rags to wipe down the bikes! 800-691-9952
Joey's Pancake House... Great breakfast, good service, good prices. Get there early. Jeffrey S. Pritchett
POSTE
Me and about 9 other buddies went to the Smoky Mountains last year in the Fall, September. We all left Raleigh, all mounted to the bikes on a Thursday in the yes, RAIN. After we got on the other side of Greensboro good it stopped raining:) Needless to say we were all very grateful. We had planned this trip for months and a little bit of rain was not going to stop us. It kinda had to go that way because we had all taken off work for the trip.
The group consisted of a ZX11 (my bike), RF900, YZF600, Honda GoldWing (yes a goldwing) he pulled a trailer so all us other unfortunate dudes could use his trailer to carry our stuff, a couple of honda cruisers and a Yamaha cruiser. We stayed in Gatlinburg, it was OK, the first time I had been there. This was actually my first trip to the mountains on a motorcycle and I had been riding for almost five years. Boy was I missing out on some real FUN!!! We got to Gatlinburg at about 10:00PM yep it was dark and foggy. We rode the beginnings of the mountains From HW40 to 19 then to 441 through the Smokies on into Gatlinburg. It was dark and foggy and we were all very careful. The road was very curvy and it was hard to go slow, man was I in for a treat! This was only the begining of our entire weekend. I totally forgot how sore my butt, knees and wrists were when we got into the mountains.
The next day we all eat a hardy breakfast at a nice restaurant in town, I can't remember the name but the food was good. Your average country breakfast bacon, grits, well you get the idea. We all mounted and headed for the twisties! We road up to Pigon Forge, and then into Townsend and hit the Foothills parkway. Man this road was awesome! Wounderful twisties, just enough straight road to get ready for the next curve. Well we got to the end of this road and didn't really know where to head for, we had a map so we figured we would head back into NC on 129. Well we didn't get far before disaster struck. I don't mean to make this sound bad, everybody IS OK just one's pride was broken. Me and my two other buddies on the Crotch rockets took off and left the others in the dust. The first major curve we hit then bam, ouch, NO!!! recover,recover please recover,!@#$%$#@!. Now, I was in the back, on the ZX11, the RF900 in the front and the my poor buddy in the middle on the yzf600. As I entered the turn, right behind Chris on the YZF600 is a scene I have played over in my head a million times. Chris was going into the turn a little fast, well A lot fast. I guess he figured the bike was not going to make the turn so he put his left foot down in the left hand turn like he was going to dirt bike it or something. This was his biggest mistake. I still think to this day if he would have stuck it in the curve and kept on going he would have made it. But, he ran off the road, bike tumbling and Chris went flying though the air. It all looked like slow motion to me but I am sure it was not to Chris. His bike ended up in the bottom of a road drain/creek. Just after it happened, I was expecting the worse, But Chris came running from up the bank from where he was thrown off the bike to the top at the road screaming Hey, Yehhhh man that was COOOOLL lets do it again. I knew he was perfectly fine. Just a little bit of pride was gone thats all. It turns out that my other buddy in the RF900 ran off the road too but he managed not to spill his bike.
We all stopped, made sure Chris was actually ok and proceeded to get his bike out of the deep ditch/creek. You could just look over the edge of the road down into the creek bed and see the poor mangled bike at the bottom. It was a pitiful site. It took five guys nearly 45 minuets to get the Yamaha back up to the Highway. After finally getting it up to the road, we surveyed the damage. Humm, most of the plastic is gone, no problem, faring was gone, not a problem, headlights about to fall off the bike, held on only by wires, might be a problem. Right side of the handlebars bent down, after tugging on the bars we got it to at least Chris could turn the front wheel. The Nice Yoshi exhaust Chris had just bought for it was hanging off. OK lets get all our heads together and get this bike running again. after about an hour we had the bike running, nothing was scrapping or rubbing. Chris hopped back on and off we went. Headlights worked but it looked like Chris was in a constant left hand turn all the time from in front of him, hummm.
What we didn't realize is that we had just hit the begging of
I am going back to the mountains This weekend May 15 to 17, 1998 and I can't hardly wait! This time though I am not riding the bike the whole way. I am going to trailer it, then Ride when I get to the mountains. I know, I know I know. It wil be much more comfertable in the Expadition then on the Bike what can a say?:)
Mitch Wilkerson
POSTE
The
One of the best attitude helpers I have found is one from the Successories series of Illinois, namely, ... "A bend in the road is not the end of the road...unless you fail to make the turn." And that was the thought some 5 years or so ago when I came down from Canada to ride with two good friends from NYC out to the first Honda Hoot in Asheville. As you may have heard, many of us from Canada tend to drive somewhat faster than the posted limits if the conditions are right. Still, it was a nice little while before Big Andy caught on that, when I said I came through the Adirondacks at 120-140, I had meant kilometres per hour, not miles per hour (i.e. 70-85 mph. For a while there, I had a reputation going.
Well, the father and son team of Big Andy (6'3") and L'il Andy (6'1") and I were riding back from Asheville along the Blue Ridge aiming for the Skyline and Front Royal, WV, on the way back to NYC and we were taking turns leading. And the conditions must have been right. Although we had been taking several breaks to give this poor Canuck a chance to grab lots of snappies (pictures), the civilized pace was getting to me and I was starting to feel like I was going to doze off. At the next break it was my turn to lead and, before long, the same thing was happening again. Now, if I was to go down, I didn't want it to be right in front of these guys where I couldn't get away with some story about avoiding a sasquatch taking a swing at me from behind a rock. I knew a nap was out of the question. In order to get my blood pumping a bit, I picked up the 40 mph pace just a little by some 5 mph and checked in the mirror to see how things were going. I knew the two Andy's often had father-son duels through the twisties so I wasn't worried about their abilities. When this got old, I moved up another 5 mph, and a little later another 5 mph which certainly helped to make the curves interesting. And every time I checked the guys in the mirror, they seemed to be doing just fine. So, I cranked it up another 5 mph and we're now running up to 60 mph or more, marking andcutting the turns and taking advantage of, or heeding the warnings of as the case may be, the road camber and surface, the traffic, the critters and so on.
The turns were starting to pass underfoot at 45-50 mph and, while I trusted me and my Suzuki GS1100GK tremendously, I could tell L'il Andy's Harley Sportster was starting to throw sparks, although Big Andy's Honda Gold Wing seemed to be coping quite well. The guys were both in the right place in my mirrors so I could see they were doing fine, too. Having become comfortable with their handling of the situation, I allowed myself to test the corners a little bit faster each time and, each time, all I saw was L'il Andy's sparks, and surprisingly, Big Andy's Gold Wing was just breezing along although he seemed to have the habit of kind of raising hisdownside foot on the curves. After about 25 minutes of this and some 45 minutes since the last stop, my blood circulation was much improved so I pulled over at the next lookout for a break and a "hoo-haw!". Ok, also it was a strain to be keeping an eye out for the critters and I had also missed a lot of good snappies.
When we compared notes during the break, it turned out that L'il Andy's Sportster was dragging the side stand on the left-handers and that's where the sparks had been coming from. Yet no matter how closely we checked, we couldn't see signs of dragging on Big Andy's Gold Wing. Until we looked at his feet. I laughed so hard I couldn't see straight. The edges of Big Andy's boots were worn almost to the uppers at a cool 45 degrees off vertical! It seems he doesn't have quite enough foot peg to accommodate his feet so he has to let them extend beyond the end of the pegs. His feet weren't being raised, they were being pushed up! Then I got this picture of him starting to tip sideways if the wind gusted and I was a goner for the next ten minutes.
These are the types of memories I spend re-visiting all winter, the friends, the laughs, the new friends and the new laughs. These are the memories I bring out when I get those days where I feel so down that I'm just glad to be sucking air. The Blue Ridge isn't the only good place to ride but it's right up there among those at the top of the list.
Now, I'm not suggesting that you or anyone try this kind of riding we did in the Blue Ridge because I don't think it was all that smart a thing to do but, get this. At that time, L'il Andy was a 32 year old cop from NYC, I was a 45 year old federal government security chief, and Big Andy was a 64 year old retiree! We pretty well cooled our jets the rest of the way but, I gotta tell ya, these are fine guys to ride with! And we're talking the Blue Ridge again for '98.
Len Cotton
POSTE
We'd like to share the best road we've found in the Smokies. It's Hwy. 129 and the Foothill Parkway starting close to Townsend Tennessee and going into North Carolina. It weaves and sways - 318 mountain curves in 11 miles! It's a blast! We've traveled to the Smokies 3 years in a row now just to take that ride.
-Larry & Pam Young
POSTE
My son, a friend and I were attempting the whole parkway last week when a deer had a different idea. We were camped at a Parkway campground with no showers. I decided to go to Miller's private campground to take a shower. I got up early and apparently so did a deer. We met on the Parkway at 45mph. He won. I bent my 1978 R100RS Motosport back enough to limp the 7 hours home to Columbia, SC. The total damage...$2000 for a new fairing. Just a friendly warning to let the Harleys with their loud mufflers getup and scare the wildlife off the parkway first thing before you get on the road. Jerry
POSTE
I thought someone might enjoy reading about our ride June 27-29, 1997 through eastern TN and western NC. There were four of us and we had planned to make the trip in May, but canceled due to rain. Even though the forecast for the weekend wasn't the best, we were tired of waiting and decided to go for it.
The bikes consisted of an 81 Yamaha 750 Seca, an 83 Honda 750 Interceptor (the fastest of the
group), a 93 Honda 750 Nighthawk, and a 96 BMW R850R (the cadillac
of the group). We left Knoxville on Friday and headed south on Hwy 129 through
Alcoa and then hit Hwy 321 headed east toward Townsend. Before Townsend, we hit
the Foothills Parkway heading south to catch Hwy 129 into
After a continental breakfast Saturday morning, we hit
the BRP headed toward Asheville. Nothing out of the ordinary on this stretch of
the ride . We made the typical stops at the highest point on the BRP (6053 ft)
for the customary picture of the bikes in front of the sign and a rest stop at
Mt. Pisgah Inn. We stopped in Asheville for lunch and then continued on the BRP
hoping to camp near Boone if the weather cooperated. Unfortunately, around Mt.
Mitchell our plans changed. It started misting rain and the fog was so thick we
could barely see 10 ft in front of us. We stopped at Craggy Gardens Visitor
Center hoping to wait it out, but the Ranger on duty told us the fog was here
to stay and would probably get worse. Because of the fog and the fact that the
Honda Interceptor needed gas (it only had about a 140 mile range), we exited
the BRP onto Hwy 80 to look for gas and alternate routes. Amazingly, the fog
and rain cleared almost immediately after we left the BRP. While refueling, we
decided to head north on Hwy 80, hit Hwy 19E headed west, and eventually hit
19W headed northwest toward Erwin, TN. This turned out to be a great decision
because 19W is a great ride. The road runs through the Cherokee National Forest,
crosses the AT and the TN/NC border, and runs alongside the Cane River much of
the time. The pavement was in excellent shape (with the exception of some
gravel in a few of the curves), the curves were tight, and their were plenty of
them! Afterwards, we all agreed that 19W was as good, maybe better, than 129
into
After dinner, we headed south on 70 and then hit 107 until it ran into Hwy 25/70 (I think this is the old Asheville Highway that was the main thoroughfare between Newport, TN and Asheville before I-40 was built). By this time the sun was getting low, so we decided to ride over to Hot Springs, NC and setup camp before dark. Unfortunately, Hot Springs had been taken over by some Harley Club, so we simply made a U-turn and headed for Newport before someone realized we were riding UJMs (with the exception of the BMW).
In Newport, we finally found a KOA campground and setup the tents in the waning sunlight. The campground was very nice (campstore, pool, clean facilities), but it was next to I-40. All night we listened to the constant roar of trucks and cars. Mercifully, the morning finally came so we could load-up the bikes and seek the "quietness" of four motorcycles.
After breakfast, we jumped on I-40 headed east but quickly exited onto the Foothills Parkway (exit 443). This turned out to be a nice, but short, ride (~5 or 6 miles). This Parkway is different from the Foothills Parkway south of Alcoa. The turns are sharper and quicker. After the parkway, we followed 321 into Gatlinburg and decided to ride Little River Road in the Great Smoky Mountain Park to Townsend. This is a great ride except for all the cars. We would pass one car only to quickly run-up behind another. Finally, we admitted defeat and settled into breathing exhaust fumes with the exception of the Honda Interceptor. He continued to ride hard and pass. Once in Townsend, we headed north toward Alcoa and then back to Knoxville to close out the ride.
Overall, the ride was excellent (566 miles), no one
crashed, and the bikes ran flawlessly (even the 81 Yamaha with 27K). The best
three roads were 129 into
POSTE
If you want a delightful, very quiet, inexpensive motel that is very nice for
m/c riders, check out the Three Pines Motel (Maggie Valley). Its a couple of
hundred yards uphill from the usual hustle/bustle. Costs my family of four $32
a night...I think singles are about 18-20 night? I have no interest in this
other than I had a very nice quiet evening here.
Mark Normand
POSTE
Hi Gary, I love your site. The new page of experiences is terrific and I wanted
to add our favorite spot to eat. We love to ride the mountains and stay at
Fontana Village about two or three times a year. On Hwy 28 about eleven miles
south of Fontana is a super resturant, The Tuskeegee Motel and Resturant.
They have excellent trout and blackberry cobbler along with a variety of other
delicious fare.
I'll be riding my own bike in the mountains for the first time next week. I
have been a co-rider for seven years and finally got my own wheels. Can't wait
to tackle Hwy 129 at
Gayle Bingham
POSTE
When biking in the Knoxville-to-Asheville-to-Atlanta triangle, please visit our
AMI-certified shop in Hayesville, NC, near the cool mountain waters of Lake Chatuge. Bring copy of this post for discount on Easy Rider
tees!
McClures American Cycles. 704-389-1756.
Many thankx, and happy trails!
POSTE
Spruce Pine, NC just north of the Little Switzerland motels. There is a
new/remodeled motel/inn called Pinebridge Inn. The
rooms are huge. The floors creak a little, but you can't hear anything outside
your room unless it is loud. The rooms are in a remodeled school house.
Continental breakfast included for the $60 cost. About 3 miles North from the
parkway in Spruce Pine about 1/2 mile past the Pizza Inn. (The staff at
Switzerland Inn found this place for us because we didn't have reservations --
needed for weedends/holidays on the parkway)
Larry
POSTE
A VFR750, a CBR600F2 and a Ninja 600 covering 1800+ miles in 3 1/2 days WITH
camping gear and only a few run-ins with the local rangers! What a weekend.
This was my 3rd venture out to the BRP and Skyline
If you enjoy camping while on an extended motorcycle ride you must check out
the Blue Ridge Cycle Campground (hope I spelled it correctly) in Caruso (10 min
West on Rt. 276 just South of Asheville off the BRP).
I guess we attracted some attention (making legal passes at about the speed
limit) because twice we were followed by a ranger for at least 15 minutes. I
only wish the rangers would have followed in front of us when we started up
each morning because the BRP and Skyline drive is full of deer and squirrels
that seem to like playing chicken with motorcycles.
POSTE
Took our '86-I to the mtns. this past weekend and had
a fantastic ride. This is quite long, so if you don't want the details, exit
now! (This is the sort of thing I like to read, so thought I would contribute
my experience for others to enjoy, benefit from and laugh at.) Left Goose Creek
(near Charleston, SC) around 1:50 pm and arrived at Chimney Rock around 6:15 pm
with one short break and a gas stop on the way. Was a bit pushed for time,
unsure of how long it would take us, etc. so stuck to the slab all the way to
Hendersonville where we took 64 over to Bat Cave. After a good meal of Mountain
trout and Salt and Pepper Catfish at Genny's in
Chimney Rock, we rode Highway 9 over to Black Mtn.
and Montreat to locate a college where we were to
attend a graduation the next morning at 10. Great little road with nice twisties and good scenery. Took us about an hour and a half
to go over and back, Glad we checked it out as a mapping program I found on the
Internet had the college to the SE of Black Mtn. and
it was actually about 4 miles north of the town. So much for Internet
reliability, huh? Got back just after dark and found a restaurant that had just
closed but opened back up when they found out we only wanted a "cup of pie
and a piece of coffee." Enjoyed a great bowl of blackberry cobbler and hot
cider before returning to our riverfront motel and sitting on the porch over
the river listening to the water rush over the rocks and looking straight up at
the beautifully illuminated Chimney Rock. The only blemish on an otherwise
perfect day was the attitude of the new owner at the
The stop at Craggy Gardens overlook was especially interesting because you
could look down on Black Mtn and Montreat,
where we had just been. Made Mt. Mitchell's summit about 3:30, dodging
bicyclist engaged in a race all the way up the Mt. Mitchell spur. This is an
annual event and it sure clogs up the Parkway, but I am sure it is quite an
accomplishment for those participating. I salute them! They also proved
somewhat of a hazard on the way down because drivers of cages coming up the
hill behind them would swing out into our paths to pass them. This continued
all the way down to Highway 80. We left the Parkway at Hwy 80 to try to find
the site of and deliver a copy of a photograph I had taken in 1989 of a
beautiful pastoral scene on the backside of the Blacks. I found the site (two
old farm implements were still sitting in the same spot as 8 years before!),
and went up and knocked on the door to no avail. Found someone home across the
road and explained what I wanted to do. Left the picture with them to give to
the owners of the property. This was in a little spot in the road called
Hamrick. We got about a one minute sprinkle on us there, but that was as close
to rain as we saw all weekend. Watching the gravel on the road closely (it was
in the center of each lane all the way from the Parkway to Hamrick), we made it
back to the BPR and continued northward. Stopped at the visitors center at
Crabtree Meadows. Started up the little paved road to the campground and the
trailhead to the falls and decided we didn't have time to see that and Linville
Falls both, so decided to turn around. Bad decision -- narrow road, going up
hill, slow speed turn to the left! Guess what?
For those of you not too familiar with the Parkway, I would highly recommend
that you stop at the Cheosta View overlook. Many
people swing in and right back out without even stopping because you can't see
anything from the car. But, if you walk about twenty yards down from the
parking lot to the trailhead, there is a viewing spot that is absolutely
magnificent! Take the extra minutes to get off your bikes and see this view!
Linville Falls -- we got off the Parkway and went down 221 to the gravel
parking lot and walked down to the two upper views of the falls. Think I would
recommend staying on the BRP and getting off at the Linville Falls Overlook. It
is a 1.5 mi drive down a nicely paved road to a nice paved parking lot with
clean restrooms, etc. The actual walk to the falls is about the same from
either direction, maybe a tad further from the paved lot, but so much more
convenient. If you make this stop, you must go to at least the first two views.
You really don't get that much more from the third one to merit the climb, but
you would be cheating yourself if you didn't go at least to the middle one of
the three. If you have walking shoes in your bike, suggest putting them on
before taking this walk. I didn't and I regretted it later.
I was determined to show my wife the Linville Cove Viaduct before nightfall,
and when we finally got there, it was so close to dark, that it really wasn't
effective. So, we decided to go back down the Pkwy to the last exit and over to
Linville, which appeared (on the map) to be a town. No deal! A crossroads with
a couple of businesses and one motel. Any other night, the motel would probably
have been satisfactory, but this particular night there was a group traveling
together with lots of kids, from young ones to teenagers who were using the
parking lot for games, hollering, carrying-on, etc. It was dark and they didn't
appear or sound anywhere close to winding down, so I knew that it wasn't for
me. Back on to the bike and headed for Blowing Rock (19mi). Another mistake!
Ever seen a town with no motels? Well, this one comes as close as you'll ever
see. We chose to take the BPR as we knew the traffic would be practically
non-existent and it was quite dark. The thought of riding unknown mountain
roads with normal cage traffic did not appeal to me at all. Well, back to
Blowing Rock: Lots of expensive B&Bs, Inns, etc. Not many vacancies and one
or two motels -- also expensive. I was flabbergasted when I inquired at the
Sleep was hard to come by as every time I moved, searing pain shot through my
ribs and my left elbow. The dump was beginning to take its toll on my old body.
Betty's neck was beginning to hurt her some too.
Up around 7ish the next morning and off to find a car wash so I could clean up
the bike.
Across 184 to 105 and back in to Boone. Parkway south -- now headed for home,
but not without the wife seeing the viaduct in the full morning light. The ride
south on the Parkway was magnificent! The viaduct was in its splendor and worth
the effort to go back and see it just hanging there off the side of the
mountain. Somewhere just after the viaduct, we got behind a woman in a small
Chevy and I thought, Oh well, there goes the ride. (We had been cruising most
of the Parkway at 45- 60 except for the overlooks and some of the tighter
turns.) Wrong -- this gal knew what she was doing. Great driver. A pleasure to
follow and I rarely had to slow up for her. She finally decided to pull off at
an overlook and let us go around and I stopped and congratulated her on her
driving. She was so shocked!
We left the BPR at US 226 and dropping off the mountain on that road is quite
an experience! First the sign concerning the "Runaway truck ramp" was
sort of ominous and the ones that kept proclaiming "Road worsens beyond
truck ramp" really set me to thinking, "Wow, what have we run
into?" It didn't take me long to find out. As we passed the truck ramp on
the right, I was into a left-hand curve that just kept curving. I realized that
I wasn't going to make it as I had been scraping floorboards for most of the
turn. Falling back onto lessons learned from the Master Strategy Group
postings, my MSF course, and other rider seminars, I pulled the bike upright,
straightened it out and clamped down on the breaks while still on the pavement.
We went onto the shoulder at probably 10 or 15mph and it was wide enough (thank
God) that I could slow it down enough to turn left before the edge. I was
standing at that point and Betty was holding on for dear life (literally). I
saw a spot I could ease back up on to the road by cutting back perpendicular to
the edge (no other cars in sight) and we came out of it ok. Wow! Too close! Too
close. That is quite a ride down that road to the junction with 221 and on to
Marion. Was planning to eat in Marion but had bypassed the entire business
section of the town by staying on 221 and was at I-40 before we saw anything
with food. Ate at the Western Steer and headed on down 221 for Spartanburg and
the slab for our last leg home.
Arrived home about 6:45, tired, but glad to be back. Great ride? You bet!
Learning experience? You bet!
Lesson(s) learned? (1)
POSTE
My wife and I visited Banner Elk 4/11 - 4/18 to ride the BRP for a few days. We
didn't expect the unseasonably cold weather and snow that we encountered, but a
stop at Boone Honda and Wal-Mart took care of the warm clothes. While riding
north one morning, we ran across two deer climbing the mountain and, a little
later, two wild turkeys out foraging. Unfortunately, the biggest turkeys were
the ones that think the BRP is their own personal interstate highway and won't
let you ride at the posted speed limit without tailgating you. Everywhere we stopped,
we were greeted by the friendliest of people.
POSTE
Roger
POSTE
Hey, Gary, on the BRP going north there are some very poorly patched spots in
the northbound lane that will give a motorcyclist a thrill!! They are between
Mabry Mill and
POSTE
Made two trips last year on the Parkway from Cherokee NC to Grandfather Mtn on the first one and later on up close to the Va line. Camped both times on the Parkway at Crabtree
Meadows. Great riding and a great time. Five or six of us are coming up
(hopefully) the first week of June and hope to go on up into Va a ways. For anyone wanting a grand ride and the most
beautiful of scenery, I think the Smokies and the
Parkway are the way to go. Used to live in Franklin NC, but now below Atlanta,
Ga.
All ride safe and enjoy the most beautiful country you will ever see.
Close Encounter Of The Black & Furry Kind. A
True Story
It was September. There was just one more pain in the neck thing to do
in order to wrap up construction of the cabin. Put concrete seller on the
floor. Since no one could get on the floor, this meant Nina and I would have to
go it alone this weekend. It also meant we would have to find someplace else to
stay the first night.
After trailering up, etching the concrete and
slopping goo on the floor (we got a great high), it
was late in the day when we found ourselves trying to come up with a place to
stay. We could have held up in one of the local motels, but that didn't give us
any adventure riding. So we called around and found a place to stay in
Gatlinburg... Off on the Guzzi.
We took the North loop up
Little River Rd. is a tight winding two lane that is pinned in between the
mountains on one side and a little river on the other. A very scenic ride in
the day. A bit unnerving at night.
It was about 8:30. We had been on the road about 3 or 4 hours, including stops
for site seeing. The road was damp from some light drizzle earlier in the day,
so I was taking it pretty easy.
Things had begun to get a little monotonous, so I began fantasizing. What would
happen if a bear or wild boar ran out in front the bike... Apply the breaks,
recover, swerve, or road rash... I repeated the sequence in my mind.
Then it happened, a bear came barreling out of the blackness. It was hauling
ass right at us on a forty-five degree angle from the left. Kinda
like a rabbit does just before becoming road kill, only imagine a 300 pound
rabbit.
Once my mind registered what was going on, the only thing that came to my
conscious was that we were going down and that we were going to get hurt. My
reflexes grabbed a bunch of brake, but I really don't think it made much
difference. That bear mashed head on right into the side of our bike with a big
heavy thud.
We got lucky and didn't go down. After getting stopped, we road back and took a
quick look. The bear was gone. Now remember I said 300 pounds, not 700. This
bear probably had a mommy near by. Not a smart move in hind site. My foot hurt
like hell the rest of the way into Gatlinburg.
When we got to our destination, we were able to do damage assessment: Bear
dirt, bear hair, yellow slimy stuff, and seeds all over our boots, legs, and
the side of the bike. Nina's little toe was bruised. A spark plug cap got
cracked and the oil dip stick got bent.
Moral of the story? Be careful what you fantasize about,
it may just develop into a close encounter.
Share Your
Smoky Mountain Experience
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