Smoky Mountain Ride

[Brennan77]

My father and I spent last week riding in the Smokies and I'd thought I'd share a few photos. Thanks to all who gave suggestions and advice in my trip planning thread. Apart from a few headaches, the trip was great. I think the most difficult aspect of the whole thing was matching a riding pace with my father. 2 very different bikes, different levels of riding experience, etc. resulted in some frustration throughout the week, but we really can't complain about a good, safe trip in a beautiful area of the country.

My apologies for the quality of the photos. Neither my father or I are very good with a camera. I wish I would have taken more time to stop for photos. But I'll do that on my next trip.

Here's our resting place, the Ramada Inn in Maggie Valley, NC. I can't say enough about the people in this area. Very bike friendly and welcoming. Even the police seemed to appreciate that we were riding in North Carolina.



The "scenic view" from our room. Ok, so it was a nice little stream that made comforting noise.


We arrived Monday evening and spent all of Tuesday waiting for the rain to go away. With 4 more days here, there wasn't a need to be cold and wet. By 5PM, the rain finally let up enough to catch onto the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few miles.




I guess we were a few weeks too early. Everything with a little elevation was still brown.



20 minutes into the ride, the fog/clouds started rolling in.


My dad...


The Bikes



I'm getting really cold here.


Fog...

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Lincoln-mercury picture

[Brennan77]

Within a few minutes of this photo, we could hardly see in front of us and had to head back down the mountain. It was pretty creepy heading through those mountain tunnels in the fog...



The next day we again decided to head south on the BRP.

This is the same area the next morning...Much better...




For such an inexpensive bike, the VTX 1300 sure is a looker...












I guess I'm a weenie, but with no windshield, it was getting COLD...





After riding some really great scenic, and some technical roads through the towns of Balsam Grove, Rosman, and Cashiers, we headed back north toward Bryson City. We were 30 miles from home when my dad got a flat.



Of course the flat is caused by trying to keep up with myself, who was allegedly riding like a "mad man" all day. I swear, I never broke the speed limit. At any rate, I hurried back to "base camp" to grab the truck and trailer for a rescue run. The flat was easily fixed the next morning at a local shop and we were on our way. We count ourselves blessed as this was the worst real obstacle we encountered for the entire trip.
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DIGITAL VAPORIZERS

[R5_350]

I'm in. Need more photos and rest of the ride report! I found the same thing this past weekend, no springtime at the high elevations.

[Brennan77]

Thursday we decided to head west for the Tail of the Dragon. The ride there was awesomely beautiful in the lower elevations. There weren't many safe areas to pull off for pictures, so I regret to say that I don't have many. But wildlife was all about, including a few snakes making their way across the roads.



Just outside of Bryson City...


Interesting use of a classic...




If my amateur mapping skills serve me correctly, this is part of Fontana Lake on the southern end of the national park. Hwy 28 that meets up with 129 for the Dragon was awesome.




Arriving at the southern end of the Dragon, we stopped to say hello and get the obligatory t-shirts.


At this point, I'm hoping not to add to the collection.

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Honda Cbr Series

[Brennan77]

The dragon was really a fun road. I ordered some nice photos from some of the websites that had photographers set up in the corners. What a great idea! The first time I came around a corner to see an ESPN-esque zoom lens aimed at me, I felt like a rock star! I'll share those when I get them in, hopefully soon.

A couple of pics from the only "rest area" of the road...




Bikes and cars of all types...



I was wondering what was taking my father so long. He busted his visor while lifting it open at the beginning of the dragon. A little electrical tape goes a long way.


I've got a good bit of video of the dragon. I'll try to edit that and get it posted soon.
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Volcano digital

[stephenwc]

Great report Brennan.

Those photos are excellent - give a real good feel for your ride.

This one I like a lot (excuse the crop).



Thanks for posting.

Stephen

[Brennan77]

After the dragon we stopped for some much needed refreshments before continuing on the road. Unfortunately, I missed our turn for the Foothills Parkway and ended up in the town of Maryville. The plan was to get to Townsend and run through Gatlinburg before taking 441 south through the park and back to North Carolina. With the sun getting lower in the sky, we decided to skip the scenic 73 and head to Gatlinburg through Pigeon Forge. Big mistake in terms of traffic. But we were glad to have the delay since there was a huge classic car show. EVERY hotel and parking lot was full of muscle cars, bikes, classics, hot rods, etc. You name it, it was there. I really wish we would have known to schedule a full day to hang out in Pigeon Forge.

Not far into the park we ran into another traffic jam of sorts, this time for wildlife instead of hot rods. There was a bear with 2 cubs chilling out in the valley below us.



I'm not a good enough photographer to catch good shots with the sun where it was, but the park was stunning in the later hours of the day.



More wildlife just before catching the BRP back to Maggie Valley...though I can't really tell if this is actually an elk or not.




Getting ready for the last run. We pulled out the bike camera to get a good bit of video. I'll work on uploading that soon.

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Class action lawfirm

[Brennan77]

Friday, our last day. A shot of "the rig". Again, I can't say enough for the accommodations. The hotel was a simple, clean place. The staff was insistent on us parking in which ever way was easier for us. Even though our bikes slept in the trailer, we were welcome to use the cover of the hotel awning.


This day we again head west to hit of the Cherohala Skyway. It was a beautiful, relaxing road, but I think would have been better with a little green in there. The route there was mostly the same as getting to the Dragon, so not much to report there...




Everyone has to go sometime...


A little spirited riding after the relief.




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Gay army

[Brennan77]

We here stopped near Telico Plains to eat a sandwich and enjoy the warm sun.



We took the Skyway both ways. On the way back, we took a worthy detour to Bald River Falls.







And that about does it for the trip. After this we enjoyed the Skyway headed east before getting back to the hotel to pack for the trip home and enjoy some much needed BBQ in Waynesville.
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Cumshot eye

[R5_350]

Looks like a great trip. As the years go by, nothing beats some father and son bonding. Your photos are great too!