This pretty pair comes to us compliments of Ultra 242, who was happy to share some Sturgis beauty with us. Since he was there and I was not, he sent me some pics to show me what I was missing. Thanks bro!
After a couple of hours, we all were repacked and ready to head toward home. Our plan was to take Hwy 28 south to Franklin, then connect to Hwy 441 and take that all the way to I-85 just north of Atlanta. We mounted up, pointed our Harleys south, and fell into line with each other as we made our way along the scenic path that would take us away from our bikers playground. We were still in the Nantahala National Forest, so we were able to enjoy the thrill of riding the twisting pavement one last time. It was almost as if the road was bidding us a final farewell. As we got further south, away from the forest, the road slowly straightened back out and was producing fewer curves. We understood that the thrills and chills of riding were behind us now, but we gained some great memories and experiences that will stay with us always.
We pulled into this little diner in Otto, NC so we could enjoy one more meal together. The only reason I even mention this place is because it was probably one of the best restaurants we ate in while on this trip. It was around 11:30 and they were serving breakfast and lunch, and they also had a buffet set up. We all got a little of everything and it was delicious! I ordered a club sandwich and got a Flinstone sized serving! Holy cow! Three people could have dined sufficiently on this masterpiece. They were very friendly folks too! I highly recommend this Country Cafe if you ever find yourself traveling through Otto, NC. You won't be disappointed.
For about 20 minutes, I didn't get out of first gear once. We would creep forward about 10 or 15 yards at a time, then stop. I noticed my oil light kept coming on. I mentioned this to Harley, and he told me to keep my RPM's up, or cut it off if I get to a place that will let me coast a little. It's a good thing I have a talent for multi-tasking, because I felt like I was trying to do ten things at once. Here I am balancing..., creeping..., clutch in..., reving..., turn it off..., coasting..., turn it on..., creep again..., clutch in..., reving..., still balancing..., turn it off again! Another 1o minutes go by and we are still snailing across the heat intensive asphalt. My left hand is feeling spent right about now. Reving some more..., coasting some more! WTF! My big beautiful girl (dare I say the oldest) was hot, hot, hot! She was starving for the cool air she most desperately needed!
Since it was my bike that forced us to take this break, I went over to explain to the man and his partner why we were stopped. Thinking they would be relieved to know they didn't have to work on someone, I was quite surprised when this nice gentleman proceeded to scold us and tell us we can't be here. His quote was,"We are a distraction to an already congested area." Huh? I almost pulled a B. B. here, and responded with a smart ass remark like, "What do you mean, we're not showing titties or anything?" I didn't understand why he said we were a distraction when all we were doing was standing by our bikes, letting them get cool. We told him we would be gone within 15 minutes. They relaxed a little bit and asked us if we needed anything. After they kindly gave us some cold bottles of water, because we looked like we needed it, they pulled out to go see if there were any other rebellious motorists that needed correction.
As I bring my vacation post to a close, I also want to thank you all for letting me relive my 5 wonderful days of motorcycle bliss one more time! Sometimes, we do everything we can to prolong the fact that we're... back to reality!
Day 4: I guess you all know by now, I keep waking up to another great day of vacation. Well, today is no different! Yesterday, we ran the Loop, which was one of the highlights of our trip thus far, but today was going to prove to be a very satisfying day also. We are taking Hwy 441 from Cherokee, through the Smokey Mountain National Park into Gatlinburg. 
We plan to ride up to Cade's Cove while we are on the north end of the park before we come back to this area at the end of the day. As we have already discovered on our previous days of riding, the roads are filled with breathtaking views and more beautiful sights around every corner. Can it be legal for us to be having this much fun?
We had a bit of an overcast sky, making the air cool, but comfortable. I started out with a short sleeve t-shirt this morning, but I could tell already, I would be donning another layer as we made our climb up the mountains to cooler temperatures. We weren't long into our journey before the view we saw made us want to stop and take some pics.
We were ascending these glorious mountains, when we saw the sign pointing us towards Clingman's Dome. The road up to the Dome is off the main road and runs along the Tennessee and North Carolina state line for about 27 miles and climbs higher in elevation as it goes. It will take you to the highest point of the Park which is 6,643 feet. I guess, this is what you could call the nose bleed section! Yes, my ears popped again, but no bloody noses.
Have you ever ridden through a cloud? It's awesome! As we were riding up this road, the clouds were hugging this part of the mountain, which made it darker and cooler. It was like entering into a twilight zone of fog, while we moved through the clouds that were laying in our paths. As we did so, a sudden blanket of cold air would engulf you, and it felt like misting machines spraying us with cool moisture. As soon as we poked back out of the cloud, you'd feel the warmer air hit you again. Totally awesome experience! I actually started shivering and hoped I could make it to the top, where I could put on my long sleeve shirt.
To reach the absolute top, you have to park your vehicles and walk the rest of the way up, which is about another 1/2 mile. The Lone Ranger said, "If I can't take it in 2nd gear, I guess I won't be seeing it." We all just laughed! Looking at the path, I think we all could have taken it if we could have just told all the people to get out of the way! LOL! Maybe we'll save that dare for another trip!
After granting ourselves a pretty long stretch and some drinks up at the Dome area, we decided we were ready for more that these mountains had to offer. The rest of our way over the mountain into Gatinburg, brought us one beautiful view after another. We were like sissies in boys town, let me tell you!
When we got into the town of Gatlinburg, it was busy and crowded, as usual. We parked our bikes behind a Harley Davidson Store right along the main drag and walked across the street to the Hard Rock Cafe for a great lunch. The food was really good and our server was a hoot! We left the Hard Rock full and satisfied, and since none of us really cared to walk around the tourist filled sidewalks, we made our way back to the bikes so we could mount up and head over to Cade's Cove.
We saw some more pretty water falls along the road and Harley stopped to get this nice shot. We have a system for getting great pics and it works out real well. He would stay in back, and pull off to snap a pic or two when he saw an opportunity, and then catch back up to the rest of us. That way we all didn't have to keep stopping and lose the "zen" of our ride. Besides, he said it was fun playing catch up!
I kept looking around the next curve for a glimpse of Snow White or Hansel and Gretel. Sadly, we did not see them nor any dwarfs either. But while the Lone Ranger was leading us, a small bear cub ran out onto the road right in front of him! Awesome! It was about the size of a Saint Bernard but, you could tell it was young. As I got to the point where I knew the bear crossed him, I was steady watching the side of the road for Mama Bear! Thankfully, she did not show herself, but we all said later, she probably was not far away. The funny thing about us seeing that bear, was a conversation we had that morning before we left. Harley joked that he wanted to lead in the Cove, because he wanted to be the first one to see a bear. Oh well, he missed out! Due to the fact that he was bringing up the rear, taking beautiful scenery pics, he missed a great pic of the bear. Boo hoo! Truth is, that little cub was gone into the forest so fast, we wouldn't have gotten a good picture anyway. Made for a little excitement though!
There are a couple of places along the way that have cool little waterfalls right next to the road, so close, you could almost reach out and touch the water as you passed. The pavement was wet in several areas, not from rain, but from water falls flowing over the road.
Today ended up being another very fulfilling and rewarding ride. Being on a motorcycle in the mountains has to be one of the best experiences there is to enjoy! There is no way to completely relate the peace and contentment that you feel when you can ride like this. Just for the fun of it! When we got back to Cherokee, we hit Hwy 441 again, that took us back to Bryson City for the night. We sauntered into Mickey's Pub to throw back a few for the last time while we were here. As we sat back and conversed over all we've done for these last few days, the decision was unanimous that this was probably the best motorcycle vacation ever. It was all because of the roads.
Day 3 continued... We were still pretty pumped up from just having made our first run up the Tail of the Dragon. 318 curves in 11 miles was very exhilarating! But wait, there's more! We are planning to make a loop around, taking in the Scenic 360 Hwy then connect to the Cherohala Skyway which would bring us back to the beginning of the Dragon's Tail. The scenery we were about to experience is absolutely breathtaking!
Before we got too far away from this area, we came across a great little diner called "129 Motorcycle Pit Stop." It was lunch time and we needed to eat something before we continued with our exploration. We were all very delighted with our food. Good old fashioned hamburgers, Philly Cheesesteak, and great french fries. Yum, yum! I don't know about anyone else, but I had worked up an appetite! The folks working this little joint were very nice and friendly! I would definitely recommend stopping here for a meal and a drink if you're in this area.
The next portion of our ride was more relaxed and steady paced. Our route today, we will be taking us out of North Carolina, crossing into Tennessee and back to North Carolina again. The roads would still curve and wind around a bit, but not as severely as on the Dragon. As we made our ascent up the Scenic 360, we could see creeks that ran along the side of the road, and they were providing a great view of the running water. We pulled over at one spot, for a stretch, and just took it all in.
When we got to the start of the Cherohala Skyway, we all made sure fuel was plentiful, as there would be no more gas stations before we got to the end of the Skyway. It was only about 60 miles or so. Everyone gave a thumbs up so off we went. As we continued our progress, the elevation increased and our views started to become more open.
The higher we climbed, the more breathtaking the views got. They were the perfect backdrop for a pretty day of riding. All of a sudden, pop! Ooh, my ear! Pop! Ow! My other ear! In just that instant, things got thick in my head. It was right about then that I saw the sign that stated, "Elevation 5000 Feet", No wonder my ears popped! After yawing a time or to, I realized I might get a big fat bug right in my mouth, all because I was trying to adjust the pressure in my head. I decided the sudden thickening and dulled hearing didn't matter that much, it just made things a little quieter for the moment. LOL!
For some reason, Harley just loved these dead trees. I thought they looked pretty cool too, so I took a picture of them. It was kind of odd to see this these dead protrusions in the middle of a lush green forest.
Continuing on around the loop, we stopped whenever we saw a good picture opportunity. Oh yeah, more water! A lake in the mountains is heaven on earth!
We found ourselves back at Deals Gap with about three hours of daylight left. It was unanimous among us all, that we had plenty of time to make our second and third run on the dragon's tail. Having slain the infamous dragon earlier in the day, we proceeded up the narrow twisting road with a stronger confidence. This time around was rewarded with a greater sense of accomplishment as you conquer the curves with a little more speed and agility. And true to it's reputation, going up the second time was every bit as exciting as the first time too! Woo Hoo!
While we were stretching at the overlook, we met a man and his wife, who were going to hike down a path to fish in the river you see in this picture above. The man said it was about a mile down to the water. I could see me hiking down to the water, but I would have some serious issues hiking back up! We couldn't believe they wanted to fish that bad, but they claimed to have done this many times here before. More power to them! Hike on! LOL!
After we came back down the dragon's tail, for our third and final run, we got to have another go at the Hellbender 28 on our way out of the area. Again, it was as if the road was bidding us a final farewell and reminding us of all the fun we had. We stopped in at the Hellbender 28 Pitstop and had a beer to celebrate the fact that we all became dragon slayers this day, and talked of the next time we can come back. So far, this trip has brought many rewards and beautiful views. The Tail of the Dragon may have been the primary reason for drawing us to this location, but we have not been disappointed with anything yet!
The Lone Ranger leading Harley and Lady R up the road into Cades' Cove, compliments of the Beav.
Day 3: Wake up number three! Cracking my eyes open on this third morning brought a new little flutter in the belly. Could it be butterflies from knowing that our wait is over and we will soon be riding on the Dragon? Or did I have a little too much spirit at Mickey's Pub last night? LOL! No worries here friends. I was ready! I did take in some fruit and apple juice for breakfast and that helped settle my excitement. And excitement it was! For days now, I have been hearing and reading all kinds of things about riding this little stretch of road on US 129 called the Tail of the Dragon. A few months ago, Rick, a fellow blogger over at Keep the Rubber Side Down, visited this area with his sons. Just like anything else in life, it still lacks the full impact of what this kind of riding can have, until you experience it yourself. There was a general feeling of excitement and anticipation among all of us on this morning, as we got our bikes ready to roll for a big day of riding.
The Lone Ranger lead us south on Hwy 74 to Hwy 28. The morning was still cool and we were fortunate to be having great weather! This river was still smoky where the sun has not finished burning it off for the day. When I saw this I started thinking in my mind, "Smoke on the water, the fire in the sky!" Deep Purple rocks! LOL! Note the broken limb hanging over the road the the picture above. The Beav and the Lone Ranger went over and broke it off as far as they could. We talked about it and imagined an RV or Trailer coming through there and... BAM!
Our ride along this route took us to Hellbender 28. This run turned out to be a great prelude to what we were about to encounter on the Dragon. Sort of a warm up road, if you will. The curves and grades were a little more severe than anything we've encountered thus far, but still allowed a bit playfulness on the motorcycles. We were having fun going up this road! There were a couple of areas that had some small loose rock laying right in the damn middle of the curve. Twice, I hit those rocks just right (or maybe I should say wrong) and I would get squirrely in the rear end and, weee! Talk about a surge of adrenaline! All you can do is hold on to the grips and ride it out. I knew I would grab some solid asphalt just as quick!
Leaning to the left and leaning to the right, up and down we rode! After a few miles of fun on the Bender, we came to Deals Gap, the popular gathering place for other Dragon slayers. We pulled in here so we could get a stretch and a drink before we started the next leg of our adventure. After a little while, enough time had past and we all just kind of looked at each other and said, "Ready?" It was answered with the excitement in our eyes and the smiles on our faces..."Ready! Let's go slay the Dragon!"
The road seemed to be kind to us in the beginning, as if to say, "Relax... enjoy the ride." It kind of gave you a little boost of confidence that things were going to be everything you wanted it to be. Not too scary and just crazy enough to get lost in your own world of riding the twisties! The first few hairpin curves gave me a feel for just how tight these maneuvers were going to be, and I was handling each one with confidence and ease. Within a few curves you, start increasing your pace. It's as if the road is taunting you,"Is that all you've got?" The first time I came into a tight curve a little hot, I just leaned that much harder, drug the back brake a little and ssccrraaapppe! Ohh! Well, that was an eye opener! No time to dwell on what just happened because here is the next sharp curve again. LEAN! Whew! Again, curve! Ssccrrraaaappe! Wowee!
I kept up with the boys and didn't have any problems handling what came around the corners. They said I could be happy and, "I did all the women riders out there proud". That means a lot to me coming from these pals of mine and Harley. This experience was more thrilling than any roller coaster I've ever been on. And I love roller coasters! Now I can say I slew the dragon!
