LagerHead
Well-known member
Last weekend (10/1/2014 - 10/4/2014) three friends and I went on a little road trip. Our original plan was to head to NC and do a bunch of the Blue Ridge Parkway north toward Breaks Interstate Park in VA, then back home. Snow in the Smokies nixed the original plan, the secondary plan, and the tertiary plan. Probably the next one too, but I don't know the term for that one.
On Saturday we were heading east when we had to stop for some cold weather gear at Cycle Gear just west of Knoxville. That's when my buddy Matt informed me that my belt was showing through. So much for limping along til we got back. Luckily, Brian at Willis Cycle Works (one man operation, veteran owned) said he could give me a change out immediately. So while we at lunch, Brian hooked me up.
We also learned from a few folks we talked to that I-40 was closed going into NC, so we just headed for Pigeon Forge for the night. Camped there, ate and drank at the Smokey Mountain Brewery, and froze my ass off because like a dummy I forgot my sleeping bag. I made due with some of my gear combined with some borrowed gear, but it was still pretty cold.
I didn't get many shots while riding, so you'll see where we camped, plus a couple of sites. The next day we were going to try for NC again, but heard that there was too much snow where we wanted to go. However, Helen, GA was doable, so we modified our plans again and headed down there. We hit a couple of nice curvy roads on the way, but got stuck behind some d-bag in a cage that wouldn't move over. Still a nice ride.
We had the entire tent portion of this campground to ourselves, so we were able to play our music a little louder than in Pigeon Forge, tell more lies, and drink more beer. The only downside was that the traffic never stopped. It wasn't too loud, but it was noticeable while trying to sleep.
We headed north out of Helen toward Tellico Plains, TN via the Cherohala Skyway. We heard there was still a little bit of snow up there, but that the Dragon was clear, so the Dragon became the backup plan. I guess the other guys just aren't into that level of twisties. Truth be told, though, I forgot how great the Cherohala was. Here's a little shot on the way up. My buddy Rob's Triumph Tiger 800 is next to me.
Here's where the fun begins. There was snow in the eastbound lanes all the way up the Skyway. We even had to dodge a bit in our lanes, but nothing too scary. However, once we hit the top, we got stopped by a guy and his wife who had parked their Gold Wing because there was 1/2 mile of snow up ahead. We decided to give it a shot anyway. I let one of the dual sport bikes go first, and just followed in his tracks. This picture is about 1/2 the way through the snow.
I made it to about 2.5 feet from the end of the snow before I laid the bike down. It was pretty gentle because I wasn't going any faster than 1MPH at the time, but it did piss me off that I was that close. After coming through that, we were all sweating bullets, so we stopped for a few to cool off and attempt to call the GW guy and tell him not to try it. This is the parking lot right after the snow.
The last night we stayed in Tellico Plains, TN. The camp site was great and run by a motorcycle guy. His name is Wayne and he was really cool. Gave us plenty of advice for the route home, led us to some good food, etc. If you reserve there and call ahead, he will do your grocery shopping for you and even marinade your steaks for you for only the cost of the groceries. How cool is that? This is my buddy, Ricky, next to Matt's bike. Ricky's is a '95 GS1100 and Matt's is a '12 GS1200R.
All in all, despite the freezing and route changes, great trip. Wouldn't change a thing, except for the forgotten sleeping bag.
On Saturday we were heading east when we had to stop for some cold weather gear at Cycle Gear just west of Knoxville. That's when my buddy Matt informed me that my belt was showing through. So much for limping along til we got back. Luckily, Brian at Willis Cycle Works (one man operation, veteran owned) said he could give me a change out immediately. So while we at lunch, Brian hooked me up.
We also learned from a few folks we talked to that I-40 was closed going into NC, so we just headed for Pigeon Forge for the night. Camped there, ate and drank at the Smokey Mountain Brewery, and froze my ass off because like a dummy I forgot my sleeping bag. I made due with some of my gear combined with some borrowed gear, but it was still pretty cold.
I didn't get many shots while riding, so you'll see where we camped, plus a couple of sites. The next day we were going to try for NC again, but heard that there was too much snow where we wanted to go. However, Helen, GA was doable, so we modified our plans again and headed down there. We hit a couple of nice curvy roads on the way, but got stuck behind some d-bag in a cage that wouldn't move over. Still a nice ride.
We had the entire tent portion of this campground to ourselves, so we were able to play our music a little louder than in Pigeon Forge, tell more lies, and drink more beer. The only downside was that the traffic never stopped. It wasn't too loud, but it was noticeable while trying to sleep.
We headed north out of Helen toward Tellico Plains, TN via the Cherohala Skyway. We heard there was still a little bit of snow up there, but that the Dragon was clear, so the Dragon became the backup plan. I guess the other guys just aren't into that level of twisties. Truth be told, though, I forgot how great the Cherohala was. Here's a little shot on the way up. My buddy Rob's Triumph Tiger 800 is next to me.
Here's where the fun begins. There was snow in the eastbound lanes all the way up the Skyway. We even had to dodge a bit in our lanes, but nothing too scary. However, once we hit the top, we got stopped by a guy and his wife who had parked their Gold Wing because there was 1/2 mile of snow up ahead. We decided to give it a shot anyway. I let one of the dual sport bikes go first, and just followed in his tracks. This picture is about 1/2 the way through the snow.
I made it to about 2.5 feet from the end of the snow before I laid the bike down. It was pretty gentle because I wasn't going any faster than 1MPH at the time, but it did piss me off that I was that close. After coming through that, we were all sweating bullets, so we stopped for a few to cool off and attempt to call the GW guy and tell him not to try it. This is the parking lot right after the snow.
The last night we stayed in Tellico Plains, TN. The camp site was great and run by a motorcycle guy. His name is Wayne and he was really cool. Gave us plenty of advice for the route home, led us to some good food, etc. If you reserve there and call ahead, he will do your grocery shopping for you and even marinade your steaks for you for only the cost of the groceries. How cool is that? This is my buddy, Ricky, next to Matt's bike. Ricky's is a '95 GS1100 and Matt's is a '12 GS1200R.
All in all, despite the freezing and route changes, great trip. Wouldn't change a thing, except for the forgotten sleeping bag.
