Just Me and Pop

[BigOgre]

I should actually start trying to include route maps because I want some of this to act as a travel guide for others.

Well seeing as you offered . . . .

Your descriptions are such that I've been switching back and forth to Street View every time you mention a road. Great stuff and a great read. And all bookmarked in hopes of getting to know that area better sooner rather than later. Thank you

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Sorry for the delay, had a couple Photobucket related issues, and I had to work for my wife's money today. Then I volunteered to cook supper in the interest of... Anyway, back to our RR.

Some of the fog/cloud at Clingman's Dome:



When we got back to the hotel and Pop put down the kickstand I could clearly see what parts were dragging. I was a little unhappy about it but Pop just laughed it off like it was nothing. He said that if it had been his mistake, it would have bothered him. Since he felt confident in what he did and how he did it, he was not upset at all. He said he expected Stupidity on that road and he would have been disappointed if everybody had acted normal.

Pop said, "Besides this will give you something else to add to your Ride Report for that forum." I loved that line so I had to share it with "That Forum".

I took a cell phone pic, I have no idea why I did not get it on the camera.



A little shot of how the "river" was supposed to make our hotel "The Twin Islands":



A surprisingly good Denny's hamburger for supper and some much needed time at the hotel guest laundry and we called it a night. We were in good spirits and looking forward to our final day in the mountains.

I mentioned how filthy the bikes were and that I wished I could give them a decent cleaning. Pop said that he found it was less stressful to just ride the damned thing and not worry about whether or not it got dirty. I found myself agreeing with him.

Besides, the forecast for tomorrow was very wet...

 

[Goodman4]

Good RR so far, Redfish! You were in my backyard when you went to Pennyrile State Forest. Glad you both enjoyed KY!

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Day 6, Thursday Sept 11th

We had a decent breakfast at Denny's (It was practically part of the hotel and easy walking distance) and we headed South on Hwy 441 into the North Entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We did not have to travel far and we were fairly early so things went well.

We turned right (West) at the Visitor's Center and took Little River Road towards Cade's Cove. We had no intention of riding through Cade's Cove but the road went that way and it was a fun, beautiful and twisty little road. We were caught behind a Toyota Tundra whose driver was too self-important to pull over but we were not in a hurry anyway. The scenery and the setting are gloriously beautiful and I was taking it all in. I love the beauty of the Smoky Mountains.





We turned North before Cade's Cove and hit Hwy 321. We followed that a few miles and hit The Foothills Parkway. (There are at least two different sections, one East and one West of Gatlinburg) We were headed West and found this road to be almost as beautiful and enjoyable as any other road in this area. We were surprised twice when the vehicle in front of us pulled over to let us pass and we returned the favor for a couple of faster motorcyclists.

Of course, it was raining.



So, as usual, we rode an excellent road in the rain. At least I had not wasted time cleaning the bikes the night before.

The Foothills Parkway ends on Hwy 129 just a few miles North of the point where that road gets VERY twisty. You are all familiar with this little stretch of road they call The Tail of the Dragon. I had hoped to get some excellent Killboy photos of us leaning way over, possibly throwing sparks... But it was raining. I had wanted to mount the GoPro on my new SHAD top box and shoot pics of Dear Old Dad on the Dragon. But it was raining.

So, we rode the Dragon in the rain. Pop was not really happy about it and started to fuss. I was not happy either and really did not want him fussing at me. It was not my fault it rained after all. I finally told him to just enjoy the ride and quit fussing. I asked him how many of the Big Time Dragon Slayers back home had ridden that road in the rain. I pointed out that we were doing something special and he should be enjoying the moment, not chewing my ass. He got the message and we started laughing about it the further we rode it. When I told him truthfully that we were riding the Dragon faster in the rain than we did in the dry 6 years ago the first time we both started laughing.

We only had one bad moment and it was not a serious one but it embarrassed us both. When we passed the first photographers (129 photos) the tent on the side of the road and the camera flashes caught Pop off guard. He was so startled that he pulled the bike to the left and crossed the center line. As we talked about it I wondered how many folks who get hammered for that same mistake actually do it in reaction to the camera crew. Pop was embarrassed and pissed off at the same time. I made him promise to lean over far enough to throw sparks when we got to the Killboy tent to atone for his mistake.

For the record, all of our photos sucked. We were slow in the rain and it showed. But, we only pulled over one time to let a faster rider pass and there was never anyone else close to us. And we made it through without any serious incident so I call that a win.

We stopped to fuel up and get a sip of water at the corner of Hwy 129 and Hwy 143 just north of Robbinsville NC. A few bikes passed back and forth but none of them were in a big hurry in the rain. A very nice looking Triumph Thruxton pulled in. After he got his fuel, the rider removed his boots and poured the water from each one. That looked just a bit unpleasant to me.



We turned West on Hwy 143 which becomes The Cherohala Skyway. Normally this is my favorite road in the whole world for its combination of beauty, good pavement, sparse traffic and loooong smooth sweepers. I like long sweepers.

But, it was raining.

As we worked our way toward the beginning of The Skyway, the road is very twisty and wonderful. Of the 10 or so times I have ridden it Pop has always fussed at me and told me to slow down. He was not saying anything this time. Then, I hit one set of tight turns a bit hard and Pop touched his left peg. I saw it happen and then...

"********* son! I drug my peg! Don't you think you are going a little fast?"

I had to point out that he was supposed to be regulating his own speed and that I was sure his Michelin PR3s did not have enough traction to allow a bike that heavy to lean that far in the rain. He did some grumbling and griping while I grinned inside my helmet. I just love agitating him sometimes.

We realized that the clouds were obscuring the tops of the mountains and that we were going to get caught in the "fog". We were not worried, we have played this game many times. Fog on the bikes, fog in the boats, it is all the same thing and we are very used to it.

Or so we thought.

The Cherohala Skyway:



The clouds:



To be continued.

 

[HotRodZilla]

This ride report rocks. Patch, H, and I will be at your place next Sunday afternoon. Please have your dad there. I'd like to shake his hand.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

You have really beautiful landscapes there!!

What a wonderful ride report and photos you have posted Redfish!!I feel like i'm there...

 

[lonerider]

Rain on the Dragon might have killed some of the fun, but, on the good side, it probably kept a lot of the squids away.

 

[Tanker]

Great RR Redfish, I'm really enjoying it.

I've ridden the Dragon a few time in the wet also. Not as much fun, but it beats being at work!

 

[bigjohnsd]

Wow.

I have really enjoyed this so far on two accounts;

A trip with your Dad is something to never forget.

My Dad will be 100 on October 12th.

Recent Picture - Age 99 1/2

He and i have made many trips, though not on bikes as he does not nor does he have any interest in riding.

Just the same, through the fog of his ever worsening dementia he can still recall some of the trips and adventures we've had.

2011 - 70th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor - Happier Times -

Secondly, my Mate from Australia, Brian Maddy (Festar) and i hope to cover some of this ground this spring/summer.

Thanks so much for this RR, I apologize if the above takes away from your report but I'm really feeling it today.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Wow.
I have really enjoyed this so far on two accounts;

A trip with your Dad is something to never forget.

My Dad will be 100 on October 12th.

Thanks so much for this RR, I apologize if the above takes away from your report but I'm really feeling it today.

Sir, that is wonderful. That entire post simply was wonderful.

That in no way "takes away" anything from this report, it actually made this entire RR better.

Pop was USMC in Vietnam. His license plate on the FJR is one of his few acknowledgments of that service.

Thank you for posting those pics here in this RR. I am honored.

 

[HotRodZilla]

FWIW, I got busy last night and glossed over the Dragon and Cherohala. I've been at that Robbinsville Chevron many times. Those are some great roads. My fist time on the Cherohala was a very rainy morning and I rode it in the fog. The last of the group if bikes. I learned a lot about wet and traction that weekend.

Keep it up...

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Pop and I were just a bit sorry because we had really looked forward to wearing our tires on the sides in those long sweepers. We were still looking forward to the beautiful scenery along the Cherohala and that was in abundance.

When we entered the clouds we were shocked. The fog/cloud was so thick, it was unlike anything I had ever experienced on a motorcycle. All that "experience" was suddenly useless, this was terrible. I was immediately lost and my entire world was shrunk to the 15 or so feet directly in front of the bike and the Garmin Zumo that had suddenly become my most valuable possession. I was forced to navigate almost entirely by the Garmin. I could not see far enough in front of me to have any idea what to do. In those rare moments that the center line was a series of dashes for a passing zone all I could see was two of them. Sometimes I could barely see two dashes.

I told Pop that I was not having as much fun as I had hoped. He remained cheerful and encouraging, telling me that this was just another "Adventure". I was concentrating with every bit of brain power I had on seeing. I could not force my vision to penetrate the fog no matter how hard I tried.

The fog had become an enemy, I had to fight it. As we would pass the pulloff/overlooks I could barely see clusters of headlights and brakelights, other motorcyclists gathered together waiting for the fog to burn off. Were they smarter? Were they more experienced? Or were we just that much better and braver?

Pop's voice came through as if he were reading my thoughts, "They don't have that GPS screen front and center and they don't have your boat experience navigating by electronics. Just keep cool, don't get overconfident. This is a dangerous game you are playing."

I have no idea how far we went in that fog. We crossed the border and were back in Tennessee and I knew that because the GPS showed it. The Tennessee welcome sign was just a blurry dark shape on my right, there was no way to read it.

Pop's voice came into my headset again, "You are losing your sense of balance. You are starting to wobble because you have lost your reference points and don't know which way is up. Force yourself to watch the road and not stare at the GPS until you get it back together." He sounded so calm and steady back there, always solid and reliable when things went bad. I never questioned him, I just followed orders and concentrated on getting through that fog.

Finally, the fog/cloud thinned. Then and only then did I find us an overlook to park the bikes for a rest. I told Pop that I felt kind of stupid because a smart man would have stopped to wait out the fog, not stopped once he was out the other side.

"That's not your fault son. I never taught you how to quit."

I have never, ever concentrated harder on anything than I did that morning on that road.

Of course our Lafitte Skiff had a 24 mile Furuno radar that made navigating in the fog a lot easier.

After the fog thinned:

 

[Redfish Hunter]

On the Cherohala, once you are on the Tennessee side it is really all downhill, literally. As we dropped in elevation, we gained in sunlight. By the time we reached the river the road was almost dry and I tried to make up for lost time. I was pushing Ole Blue/Dances with Rain pretty hard and Pop was right on my tail. We were still on vacation so I took the turn North to Bald River Falls. I have seen it several times but I had never been able to get the picture I really wanted.

This picture:



We moved on past and parked the bikes, I always love this photo op:



As we were parking, I noticed a couple about my age watching us. I am a naturally suspicious person so I mentioned it to Pop. They did not look like a threat and the woman was very attractive and was filling out a gray Harley T-shirt just the way it should be done, but still I don't like being watched. I really wanted to climb the trail to the top of the falls because I had never done it and now looked like a good time, but I did not want to leave the bikes alone and did not want to leave Pop either.

"Go ahead, I will be here when you get back," Pop said and I believed him.

From the top:



I also took a quick video on my phone and hustled back down the trail. I stopped long enough to joke with a group of ladies who were struggling to make the climb and then ran the rest of the way down.

Pop was next to our bikes and staring at a Gray SUV. "Your curvy woman got in that thing and they have been sitting there watching you climb that trail. I cannot figure them out."

On cue, they idled over to us with the windows down. Turns out they were really nice folks, they were just looking at our bikes. They had ridden to that area on their Harley but because of the weather they had rented the SUV. They were regretting their choice when they saw me climbing to the top. The lovely lady asked me if it was worth the climb to see the top of the falls.

Without a thought I passed her my iPhone and told her to hit the play arrow. She watched my little video and handed the phone back to me. She thanked me graciously and then turned to her husband. "Let's go back and get the bike." He broke out in that happy smile that all motorcyclists know, shook my hand and thanked me. Somehow, at that moment we understood each other like old friends. I hope they had a good ride. Pop and I sure did.

On the way to Tellico Kats for lunch Pop made a few comments about "other men's wives". I just ignored him.

As always the sandwiches at Tellico Kats were excellent. We ate at the same table we always get, on the back porch, over the river. The food tastes better like that.

In Tellico Plains we took Hwy 68 South. I have never ridden it all the way out, we usually turn off to see The Field of the Woods. We skipped that experience today and rode that twisty jewel all the way into Georgia. We weaved and bobbed our way all the way to Rome Georgia where we decided to call it a night.

While I went in to get our room Pop was chatting with a gentleman about my age who was sitting on a bench under the front overhang. When I returned, Pop was the center of a group of 7 or 8 guys who were asking him questions one after the other. Turns out they worked for Georgia Pacific, the company Pop was retired from. Even though they worked at a completely different plant in a completely different state, they knew who he was.

The first guy came over and told me, "That is one happy man right now. He told us that nobody can pick a route for a motorcycle like you can. He's having a great time." He paused and said, "Riding like this with your Dad has got to be awesome."

He looked at the FJR while I was unstrapping Pop's duffle bag and I could see he was puzzled. "That is kind of a bad ass looking bike. Is it as fast as it looks?"

"You cannot even imagine", I told him. "And yes, that old man rides the hell out of it."

He patted me on the shoulder and laughed. "Y'all have a good ride. I already know you are going to take good care of your Dad."

I made a McDonald's run while Dad showered, neither of us felt like going out for supper. The window view of the hotel parking lot made us miss Kentucky.

I spent over an hour in the hotel's "Business Center" fighting with Google Maps. I had to revise my route because the rain was going to make my previous choice of Very Twisty roads a bad idea.

 

[Fred W]

Redfish, great RR so far. I'll be hanging in here for the grand finale. This is shaping up to be a great one.

I do have to butt in make one comment about your "navigating" through the fog by GPS. I know that you are no dummy, and I'm sure that you were just exaggerating the situation for effect, but I would never want to give anyone else the idea that you can actually steer a bike or car through thick fog based only on the GPS display. That isn't a "dangerous game" it's just plain crazy.

Radar and GPS are two very different navigation aids. The accuracy of position on a GPS is not nearly good enough to stay on the road, even with the most modern hi-tech WAAS GPSes. The government only claims a 7.8 meters (25.6 feet) accuracy with 95% confidence for civilian GPS. That means that the display may be off by more that 25.6 feet 5% of the time. I prefer to stay on the road 100% of the time. Just sayin'...

Now, sorry for butting in. Back to your most excellent report...

 

[FJReady]

Another fan here. Keep it coming! Great stuff.

 

[LKLD]

He remained cheerful and encouraging, telling me that this was just another "Adventure".
After the fog thinned:

This...this is what I want when riding on my trips. Those unexpected things that make a trip sooo memorable. Glad to hear you made it unscathed.
Your Pop knows this....he's a wise man.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Fred, obviously I did not navigate entirely by the GPS but I did and do rely on it heavily. The fog was exactly as thick as I described, no exaggeration there. I use the GPS to give me an advance warning of the direction of the upcoming turn, not to actually make the turn.

I might add in here that I used to be able to put the title "Captain" in front of my name, I held a 100 Ton Masters License. I made a decent amount of money running fishing charters and running a shrimp boat. GPS and radar are invaluable tools in our Louisiana Coastal Waters.

Pop still has a 50 Ton Masters License and his fishing shirts still have "Captain" on them. The shrimp boat is long gone but the bay boats are still in use. No radar on the open boats but the GPS is in almost constant use.

I would never advocate riding the bike via GPS, that little video game has a serious potential to end in disaster. But I do it.

Crazy? Yes. I never saw one other vehicle on that road the entire time we were wrapped in the fog. Not one. But there were a bunch of folks huddled up at the pull-offs. They and you certainly have the right to think I was/am crazy/stupid. But neither they nor you can dictate how I choose to live/die/ride. I use the GPS effectively. I don't recommend that technique to anyone else.

 

[hppants]

LKLD - +1

This is what I remember most about my bike trips. The quirky little stories that were unplanned, unexpected, and even perhaps inconvenient or uncomfortable. That's when the adventure reaches a whole new level.

As a life long planner and self-described worry-wart, the bike tour is now an exercise in faith for me. There is benefit to situational awareness, but the "un-knowing" is quite stimulating. I liken it to a 6-year old on Christmas morning - every day. I just keep staring at the scenery and the curvy road wondering what I'm going to get when I unwrap the next present.

R/H - I'm enjoying the R/R. But McDonalds? On vacation? This is most certainly not up to your unusual standards.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

just as a FYI...your bike is not IFR rated, neither are you.

Good ride report...continue...

 

[wheatonFJR]

Great stuff RF!!