In order for Sunday to work out, our timing needed to work
(and the weather cooperate). Our plan: the Foothills Parkway to the Tail of the
Dragon, on to 129 to get to Wayah Road, south to hit Georgia and maybe South
Carolina (trying to click off all of the states we’ve ridden in – so far:
Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Illinois,
Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky) over to the Moonshiner 28, back up the Tail, to end
with the Foothills. No one really wanted to do the Dragon twice in a day, but
it was really the only way we could possibly get Georgia and South Carolina in
(Cherohola Parkway just is too long to get to and ride through – and really the
only other way to get where we want to ride).
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| This "advertising" map gives good general directions to routes. BUT, doesn't include all of the roads (or even the right roads). America Rides Maps (https://americaridesmaps.com/) have great rides/routes, but if they don't like a road they don't list it. My new Butler Map (https://www.butlermaps.com/) includes some of the "non ride" roads, but can be a bit difficult to read with all of the topographic details. Take them all! |
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| Bag-o-maps |
The weather doesn’t look as promising as Saturday turned out.
But Tony still leaves his new helmet at the house. Rain gear is packed in our
side pack. After Saturday’s food shortage, we packed up the beef/chorizo empanadas
I made and froze and took to TN. Nice meat pie snacks. And off we went (after
going to Shell to gas up, ice up and get those great $3 breakfast sandwiches)
to the Foothills Parkway (not the new) to get to the Tail of the Dragon.
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| Entrance to the Foothills Parkway |
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| Headed on 129 to the Dragon |
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| Ominous Sign to start the Dragon |
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| The pictures don't do the curves justice. Quite a bit of Tony leaning. |
The Foothills Parkway is a nice way to start off the day.
Curvy, lazy, easy ride to 129. Take a left and a few miles away is the Dragon.
Having done this a half dozen times, it’s no longer a “big deal,” even though I
do admit to counting down the 11 miles (they have mile markers every half a
mile). My pictures don’t do it justice because I’m not good at the lean
pictures Tony wants (typically get the back of his head). We stop at Deals Gap
for a break before heading down 129. Deals Gap doesn’t seem affected by
COVID-19, and pretty much no social distancing in their store.
Like the year before, we missed the turn onto Wayah Road (it
comes up fast – and it’s labeled to a High School). Wayah Road was a road we
took last year and Tony and I didn’t like it because the road was beat up and
there was a lot of gravel. We spent most of the ride griping about it. But this
year, they clearly had done road maintenance and it was almost as if we had
never done it. Lots of different things on this ride. Some switchbacks, some
curves, babbling river, nice houses (still couldn’t imagine living up there and
driving this everyday), fields, ending up at a store (that hasn’t been open,
but Al says when it is open, they have stickers and shirts). We stop and have
empanadas (warmed up on the bike).
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| The Dam that Harrison Ford jumped off in the Fugitive. |
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| Wayah Road has some babbling brooks. |
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| Wayah Road has some "lakes" |
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| Good way to warm up empanadas for a snack. |
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| Where Wayah Road ends. |
After Wayah, we head south to see if we can knock Georgia
and South Carolina off our ride states. We get to Georgia, but then when we get
to Highlands we can tell that it just poured. And we also hear thunder. We
still have to make it all the way back on 28 to the Tail of the Dragon to head
home (no alternative route that makes sense). No South Carolina on this trip. We
stop at Bridal Falls – a cool waterfall that we parked the bike in front of to
get pictures.
Believe it or not, we make it to the “highway” part of 28
(we stop at the BP here), with only a little bit of rain – not enough to stop
and gear up with the rain gear. This part of 28 is really “new” and nice. Some
good curves, but nothing crazy. We almost hit a critter (we identified it later
as a groundhog).
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| Stopped to take a picture in Georgia |
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| Bridal Falls on 28. |
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| Bridal Falls (not rain) |
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| Wet road. |
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| Dry road |
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| Crazy side car at the BP. |
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| Rain clouds. |
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| Fog on the water. |
Off we head on 28 to the Tail. And then, it poured. We
stopped and added rain jackets. Tony still didn’t have his new helmet with him,
and his goggles fogged up when we started back up. 10 miles to the Tail, and
none of us are looking forward to doing it in the rain. Too many curves for 11
miles. But, it went from rain – to completely dry! And sunny when we got to
Deals Gap. Big sighs of relief and we didn’t stick around long, in case more
rain was coming. It didn’t and we made it up the Tail and over to the Foothills
before more rain came. Tony says that he’s not leaving the new helmet behind after
this adventure.
Kat dog behaved and didn't scratch herself silly.
On Monday, we're planning a ride that goes west so that Tom is on his way back towards Nashville.
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