It was a little brisk outside this morning at only 54 degrees, but it wasn't raining so we set out for another day of riding. Had to pull over again less than 10 miles down the road because someone got cold but better to stop and bundle than to hear the chatter in my ear. The first part of the ride was nothing to exceptional as far as curves or challenging roads, but it was pretty. Somewhere out in the middle of nowhere North Carolina, there was this custom bike sitting on the side of the road at what looked like a make shift Harley Davidson Dealer. The bike was twice the size of a normal bike. Checkout the picture link below.
We arrived in Tellico Plains right about lunch time, so we took time to refuel the motorcycle and eat lunch at Subway. There is not a lot to choose from in Tellico Plains and I knew we were at least hour or two from the nearest anything. So we ate the headed onto the Cherohala Highway. This particular highway is exceptionally beautiful and less traveled by visitors of the national parks in the area because it is out of the way. It gets a bit chilly up there around 5500 feet, but not that bad if you have the gear. This was the first time I think I bothered Lori just a bit. We got behind a group of Harley's, I would say 7, which was moving about 5 or 10 below the speed limit and not letting anybody around. Well, after about 3 or 4 miles of this, I started picking them off in groups 2 or 3 until I finally got passed. Lori keys up after all the passing and say's, "I sure hope they do not catch up and mug us or something." Funny thing is, they were likely all 60 years or older, with bad knees and aching backs. I better stop now; I'm closing in on all that stuff myself. :)
After running the Cherohala, someone I can't say who, wanted to go to the Deals Gap Store and to Pigeon Forge to eat and go shopping. You want to talk about a zoo, Deals Gap on Memorial Weekend on a Saturday no less was a packed house. I had to look around for a few minutes and try to figure out where to park so I would not get blocked in. This all made me a bit nervous. I do not ride in packs, and I do not particularly like crowds unless I have no choice in the matter. It is all just a pain in the butt to deal with. Ok, back to the story. Lori got off the bike looked around in amazement at the crowds of people and bikes. She took a picture and then I moved her along into the store. We found the Dragon Stuff animal that she wanted and then I ushered her out. I was doing my best to get her out of there, but she wanted a shirt, needless to say she got no shirt. Finally back at the bike, suited up, I wiggled my way through all the bikes and people and finally got back on the road pointed toward the Gap. I averaged 15 mph or slower the entire length of the Gap. Ugh! The worst ride ever! This will never happen again. Tomorrows ride I will likely plan my own or do the Ashville run again.
So we finally get away from the Gap and I start picking off Harley's again one by one until I get to the Foothill Parkway and I'm finally free. I blast across the Parkway, through Townsend, and into Pigeon Forge only to be met with more chaos with traffic only this time cars. I turned North on 441 to avoid the traffic and to find the Apple Barn for dinner. Ah yes, the Apple Barn Restaurant did not disappoint and I would highly recommend it to anyone that venture into the Pigeon Forge area. After dinner, I had my marching orders to take Lori to Tangier Outlet Mall to find the UnderArmour store. I followed my orders, she spent $170 and I was free to finally turn toward the hotel. Whew!
Finally back in Cherokee around 7:30 we were both spent. She had big plans for going for a walk when we got back, but needless to say, we are both just sitting here watching TV and I'm typing this blog entry. My 200 mile and 6 hour day, turn into 279 miles and 10 hours of which half were fairly stressful.
Tomorrow’s route is still undecided, but I think I will be running south and east of Cherokee and avoiding the Gap and Pigeon Forge. I will post the route when I get it figured out. I will also post a video showing just how busy the Gap was once I get it all sorted out. One more thing, my front tire is now officially smoked. It should get us home, but I'll be hoping on no rain for sure now.
Today’s mileage = 279
Total for the trip = 5429
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