I never did post a route for today's rides for a couple of reasons but the main culprit was the forecast. I knew in the morning, which was today, that it was likely going to wet. I got up and took my first peek out the window and the rain was just coming down. Argh! I guess I shouldn't complain since I have been mostly rain free the entire ride, but I guess I got a little spoiled by all the good riding weather we were having. We went ahead with our normal morning routine in hopes by 9am it would at least show signs of stopping, but the rain was still coming. So I asked Lori if she was game for riding 15 minutes in the rain to go for a 4.5 hour train ride. She agreed because it was better than sitting in the room all day.
We arrived in Bryson City at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad just in time to catch a ride on the Nantahala Gorge Excursion trip. We selected to ride in a Club Car which was enclosed, air conditioned, serve food, drinks, and had more comfortable sitting. The atmosphere was rustic, but with the services offered, it brought you back to now. Top speed was 20 mph and sometimes we were creeping along at 5 mph, but it was fun. The path took us along two different rivers and also over the Fontana Lake and this particular four trestle span was 1000' feet long. There have been several commercials, Magazine ads, and movies shot on this train line. The most famous movie was the Fugitive with Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. The locomotive used and the two buses are still sitting in the same location near Dillard when the filming was taken place. We made one stop at the Nantahala Outdoor Center which is where the do a lot of training and trails for Olympic kayaking. I have been white rafting, and done a little canoeing, but these people looked like they took their kayaking pretty serious. Apparently they have a level 6 rapid here and I took pictures of it, but I wouldn't know a level 6 from a level 1. We re-boarded the train and made a lazy scenic ride back to Bryson City. All in all we enjoyed the ride and would love to do it again in the fall. The scenery leaving the immediate area of Bryson City was not all the great, but eventually it was ok and just riding on the train was fun and different.
Once back in Bryson City, the rain had past and the mugginess of summer was in the air. Before we left we visited the Train Museum and this was a real treat. What surprised me most is that a friend of mine had never mentioned this and he is a train nut. The only thing I can figure is that he just never seen the signs for it or he has never mentioned it to me. I will definitely have to tell him about it. The model train yard they had setup I could stand around and watch for hours. The amount of detail they put into this was phenomenal. It is a must see if your into trains, and it is fun to see if you're not.
We decided that since the sun was out and the threat of thunderstorm was just that, a threat, we would take another chance and ride to Fontana Dam. I had not been to the Dam, oh since I was 10, maybe, and Lori had never been. It was only a 40 minute ride so off we went. We managed to dodge all the rain and nasty looking clouds on the way to the Dam. Once there we took some Damn pictures of the Dam and the here came the damn rain at the dam. Ok, I'll stop. I setup the GPS for the hotel, we put on the rain gear and back we go. The rain didn't last long, but the roads were wet and the three bikes in front of me were not very comfortable with wet roads, so we were just putting along. Finally the roads dried, and then went into 4 lanes, and I was free to fly. Back at the hotel we were looking for our guest, but so far a no show. We checked at the desk and the reservation had not been cancelled, so they must still be on the road. We hadn't been back in our rooms 20 minutes and my phone rings. Our guest rider had arrived. Doug Meikle, a former Air Traffic Controller that I worked with, made the trip from Washington DC area in an all day, 9 hour, 470 mile run to Cherokee. Once Doug got all settled in, and made his call home, we went out for Dinner at Grandma's Kitchen for a buffet style dinner. It was fast and it was good.
Tomorrow we are hoping for at least one more good day of riding, so Doug's trip will not be wasted. I have planned route that is about 208 miles long crossing from Cherokee through Gatlinburg swinging northeast to east around Smokie National Park onto the Blue Ridge Parkway and back into Cherokee. I would like to go to Clingmans Dome, because it has been about 15 years since I've been there and since it is the second highest point east of Mississppi at 6643 feet, I would like to see it again.
Overall, today turned out to be a very good day. The weather was not all the great, but we made the most of it. I think Lori enjoyed having a day off from riding all day long. Our little adventure is quickly coming to end and we will officially making that dreaded turn toward home after tomorrows ride. Bummer.
Today’s mileage = 98
Total for the trip = 5527
Day 25 at EveryTrail
Map created by EveryTrail:GPS Geotagging
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