Turd on the Run

[dbarkdoll_imp]

Seeking some advice here:

I have five days off at the end of this month (June 26-30) and planned on spending all of that time in the saddle to prepare a bit for the big trip. I was thinking of heading east into Tennessee/North Carolina to ride some of the Smokies/BRP/etc, and told a friend about my plan. He discouraged me from doing so, saying the traffic and congestion this time of year take all the fun out of riding there. I'm keen to take his word for it, but could also just be a personal preference thing of his. I do know that I HATE being stuck behind slow traffic with nowhere to pass, and the one time I visited the area in a car traffic was realllll bad, and this was in November.

So, to those of you who live in the area or have experience riding it, what do you think? And are there some off-the-grid roads that are less congested? How feasible is to camp 2-3 days in the area? I imagine campgrounds are very full this time of year.

Thanks in advance.