Tales of the Dragon

[Cormanus]

Sounds like a great side trip. Hope it works out and remember: if there aren't photos, it didn't happen.

Some co-workers are going to ride the Dragon this Summer. I told them to get me a T-Shirt and I'll just tell everybody I rode it...

Some co-workers are going to ride the Dragon this Summer. I told them to get me a T-Shirt and I'll just tell everybody I rode it...
Maybe we could change the Forum's demand to "If there ain't a T-Shirt it didn't happen."

[Ridem32_imp]

[emptysea]

Splitting Up With My Wife On Her Birthday

Yes, it was her birthday (May 1) and, yes, we decided that it was best if we went our separate ways.

Our next stop was Nashville, TN, but I wanted to visit my best friend, Kelly, who has lived in Chattanooga for the last twenty years. Kelly has a number of medical issues and, in fact, the whole idea of this trip started with my plan to get down to Chattanooga to visit him. So, it was decided that I would ride solo from Robbinsville to Chattanooga and the rest of the crew would ride directly to Nashville. They would take the mostly 2 lane US70 and I would high-tail it up I-24 for Cheryl's birthday celebration after lunch with Kelly.

This day, we did not have to rely on Cheryl and Laura to keep the rain at bay. The forecast for area as sunny, but cool. Probably the perfect day to have another run at The Dragon or Moonshiner28 in the morning and hit Cherohala Skyway in the afternoon. Alas, we committed to being in Nashville 5:00PM so we checked out of Two Wheel Inn relatively early, skipped breakfast for the time being, and head to our two destinations.

Even though I was going southwest and the rest were heading northwest, both routes took us out on Cherohala, although I had about a 15-20 minute head start and was not planning on stopping at Bald River Falls as the rest of the group was. Our routes would split at Tellico Plains and I would try to get down to Chattanooga by 11:30.

We got a lot of advice from people when we started planning this trip. A LOT OF ADVICE. Most of it was solicited and appreciated. "No one in your group has rode The Dragon before? tsk Not a good idea." "Just ride your ride and let the faster bikes pass you." "Be sure to ride Cherohala -- Much prettier than The Dragon. -- you get the idea. Funny thing is, though, that no one - not one single person - told us how Cherohala Skyway takes you though higher elevations and that the weather there can be substantially different than on 129. I guess the word "Skyway" should have tipped me off.....

I was in a little bit of a hurry, but that didn't distract me from noticing the sunny day and the winding road leading up out of Robbinsville. And UP it was. It stayed sunny for quite a while, but the temperature seemed to drop noticably at each mile marker....and then clouds rolled in. Like fog. Like smoke. Like a fine cold mist. It severely cut my visability. I switched from my dark sunglasses to my low light glasses to just clear glasses. Laura told me later that her thermometer read 39(f) at one point. The cold didn't slow me down, but the clouds almost stopped me. I was going to wait it out if it got to the point where I could not see the next turn and, for your information, there are numerous spots to pull off. Luckily, it never got that bad and it began to clear as I began my descent into Tellico Plains.

The flash kind of made the sign hard to read, but this was the view at about 2600 feet...


...and here is the (lack of) view at 5400 feet


The rest of The Sons of Art Carney (our "club" name is a story for another thread) encountered the same weather, but they still took time out to enjoy the scenery of Bald River Falls (a stop recommended by Miss Kathy, our waitress from the Huddle House earlier in the week)



The following two photos appear courtesy of Bump Start Mike Photography, LLC All Rights Reserved.




By the time I got to Tellico Plains, I was in need of a cup of coffee and a few minutes to warm up. There is next to nothing in Tellico Plains from what I can tell(ico), so Hardee's was my option. It was not terrible coffee, but I should have stopped here (which my cohorts did...damn them)...

(found out later that they had good coffee and they're right on the river...still kicking myself for not stopping. Guess I'll just have to ride down there again)


I left Tellico and worked my way to TN315 and TN30 south to US74 then onto I-75 to the River Street Deli in Chattanooga. The serve up some seriously good food in seriously large portions here. Definitely worth the trip. Kelly was in good spirits and looked pretty great for a guy with a leaky heart valve, diabetes, and an improperly functioning kidney.

Also worth the trip was TN315 and TN30. What a beautiful ride I had through the rolling countryside of southeastern Tennessee. If you are ever in the area, ride these roads. Yes, that's an order. I got a little confused and stopped for directions at this "Texaco Station" which is more of general store and post office and rafting outfitter than a gas station. I did not have time to explore the store, but if you're there and have the time, stop in and check it out.




Finally found pumps that didn't say "MAY CONTAIN UP TO 10% ETHANOL"


When I said "high-tailed" up to Nashville, I meant it. I-24 is 70mph almost the whole way and traffic was moving at considerably over the posted speed. I felt a social obligation to keep up with the "Jones's" and made really good time (Don't tell Cheryl..she worries -- more about the cost of a speeding ticket than about my welfare, but she worries).

The Best Western Downtown Convention Center is undergoing major renovations, but was a very decent place to stay even so. I think it will be much nicer in the very near future. The construction, the one-way streets, and a giant crane blocking the main intersection in front of the hotel conspired to delay the rest of the group from as prompt an arrival as they had hoped. I used the Find My iPhone app and found that they were within two blocks of our hotel, but running up and down the street did not reveal them to me. I found out later there was something about pulling into another hotel's parking garage and getting bad directions from a cop, or something--I don't know. What I DO know is that they eventually got to the hotel and everyone was excited to share in Cheryl's birthday gift--front row seats at The Ryman Auditorium to see Loretta Lynn along with a host of other artists live in the long-time former home of the Grand Ole Opry.

I had a little time to kill while my friends were lost in Nashville, so I grabbed a pic of my CB at The Ryman


It was a great show. Ms. Lynn wore an old-school sparkly purple dress and belted out her most famous songs with a verve that belied her octogenarian status. I think Mike has a few photos from inside that I will share once I have them in hand. Oh, and if you don't know who Jim Ed Brown is, you may want to listen to some of his stuff. He's also in his 80s and sang a beautiful song beautifully. If you're interested, you can listen to a recording of the whole show (May 1st) at [url=http://www.wsmonline.com/watch-listen/occ/]Opry Country Classics Archive

After the show we got us some BBQ and beer at Rippy's on Broadway. Great live band, perhaps a little loud for the typical CB1100 rider, but they played a surprisingly diverse mix of rock and country (I think they covered Pretenders followed up by George Jones at one point) and the place was hopping. I had the pulled smoked chicken and it was fantastic. We were a bit too tired to fully enjoy the nightlife on Broadway, but we stopped at another quiet spot on, I think, 5th for a cocktail and some conversation then back to the hotel. We had an another early start planned for Friday. After all, it was another 300 miles from here to Nashville..... (to be continued...)

[the Ferret]

I'm beginning to think you should change your handle from Emptysea to Wrong Way Corrigan

[emptysea]

I'm beginning to think you should change your handle from Emptysea to Wrong Way Corrigan

Hey! LOL I was never lost. Yes, I did stop at Texaco, but that was because the sign for 30 south was nowhere to be seen. I just needed a quick confirmation that I was on the right path..and I was

[the Ferret]

Um not the first story I heard about you going the wrong way. Your Sons of Art Carney told me many a tale of following you to "somewhere", but it was towards the wrong "where" lol

Cool pics as usual Matt

[emptysea]

Um not the first story I heard about you going the wrong way. Your Sons of Art Carney told me many a tale of following you to "somewhere", but it was towards the wrong "where" lol

Cool pics as usual Matt

Well...yes...I DO have a reputation for going east to get west...but that's half the fun of riding, right? right?

[the Ferret]

Indeed it is

[Pterodactyl_imp]

Well done, great pictures and you sure can tell(ico) a good story.

Cheers

[emptysea]

Well done, great pictures and you sure can tell(ico) a good story.

Cheers

Thanks...only two installments left; maybe even one. Stay tuned.