We’re entering the 11th month of this blogging experience and I thought it was only fair to you, the readers, to get your opinion on how things are going. I’m currently sitting on more content than I can keep up with, but after the snow begins falling I don’t imagine that will last long. Ultimately I started this blog to keep my sanity in the winter, but it’s proved to be a very rewarding experience sharing adventures with so many like-minded readers; thus my mission has become more about entertaining you than it has been about “keeping busy” during the winter months (and I like that better anyway).
At any rate, I’ve placed a survey below for your input on what you’ve seen here at Moto Adventurer, your feedback is greatly appreciated!
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By day six, I estimate that most folks, having been at the lodge since Sunday night, had probably hit the majority of their favorite destinations. Having already checked two items off my moto bucket list, and having nabbed low angle video of the Dragon, I myself, was good for just about anything by Saturday. After breakfast, my buddies Thom and Tom snagged me for a “cruiser pace” ride to… “somewhere”. If I recall Tom’s initial statement, I think he said he “had a few ideas” of where to go, if nothing else, I knew it would be entertaining.
Sun shining, we departed from the lodge headed down North Carolina 28 toward Franklin, similar toThursday’sride. That suited me just fine, considering that the road conditions on 28 were pretty sketchy Thursday, I hoped to do a better job keeping up on dry pavement. Passing through Franklin, we stayed on NC-28/US-64 headed toward Highlands, NC. I can’t say it enough, 28 is truly an underrated road down this way, the sharp curves cut into the mountain side, combined with the views along theCullasajaRiver were truly stunning. Just short of Highlands we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls for a break and a few photos. I’ve seen photos of Bridal Veil Falls from past Dragon Raids on Facebook and whatnot, but seeing it in person is worth the stop. While I don’t think Bridal Veil is quite as scenic as Looking Glass Falls, it is another convenient waterfall destination is you’re looking for destinations on several of the “waterfall loops” down this way.
From Bridal Veil Falls we continued along US-64 into Cashiers for lunch at Carolina Smokehouse. Delicately putting the side-stand down in the gravel parking lot, looking over the restaurant’s rural exterior, I realized that I was on the verge of landing some delicious Carolina soul food. Reading the menu, I realized that the Carolina Smokehouse was featured on “Feasting on Asphalt” on the Food Network; another great example that you shouldn’t judge food potential by the looks of the building. At any rate, sitting on the deck, still in my riding jacket after the cold mountain air;
famished, I ordered the lunch portion of barbecue pork ribs. When the food arrived, I was in such haste for lunch that I, again, forgot to take a photo of the food. Thinking back on it now, I’m rapidly realizing that when things go “unplanned” I’m typically so busy enjoying the moment that I forget to snap a few photos (I’ll work on that…). In any case, the pork ribs, slathered in Carolina “Hot” barbecue sauce, were falling off the bone; just how I like it. The ribs also came with a thick, well buttered, piece ofTexastoast and a side ofcoleslaw. Despite my love of barbecue, I’m still not a big fan ofcoleslaw, but I admit, I did at least try it. Considering the quality of the ribs, the Carolina Smokehouse is another worthy barbecue spot; however if you’re looking to try it, I recommend you act fast, it looks like they’re moving.
After some discussion around the table about other destinations, when asked, I offered my two cents about the conditions of Wayah Road; considering that the pavement would likely be dry, I too was interested in another run across that wiry mountain road. From Cashiers, we backtracked along US-64/NC-28 back into Franklin to pick up Wayah Road. For the most part, the pavement was pretty dry, but after traversing a few of the twisty curves, it was evident that the past day’s rain had washed considerable amounts of grass clippings and gravel into the roadway. Gravel is my mortal enemy on two wheels. For whatever reason, it really spooks me when the rear wheel skips sideways over a stone when riding on asphalt. That being said, I cut my pace pretty good after seeing a few shady patches of gravel, mid-apex, in a few of the turns. That aside, Wayah road still made for a good ride, and definitely solidified my need for mid-controls and an adventure bike (what better way to face your fear?).
Coming back across US-74 and NC-28 to the lodge, we came in a little early for the big Dragon Raid Saturday night party. As folks start rolling in on Saturday, they park their bikes in front of the main lodge building so we can get a big group photo. As previously mentioned, Killboy.com is an event sponsor; for the past two years, along with their cameras, Killboyhas brought out their drone to take video of the lodge along with the big group photos. After the sun goes down, folks enjoy a big steak dinner from the lodge “Chuck Wagon Grill” (included in Dragon Raid registration fee); after which, a truck load of door prizes and raffle items are given away. Once T-shirts, riding jackets, helmets, Bluetooth communicators, and gift certificates (and more…) are raffled off, it was time for the main event, selecting the winner of the Raffle bike, this year was a 2007 Triumph Bonneville. The attending RAT pack crew has been sufficiently generous in past years that the Raffle Bike tradition has been able to live on year after year. Riding North Carolina’s finest roads keeps me coming back, but the thought of taking home a new bike is undoubtedly icing on the cake. Sadly, I didn’t win a new bike, but one lucky guy from Michigan did.
In the end, all of the money raised from raffle sales goes back to funding the next year’s Dragon Raid; including the purchase of more raffle items, the free adult beverages served on Friday and Saturday night, and a new raffle bike. Once the winning ticket was announced, closing statements were made about safety and thanks to all the sponsors and attendees; afterword folks partied on for their last night at the Raid. Headed back up the hill to my bunk, the task at hand was packing all my stuff for the long ride home the next morning.
Despite the soupy morning air, the outlook for Friday was a lot better than the previous two days. My buddy Jon, who joined me for the trek down to the Iron Horse, put together a route down through Brevard to Oskar Blues Brewery; as a card carrying beer snob, I was obliged to tag along. As luck would have it, like virtually every other destination down this way, there was also an excess of twisties between the Iron Horse and our destination.
From the lodge we zipped across US-74 to Sylva to pick up North Carolina Route 107 (NC-107). If I hadn’t mentioned before, aside from high traffic hours (mostly on weekends) US-74 is actually a nice high-paced section of four-lane through the mountains; clipping along at 65 MPH, I’ve never leaned over that far on a four-lane highway before. That aside, I didn’t come to North Carolina to ride the four-lane, fortunately we picked up NC-107 in Brevard, and then onto a gnarly section of NC-281 toward Lake Toxaway. 281 was no joke, reminiscent of Wayah road, the tight downhill sections felt a lot faster considering the slightly better condition of the asphalt; chasing a handful of Triumph Triples and being pursued by a Multistrada, keeping up on a cruiser was somewhat of a chore.
After muscling Lola down 281, we took a short jaunt across US-64 into Brevard to find Oskar Blues Brewery. If you weren’t aware, microbreweries are becoming quite the rage nowadays, at least in Dayton. I really enjoy a good dark beer, unfortunately they are somewhat difficult to find among the macro-breweries, and as much as I love it, you can only have so much Guinness. Asking the bar tender what dark beers she had on tap, I was surprised to hear that they had a TenFidy stout 2015 and 2012 on tap. I’ve heard of vintage wines, but I’ve never had dated beers before (different recipe perhaps?). She offered me a taste of each, to my surprise there was an unmistakable difference between the two; per her comments, I agreed that the 2012 was actually the better of the two. Oskar Blues, like other micro-breweries, doesn’t have a food license, however several of the local food outlets deliver to hungry beer drinkers. Over 400 miles from home, my buddies chose to have Jet’s Pizza delivered. While a chain, I still give Jet’s some serious props, it reminds me of what Pizza Hut used to be back in the day. I split the Hawaiian pizza with my buddy Andy; despite my self-proclaimed pizza connoisseur status, I’d actually never had Hawaiian pizza before that day. Pizza with pineapple (and ham!) was actually pretty good, especially with Jet’s “turbo crust”. Anyway, enough with the pizza, back to the beer; don’t get me wrong, I don’t condone drinking and riding, but I did safely taste (yes, taste) a couple beers to see what I liked. Oskar Blues offers a pretty respectable spread, while it’s a bit IPA heavy for my taste, they actually had one that I liked. Surprisingly, the G’Knight Double Red IPA was pretty legit; tasting it against the Old Chub Scotch Ale, I found the Scotch Ale more in my palette range, but it was a surprisingly tough decision against the red IPA.
After a hearty lunch and tall glass of water, I was back on the road with my RAT buddies. From Oskar Blues we cut across US-64 over to US-276 past Looking Glass Falls where we rode Tuesday. Headed up 276 the other way was a nice change of pace;
considering the somewhat limited time and vast number of roads to choose from down this way, it’s actually nice to ride a good set curves in both directions. From the twisties of 276, Jon led us back over to the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) from Wagon Road Gap to US-74 at Balsam Gap. Admittedly, I think I enjoyed the BRP a bit more on the sporty Tiger, with its taller seat for better views, but it was somewhat reassuring to ride on my own, much more familiar, bike. Either way, writing this now, I still feel like the BRP was the best road I rode all week.
Approaching the turn from NC-28 to the Iron Horse I stayed on the throttle as my buddies turned off to hang it up for the evening.
With the sun shining, it was time to get another run across the Dragon with dry pavement. Unbeknownst to me, Friday around 6 PM is still a pretty busy time on US-129 as new arrivals are taking their first trips across the legendary road. As that became obvious, I stuck close to the white paint on the blind curves and otherwise kept my wits about myself to get in another run and avoid the unsuspecting riders crossing the double yellow headed the other way. (Photo from Killboy)
After a “down and back” across 129, I decided to stop and take some photos at the Fontana Dam on my way back to the lodge. Riding down this way last year I was aware of the local hydro-electric dam, but I had no idea that there were actually three in such close proximity. Next year I will probably try to stop and get photos at all three (Rumor is that “The Fugitive” was filmed at one of them). On another side note, I also didn’t realize that I parked my bike for a photo op right where the Appalachian Trail crosses the Dam. While not a motorcycle related item, the AT is another item on my Bucket List for this lifetime.
I came across this short article in a recent edition of the Triumph Spirit Magazine (online publication) talking about the new dealership “facelift” that Triumph corporate has been pushing down. While it looks great, I think it’s a misallocation of effort and mostly at the cost of the dealerships.
This idea isn’t new, many local Harley Davidson dealerships have relocated or outright closed as a result of the corporate image that Harley Davidson enforces on its dealers. With Harley, dealers are forced to keep a significant number of models in stock, along with locations within a certain distance of the freeway, and other random image standards I don’t know about.
Polaris has also adopted similar standards for the new Indian line. I spoke with a local Victory dealership manager a while back, asking him if they were going to adopt the Indian brand. He informed me that Polaris requires that show rooms be segregated so that Indian has a “contained” area for their bikes and merchandise. He went on to say that he doesn’t have the floor space to meet Polaris’ standards and would have to spend a significant amount of money to expand the building if he wanted to pick up Indian.
It’s not surprising to see Triumph make this move, considering that Greg Heichelbech, formerly from Harley Davidson, took over as Triumph America CEO back in 2013 (before resigning in 2014). Of course, it’s my assumption that his influence set these wheels in motion, but none the less it’d be tough to convince me that this move isn’t related to copying Harley’s corporate model.
It’s pretty obvious, I’m in the tank for Triumph, so I understand I’m bias. Moreover, don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge Harley for the empire they have built; their policies have secured their success as they sell more than a brand, they sell a lifestyle. Triumph on the other hand, intentionally or otherwise, completely differentiated itself from its North American rival a long time ago as Triumph offers a motorcycle in virtually every class. This topic has been covered at length before, more eloquently, by someone else, so I won’t bore you with the details.
Instead of focusing on dealership image, I suggest that it would make more sense for Triumph to showcase what they offer over the competition, the marriage of elegance and performance. Harley Davidson’s “fit and finish” is probably the envy of every Asian V-twin on the market. At the same time, you may find better performance in the new H2 or R1, but you won’t find the refinement of over a hundred years of motorcycles and the heritage to go with it. I’ll put the Speedmaster and Thunderbird up against any cruiser on the drag strip any day; the same with Triumph Triples against the Asian straight fours. But in the end, this argument isn’t about who’s better, it’s about what Triumph is doing wrong.
Victory’s “Ride one and you’ll buy one” motto is golden, and it’s working. If Triumph is going to borrow from an American manufacturer’s strategy, they picked the wrong one. I suggest that Triumph stop sticking their dealers with the bill of revamping their dealerships and pony of the coin to bring back the Triumph demo truck. The Victory demo truck comes to my local dealership at least twice a year (as you’ve seen), and there’s no shortage of used Harleys parked on that lot as a result.
It’s time that Triumph stop strong-arming their dealers with the price of a new “image” and start handing prospective buyers the keys, and ultimately the title of a new bike.
The forecast for Thursday morning was even more sketchy than Wednesday. Waiting for the roads to dry out from the overnight showers, I loitered around the lodge a bit that morning before meeting up with a couple of buddies to meander down to Franklin for lunch. From the lodge we went down US-19 past Endless River Adventures where I spent the previous day, and then on to Wayah Road. Wayah Road is another fantastic mountain pass in these parts, yet it barely qualifies as “paved” in a few spots. Similar to county roads in Ohio and Indiana, the road is maintained on a pretty limited budget. That aside, the tight curves and frequent changes in elevation make it another must-ride.
About halfway to Franklin, we skipped onto NC-711 for a short bit. While freshly paved, rumors have it that it’s not paved in its entirety, something I’d assume skip in the rain. If anyone has been down to these parts lately, I’d love to hear a more in-depth report on whether or not 711 is paved from one end of Wayah Road to the other; it definitely looks like an awesome twisty addition to the “Wayah loop”.
In Franklin, we stopped for lunch at Caffé Rel. The Triumph guys have raved about this place, so much so I knew about it all the way back in Dayton (yet for some reason I didn’t take a single photo… I expect I may find some fiery comments below in the coming days). Already quite full from breakfast (including at least 3 cups of coffee), I pretty much stuck to the standard pasta staples, however the crab bisque was probably the best I’d ever had. Attached to a gas station, don’t be fooled by the utilitarian exterior, Caffé Rel is another awesome food destination when riding the area.
From Franklin we road back up “Moonshiner 28” to the lodge. If I hadn’t mentioned previously, NC-28, also called “The Hellbender”, is undoubtedly a local underdog, considering that the Dragon, the Cherohala Skyway, and the Blue Ridge Parkway tend to catch most of the press. Unlike the Dragon, NC-28 isn’t overly congested with traffic, but still loaded with tight, slightly banked curves cut into the hillsides (posted speed limit is also 55 MPH in most places). Riders should definitely be prepared for blind and decreasing radius curves when twisting their way back from Franklin; there are also many driveways along the route, the day we rode through there were several spots with gravel and grass clippings in our path.
Stopping at the lodge I thought I had sufficient clear weather to get a quick run across the Dragon before dinner. As luck would have it, not five miles up NC-28, the skies opened up. For a split second, I debated turning back, but after last year’s Dragon Raid, I told myself it was just a little rain. My first solo trip across the Dragon this year, I figured I’d endure the weather and take the time before I missed another chance. Traffic was extremely light on 28 headed toward Deal’s Gap; I was quite appreciative as I was forced to navigate around a few precarious piles of wet leaves, and evidence of a large limb laying in the middle of the road. Arriving at Deal’s gap, I took a moment to get situated in the parking lot before trekking across the Dragon. I exchanged a few stories with a my buddy Dan who happened to be headed back to the lodge, but was just waiting on the previously mentioned limb to be removed before proceeding back (apparently the road was closed at one point).
The Dragon was almost completely barren headed west, the only other bike headed my way was a Honda ST1300 that I let by; that guy was absolutely killing it, despite the wet tarmac. Considering the light traffic, on the far side I stopped to take a photo of the “curves next 11 miles” sign. With the relaxed pace and private nature of the ride, I stopped at several places on the way back to get photos I wouldn’t normally get a chance to take, including an awesome shot of the low clouds at the overlook. About halfway through my trip back toward the gap I realized this was almost exactly when I crossed the dragon for the first time; Thursday last year, around 6 PM, soaking wet (perhaps a new tradition was born?). Stopping at the Tail of the Dragon T-shirt shop, I took the mandatory photo of my bike in front the steel dragon, chit-chatted with my buddy Dan, still drying out, before creeping back to the lodge.
Despite the rain my FirstGear Rainier Jacket and Escape Pants kept me dry, just as planned. A little damp on the forearms and just a few drops in the armpits from zippers that don’t seal out every last drop, but I had no complaints. My new anti-fog visor performed as advertised; what a difference that would have made the year prior! My gloves on the other hand were soaked through; when the big drops started to fall I debated switching to my waterproof gloves, but I figured I could stuff them with newspaper overnight and just move on. (Photo purchased from Killboy.com)
For an otherwise rainy day, I couldn’t complain as I still managed to put nearly 200 miles on the bike. I undoubtedly kept my speed down throughout the day, making sure I would keep positive grip with the rear wheel on so much, unknown, damp pavement across the state. Fortunately, I would still get a chance to see all these roads again in dry conditions in the coming days.
In the days leading up to the Raid, I was concerned that the aftermath of tropical storm Erika was going to make the weather a complete washout. As the first few days proved, weather in the mountains can be very dynamic, raining on one side, sun shining on the other, but the Wednesday morning forecast wasn’t looking very positive for a good day of riding. Fortunately, Tuesday evening, after our awesome ride across the Blue Ridge Parkway, John our ride leader suggested that we go rafting on Wednesday. Having been rafting in the past, a wet day on the river is a lot fun, sometimes better it’s raining; I was in.
John apparently discovered “Endless River Adventures” (ERA) in previous trips to the Dragon and has made it somewhat of a tradition, this year bringing a few of us along for the ride. I have previously rafted Cumberland Falls, Kentucky, and the New River in West Virginia; both in a 6-8 person rafts with a river guide. This time of year, ERA offers solo whitewater trips in an inflatable canoe; having done some “team” rafting previously, I was excited to finally try a whitewater “ducky” ride.
Showing up at ERA’s facility mid-morning, for a cheap $30 fare, they outfitted us with wet suits, paddles, paddle jackets (Personal Floatation Devices or PFD), and inflatable “ducky”. On this random Wednesday it was just the six of us Triumph riders on the river with ERA, so we squeezed into a van as our “guide” took us just short of 8 miles upriver. At the put-in, the guide gave us a few instructions on safety and things to avoid (the state mandated checklist), and then we were on own for the next 8 miles of river. With my trusty RAM Mount in hand, I clamped the GoPro down to the canoe paddle and got ready to catalogue the next adventure.
As I suspected, right away I was glad they gave me a wetsuit, the Nantahala river is flooded each day from the hydroelectric dam upstream, forcing frigid water downstream toward Nantahala Falls (rumor is the water is 50 degrees, all year). Despite the cold waters, I was working up a sweat learning how to keep a one-man canoe facing forward. Being more accustomed to a team raft, I was used to team paddle dynamic, easily keeping the boat pointed down river; obviously the double-ended paddle tends to make the canoe zig-zag down the river. Certainly seasoned kayakers are laughing at the previous statement, but after about two rapids, I started to get a feel for how much effort needed to control the attitude of the boat.
Having done Class II and III rapids on the Cumberland River, then III and IV rapids on New River I was convinced I was experienced… just about enough to be dangerous on the Nantahala. The Forest Service only requires PFDs on this section of the river, which meant that helmets are optional. That actually surprised me at first, but I figured that was because we were probably only going to navigate one class II rapid all day. After settling into a rhythm in my “ducky”, I started taking rapids backwards, and mostly focusing on taking better photos and video of the river. Despite the low threat, a couple of engineers did manage to tip a raft (who knew that rafts don’t bounce off each other?). Fortunately, no one was hurt, and now we have a good story to tell; a shame I didn’t catch it on video. For folks who have never been rafting, I would definitely recommend trying out this section of the Nantahala River to see if you like it. Most people can successfully complete this 8-mile section of river without leaving their raft, although, sometimes taking a dip can be fun.
While it never rained that morning, it was still an awesome way to spend a damp morning in the mountains. Some of the most incredible photos I’ve taken with the GoPro to date were on the river that morning. I was blown away by the crisp images of the splashing water, combined with the serene views of fog rising off the cold water. Next year I will be sure to bring my GoPro helmet mount and rent a rafting helmet to go with it. Hopefully I’ll manage to catch my run across the Nantahala falls this time; somehow operator error caused me to miss that shot…
I told myself the best plan would be to sit down and write every evening during the Dragon Raid… knowing full well I would be drinking and socializing. That’s the way the chips fall I guess. At any rate, I’m still sifting through photos and video of each day down there, still blown away by the sights, but mostly the sheer volume of digital files. I’m currently cutting video from day 3, here’s a preview:
Tuesday morning started out very similar to Monday, a few guys talking about a good destination, suddenly a group mysteriously formed; and again, me just along for the ride. Getting my stuff set up for the day, fussing with the GoPro batteries and whatnot, my buddy Brian waved me over. Knowing full well I have my eyes set on a new adventure bike (so much so I can taste it at this point), he said “hey I got something for you”, he then mentioned he was going on a dual sport ride through the dirt on his Honda, and handed me a key to his Tiger 800. Stunned I said “Are you sure?!”, he reassured me it he was comfortable with it and wanted me to know for sure if I really wanted my own Tiger. Apprehensive, but excited, I started moving my daily gear over to his Tiger. Sitting here writing this, I don’t think I can recall if I even knew where we were riding that day; Tiger keys in hand, I’m sure I didn’t care. I believe there were rumors of the Blue Ridge parkway toward the tail end of the day; if that was true I fortunately learned a few lessons about battery management for the GoPro the day prior.
Departing from the Iron Horse I began settling into my new seating arrangements; right away I was excited by the ability to stand up while riding. From the Iron Horse we rode along US-19 through Bryson City, Cherokee, and finally Maggie Valley. US-19 is a really beautiful road, almost strictly two-lane, but unfortunately lined with tourist stops that make the traffic aggravating on a motorcycle. That aside, I appreciated the mountain scenery and daydreamed about the days that the old themed motels were still open. Once through the hustle and bustle of Maggie Valley, we turned south onto US-276 where the fun really started. Two-lane, similar to US-19 toward the bottom of the valley, the twisties on 276 steadily increased in frequency and difficulty as we neared the ridge line. The closer we got to the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) interchange, the curves and switchbacks really got interesting. Passing the BRP, still on 276 as it wound back down the mountain, the switchbacks and hairpins got more challenging on the far side, especially riding downhill.
Following my buddy Chris on his Tiger 800 XRx I was thankful I was on Brian’s Tiger, the upright seating, mid controls, and increased ground clearance were confidence inspiring on this technical section of North Carolina roadway. Coming around the bend on 276 we stopped at a pull-off next to Looking Glass Falls for a break. The falls are a convenient motorcycle destination considering the roadside parking and stairs that take you all the way down to the water’s edge. I snapped a few photos of the falls and the bikes before loading back up on the bike for the next leg.
Just a few more miles down 276 we stopped for lunch at the Hawg Wild Barbecue at the corner of US-276 and US-64. I love “Soul Food” so I was eagerly looking forward to the meal at hand. I’ve been milling over the best way to describe the restaurant, but after some time, the best thing I can come up with is like a southern, rustic… pizza hut (or “Frickers” for local Daytonians). There were maps on the tables, covered with glass, with simple table arrangements with BBQ sauces and condiments. The service was very friendly (especially for such a large group); there was definitely a southern family feel to the place; just as I’d hope for in these parts. Looking over the Hawg Wild menu, I spotted the “go-to”. The menu included a loaded hot dog, and fried pickles; yes, this was a barbecue restaurant, but rules are rules. The fried pickles were spears, the way I prefer, and the dog was loaded with chili, cheese, and onions. As a side note for folks unfamiliar, Cincinnati is known for its own take on the cheese coney; if you’ve not had a Cincy hot dog, I recommend you try it at least once. That being said, I’m not fan a Skyline Chili (that’s right, I said it!), I prefer Gold Star Chili if I’m forced to choose a chain, but in general I prefer chili with some consistency, but cheese and onions was a good start. At any rate, it wasn’t BBQ, but the lighter fare was exactly what I was looking for.
Getting geared up for more riding, rain looked imminent on the radar. Outfitted with a Tiger, but no rain gear to be had… I was up to the challenge. From Hawg Wild we headed down US-64 through Brevard toward NC-215. Winding back up the mountain toward another intersection with the Blue Ridge parkway, 215 became very reminiscent of US-276, yet less traveled. As NC-215 approached Beech Gap we turned off onto the Blue Ridge Parkway headed toward Maggie Valley. It’s tough to say “headed north” or “south” when talking about individual sections of the Blue Ridge, considering it winds back and forth through the mountains in all directions. I was spellbound on the parkway; the light traffic, higher speeds, immaculate asphalt, combined with some of the most scenic vistas I’ve ever seen, all happening at once. All of the photographs I’d seen up to that point had hinted of what a great ride it would be, but nothing compares to actually seeing it. While I enjoyed the Cherohala Skyway the day prior, the Blue Ridge was much closer to what I had envisioned, steep cliff faces, tunnels, and overlooks displaying the vast smoky landscape. Rain still held at bay, I rode along, soaking up every view and every curve… another box checked on moto bucket list.
Taking one of the last exits on the south end of the parkway, we returned to US-19 headed back through Bryson City toward the Lodge. Considering that the “Chuck Wagon Grill” at the Iron Horse was closed for Labor Day (observed), we decided to stop in Bryson City for chow at Anthony’s “Derailed”. Knowing absolutely nothing about the area, it’s seems that Bryson City has some significant railroad history, if the restaurant’s name wasn’t already a hint. Anthony’s was another dark, wood themed, rustic restaurant with a large patio. Everyone in the group commented that the calzones, paninis, and stromboli were all excellent. On good advice, I went with the calzone; how can you resist pizza inside the bread? I wasn’t disappointed, so much so I foolishly finished the entire thing, despite my intent to take leftovers back to the lodge.
Gorged, I climbed aboard my buddy Brian’s Tiger just after the sun set and as few rain drops finally started to fall. Another day in the books, another bucket list item completed.
Day 2
197 miles
3 tunnels (at least…)
1 Box checked on the Bucket List
(The embeded Map doesn’t fallow the route exactly as described)
I’m currently in the process of writing and cutting video from the Blue Ridge Parkway, in addition to editing photos and whatnot. I stumbled across this write up about a custom Indian Scout (1100) hill climber that I thought was worth sharing. At the moment, Indian is somewhat relegated to cruisers (hopefully that will change someday), but in the meantime they’ve been partnering with a lot of people to build some truly gnarly custom bikes that are simply stunning. As a prior service guy, I’m all about accomplishing more with less, so I love that they chopped up a new scout, threw on chains, and are using it as a hill climber.
Even after a long ride the day prior, I was chomping at the bit to get out on the road, yet rapidly reminded that they don’t call them the “Smoky Mountains” for nothing. While not the case all year, the fog can be pretty thick into the later morning hours in this part of the country, especially if you’re planning a ride at elevation. As much as I like running in the fog, riding a motorcycle in the fog sucks. The upside, I had plenty of time to get a hearty breakfast from the Iron Horse, and get my gear set for the day.
Being labor day, there were still a few stragglers hanging around the Iron Horse from the holiday weekend, but by this point it was predominantly just the Triumph faithful. While the Dragon Raid is a “rally”, most rides are typically just a group of folks that decide on a given destination the evening prior, and often at breakfast the morning of. Still having virtually no idea how to get from “A” to “B” without GPS down this way, I was purely along for the ride. As previously mentioned, staying at the Iron Horse offers great roads right out of the gate; a couple guys suggested that we go ride the Cherohala Skyway over to Tellico Plains (TN) and around. The Cherohala, an item on my Moto Bucket List, runs from Robbinsville along NC-143 and TN-165 into Tellico Plains; from the lodge that means you get the chance to pick up some great sections of NC-28 “The Hellbender” in the process. This being day one, several of the boys were itching to get a quick run across the Tail of the Dragon (US-129) on the way, myself included. Chasing my buddies on their Ducati’s (isn’t this a Triumph Rally?), Lola’s physical limitations became evident (Lola is the bike’s name, and no I’m not a fan of scraping pegs; it’s often the precursor to the crash). Winding up NC-28 toward Deal’s gap, the Speedmaster was nimble enough to keep up with my buddies’ sport bikes (thanks for taking pity on the cruiser guy), as most of the curves are marked 25 MPH and up, but once past Deal’s Gap, all bets were off.
On the Dragon I was rapidly reminded of how boring the roads are in Ohio. Having not been through such technical curves in a year, I was “taking it easy”, telling myself that I still had 5 more riding days ahead of me, including 400 miles home. The Dragon is exhilarating and somewhat nerve racking all at the same time; mind you, this is coming from a guy who’s ridden it all of about six times up to this point; still not enough to remember any of the curves. My biggest concern riding in the mountains is that decreasing radius turn that always manages to sneak up on you, especially downhill. Keeping that in mind, I tried to save a little “extra”. Settling into the limitations of my ride, we hadn’t made it as far west as “Gravity Cavity” before I noticed a couple of my buddies ripping past me the opposite direction. Turning around in one of the pull-offs, I later found out that the road was closed for an accident up ahead. While the rest of the week was “relatively” uneventful for the Triumph rally, this is probably a good lesson for first timers at Deal’s Gap, it was mid-morning labor day weekend, day 1 on the Dragon for most of us, and the Dragon was closed due to an accident.
After twisting back down the Dragon, we stopped at Deal’s Gap Motorcycle Resort to take a break. For first time visitors to The Dragon, folks looking for keepsakes can find patches, stickers, T-shirts and whatnot at the resort gift shop. Fuel is also available at Deal’s Gap, one of the few places in these parts. The Dragon’s Den Pub & Grill is also a convenient place to grab lunch for riders spending the afternoon in the local area. Across the street from the resort is Tail of the Dragon T-shirt Shack; visitors can purchase other stickers and patches, and get photos with the big dragon statue. Killboy.com also rents and sells GoPro cameras and gear from the T-shirt shack for folks looking to document their visit. As previously mentioned (in the YouTube video), Killboy was the first to set up photo “booths” in the curves along the Dragon. As a side note, Killboy.com is also a sponsor of the Triumph Dragon Raid, but more on that later.
After a short break, we were back down NC-28 toward NC-143 into Robbinsville. Unbeknownst to me, once west of Robbinsville I was actually on the Cherohala Skyway. It’s kind of funny thinking back, there I am, riding along, admiring the curves and the view, but trying to save the GoPro battery for the “main event”. We finally stopped at an overlook for a break, and I asked “are we on the Skyway?”, having been riding the Skyway for like the past 20 miles. While I felt somewhat goofy for asking, the Skyway isn’t marked clearly like the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had an inkling that we were at least close as I unmistakably noticed the temperature dropping with elevation. I admit, the Skyway was not how I envisioned it, I expected vast scenic views of the mountains around each curve, similar to US-441 through Newfound Gap. I didn’t realize until writing this that the Cherohala Skyway is just a name for a State route, which wouldn’t be maintained nearly as well as federal routes that are lined with more popular tourist destinations like Gatlinburg. That aside, from a motorcyclists point of view, the Skyway is excellent; unlike the Dragon, the Skyway is mostly long sweepers through the trees. The speed limit is also 45, which is significantly higher than the Dragon, but still somewhat slow for the riding conditions in my opinion.
At the far side of the Skyway we stopped in Tellico Plains (TN) for lunch. Again, just along for the ride, one stop was just as good as another, but being a “Foodie”, KramBonz BBQ was right on par with my expectations. A small mom and pop place, we were pushing capacity just after lunch hour when we rolled up about 8 motorcycles deep. Fortunately, the weather was nice, so we took up some of the outdoor seating. The menu was quaint, which suited me just fine. At most places, if there’s fried pickles or hot dogs on the menu, I order it; if I’m at a BBQ joint, I have to try the brisket. The Brisket with Texas toast (and side salad) may appear like typical diner fare; sitting just down the aisle from the smoker, I knew I was in for authentic southern barbecue, and the tender brisket was just that.
Across the street we stopped at the Tellico Motorcycle Outfitters. No sooner than I had a patch in my hand, a buddy stuck his head in the door and said we’d better hustle unless we wanted to get wet. Last year’s raid still fresh in my mind, I zipped the jacket vents shut and prepped for battle. My buddy Andy suggested we skirt around Tennessee route 360 and back up the Dragon to the Iron Horse, while my other buddies scrambled back across the Skyway. Not getting wet and going somewhere new sounded a lot better to me, so TN-360 it was (in the end I sweltered but we never got wet; the boys on the Skyway got soaked).
Smoky mountain backroads are incredible; riding 360 I was again reminded of how boring Dayton roads are. While gravel driveways and Sunday drivers are legitimate concerns when twisting along state routes like 360, it was yet another good road. 360 dumped us off at US-411 for a hot second before taking a shortcut across TN-72 to US-129 just before the bottom of the Dragon at Tabcat bridge.
Along the Dragon we stopped at the overlook for the obligatory group photo. Just as we were pulling in I flipped down the inner tinted visor on my helmet, breaking off the thumb slider. I moved the bike about 5 feet and combed over the parking area for ten minutes… never found the broken part. Flustered at my carelessness I wiped the recently splattered butterfly guts off my GoPro, but didn’t fuss with putting in a fresh battery. Frustration aside, I finally got my first good run across the Dragon I’d been waiting all year for (Killboy.com photo shown). There were a few damp spots here and there but in general it was spirited riding across the Dragon, back through the “Hellbender” NC-28, and finally to the Lodge for dinner, good beer, and maybe a cigar.
We’re entering the 11th month of this blogging experience and I thought it was only fair to you, the readers, to get your opinion on how things are going. I’m currently sitting on more content than I can keep up with, but after the snow begins falling I don’t imagine that will last long. Ultimately I started this blog to keep my sanity in the winter, but it’s proved to be a very rewarding experience sharing adventures with so many like-minded readers; thus my mission has become more about entertaining you than it has been about “keeping busy” during the winter months (and I like that better anyway).
When the food arrived, I was in such haste for lunch that I, again, forgot to take a photo of the food. Thinking back on it now, I’m rapidly realizing that when things go “unplanned” I’m typically so busy enjoying the moment that I forget to snap a few photos (I’ll work on that…). In any case, the pork ribs, slathered in Carolina “Hot” barbecue sauce, were falling off the bone; just how I like it. The ribs also came with a thick, well buttered, piece of
Unbeknownst to me, Friday around 6 PM is still a pretty busy time on US-129 as new arrivals are taking their first trips across the legendary road. As that became obvious, I stuck close to the white paint on the blind curves and otherwise kept my wits about myself to get in another run and avoid the unsuspecting riders crossing the double yellow headed the other way. (Photo from 
For an otherwise rainy day, I couldn’t complain as I still managed to put nearly 200 miles on the bike. I undoubtedly kept my speed down throughout the day, making sure I would keep positive grip with the 
