Thread: National Blue Sheep Day Tour 2008

I left the house about 7AM to head east with the temp at about 70 but predictions of 90+ even at the higher altitudes. I headed out US72 and things got really cloudy and I thought I might be under the one rain storm in the whole area . But the forces of evil were denied and I got to the TN border dry and it started to get hot. Well from there it was zip to Chattanooga then up to Cleveland TN to head into the Ocoee Valley

Missed the photo chance but saw a crane of some kind and a big rat on the way over.

Normally the Ocoee is fairly crowded with rafters but since it was Thursday it was pretty clear and I zipped through. On the way through I stopped to check on some rafters and side tracked up to Baby Falls. The road to Baby falls is a paved 1.999999 car wide road with no shoulders or markings but the pavement is in good shape. So the ride up is a scenic 6 miles as you parallel the river through trees but not a great ride nor is there many chances for photos.

Pics: rafters, a VFR at the falls, the falls, looking back up the bridge from the parking area to the way out

Out of the Ocoee I stopped at an overlook got some pics then looped into Ducktown, TN. Heading north on TN68 was a nice road that surprisingly I had not been on. Nice winding with good pavement

On into Telico Plains....

Pics: overlook and cool old house

In Telico Plains TN I stop at the edge of town for gas and to call my folks for info. Well, I realize that I don't have Dad's cell number with me so I call my brother. We chat for a spot on various topics and I get the number. Well, the forces of evil are again trying to ruin National Blue Sheep day as the cell quits working right when I get connected to Mom and get about 2 words out the dreaded bad SIM message (I have figured out that it was the battery had swelled and was pushing on stuff and causing the problem).

So after 3-4 attempts to reseat the SIM card I give up and head up to the Cherohala. The GPS was estimating me getting home about 5:30PM at this point (I think it was confused even then). The phone time and messing with the phone pushes it to 6PM....

Up into the Cherohala I get a nice ride in almost traffic free road. I pass some bicycles, slowing to be courteous. Then stop at an overlook for more pics. The bikes pass me back as I wandered for a spell down the road for better angles. As I get back out I get back on the road I get stuck behind a moron in a Miata from Ontario the third most dreaded enemy (after the Goat boss and Cooper Minis) well he doesn't let me by for a bit then we come up behind the bike entering a turn. Well, MORON about runs the bike off the road by passing a foot away from him through the turn rather than slowing and passing on the other side Well now it is no courtesy shown none given so I blow by across double yellows on the first short straight that has enough visibility Next is his Miata buddy the same way.

Well I slow again to go by the other two bicyclers in a nice way and it is clear sailing for a few miles

The forces of evil once again attack with an accident that stops all traffic both directions. I am the first one headed east in line and there is an ambulance, NC state patrol and some people from the Cherokees. I ask if I can go through and the Cherokee representative that was directing traffic on my side starts to apologize. I stop him short and say none needed as they are attending to what is important.

Well, I get out of my gear and here comes the Miata moron. He started to head to the front and thought better of it (yes I was gearing up to go off on him for almost running the bicycle down). I set for a short while and hear that the downed rider likely has a broken leg and ribs. They load him up on the gurney so he is hurt but were taking their time so I am pretty sure is was not life threatening.

Well we are off again and me being in front it is clear sailing with no traffic

All the way to where you enter the reservation. The road quality goes down here so I normally just drop pace to nothing and ease into town. Further the inside lane looks oily in some spots Well a bit further the road is coming apart. Yep MAJOR mess. Seems they tar chipped it and messed up with the tar. As soon as it got hot the job disintegrated. So now I got a few miles with bad tar chip work, sand over bad tar chip work, pea gravel, or road that is oily from the tar Score one for the forces of evil.

GPS now predicting arrival after 7PM...



Pics: vistas from the Cherohala, roadside flower and the road (good pavement)

Now I head up onto the Tail Of The Dragon (aka Deal's Gap).

I had heard at the wreck in the Cherohala that they had rolled a semi in the gap but it was about half way in and one lane was open. So up I go. Just about half way in to Deal's Gap there it is (not half way through as I was told. Guy rolled it onto the guard rail at 4:30AM and they had been there since 6:30AM getting the truck up. Good thing for the driver he got caught on the railing as the hill was VERY steep and treed ending at the river. If the trees had not killed him the water would have .

I am stuck there again but since everyone else was OK I think the forces of evil failed

I get to Deals and talk to a fellow that is familiar with Cooper Rd and decide that it is not really a road but a jeep trial that is on maps . I remove Cades Cove from the map which is a bummer since I wanted to get more waterfall pics. I wait but no rabbits volunteer so I head off into TN. I get out to the overlook and there is two Blount County sherrifs. Nice guys and they were checking helmets but really did not seem enthused about it. They hid from the sheep cam I then looped back in for a pass then back to the overlook and down the hill to the Foothills Parkway. At the base near the river I see them in with a ton of Harleys... good hunting area for non-DOT helmets.

At the entrance to the Foothills Parkway I stop and get a picture (another at an overlook up a bit)

GPS predicting 9PM....

Pics: Truck after being uprighted; Deals, you can see the truck in the edge, he is stuck there since they tore all the brakes lines out on the guard rail; Dragon overlook; Foothills Parkway entrance, Foothills overlook; Officers hiding from sheep cam (actually seemed like nice guys)

Into the Foothills the cruise is slow but steady until I get behind a whole fleet of Harleys and yep they cannot even manage 45MPH in easy sweepers I get by all but two and they are impervious to everything Well we hit the end and they just stop in the road then I go to get around them and they start to go . I had had enough and put a tiny burst on to get around the one that decided he needed to pull out in front of me after parking in the road I head out and stop for gas, a Dt Dew and a water. It is now smoking hot out.

GPS predicting ETA of 10PM....

Well I THOUGHT I had deleted the Cades Cove via point but had not so it starts to route me wrong. I quickly figured it out after only a mile or so and stop fixed the route and headed to Pigeon Forge on US321. There is a semi and he can BARELY fit blocking everyone up as he creeps up at 10MPH... sad because it could have been a fun section. I crest the hill and zip by. Into Pigeon Forge where traffic is not to bad in an area that is extremely anti-sheep. Up to Gatlinburg. I decide to go through town rather than the bypass since it is Thursday and traffic should not be to bad. It isn't terrible like normal and I get to the east side and head up the hill. I have a HUGE turkey run out in front of me (no picture ). Nice ride up only get caught up by a Jeep in one area (sadly it is a 360+ turn that would have been a blast)

At the top I turn and do the ride along the ridge out to Clingmans.

GPS ETA now 11PM....

Pics: looking up from Gatlinburg; 2 views from clingmans; road out to Clingmans Dome; US321 on the way up; 2 at an overlook on US321

Down the hill to Cherokee is pretty clean sailing as it is getting toward dusk on Thursday so crowds are at zero. US321 from Gatlinburg, TN to Cherokee, NC is actually a fun road but usually is 1000% packed with sluggish tourists. So it was a treat to get a large amount mostly clean I hit Cherokee and it is a getting late, especially since they are not on Sheeptime but Eastern. On the edge of town there is a real cool bear that I turn around and get a picture of. Then there is another... and another I also got a couple of sculptures and the Cherokee Veterans Memorial (not a great picture but to go in the center and snap away did not seem respectful).

My favorite was Bear4 which looked even more bad a## in person

Cherokee was vacant but very peaceful and the forces of evil had seemed to stop the attack on National Blue Sheep day celebrations.

GPS ETA 12PM+

Out of Cherokee I get up the road just a bit stop for some real fast food. The forces of evil overcharge me and close when I get out the door so when I realize it time to complain is over. I swap to a clear shield and head up the Nantahala Gorge.

GPS ETA is 12:47

I make decent time up the gorge since it is also devoid of people like Cherokee. It is now dark so making up time on winding two lanes is not in the cards. Finally I spit out the top onto US74 have lowered the ETA a couple of minutes. I kick it up a notch on the 4 lane (but not excessive) and get more time back. I stop in Murphy for gas and a Dt Dew. There is a couple of cops there that I joke with for a second or two then finish half the Dew. I am back off and it is now US64/US74 so I can feel it getting closer. I have lowered the ETA a bit and figure I can drop an instant 10 minutes or so since the GPS always fails to route me onto US72 which is the quick way. However I am thinking I will be in late enough that I need to make it a 4 day weekend

Rolling along good I come through an empty Ocoee river area making great time not getting held up the whole way in.

I stop on the edge of Cleveland and finish my Dt Dew in a closed gas station next to the Sonic. Heading out again ETA is 12:30ish now and I figure I will need gas one more time somewhere in northern AL. As I get on the bypass heading to I75 I stop at a traffic light. Pulling away the RR is feeling heavy and sluggish I wobble the bars and it doesn't sway but something is definetely wrong. I decide I need to stop and check everything over and as I slow I can hear the rear tire

I pull into a gas station and start looking for the nail. Well it taint a nail It is a 1 inch long cut. So I try to use fix a flat (yep now I get to clean the muck of the rim) but while hoping I didn't give it a chance. The forces of evil score a hit. It is now late and even later there since it is still Eastern time.

So remember the bad SIM I am there with a shot tire and a shot phone trying to come up with a plan. I figure that I might get a tow truck to the hotel (about a mile away) and then deal with it in the morning. First, try to get the cell working a couple of times.... First try it goes I get a hold of Dad and ask the super big favor that he brings a trailer over (about 2 hours away). Of course he does so now it is waiting time....

So far 739 miles of riding in 16-17 hours.

GPS ETA

Pics: new Avon Viper Sport (barely wore the snake on the side) and elevation map from the GPS

Well so now I got 2 hours to burn in Cleveland TN in the middle of the night...

I talked to a fellow on a GSXR about track days for a spot and had multiple kind people ask if I needed help when they saw the flat.

Lots of people complimented the RR Not sure why but I get that a lot. Many think it is brand new.

Got to talk to the town drunk....ooops I mean brick layer.

Now it would have been easy to let the forces of evil ruin National Blue Sheep day but they failed.

I had a fantastic day of riding, hot but great weather, clear roads, great pavement and scenery for a sheep

I got stopped in the Cherohala BUT I was delayed while some poor soul was hurt a long way from home (MO plates I think). Thankfully I think he will recover.

I got delayed going into the gap BUT I wasn't working 10 hours to clean up the mess. Further in what could have been truly terrible no one was hurt.

I had to sit two hours BUT it was nice how many people offered a hand. The wife in one couple even asked if I needed money for food while I waited I talked to other riders. Even the town drunk was not a bad fellow. I am sad that he is ruining his life though as he seemed to be a good guy that had headed down the wrong path years ago.

I torched a brand new rear tire (had the sticker that morning) BUT it happened right by a gas station and on the way home. It could have happened all the way over in Cherokee. Worse in the Ocoee where the nearest anything is a ways and I might have been sleeping next to the bike getting eaten by bugs.

I am blessed with a FANTASTIC family that was more than willing to help (Dad even refused me paying for the tank of gas that he used in the middle of the night, though he will get that somehow )

Overall the Good Shepherd continues to watch out for his Blue Sheep despite the fact that a BBQing is what I have coming.

Next year National Blue Sheep day is on a Friday.... wonder how far I can go in a three day weekend

The end until next years celebration.