SheepOfBlue

OK so there is no holiday called Sheepaween but I had to have a title and it was the last day in September...

I have been sick on and off since Miller and started to feel better so decided I really needed a long range ride. Now my normal range is 450-550 miles depending on terrain however I need reminders every once in a while as to why.

So I plot out a ride Saturday night with big plans to wake up early and get on the road at 7AM. All the better to go 650 miles right . Instead I am off at 8AM so the arrival home is a bit later. Well I head up the backway and over Monteagle mountain for a mild twisty then super slab down I24 to I75 and up to Cleveland TN (passing Ooltewah which always reminds me of Heavy Metal ). In Cleveland I head across US74 to US411 then up to Etowah. Jumping on TN310 which converges with TN39 (a nice rolling country road) I head to Tellico Plains.

In Tellico the good riding really gets going with TN165 aka Cherohala Skyway. About 60 miles of sweepers and switchbacks jumbled together with killer scenic views along the (and a some waterfalls if you know where to look). As the Cherohala Skyway crosses into North Carolina it turns to NC143 but you don't really notice a change. Once out of the Skyway there is a bit of crap pavement that leads into Robbinsville. To make matters worse it had loose gravel on it. The nice folks in NC did have warning signs and hopefully this means more nice pavement soon .

In Robbinsville I stopped for gas and hesitated on going one pass of the Dragon.... Well as I was drinking a water I talked to a couple of guys from Florida and asked what the status was of over enforcement as commanded by the fascist governor of TN . Well it seems they both got tickets and there was 5 cars up there (yep one per 2 miles of TN tax dollars at waste) They said they got them for 44 in 30 and I will say they may even have been doing that but..... the police refused to show them the radar. That coupled with the over enforcement dragnet makes me wonder if they are picking on out of state people that cannot afford to come back for a fight . Well with that TN welcome motorcyclist reminder I decided to spend money with non-aXXhXXXs.

So out of Robbinsville I continue up NC143 a mildly winding road to the tee with NC28. If you head left you go up to Deals Gap on a decent road but I had other plans and headed to the right further east over to US19/74 then on a side road up into Cherokee. Stopped got some gas on the reservation and the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I wandered up the Blue Ridge for about 70 miles getting off on NC151. Along the way I stopped at Devils Courthouse a unique rock formation and learned the Devils Courthouse is inside not the rock formation (a cave). Also I stopped at the highest point and got a picture of a guy that has his dog riding in the back (yep he was my buddy but did not like the slickster in the one photo). I also got the nice smell of burning brakes bad following more than a couple

Well it was getting dark when I got on NC151 because this road was wild I was stuck behind a van and the dark so I was easing along the whole way but WOW what a twisting unmarked no shoulder cliff and rock wall ridden adventure it would be . Oh and about 2/3 the way down we got clogged up behind a couple on a sport bike that were going so slow that the fan was smoking brake pads and I was riding with the clutch in and still having to slow down (see it is not only Harleys )

Well on NC 151 I arrived in Hominy then jumped on US19W over to I40. The first section was fun for a interstate with a speed limit of 55 (50 for trucks) and no trucks in the top lane. It was a mildly crowded though.

From there it was over to I75 down to I24 the over to US72 and in. Fast slab as it was 12:30 when I got in. The only interesting part was the deer grazing along I75 in the fog area.

Yep 8AM to 12:30PM and about 780 miles. Between lack of slee, sore legs and back I did pay the price at work today. That should make me reduce my range to a more manageable level... Well that and cold and lack of daylight.... At least for this year

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slickwill

What kind of snake is that? Copperhead? I'm not up on my southern snakes.

Sounds like a sweet ride. Did you ride your RR that far?

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SheepOfBlue

It was black and about 4" long, did not seem to have a triangular head so likely not poisonous. I am guessing black snake or black racer but I hate snakes slightly less than spiders so I will defer to the snake experts.

Yep on the touring RR if I had been on a ChickenWing couch that would have been nothing

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oldfogey

Thanks for the tour write-up and photos, SoB.

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BizJetGuy

Great write-up SoB... brings back many good memories from my home state (NC).

IIRC, when I went to college in Brevard many, many moons ago there were two locations where the rock climbing class would meet - Looking Glass Rock and the Devil's Courthouse.

Beautiful scenery up there and makes me wonder what I am still doing here in flat, hot SE Texas!