I had a great day of riding
today! I left camp early this morning
(7:00 a.m.) and was on my way to Tennessee . I was really looking forward to Cherohala
Skyway and Tail of the Dragon. As I said
previously, I have ridden both of these roads on a prior trip and I remember
how fun they were the first time so I was expecting the same today. I was not disappointed. They Skyway was great with many great
views. It was a little overcast which
hindered the view some but still amazing.
Next there was a Dragon to be slayed!
There were more bikes out than I expected for the middle of the week but
not too many to make any problems. My
ride on the Dragon was really good. I
had very little traffic to deal with. I
did catch up to a guy riding a Victory and he let me pass him so I had clear
sailing right through to the end. The
Dragon is one of those roads that needs to be experienced to understand. It provides a real “rush” when ridden. It is both technically challenging and
beautiful at the same time. All kinds of
cars and motorcycles come here to ride this road; it is really a gathering
place. One of the interesting things about riding the Dragon is that people take photos of the people driving by and then post them on a website so you can purchase them. It is an opportunity to get a real action shot that you don't get very often. I did purchase my photo from the last time I did this ride. I will have to check the websites in a few days to see if they got any got actions photos this time!
After the Dragon, I continued on my
route home. At one part of my route, I
got onto another very curvy and technical road. Three guys on sport bikes were behind me. I was unfamiliar with the road and what to
expect ahead so I waved them on to get in front of me so I wasn’t slowing them
down. I was able to keep pace with these
guys for the entire stretch; I have no idea how many miles it was. At the end the road came to a T and they
stopped. I stopped to talk to them as well.
It turns out, they are from Minnesota
as well. What a coincidence! One of them
is from near where I grew up. They have
been making this trip every year for 9 years now around this time. They commented they trailered their bikes
down because if they rode them, their tires would need to be replaced by the
time they got down here and then would need to be replaced before getting back home! They were all very familiar with this road from previous trips and they said it is part of "Devils Triangle". I have not heard of it in the past so I thought I would check out the website (http://www.devilstriangletn.com/) and here is what it said:
The adventure ranges from the bucolic rural Tennessee scenery to a view of Brushy Mountain State Prison; from gentle country road sweepers to gnarly steep switchbacks; from serene straights to Dragon like twisties with guard rails of death; from gentle pull-offs to three foot deep rock strewn gullies just inches from the pavement; from peaceful farmsteads to sections of rutted roadway right out of a horror movie.
Yes, the Triangle will get your attention in a hurry. This is no place for the beginning rider.
BULLETIN: The Devils Triangle is not a place for the squeamish or beginning rider. There are sections with difficult steep switchbacks, poorly patched asphalt, heaves in the roadway, broken pavement, gravel in road, steep dropoffs, and coal/logging trucks to dodge. Other that that it is a great road. RIDE WITH EXTREME CARE .....
The last image I have attached is part of the road as viewed in Google Earth showing 3 sharp switchbacks together.
I am staying at Cove Lake State Park in Tennessee
(near Lake City Kentucky . I hope to make it north of Louisville
tomorrow (Thursday) and then to Chicago
on Friday. The riding the next few days
will not be as exciting today has been but I will have the memories of today to
enjoy for a long time!
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