Cold as a Dragon's....

Ice coated trees along the Cherohala Skyway on the North Carolina/Tennesee Border.

I woke up in Louisville, Kentucky.

Can't say I've ever had a desire to go to Louisville. It's not that I have anything against Louisville, or even Kentucky, I've just never had a reason to go there. However, that changed a couple of years ago when I learned about a man named "Bama" who owned a bike like mine. "Owned" is the right tense because his Honda Aero was stock for maybe eight hours. Through his own ingenuity and hard work he's turned it into a rolling work of art...in progress. I've watched his bike over the years change from a stock Aero to a 50's bobster to today's configuration, a vintage 30's styled bike, as well as other stops along the way.

While this blog is intended for my pictures and photo trips I felt it necesssary to post one of Bama's own pics here so you, my reader, can see why I was willing to venture to Louisville just to meet a man and his bike. My only regret is that the new front end was at a machine shop for fitting a bronze bushing so I didn't get to see all of the bike. Click on the pic above for more images of Bama's bike.

After meeting Bama and his bike Friday night I went to bed before making my route plans for Saturday. Another friend who accompanied me had to race a snow storm back home to Chicago so I was free to ride solo and so after a lite breakfast bagel I decided to ride home via Deal's Gap and the Cherohala Skyway.

The Plan...

From Louisville I'd ride interstates down to Knoxville, TN, for about 250 miles. From Knoxville I'd have nearly 150 miles of two lanes before my final 50 miles back home on a 4-lane divided highway.

Winter still hangs over the higher altitudes.

The weather had turned colder than anticipated and I found myself running 80-85 mph through temps as low as 36 degrees. In the mountains I hit a few 30 degree passes which was all my clothing could handle. This trip started as an excuse for me to test out the long distance riding capabilities of my new Goldwing. In addition, I was able to test my ability to handle the cold.



I made my way down the interstate, riding just a bit faster than traffic. I kept my stops to a minimum and made my way into Knoxville in four hours.

As I proceeded on my journey the green grass near Knoxville
would soon be replaced by the stark browns of higher altitudes.

The temperature had warmed to 46 by the time I reached Knoxville but I knew the roads I was heading to would lead me back into much colder weather.

The view of the mountains from Highway 129 outside Knoxville showed me I was right. Below, the ice encrusted trees high in the Smoky Mountain National Park can be seen towering over the greens of Knoxville.


The Smokys in the distance warned of cold temps at altitude.

Racing alongside an arm of the Tennessee River I made my way to the northern end of Highway 129 as it crosses from Tennessee into North Carolina. Known among riders as "The Tail of the Dragon", this stretch of road is famous with motorcyclist worldwide as one of the best roads in the world to ride. The 318 curves contained within these 11 miles forms a motorcyclist's playground, albeit a deadly one. Before taking the 'Wing on her maiden voyage over the Dragon I stopped at the Calderwood Dam Overlook for a minute to get my head in the game.


A rest stop at Calderwood Dam Overlook provided a brief respite
from the demands of navigating 318 curves in 11 miles.


The ice crusted peeks in the distance are part of the mountains crossed by the Cherohala Skyway, a road I'd be riding in a couple of hours.

Arriving at Deal's Gap after crossing the Dragon I took a quick break at the newly renovated store at the Resort.

The second floor addition houses staff offices and inventory which allowed management to increase the retail area on the main floor.

An artful Dragon stands guard over the fuel reserves at Deal's Gap.

After rehydrating I headed to the Cherohala Skyway which connects Robbinsville, NC, to Tellico Plains, TN. The browns of winter shall soon give way to the greens of spring but on this cold day they held an alure of thier own.



I stopped for pictures along the Skyway and enjoyed sight of trees encased in ice.

A photo stop along the Cherohala Skyway.

Just a few cars and bikes ventured into the cold air atop the Skyway.

The Skyway is visible as the dark slash cutting across the mountain top in the background. Although road conditions were fine the air temperture dropped to at least 30 degrees.

After crossing into Tennessee and passing through Tellico Plains I turned the bike south for the final leg of my trip home. Arriving in town I remembered I had nothing to eat in fridge and stopped downtown to pick up a sandwich to take home.

The 'Wing at rest outside my local coffee house.

As is usually the case on these trips, I returned home with mixed emotions. On the one hand it's nice to safely return home but that also marks the end of the journey. All I can do now is dream about the next trip my bike and I shall enjoy.

My bike and I on the road.