A good trip trough the Smoky Mountains

MB1953 · May 30, 2015

We spent last week tooling around the mountains in NC and TN; 2500 miles in a week. Other than Wednesday, when we got completely drenched, the weather was absolutely beautiful, even if it was a little on the cool side (around 40* in the mornings). Sandi was a picture-taking demon... here are a few to share.

arnie · May 30, 2015

Beautiful country!

FuzzyWuzHe · May 30, 2015

Love the sticker on the helmet ... all about priorities.

Gorilla · May 30, 2015

Nice ride

Rick Kay · May 30, 2015

I couldn't agree more! Cathy and I just enjoyed 10 days there. I don't know how the riding could be any better.

dirtdobber · May 30, 2015

I am lucky most of those area's are close so we ride in that direction many times in the summer.
Great scenery and good riding.

MB1953 · May 30, 2015

dirtdobber said:
I am lucky most of those area's are close so we ride in that direction many times in the summer.
Great scenery and good riding.

It was a 600 mile ride for us to get there (we were staying in the Boone, NC area), but we will be doing it again, and soon. Planning to try in the Gatlinburg area so that we will be closer to the Dragon (which we rode) and Cherahola Skyway (which we got rained out of this trip), but no matter where, the entire area has some super riding... it can be really challenging (upper body physically) on a trike, but was worth every second! One of the neatest cruises was the ride from Boone to Cherokee on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

MB1953 · May 30, 2015

FuzzyWuzHe said:
Love the sticker on the helmet ... all about priorities.

Amen!

sandrooney · May 31, 2015

We are going out to do the Blue Ridge Parkway at the end of July. Looks like it will be a fun trip.
I have been told buy a couple people to stay away from Gatlinburg.

KJB · May 31, 2015

I remember back in the late 60s as a young Marine stationed in SC, I used to drive home to WI sometimes even just on a 96 hour pass. Usually had ride share people with me. That was before I-40 went through the Smoky Mountains and we had to take 441 between Gatlinburg and Cherokee, NC. Even though we were in a hurry and not sight seeing I always marveled at the scenery along that route. I need to get back there on my Trike one of these days.

Sully · May 31, 2015

Great area to ride, North Ga. Eastern Tenn. and the Carolinas, everyone should ride the area at least once and get it off your bucket list ThumbUp

mcdonaldroadcapt · May 31, 2015

Smoky Mountains

Gatlinburg is hot and traffic bound. A great place to stay is Maggie Valley. Traffic easy, good breakfast places, and good dinner places in nearby Waynesville. Just over the mountain to Cherokee and most all great riding destinations.

Rick Kay · May 31, 2015

mcdonaldroadcapt said:
Gatlinburg is hot and traffic bound. A great place to stay is Maggie Valley. Traffic easy, good breakfast places, and good dinner places in nearby Waynesville. Just over the mountain to Cherokee and most all great riding destinations.

Agreed. We camped in Candler, and much preferred the NC side to the TN side (we stayed in TN in 2007). Great riding all the way to Boone/Blowing Rock. ThumbUp

Stainless53 · May 31, 2015

Stainless

Nice pics, we rode the Dragon's Tail last October just after buying the Freewheeler. What a beautiful ride through the Smokey Mountains. The Colors in the trees at that time of year were breath taking. Want to ride in the spring next time.

Steve on 3 · Jun 1, 2015

sandrooney said:
We are going out to do the Blue Ridge Parkway at the end of July. Looks like it will be a fun trip.
I have been told buy a couple people to stay away from Gatlinburg.

Let me put it like this: Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are Myrtle Beach without the Ocean ! or as the real estate lady there told me. Gatlinburg is full of newlyweds and nearly deads ! Too much traffic. The areas around there are great for riding. If you want another good road without doing the dragon, google Shady Valley or green eyed snake US 421 from Bristol to Mountain City Tenn. 418 curves in 12 miles and some of them make the dragon look like a Kansas highway. More elevation changes too. No traffic to speak of. On a Saturday in July we met 6 bicycle riders and three pickups. The bikes were running downhill over 6o mph.

Steve

Scratch · Jun 1, 2015

The better half and I stayed in Gatlinburg two days/nights last week; our first trip back there since 1980. The Smokeys were as beautiful as they ever were. Gatlinburg has changed dramatically and not for the better. That place was once one of our favorite haunts, but I doubt if we return. Maggie Valley, I understand, is still quite nice...

MB1953 · Jun 2, 2015

I will have to agree on this. The place we stay in Gatlinburg isn't "in Gatlinburg", so we don't have to deal with the traffic and tourists unless we choose to. Sad tale, when I first experienced Gatlinburg in the late 70s, it was a completely different town. Myrtle Beach? I would call it more like Atlantic City. We have found plenty of places to eat and hang out that are not in Gatlinburg, so we will probably go back there.

Illini_Triker · Jun 2, 2015

We Camped down there 2 years ago in Wears Valley loved the place. what really neat was when we left in the morning we had no place in might would just see a road and take off on it to see were it would end up had some great sights to see and some of the roads were really scary but man what a time. couple times I think we heard banjo music and once might have see one of those moonshiners van parked on the side of the road with a lot of jugs in the back, we just kept driving and not slow down :laugh:

MB1953 · Jun 2, 2015

Ha!

That makes me remember my first trip to that area. Back in the late 70s (before I was riding) I was in Sevierville to start up a small plant that made automotive accessories. My first day there, I showed the maintenance supervisor how to understand the modern automated equipment we had installed, and he thanked me. The next day, on my way out, he handed me a small paper sack and said thanks again. Inside was a quart mason jar of clear sippin' shine that took me almost two years to finish. Talk about southern comfort!