Ride Report Out to the Smokys - Lots of Photos

[DK Custom Products]

Day 3 Concluded.

Beautiful area to ride in. This entire ride has been occupied with appreciating the privilege of riding these roads with friends, and remembering riding them with Larry.



Pulling in for some late lunch.



Back rolling...



...a look back.



Mary taking a pic of Rhoda taking a pic of Mary.



Just a word about Ray & Rhoda and their fancy 160 hp 6 cylinder BMW.

A few years ago they were on a road trip and were passing near our home. We kept waiting for them to show up. For as long as we had know them, up to that point, they had toured on their Dyna with loud pipes.

All of a sudden we heard someone knocking on our door. It was them! But we had not heard them...they showed up on their BMW! They've been happily riding it ever since.

We're back on Foothills Parkway now...



...enjoying the road, winding thru some beautiful woods.



Stopped at a scenic lookout...



...I'm sitting in the shade, as Roger makes his way to the shade himself.



Not long after, we're pulling into Townsend, back to home-base.



It was a great day of riding, catching up with friends and remembering Larry.

Day 4 coming soon.

Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

Day 4-

Another great day of riding is planned. The group is going on two different routes.

Some of us are taking a longer route, and others a shorter one. The shorter ride is going straight to The Dragon with Larry's wife and sister.

Taking our time getting ready to head out.



Headed toward Cherokee Valley...



...enjoying the....



...Beautiful area.



There are so many great riding roads...



...and the views are great around most every corner.



I like this photo Mary got as we hugged this curve and powered thru it.



Just. WOW!



Learning a bit about a Yamaha FJR at a scenic pull-out. John rode an Ultra when we first met him many years ago....but this is his second Non-HD bike, and it does not appear he will be going back to an HD anytime soon.



Relaxing and catching up with friends we generally see only once a year.



More in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

Day 4 continued-

A view of the Smokeys at 40 mph.



Coasting down the hill into Cherokee...



Just puttin along...



...you can see we're riding pretty easy this morning...I'm at 40.3 mpg for the last 60 miles or so.

Mary in the Mirror.



We do hit a few curves fast...this one was at 75 mph, but the FJR was still pulling away from me without even trying.



Stopped at another scenic pull-out, got a photo of me and Mary.



Back hitting a few curves at 70 mph+...



...you can see in this one Ray is getting close to dragging a peg.



This is a really fun section of road before getting to Deals Gap.



A section of the river had a pretty good layer of fog hanging right above the water.



More coming soon.

Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

Day 4 Continued-

Absolutely breathtaking views everywhere we look-



We got stuck behind this slow moving Tri-Glide. You could tell he was pushing it as fast as he was comfortable...he just does not know what his trike is capable of doing.

I was a bit surprised that he did not pull over in one of the many turn-outs to let the traffic behind him pass.



We stopped here for lunch...ate in a really nice (LARGE) picnic area they have. Totally forgot to take any photos. Nice place with motorcycle stalls that are equipped with motorcycle cleaning supplies.



Back riding...toward the Dragon.



My "Perfect Road" & the Tri-Glide just eats it up.... Curved, Banked and Uphill-



Translated- This sign means- Be Careful, but there is FUN AHEAD!



The beginning of The Dragon....from the opposite direction of yesterday.



Curve after curve....



followed by More Curves.



318 curves later, we are on the other side of the Dragons Tail.

There was a friendly Canadian hanging out in the pull-out. We traded him a beer for taking our pic.



More coming soon.

Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

Day 4 Concluded-

Headed back to Townsend via the Foothills Parkway.



Almost to the Parkway...



...enjoying the curves.



Soon after this it began raining, so Mary tucked the camera away. No more pics for Day 4.

Day 5-

There was a steady, but light rain most of the morning. Last night we had some heavy rains and wind. Tore the roof off the Subway across the road!

Mid morning in the parking lot-



Paul holding forth...don't remember about what, but babygirl thought it was funny.



After it had stopped raining we decided to go for a ride into the Smokeys...deciding at some point to have a memorial service for Larry.

There are two routes into the hills from Townsend, they were both closed due to the wind last night blowing down trees into the road.

So we stopped at the river, near the turn off to Cades...



It was the perfect spot. We spent some time remembering Larry, each of us dispersing some of his ashes into the river.



All the roads are closed, so we took a bit more time and headed back to Townsend.



The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent remembering Larry and telling stories. No pics.

The ride home for Mary and I will be posted up next.

Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

Day 6- The Ride Home.

Leaving our Inn on the Hill...



Enjoying the ride thru the hills out of Townsend.



A different kind of Horsepower!



We're getting a few sprinkles as we ride a ways with some fellow travelers.



Mary in the mirror as we do our short bit on the interstate. Still getting 38.2 mpg for this tank.



As we enter Tennessee, the sprinkles turn into a steady rain....



...so we pulled into Big Daddy's Fireworks and filled up the tank and put on our rain suits.



Mary in the mirror as we cruise down the last part of the interstate at 70 mph in the rain.



In Alabama now, no rain, and very little traffic.



It is a bit warm, so I've opened up my rain suit and turned into the Michelin Man. lol



Conclusion in next post.

[DK Custom Products]

Last post of the Larry Weaver Memorial Weekend in the Smokys.

Ride on Larry!



Here's why we left our rain suits on...



Mary with the camera tucked in behind the fairing...



...we rode in and out of the rain all thru Alabama.



A look off to the side.



Back home in Mississippi....



...getting only a few sprinkles now and then. Cruising the 72 at 70 mph.



We stopped in Corinth at the Veterans Cemetery...



...to pay respects to Mary's dad. He served in the Army, Navy & Marine Corps. Was still carrying shrapnel in his leg when we lost him almost a year ago.



Last year, while we were on our "40 Days Following the Front Wheel" ride, Mary had to fly home a few days early to be with him the few days before he passed.

You can see our "40 Days" Ride Report at this link-

http://www.triketalk.com/forum/threa...he-Front-Wheel

From Corinth it is a hop, skip and a jump home, well, about 70 miles.

First thing we did when we got home was to check on this mama chicken and her chick that had hatched the day before we left out.



Hope you enjoyed following along.

Kevin

[bikerbillone]

Sure enjoyed the pics and the narrative. What camera did Mary use?

[Zammy]

Great pics and story as always Kevin, thank you for the ride along.

[kybigmac]

I really enjoy your stories and pictures! Thx for sharing.

[Burnerboy]

I just got back from the same trip, routes, last week June 28th on my Honda 1800 (new to me trike'd out Roadsmith) wow what a ride, I'm still trying to get that "sugar eating" grin off my face a week later... and now I read your post, and "dang it" that same grin is back on my face again... Looks like you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Ronnie

[TGCarol]

Thanks for the ride report Kevin. What a great tribute to your friend.

[David357]

Great pics and presentation Kevin.

[paws]

Another big thanks to Kevin and Mary for the ride-along.

Sure enjoy getting to see "first-hand" a trip I will never get to experience from the back of an iron horse.

Keep those pictorials coming you guys!!!!

[Ed Hobgood]

Kevin, as usual, I've enjoyed the ride with you guys! Keep it up.

[DK Custom Products]

Sure enjoyed the pics and the narrative. What camera did Mary use?

Glad you enjoyed. It is a $100 Fuji JX665 with the shutter speed setting at 400.

Great pics and story as always Kevin, thank you for the ride along.

Thank you!

I really enjoy your stories and pictures! Thx for sharing.

Good to hear you enjoyed!

I just got back from the same trip, routes, last week June 28th on my Honda 1800 (new to me trike'd out Roadsmith) wow what a ride, I'm still trying to get that "sugar eating" grin off my face a week later... and now I read your post, and "dang it" that same grin is back on my face again... Looks like you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Ronnie

Yep, the roads out that way are fantastic, definitely grin inspiring!

Thanks for the ride report Kevin. What a great tribute to your friend.

Thank you. We miss Larry, but are glad to have had the time with him that we did.

Great pics and presentation Kevin.

Thank you!

Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

Kevin, as usual, I've enjoyed the ride with you guys! Keep it up.

Thanks, good to hear you enjoyed!

We're hoping to take a longer trip in the fall, we'll see how everything works out.

Kevin

[desertclassic]

Being a kid from E TN, it sure brings back lots of memories. Jim