Took a short trip with several buddies from N Alabama to Helen GA(N Eastern GA) and then on to the Smoky Mountains. Cold and rainy when we pulled out Saturday morning but by the time we reached Helen it was actually very comfortable. Speaking of Helen. if you have never been there I suggest you make the trip. Absolutely a great motorcycling destination and within a days ride of most motorcycle oriented locations like Deal's Gap, TWO, Cherohala Skyway, Blue Ridge Parkway etc..... Got to Helen in time to find ourselves a nice spot at the bar attached to Paul's Steakhouse in downtown Helen. Watched the Tide Roll while sippin on Yeunglings..........a good time for sure

Stayed out drinkin a little longer than we should have so the 6:00 am departure time came sooner than I wanted but the mountain roads awaited so off we went. We explored some roads near Suches GA and eventually made our way up toward Tellico Plains TN(and the Skyway). Some locals told us about poor road conditions due to snow and ice up in the higher elevations on the Skyway so we decided to bypass it for the time being. We took the backway in to the Gap through Vonore TN (comes in by the lake down near the Foothills Pkwy). We had a nice unobstructed run through the Gap thanks to very little traffic and Killboy got a good shot of me on my Street Glide for his main page http://killboy.blogspot.com/ (check out "touchdown" near the end of this weeks update). After gassing up we decided we would check the Skyway out and see what it looked like covered in snow and ice. So glad we did too since it was absolutely beautiful. The roads were mostly clear and dry too. That was a relief since a couple of the guys riding with me are fairly inexperienced winter riders. Great trip across the Skyway even with the temps in the low 20's and upper teens in the higher elevations. Once back in Tellico, we planned our route back home and headed out. Weather warmed up nicely and we managed to avoid every major highway all the way home. All in all, we covered 730 miles in 2 days with 500 of those coming Sunday on the way back. Not a lot miles really but since it was soooo cold, we are going to say it felt like 1000 miles . Hell the Skyway felt like 1000 miles by itself at times. Here are some pics from the trip.

 

A Few more pics of the trip. The winter weather was really a blessing since it slowed most folks down and that allowed us to see more of the scenery.

 

Last ones. The camera died pretty quick, probably too cold.

 

Was worth the ride though wasn't it?

 

We're leaving in the A.M. to Helen (+1 on a good time, been there before) and then up to Ashville for a few days, then on to Gatlinburg. It looks like we will be gettin wet also. The pictures are great, can't wait to see it for real.

 

I was up on the Skyway last weekend as well, and it was a pretty special time. The dusting of snow and ice early in the season made for a great memory. It's a great area for riding! Like the fellow said in the BRP thread, it's best not to let the weather report keep you home - you might miss out on a great ride. It's not an adventure until something goes wrong!

 

Thanks for the pictures. Great scenery.

 

Notgrownup, the trip was most definitely worth it. I have ridden much of that area on sportbikes since 1998. Hell, we used go up to Deal's Gap 20 times a season before it became so popular. Only been a handful of times on my Street Glide but I see something different each time I go and each time has been just as enjoyable or more so than the trip before it. This trip I saw a bear on 68 just south of Tellico(Between Ducktown and Tellico). Ironically less than 300 yards up the road I saw a group of hunters, bear hunters as it were, oblivious to the elusive creature sneaking up behind them . I saw other stuff but that stood out to me since its the only time I have seen a live bear near the roadway. I joked to my buddies that we nearly joined "The Bear Club for Men" referencing the threat of one of use hitting the beast.

 

Great Pics!

 

Thanks for the great pictures. I'm surprised the snow has already started up there. I usually ride the Cherohala at least a couple of times in Nov and yet to see snow this early. Maybe a hint of our winter to come