Holy Crap the SE is beautiful

[Squatch]

Hey, everybody. My father-, brother-in-law, and I just finished our 8-day tour of the SE. We started last Saturday with the Skyline Drive, Blue Ridge Parkway, Tail of the Dragon, and finally Cherohala Skyway before picking our way back home.

Man, oh, man!!! What an incredibly beautiful country we live in.

Here's how I think the roads stack up against each other:

1) Blue Ridge Parkway - For sheer VOLUME of scenery, twisties, and mile after mile of deserted and well-maintained roads. We started at mile 0 and ended at mile 469 in Cherokee, NC. Except for the section outside of Asheville (closed for road damage) we rode the whole shebang. For the entire stretch, we saw 1 police officer, and I don't think he was interested in us.

2) Cherohala Skyway - Holy crap, what a fun road. The NC half is more fun than the TN half, because of the HUGE...and I mean MASSIVE sweeping turns you can take at ~65mph. Ridiculously fun road. Once again...absolutely deserted of both drivers, riders, and cops.

3) Tail of the Dragon - What a workout. Finally busted the cherry on my bike by dragging its pegs in some of the tighter turns. We hit this yesterday, the day after the Memorial Day weekend, and once again: DESERTED roads. For the whole 11 miles (which we rode 2x yesterday and once today in the rain), there was nobody in front or behind me. I was able to really push the Strom beyond my comfort zone, really focusing on good technique. The whole time, 40mph, 2nd and third gear, 4500 rpm, and no brakes. Only one cop, and he was leaving.

4) Skyline Drive - Look, this is a nice road to take with your family, in your comfortable car, but it's not a particularly fun touring road. Sure, the scenery is stunning, but 35mph for 104 miles can get rather tedious. I like this road because of its proximity to my home (~1 hr), but it's not my kinda motorcycle road. (I feel bad rating this road at the bottom, because it has its nice features, but for this trip...not so much)

Anyways, here are a couple pics:

On the Cherohala Skyway:



On the Blue Ridge Parkway:



Self Portrait:



Deal's Gap Entrance:

[flvegan]

1. What a cool way to spend a holiday.

Nice looking bike. How long have you ridden?

[Squatch]

3. Since I was about 12.

[XemaSab]

2. I'll back you up

The Appalachians are some of the most beautiful hills I've ever seen. :)

[Squatch]

4. Western NC is dangerous...the spectacular scenery can be distracting

which is not a good thing when you're flanked by 1000 foot drop-offs.

[av8rdave]

5. I did that trip a few years ago....

Isn't the dragon great???? Also like the Blue Ridge Parkway, but had a lot more fun on the dragon. I think we rode it 4 times.

If you ever get the chance, take a ride to northern Arkansas. The pig trail is also spectacular!

[Squatch]

6. The Dragon was fun, but short.

Cherohala, on the other hand...take the Dragon and multiply it by a brazillion. I just loved those incredible sweeping turns...for 50 miles!

The dragon...man, you've got to work at that road. My trusty bike handled the tight hairpins like a champ.

Some of the routes coming off the BRP (like NC route 80) were gnarlier, but every motorcyclist worth his or her salt has to hit Deal's Gap at least once.

[av8rdave]

15. The Dragon is quite the workout on a heavy cruiser....

Thankfully my floorboards have rub strips on them!

[Dogtown]

7. Gorgeous scenery throughout the southeast

Georgia has some amazingly beautiful geography, and some of the small cities have fascinating architecture.

EDIT: Oh, and great sports-car and motorcycle roads; winding and graceful.

[Squatch]

8. Some of the towns you hit can be...interesting.

Exhibit A: Floyd, Virginia

What a quirky little gem of a town.

[Dogtown]

9. Interesting is nice...

I want to avoid south-bashing (I'm a transplant and found the deep-south a bit shocking, & I've over-generalized in the past), so I'll just agree that some of the out of the way places are a bit "quaint".

You can stumble upon some disturbing photographs in the flea markets; the last set I came across were donated to the MLK Foundation.

I'm unfamiliar with Floyd, VA. Mostly know NoVA. Hopefully you just mean "quirky" as "old fashioned"...

[seemunkee]

10. The local Mini club does a trip to the Dragon every year

I'll have to go sometime. Need to fix my power steering first though.

[Squatch]

12. Saw quite a few Minis on the BRP...

They were easy to pass. :evilgrin:

[wain]

11. I don't bike

But your trip description puts a whole new light on my shortcoming.

Thanks. I've learned of places to go.

[Squatch]

13. It was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

I grew up in the Alps of Bavaria, and have always had an attraction to craggy mountains. I've got to tell you, brother, the SE Appalachians along certain stretches brought me back to my home in Germany. The vistas, the smells, the pastoral interludes, the wonderful roads all combined for a spectacular trip.

[Inchworm]

14. I totally agree

I so want a bike to experience that wander again. You are lucky to get to see it like that.

:thumbsup:

[tekisui]

16. Welcome to my backyard.

I have spent many days and nights along the BRP. It is a beautiful piece of Earth.

Looks like a great time.