5th August, 2016.
Day 14.
Out of excitement in anticipation of the days’ ride ahead of me I awoke very early in the early in the morning around 5:30 a.m. local time.
Having checked in to the motel relatively early in the evening on the previous night I was able to get an extra couple of hours of good sleep.
I felt very refreshed.
It was a beautiful, bright, crisp and fresh morning.
The mountain air felt wonderful and I began to pack my gear and load it all up on the bike.

Last nights’ dinner - the lack of a hearty meal, had me feeling hungry this morning. Luckily there was a Hardee’s establishment next door (one that I was too lazy to saunter across to last night).
I walked across and bought some breakfast and coffee, made my way back to the room and set about downloading all of my photos and videos, and catching up on my journal notes from the previous day over my breakfast.
At 8:10 a.m. local time, engine warmed up and luggage re-checked for security, I was ready to set out and experience the my long-anticipated ride along the Cherohala Skyway.
For a moment there, I could not fathom the reality of the situation. I had spent so much time in the past couple of years researching and “soaking up” as much information as I could find about this ride and now here I was getting ready to “do it”!
I had been very excited about everyone else’s experiences they had shared through various means and now here I was getting ready to “do it”!
The weather looked great and the bike and I were dressed and ready to “do it”!
We were ready to Tango in Tennessee!
After check-out formalities I pulled out of the parking lot of the motel and pulled into a Mobil gas station across the street.
I bought some water to drink throughout the day and the bike took in what she needed for the day as well.
Pulling out of the station, I turned left on highway 68 and headed south back towards Tellico Plains.
Beautiful asphalt made for a really smooth ride and just before dipping into the valley that lay ahead I couldn’t help but marvel at the lovely view that presented itself to me.

I just had to stop and memorialize the view.
I pushed on and at the junction of highway 68 and 165 a sign instructed/mandated a left turn towards the Cherohala Skyway.
I was savoring this part of the trip.
I was getting closer and closer to the Cherohala Skyway.
I couldn’t get there fast enough. But at the same time I didn’t want to get there and ride it just yet because I knew it would soon be over!
Over but in my history book.
I wanted to linger in the hope of making it last so much longer.
I was now here.
The “chips were down”. It was time to do it!
But I still wanted to preserve the time.
I pulled over on the shoulder of the road and reached for my camera gear and set up for a few photos. With not much traffic in the area my safety hazard here at the side of the road was much less.

Meeting Aubry.
As I began to put camera gear away, a man, also on a motorbike pulled up alongside me, wondering if I was in distress and asked if I needed help.
I thanked him profusely for stopping and offering his assistance and explained that I was okay, having only stopped to take some pictures.
“Are you sure”? he asked again.
“Yes I’m positive. I really appreciate it”. I responded.
And with that, he pulled off and went on his way, which happened to be in the same direction as I would be heading.
So with camera put away and secured, I made the turn left as well, onto the Unicoi Turnpike, a.k.a. the Cherohala Skyway, only to see him up ahead pulled over in the parking lot of the presently closed visitor center to the area, next door to the Charles Museum.
So now I was under the impression that he was in need of help.
I headed towards him, pulled over and then offered my assistance, asking if he was in need.
Confirming that all was well, we struck up conversation.
Being retired, living three valleys beyond where we were, Aubry spends a portion of each and every day on this route. He’s made a daily loop of it and is very dedicated to this daily ride.
He describes it as his “daily therapy”!
The only days he misses are severe snowy and icy days and when other stuff beyond his control crop up.
Curious about my journey/story as well, he asked if I’d ever been on the Cherohala Skyway.
I can still hear him ask me:
“Well, if you have time and would like, I can show you some lovely places along the way”.
Politely trying to refuse, I told him I did not want to impose on him nor take him out of his way.
“You’re not putting me out. It’s my way home. There’s a beautiful waterfall just off the beaten track that a lot of tourists don’t know exists and miss it as a result. If you’d like to follow me I’ll show you”.
So now my mind was running, wondering if I was making good judgement about accepting this kind of an offer from a stranger.
It’s not impossible for something bad to come out of this, just as it’s not impossible for something good to come out of this either.
On both our sides it was 50/50. He was taking a chance on a stranger too.
So I went with my gut feeling on this one.
Something about him made me feel comfortable with the situation.
(In later conversation, he expressed the same sentiments).
So off we went with him in the lead and me being cautiously apprehensive - He was too!
And so my long awaited ride began. The road began to rise in elevation as it hugged and twisted around the mountain side.
Aubry set the pace. I followed. It was a nice comfortable pace, allowing me the possibility of letting my eyes wander off the road for little bits to take in the gorgeous scenery.
Arriving at the River Road Junction, we made a right turn onto a single lane, rather narrow, but adequately paved road.
Man, was I doing myself right by following this man into the bowels of a deep dark forest?
The thought did cross my mind.
But with each passing second we encountered a few bicyclists along the same route. So we were not totally alone on this pathway.
The river alongside the road was probably responsible for the thrilling twists and turns.
We continued to go up in elevation and as if someone turned on a light switch, we arrived at the Bald River Falls.
Pulling up at the side of the mountain, we dismounted, spent a few minutes picking up our conversation again before walking back a few yards to the little bridge we had just crossed over.
Our conversation had now become very “bubbly” as we told each other more about ourselves.
We began to realize that we had a lot in common.
We did not drink alcohol, did not smoke, believed in hard honest work, strong sense of family and were passionate about our motorcycle riding!
The weather pattern in the area this year had been relatively warm and dry and although water flowed over the falls, was not as “full” as it typically had been. But it was still a lovely natural scene to enjoy.
Very refreshing.
The sound of flowing/rushing water always has a calming effect.
Somehow magnetic.
We milled around a while, exchanging pleasantries with a couple of bicyclists doing the same thing as we were.
Upon a further suggestion from Aubry, we mounted up and continued along the road further up the mountain to another location of the river called the Little Falls.
Another very lovely setting.
After I took a couple of photos here as well we loaded up and headed back out of the area back onto the Cherohala Skyway.
From this point onwards it was twist after turn after twist as we wound our way along the highway.
The views were just magnificent. Road surface was good so far and the miles piled on slowly.
We continued to climb in elevation - all the way till we crested the Santeetlah range at 5377 ft. (1639 m) - the highest point.
From here, the descent through the Santeetlah Gap would begin.
The Cherohala Skyway is about 40 mi. (64 km) long and took about 2 hrs. of our time to drive along as it led us along the spine of the Unicoi Mountains.
It pretty much runs through the Cherokee National Forest in the eastern part of Tennessee and the Nantahala National Forest in the western part of North Carolina.
Splendid views!
I think it is best to make this a very leisurely drive (which we did) making for a splendid drive.
Aubry suggested me taking the lead so as I could set a more spirited pace for myself, but this for me, was a road to really slow down and enjoy. I preferred to stay behind him. His pace was perfect for this ride.
Over the whole length of this road, there were no gas stations or convenience stores.
There were though, several overlooks/pull-outs, bathrooms, picnic areas and pathways. So my advice would be to fuel up in Robbinsville or Tellico Plains before starting this ride.
One thing of prime importance would be to make sure that as you ride, do not overheat your brakes. It’s too easy to do that with the steep grades I encountered.
Again where this is concerned, I would advise using your engine and gears to assist with keeping a slow pace and assisting your braking efforts.
Dropping into the valley below, it was too soon for either of us to part ways.
Although I had a long way to go on my journey, I was not ready to part ways with Aubry just yet - nor was he! We were enjoying each others company on this gorgeous ride/drive.
Our friendship was in the making.
The mountain ride had worked up our appetites and with both of us agreeing on chicken for lunch, Aubry guided us to a spot in Robbinsville, NC (called Bojangles) he recommended as the best chicken in these parts - he did not exaggerate!
I highly recommend it to all you chicken lovers out there.
These southerners really know how to do it.
It could not have come any fresher or tastier to these 2 hungry bikers!
Our lunch break off the road passed so quickly and all too soon we had to part ways, but not without a promise to keep our new found friendship alive and a promise to meet and ride together again.
So parting ways with profound gratitude for the shared morning, I began my journey from this point, northwards to wards north east Ohio.
The diversion which has resulted in a friendship for life, had now changed the dynamics of my return journey and I was now faced with a greater personal challenge of a lot of time to make up and distance to cover if indeed I was to make it back home on my planned time and day.
I was determined and with my mind in overdrive the only decision I was able to come to, was to make a marathon journey out of it by staying in the saddle and on the road for the rest of the day and night.
Continuing my way along highway 143, I made it through some familiar territory ( I had come through a section of these parts in 2015) through Cheoah, NC heading towards Stecoah, NC.
At the end of the road in Stecoah, I made a right turn at the junction, picking up highway 28 through Johnson gap and on towards Almond, NC.
At the next junction, meeting highway 74, I opted to stay on highway 28. Cutting through the mountains the road began to contort!
Wow, I had stumbled onto a gem of a rider’s road!
Ooooh, I wasn’t going to pass this one up!
The road twisted and turned so tightly that I had to slow down to almost a crawl!
I thought I had been on twisty roads in my life, ………… to date, they all paled in comparison to this one.
There were no “straights”!
The second I pulled out of a curve, I was entering the next. It was like a dance.
It went on for a long time - close to 3 hours.
It was curve after curve - no excuse me - it was twist after twist after twist!
The road surface was not the best. As the road cut through the forest it continued to wind around the mountains, the thick vegetation and dense foliage - to me - was very reminiscent of scenes from the movie “Deliverance”.
My heart was pounding.
There were no other vehicles around. No sign of human life except abodes I passed by that were tucked so deeply in the forest and mountainside that made them barely visible from the narrow road.
The sunlight was, in most areas, obscured by the dense vegetation, creating conditions which combined with the high humidity, made moss thrive on the road, especially in the curves.
Moss which had formed and was thriving in the pores of the asphalt surface, gave a misleading appearance of shade being cast by roadside trees.
These areas were slick as I found out at the early stages of the ride on this road. It made for poor traction between “the rubber and the road”.
So care and caution were the order of the day!
As time went by the monotony of the constant twists and curves of the road began to weigh on my being.
My focus and attention on the road taxed me greatly and was wearing me out.
I was ready to come to the end of this road.
In all my life of motorcycling, I never knew or even dreamt that I would ever tire of a twisty road.
Twisty roads are what I generally seek out for my riding thrills.
And with a machine such as this ST1300, her handling qualities multiply that thrill factor greatly!
Arriving in Franklin, NC I had covered 33 miles in just about 3 hours.
This is an indication of what a slow speed I averaged on this road.
Believe me, I had to take it really easy and even at that slow pace the ride was still thrilling.
I learned a lot on this road.
Keeping my eyes peeled, reading the road surface accurately before making inputs and adjustments to my ride decisions, “picking my lines” to maximize safety, avoiding unfamiliar road surface conditions, being aware of my surroundings, registering images in my mind that became unforgettable, being ready for animals in the forest, hoping that they wouldn’t suddenly dart out in front of me and all the while realizing that the day was wearing on.
I wasted no time in Franklin. A quick break to settle my tingling senses from the thrill of NC 28 and to rehydrate myself, I “caught highway 23 northwards and pushed on towards Sylva.
As I journeyed on, I was constantly making routing changes and decisions in my mind.
It was getting later in the day and my priority from this point forward was to concentrate on laying down the miles.
Next stop after Sylva was to be Balsam, NC then on to Waynesville, NC right at the base or should I say, a good entry point onto Interstate 40 east.
That meant that my thrilling, twisting mountain rides for this trip would be over.
So as all good things must come to an end, I was becoming more focussed on getting home quickly.
An all-night ride was in the works and shaping up.
I-40 would help me knock down the miles and make up good time.
It would be doing its thing of being “ruthlessly efficient”.
As I finally got onto I-40, the threat of rain loomed large over me.
Not what I really wanted but would no doubt have to deal with it.
I joined the flow of traffic and the ST in true form, picked up its skirts and marched off. In the blink of an eye we were at a comfortable cruising speed and I settled in for the “straight ride” while she did her thing of knocking down the miles. To make it home from here, she would have to “lay down” 592 mi. (947 km) - a tall order for me but peanuts for The ST!
It was now close to 7:00 p.m. local time when I pulled into the McDowell County Rest Area to take a break from the now rainy conditions I was in.
Although the rain in this area had eased up a bit, compared to the last several miles of it that I had endured, it was still very wet.

My riding gear served me well, protecting me from the rain.
I was dry on the inside.
Everything else around me was wet. I was not overly concerned. It’s all part of the journey and being prepared for such weather conditions on any trip is a necessity.
Another 10 hrs. in the saddle would put me home around 5:00 a.m.
Include 4 stops of a at least a half hour each and I ought to be home close to 8:00 a.m.
“I’ll settle for that. Very do-able”!
So after a 20-minute break and still in the still wet conditions, I got back onto the highway for the next leg of the journey.
It was going to be all highway now.
Boring highway with nothing of interest enough for me to stop and “gawk” at or visit.
The evening wore on soon to be followed by darkness.
I would need to fuel up before dark so that “fuel shortage” would not be an overnight issue.
I anticipated some fatigue in the coming hours.
I had been up since very early this morning and that made for a very long day already. I estimated about 13 to 14 hours already.
Yikes, and still close to 10 hrs. to go.
Could I make it?
I had no doubts. It wouldn’t be the first time.
(I feel/felt that for my age I was in good enough shape to be able to handle it).
Stopping at the interchange to Interstate 77, I pulled into a gas station to fuel up for the night. I took the opportunity and got some coffee as well. I needed that stay-awake “kick”.
Leaving the station, the blanket of darkness was now unmistakeable.
The weather conditions seemed to be worsening.
It was still wet.
Humidity levels were high.
I was sweating in my gear and needless to mention, was terribly uncomfortable.
I couldn’t help it. It was what it was.
I wanted to strip my gear, but the fear of the alternative - leaving my skin all over the road in event of going down - was not my preference.
The 18-wheelers were relentless - reminiscent of my travels across the Pennsylvania Turnpike in times past.
I was fast approaching another congested area of the country.
The road climbed in elevation as I headed into the Jefferson National Forest.
The worsening road conditions, dense fog, pitch-dark and aggressive, unrelenting, discourteous 18-wheeler drivers began to change my mood, potentially threatening and compromising my safety.
I could feel road rage setting in.
Although I could easily out-pace them and get away into a safer zone for myself, the pitch-dark and heavy fog made me realize that it was really not wise in the interest of safety, to do so, nor was it worth being on the road at this time under such conditions - needless to mention, a forest road.
So I made an executive decision to get off the road for the night at my next available opportunity.
So okay, I would get home 8 or 9 hours later than I would like - not the end of the world!
I found a Motel 8 in Wytheville, VA - (the only one out of all of the hotels and motels I went to in the area) with a vacancy, with its last available room of which I rented in a heartbeat!
I don’t know what was going on in the area. I didn’t care to ask. I was not desperate to know.
The wall clock in the lobby registered 10:38 p.m.
I unloaded the bike and “bedded” her down in the designated motorcycle parking area right next to the lobby entrance, by a couple of other bikes.
My room was barely 20 yds. (18 m) away on the 1st (ground) floor. That was okay by me. She was still close enough for the night.
I felt secure.
After a hot shower to “wash the road off me” I went directly to bed, keeping my unpacking to a minimum in preparation for a very quick re-pack and early departure in the morning to come.
It had been a long riding day. An exciting one for that, with lots of thrills and with new friends added to my circle of friends in life.
My life was that much more enriched .
It had been a day of lovely weather, it had been a day of inclement weather.
It had been a day of lovely roads, it had been a day of treacherous roads.
But most importantly, it had been a safe day with an additional 412 mi. (660 km) on the odometer.
After phone calls to link up with my wife and kids, I prayed the lord my soul to keep, in event that I did not wake from my sleep.

Next - South Texas Day 15