The link Serk provided added to my write up
Bike ride report 6/15/16/16/2007 Oneida TN Robbinsville
Friday 6/15 Big Don on a 2003 Black Valkyrie and I on a ST1300 meet for a quick breakfast at Hardee’s in Canton, GA. Of the crew we ride with (“Dirty Dozen”) we two are the only ones who can get away Father’s Day weekend. Don had suggested riding up to Robbinsville near Deal’s Gap and then riding some of the roads in the area. We are very familiar with 28, 129 and the Cherohala Skyway so we planned on using the Phillips Motel in Robbinsville as a base and riding a couple of loops on new roads. The Phillips motel is great and welcomes riders with open arms. One of their “older” single rooms cost $38 a night and they have microwaves and fridges in.
I had been putting a route together to suggest to the “Dirty Dozen” for a future long weekend. Roads I had seen mentioned on this and other forums. I emailed Don the Streets & Trips of the route and he then suggested we use the route for the 3-day ride.
We roll out from Canton under water-laden skies hoping that for once the forecasters will be correct and there will be no rain. A circuitous route involving all back roads gets us to Chattanooga via Salacoa Rd, 136, the Pocket and Lookout Mtn Highway.
It’s about 5 years since I’ve ridden though downtown Chattanooga and I’m really surprised at what a great job they have done revitalizing the area. It’s looks and feels really pedestrian friendly. It’s also clean unlike downtown Atlanta which can look like a landfill at times.
I have to apologize to the drivers I ripped by on Hwy 27 up to Signal Mtn. I’m still riding at Atlanta speed and they were just dawdling along – euphemism for keeping to the speed limit.
Riding into Dunlap, TN I spot the 3 most beautiful letters in the world B.B.Q. to my left. I point the building out to Don and get a thumbs up. Johnson’s is at the junction of Hwy 127 and Hwy 28.
Sorry no photos of the food. Forgot to take camera in and then a thunderstorm rolled in pinning us inside the BBQ and then we were forced to buy some banana pudding and then we are forced to eat a couple of samples of ribs. So my plan to eat wisely this weekend is already shot. My salad with pulled pork was supposed to be halfway healthy. Oh well such are the rigors of life on 2 wheels.
Once the thundershower rolls away we wipe down the bikes with a couple of towels loaned to us by the BBQ owner and head north to Pikeville. Don knows a couple of side roads we take as a diversion from the route and eventually we come out on Hwy 70 just south of Spaaaaarttttttttttaaaaa (homage to300).
Sparta to Monterey on 84/ Calfkiller Hwy is the beginning of the many river roads we will zip along. I love river roads with a passion. Whenever I go for a multi day ride I always try to incorporate them into my rides. Formed as basic trails, then cart trails to blacktop they are always unpredictable and the best will meander alongside a watercourse matching curve for curve. Generally there’s no sight guides to help anticipate the many changes in the roads direction keeping you on your game. The river roads in TN tend to have a rock face on the opposite side of the road and the best examples squeeze the road between the rock and the river 20 to 40 feet below with no barriers to stop the unwary plunging down.
In Monterey we pick up 164/85 through Hanging Limb and some great roller coaster switchbacks to turn eastward on 52 to Jamestown. 154 and 297 through the Big South Fork National Park on a road that swoops down to the Big South Fork River and rises sharply up to Oneida and overnight at the Tobes Motel. $48 for a single room and there’s a restaurant located at the front of the parking lot. Great homemade spicy chicken soup with a plethora of vegetables in. Don opts for the dinner buffet and tells me his food is really good.
Saturday morning we ride north on 27 into Kentucky and continue east on 92 past Williamsburg. Another great curvy road. 25 south to Pineville where enormous floodgates protect the town from suffering the same disaster that befell it in 1977 when the town was completely underwater.
South on 25 to Middlesboro is a boring 4 lane and then we head west on 74. At one turn I notice the road straight ahead seems to be aiming for a valley so I suggest to Don we use it. After all it’s heading west and that’s the direction we want to go. There’s lots of traffic on74 so this route might be one less traveled.
As soon as we clear the town limits the road surface deteriorates quickly and has a snail stripe of wet mud along the center of each lane. We are passing multiple signs warning of trucks entering the highway. The coalmine workings on the side of the road reveal the reason for the signs and LARGE coal trucks are thundering towards us using the center of the road. Hmm I don’t like this. Too many blind curves in which one of these wayward monsters could rumble around on our side of the road.
The decision to continue is made for us as the road surface soon starts to break up becoming more suitable for a dual sport.
Back towards town and west on 74. Once again as we clear the city limits the road surface deteriorates but is rideable and we quickly go up in elevation. At the top of the mountain there’s a switchback and the road descends. Off to the right is a narrower road heading upward and I turn off hoping to ride higher. All too soon the road starts downhill and there’s a risk of oncoming traffic as the blacktop becomes narrower. 2 full size pickups would not be able to pass. Down, down, twisting down avoiding some local hotshots racing uphill. Don has a couple of close calls even though I’m trying to warn the vehicles that I’m being followed.
Eventually we get to the bottom and turn eastward on 190 back towards Pineville. In a small clearing there is a gravel parking lot and 2 small log and stone buildings marking the entrance into a heavily forested area. No name signs just these two Elfin like follies.
https://asirna.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/notes-from-the-landscape-cumberland-gap-national-historical-park/The road snakes upwards again. These roads are great. Lulling you into a false sense of relaxation with valley floor straight a ways they change quickly into a sidewinder, compass boggling series of turns. The last section took us 3 miles as the crow flies and 23 miles by road. Yee-Hah!
Just south of Pineville we ride south to the Cumberland Gap National Park. Well we ride past the off ramp cause I’m in the left lane and there’s too much traffic for us to dart across the lanes to make the exit. Now we’re trapped on the 4 lane heading for the tunnel under the mountain. If I’d been riding alone I would have turned across the surfaced median just before the tunnel. Back through the tunnel and up the very steep switchbacks to the Pinnacle Overlook.
Heading downhill rounding a very sharp switchback there are 2 deer in the road. One runs downhill. The other runs along the verge in front of me on my right for about 20 yards before cutting back across to try to find its friend downhill.
South again on 25 for a short distance to Harrogate where we head east on 63. What a rush these 38 miles are. Running next to river and next to a rock face on a well-surfaced road. Zoom, bloody, zoom, zoom.
South of Sneedville we see a gas station advertising burgers. Time to fill up man and machine. Right next to the Clinch River they make a good burger using homegrown tomatoes, none of that cotton wool crap found at chain grocery stores. I ask the girl if she would slice the remainder of the softball sized tomato for me. It’s going to be great with a little sprinkle of salt on each slice. The burger is good but the tomato is bloody marvelous. When I’m on riding solo my lunch will be a tomato, piece of fruit, bottle of water and half candy bar eaten somewhere off the road.
Crossing the Clinch River we continue south on 66. This is another great section of road. I know we have some spectacular roads in north Georgia, western North Carolina but these are bloody great. My compass is so discombobulated I’m sure it’s about to throw up it’s spinning so crazily.
I feel like I’m sitting on the deck of a king crab boat. Anyone who suffers from motion sickness should keep away from these roads.
Of course there are locals who are dawdling along who suddenly realize that they are running a time qualifying lap in their Craftsman pick up truck. WTF is wrong with them. Why do they decide to try to race us? I mean, it’s nice to have them escort us but you know you can’t go as fast as we can so why not just let us by? Especially when they are putting other road users at risk by trying to use the whole road. Even when I drop back they are pedal to the metal. Plonkers.
Too soon 66 merges with 70 and we cross I 81 heading towards Greenville. Oh great, here we go again. Suddenly the road narrows and we are heading up again. Zoom, bloody, zoom, zoom.
We had planned on heading east to Erwin but the roads have been so good that even riding at warp speeds we’ve only covered half the distance we thought we would today.
Route change. Off to Hot Springs, NC. There’s a good drinking hole, The Paddlers Pub and a couple of motels. Oh yeah the roads heading there are pretty damn good too. TN 70 becomes NC 208 and again we are running next to a river. So far I estimate we have ridden 50% of the trip next to or in close proximity to rivers. A sharp turn onto 209, a quick blast over the mountain and down into very well policed Hot Springs. DO NOT exceed the posted limit in town. You will get busted. The locals drive at 20m.p.h and so should you.
Pulling into the parking lot of the Alpine Motel I see a note stuck to the door. “I’m at pub – Harold”. Nothing about a possible return time so the note is about as useful as a fart in a gale. I’ve stopped here before to try to get a room so I know what “Harold” looks like. Off to the Paddlers Pub we go. I find Harold seated at a table with two ladies. Waiting for a pause in their conversation; even though I’m standing by the table in motorcycle gear Harold doesn’t notice me; and ask if he has 2 single rooms. He replies maybe and tells me he will be back at the motel around 5.30. Now the Alpine Motel has maybe a dozen rooms and I’m surprised he doesn’t know if he has 2 available for the night.
Don and I decide to take the 40 minutes we have to wait until 5.30 to find an ice cream, drink some water and stretch our legs.
We are seated by the motel office when Harold ambles up in the company of the 2 ladies. He asks if we want rooms which surprises the F out of me considering I’m still dressed in bike gear and it’s F’ing unlikely someone else with an English accent has asked him the same F’ing question in the past 40 minutes. One of the ladies say ‘you were just at the pub”? Harold still ambling along says quite calmly and matter of factly “Oh no I’ve only got 1 single”. Disappears into his office. Oh did I want to punch him in the nose! Stupid prat. So be warned, keep away from the Alpine Motel in Hot Springs owned by Harold. Not the best of innkeepers. Hic! I think Harold might be anti bike rider.
Back on the bikes I’m seething and have to take a few minutes of just chugging sedately along until I can get my riding focus back. South we head on 209 to Lake Junaluska in search of accommodation. 209 is a great road swooping over ridge and along valley floor.
Filling up with gas I suggest to Don that we head to Robbinsville and the Phillips motel. A phone call reserves us a couple of rooms. I buy a Miller Lite six-pack and a get a small bottle of George Dickel to replace the one I had drunk half off the previous night. Robbinsville is dry so BYOB. The nearest place to Robbinsville to get beer is Tapoco Lodge
Even though it’s a 4 lane 23/74 west is a blast. For 50 miles it’s a downhill grin making series of excellent sweepers. Especially when you have cars running interference ahead of you. A couple of cars are willing to run at just under 100mph so we tuck in a safe distance behind them and away we go.
It’s about 50 miles from Lake Junaluska to the end of the 4 lane where 28 heads north to Deals Gap. I’m not saying we set any records but we did get there remarkably quickly.
The rooms at Phillips Motel haven’t disappeared into the ether so we unpack and off to Subway for a foot long.
We spend the evening talking with 4 younger guys from west Georgia on their first trip to Deals Gap. In their late teens and early 20's full of piss and vinegar and ready to slay the Dragon we try to persuade them to ride part of the Cherohala Skyway.
Our conversation tends towards the subject of how quickly they've been tearing up 129 and Don and I try to gently impress upon them the need to let bikes faster than them to go by and to keep away from the center line in the blind curves. Hopefully we didn't come off as nagging old farts and some of our sage advice will have sunk in.
On the road at 8 Sunday morning Don and I cruise over the Cherohala Skyway. Well, until a very curvy ass on a sports bike with a curl of blond hair zips by. Yes it's a female. There's something easily distinguishable about the female form clad in a tight black one-piece leather suit.
So now I have someone to run interference for me and away we go. Arriving well behind the sports bike Don and I gas up in Tellico Plains and then have an uneventful ride south, back to metro Atlanta. Don to Smyrna and me to Roswell.
