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October 2006 - Fall Trip Through Tennessee and North Carolina

The Nomad loaded up for a road trip.


As is usual for our three day week-end trips we left the house after I got home from work on Saturday. We rode pretty much straight trough to Johnson City, Tennessee arriving well after dark that night. A rain storm was just ahead of us coming into Johnson City, we didn't get rained on but the road spray got us a little damp. After checking into a room for the night we went out for a nice meal and a couple of cold ones. Returning to the room and then turning in for the night.

The next day we got up early and headed out. Our ultimate goal being Pigeon Forge. A do-able ride, but as usual we would be taking the back roads as much as possible. We were sight seeing, but had a few miles to cover too.

One of the roads we had chosen to south in Tennessee was a typical skinny bitty two lane that followed the foot hills winding over and around them.

I missed a turn off along the way and we actually found the end of a state road. As we rode along the road just simply stopped right beside someones house.

Imagine that. It just quick being a road.

As we worked our way back we ran up on a... flock? Of Turkeys. They were just walking along the road taking it all up. I slowed and stopped well short of them, honking the horn and revving the engine.

Nothing.

They finally found the path they were looking for and all of them slowly walked off the road and up a hill. Once the last one had cleared we went on our way.

Finding our way back where we were supposed to be finally we headed south trying to make a little time. We never were really able to get the camera out and take any pictures until the end of the day outside of Gatlinburg.
Suiting up for the ride across U.S. 421.
"It's begining to get a little brisk out."
On the Great Smokey Mountain Parkway crossing into Tennessee from North Carolina.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee.


Neither of us had ever been to Gatlinburg so we decided to go through town instead of taking the by pass. Big mistake. Too much traffic, too much congestion.

Beautiful view here though.
"BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" "C'mon, let's go on and get this over with. I'm COLD!!"


It was a brisk 38 degrees when we left the motel that morning, only promising to get colder instead of warmer.
Riding the Foothills Parkway before we stopped to thaw out.

We stopped at an overlook on the Foothills Parkway to warm up, look around and take a few photos the next morning after leaving Pigeon Forge.

It was getting colder the further we rode and we were both already cold. This was going to be... interesting.
I love this picture of Julie.


"Cold? Who? Me? Noooo.
Turning off the Foothills Parkway onto U.S. 129 south near the start of the run down The Dragon.

Darryl Cannon of killboy.com took these next few photo's while we were riding south on US 129.

"Hi Little Boy!"


See ya!
We caught a group of riders near the North Carolina state line.
Good crowd for a cold day!
The Tree of Shame at the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort.

We spent a little while at Deals Gap taking time to warm up and take a few pics. It had gotten pretty cold on the top of the mountain and on the way down 129.

At times Julie actually took her gloves off and video taped our run south from the Foothills Parkway into Deals Gap. She took some great video and when you consider she had to be close to getting frostbitten doing it makes it even more amazing.

We took a direct route home from here, but had to stop several times to warm up and thaw out! It was a little after dark when we got back home, seems like we rode around 600 miles or so over the week-end.

Another great 'leaf peepin' trip to the western North Carolina.

Bruce