Day 4: We Had Georgia on Our Minds
On Monday night, after we’d rolled into a hotel in Franklin, North Carolina not an hour passed before the skies went dark and we watched the rain pelt our motorcycles parked outside of our window. It was another tick in the “lucky” column for us. A girl could really get used to that.
Somehow we ended up in a suite. Not that I’m complaining. But, there is something intrinsically UN-romantic about a bathtub in the middle of your room with a giant mirror in front of it for extra sexiness.
I think I must be in the minority on this front because over the years we’ve found ourselves in quite a few of these rooms. But for just $75 bucks, I suppose they could put a giraffe in the middle of the room and that would be fine with me as long as the place has a clean king size bed and a working AC.
When the alert on my phone to visit the Muffler Car chimed us awake on Tuesday morning, I peered out the window to find that the rain was still coming down. With gusto. Poo.
Kenny and I took our time eating breakfast, watched the weather and hoped for the rain to start tapering off. While we were sitting there in the breakfast room, another hotel guest walked in and winked at me. Winked! Who does that? 😆 That has to rank right up there with ‘walking around whistling’ in the list of things that only men over 50 do.
The really optimistic part of me was hoping that we’d go back to our room and discover blue skies and sunshine. Alas it was not to be. We’d just have to make the best of it. First stop for the day – visiting then mufflermobile and then on to Georgia to ride The Gauntlet.
Map image from Smoky Mountain Rider – Visit their site for GREAT rides in the Smokies!
We were dogged by pouring rain leaving Franklin for a good hour. Thankfully the road surface was nice, there was minimal fog, the grip was fine and well, what else was there to do but keep moving?
As we climbed up along GA348 it seemed like the rain was starting to lighten up a bit. I pulled off to look at the fog laying in the valley below.
This particular loop of roads was something that I’d long wanted to ride. Add to that my interest in seeing the alpine-themed town of Helen and you could say I was pretty excited to be in Georgia. But, as we pulled in to town the rains once again came calling. I would be lying if I said that the wet weather didn’t put a little bit of a damper on my spirits.
I came away with the feeling that Helen was nothing more interesting than visiting a Bavarian village that a theme park would set up. It was a hokey tourist trap filled with t-shirts, crappy souvenirs and things to give you diabetes. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting to the contrary, but I was pretty disappointed. Boo.
There was nothing else for us to do but ride on.
The intermittent rain stayed with us as we rode Wolf Pen Gap Rd and a smokin’ section of 129 over Blood Mountain. As the road unfurled before us, especially on 129 my heart wanted to go faster, faster, faster! but good sense kept me in check. The most important part of our trips is always to make it home in one piece.
I hope with all of my might that we’ll find ourselves in that neck of the woods again to try those roads in the dry.
The more time we spent riding, the more I wondered why people flock to Deal’s Gap over and over. Sure, try it at least once – but sister,… there is plenty of other great ridin’ in them thar hills with a lot fewer people to rub elbows with.
The closer we got to closing up the Gauntlet loop, the dryer it became. Soon we were cruising along in the sunshine. If only we’d had it a few hours earlier. Le sigh.
Ah, well. I believe the universe unfolds as it should.
You might want to give Helen another chance if you happen to be through there again in dryer weather. There are a couple of excellent restaurants, and the community grocery store has some great local finds. They carry a local sausage that is the best I have ever had. You wouldn’t have seen any street performers in the rain, and that’s another favorite part for me. But yes, definitely touristy and ticky tacky. 🙂
I’m sure you’re right, Sharon. No doubt my being extra soggy didn’t help my perspective.
Just think how much you appreciated that sunshine after all of the rain. And those twisty roads look like so much fun. Maybe next time you are through there the roads will be dry.
I don’t mind it when we end up with king suites in motels after a hard day of riding. Those giant tubs are good for soaking sore muscles. And not so bad if you can see the TV from them. I could really do without the mirrors that close to them though.
I agree 100% – deals gap is WAY over rated. crowded, slow, full of cops, and entirely too predictable. the roads AROUND it though, so much better.
we spent a week in helen this year (AAAH STILL WORKING ON WRITE UP) and after riding around the area in circles, it was the consensus of our group that the only difference between the northern GA roads and deals gap is you can buy a tshirt in deals gap.
well, actually, deals gap/the dragon is really EXHAUSTING. after about the first 100 turns on that road you’re very much “ok, so, when is this going to be over?”
this year we accidentally ran the dragon in the dark! I would recommend it because there’s no traffic. I would NOT recommend it because your headlights don’t always point in the direction you need to be looking. and also the store is closed and you don’t get a chance to buy a tshirt.
Wow. The more I read about your trip, the more I think “epic” as in definitely a ride to remember. I so enjoy living vicariously through you.