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Florida Chapter 7

Jacksonville, Florida

May 2003 MOUNTAIN RIDE

May 18-23, 2003 - Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee

Blue Ridge Parkway - Great Smoky Mountains

Foothills Parkway - Deal's Gap - Nantahala Gorge

(Picture looking down on Dillard GA from overlook on Hwy. 246/106)

For the pre-planned itinerary, click on:

MAY 2003 MOUNTAIN RIDE ITINERARY

For pictures from the ride, click on:

MAY 2003 MOUNTAIN RIDE PICTURES

For those interested in the actual ride results, read on…..

MAY 2003 MOUNTAIN RIDE RECAP

1^ST DAY – SUNDAY, MAY 18, 2003

The first day of the ride went as planned – Kickstands up at Fire Station 31 on Wilson Blvd., Jax., FL., at 9:00am. The group pulled out with 12 bikes, 18 participants, 1 car, and 1 truck pulling a trailer with a bike inside. It was a cloudy, cool morning with the “Weather Guessers” forecasting severe weather ahead from Florida to Tennessee. The hearty souls that refused to back down left with a determination to deal with the weather as it occurred.

As planned, the first stop was about 45 minutes away at the “Kuntry Kafe” in St. George, GA for breakfast. It’s a quaint and friendly place with good food served promptly and with a smile. Then began an ideal morning motorcycle ride through the remote woods around the Okefenokee Swamp, thru Fargo, GA to Hwy. 441. The ride continued as planned on Hwy. 441 North to Dillard, GA near the North Carolina State line. Hwy. 441 is a good road all the way, with several by-passes skirting the main towns… Nothing remarkable about the route, but it beats the “ho-hum” monotony of the Interstate. Rain gear was donned somewhere in mid-Georgia; and although it rained enough to get wet, it was never considered as severe weather.

The group arrived at the Dillard House and checked in at about 6:30pm…. just in time for a bountiful “Dillard House” meal, served family style. If you’ve never eaten at the Dillard House, it’s a one-of-a-kind experience – But be sure to go in with an empty stomach. The price may seem high (about $17/person), but it’s well worth it for the all-you-can-eat home-cooked fare. Following the 425 mile trip from Station 31 (some riders had an hour’s ride to get to that starting point), after supper everyone was ready to say Goodnight and get rested for the next day.

2nd DAY – MONDAY, MAY 19, 2003

Kickstands up at 8:30am – 13 bikes, 1 car, and 18 participants started the day with breakfast at the nearby Cupboard Cafe in Dillard, GA on 441 just north of the Dillard House. It’s a nice restaurant and gift shop, serving good and reasonably priced food.

The 2^nd day’s ride went as planned….. except for the fog, mist, and cool dampness. Within 5 miles of the Dillard House the group got their first taste of what was yet to come with the twisting, steep mountain road (Hwy. 246/106 north/eastbound) to Highlands, NC. It was a nice ride but accompanied by light fog and mist. It’s about 15 miles of turns, curves, climbing and descending.

After following the curvaceous Hwy. 64 east from Highlands, we headed south from Sapphire, NC on Hwy. 281/130. This would probably have been a nice ride thru gently rolling terrain – IF we could have seen it; but the fog had thickened to a very limited visibility…. probably between 30 to 50 feet. It was bad enough at Whitewater Falls to not waste the effort of taking the ¼ mile walk to see Whitewater Falls – which would have been obscured by the fog.

After traveling east on the Cherokee Foothills Parkway (Hwy. 11), then north on Hwy. 178 (a nice mountain road with hills and tight curves - another road to re-run when the rider can see the scenery), we headed east on Hwy. 64 to Brevard, NC. The lunch-break was at the Cardinal Drive-In at Brevard. It was a neat place where each table has its own telephone to call in your own order. The food was good short-order fare, with the corn dog taking the prize as a favorite.

Well…. It didn’t take long…. We could not pass up the Brevard WalMart store. At the time of our departure in Florida, it was warm. The cooler weather prompted some shopping for warmer gloves and sweatshirts… along with a few additional bungee straps and head covers.

Then began a beautiful mountain ride on Hwy. 276 north from Brevard, NC. First stop was at Looking Glass Falls, which is a nice waterfall easily viewed from the parking area beside the highway. Next stop was the natural “Sliding Rock” formation. This is a unique place that the Park service has improved with facilities and a lifeguard during the summer. Swimmers slide the rock with the river for about 30 feet before being dumped into the pool at the bottom. No “Sliding Rock action” on this day, tho.

Then the Group continued the climb north on 276 (another mountain road with many curves – Nice ride if the visibility were good) to the Blue Ridge Parkway…. which greeted the Group with even more severe fog. On the Parkway, visibility was decreased to about 25 feet or less, making it hard to even find the entrance to the Pisgah Inn. And how bad was the fog? We paid a fine price to stay at the Pisgah Inn (perched on the edge of the top of the Parkway) to see the view from our rooms. And what did we see? Nothing past the rail on the 4’-wide backporch of our room! It was a total “White-out”. This writer opened both doors to our room – the front door to the parking lot; and the back door to the little backporch which overlooks the mountain… and the cloud literally passed thru our room…. Coming in the back door and out the front! (No lie or exaggeration.)

Since there is nowhere else on top of the Parkway to eat - and we were “fogged in” - we all congregated at the Pisgah Inn dining room for supper. There were mixed comments on the meal. It is a nice dining room with a “sorta-fancy” menu with moderate to high prices. The price would have been worth it if everyone’s food had been ok… but it wasn’t. For some of those with a problem, Pisgah did adjust their total bill accordingly - which was acceptable - but it did not help those that did not enjoy their meal. But the majority of the Group did enjoy their meal. After dinner – Nitey-night time. Everyone was ready for bed and no party this night.

To interject a comment for future reference… The Pisgah Inn is normally full during their season, so we reserved our rooms 6 months earlier. The reservation required the full night’s lodging fee including all taxes paid at the time the reservation is made. So we paid-in-full our $95.27+/- per room last November 2002. When we checked out of our 10 rooms, we were each billed for an additional amount due to a recent rate increase, in spite of the fact that they had our money 6 months in advance, that we were told that we were paid-in-full, and they never notified us of a rate increase. We were told that the Pisgah Inn guarantees the reservation for the room, but not for the rate. This is a policy to remember when making future plans.

3rd DAY – TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2003

Tuesday morning was time for a Group conference! The fog had thickened even more with visibility down to 10-15 feet in places! Everyone agreed that further riding on the Parkway in the thick fog was NOT an option; so plan B was created. It was decided to get to the nearest road off the Parkway and make our way down. This road was Hwy. 151, which was several miles from the Pisgah Inn.

About Hwy. 151: IF the rider could see where they were headed on a clear, dry day… it may have been an interesting ride. On a foggy day with the wet road conditions…. It was an intense challenge for about 12 miles. As one Co-rider described it: “This is NOT fun for me any more!” In places, the curves were so tight that they seemed to kiss their own tail. In addition, it’s steep. Some of the bikes were in 2^nd and even 1^st gear just to help hold them back.

Descending the mountain on this road in the thick fog was akin to spiraling down a giant funnel in a time warp. If you saw an occasional tail or brake light peeping out of the fog ahead of you, it was a signal that you were following too close. At times, the echo of the roar of the bikes was the only consolation that you were not in the Twilight Zone by yourself. The only other sound that pierced the senses was the occasional grinding noise of a foot peg scraping the pavement.

About half way down, we were again below the clouds and the fog cleared up somewhat, which helped immensely. For those bikers that like to test their limits on a twisting, mountain road with tight curves and steep inclines, this would be one not to miss. Several members of the Group wish to return to this one on a better day – others have no inclination to ever see it again.

The group then made their way to the Miami Restaurant and Motel in Candler, NC (near Asheville) for a great breakfast. The restaurant is small and doesn’t look fancy; but the food was good and reasonably priced… and the service was quick, friendly, and outstanding! They even gave each of us one of their coffee mugs. They “cater” to bikers; and even the regular “locals” in the restaurant were friendly, asking about our ride and the Red Knights club. We did not see inside the rooms at the Motel, but it appeared to be a small, locally run Motel - older but clean appearance on the outside.

After breakfast another Group meeting was held ending with the decision to enact Plan C to take fastest route to Townsend, TN ahead of the approaching bad weather that was headed our way. We called ahead and made reservations at the same motel that we already had reserved for the next night. Then we headed out I-40 west (north). What can you say about interstate travel other than it is fast and furious – but it did get us there ahead of the storm. Some riders were not happy taking I-40’s fast-paced curves and mountains among the 18-wheelers… but it was a necessary move without many alternatives.

Exiting I-40, it was a nice ride on the Foothills Parkway and Hwy. 321 westbound across the northern boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains – thru the Cosby TN area – to Gatlinburg, TN – then stopping at the Pancake House in Pigeon Forge, TN for lunch. The rest of the day’s ride was an enjoyable ride on gently rolling Hwy 321 north/west to Townsend, TN and the Best Western Motel.

The Townsend TN Best Western is a really nice and rambling motel with many separate buildings. We were all assigned to Bldg. 6, which appears to be the original motel building. The rooms are clean, comfortable, remodeled and reasonably priced. We arrived before the bad weather set in…. but it was definitely on the way. Some of the group ordered pizza to be delivered, while several others rode to a nearby buffet restaurant – returning just as the rain began. The convenience of this motel unit was that this building had a covered portico where the bikes could be protected somewhat from the weather. Bikes were parked & covered – the pizza arrived – the Group gathered up under the covered area for Pizza, Fellowship and Party time. Then it rained most of the night.

4^th DAY – WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2003

RAIN! Time for another Group conference and Plan D. Three rental cars were delivered to the motel, bringing the total number of vehicles to 4. After a mediocre buffet breakfast at a nearby restaurant, the car convoy headed towards Maryville and Knoxville to visit motorcycle shops (Honda/Suzuki/Harley) for a few necessities and wish-list items. After leaving the bike shops, the group split for individual shopping and dining. Our group ate at the “Up The Creek” restaurant in Maryville, TN. The food was excellent with moderate to higher prices – but well worth it. Their menu has a variety of choices, including delicious fried green tomatoes with a wonderful relish. And the desserts are to “die for”…. The biggest and best key lime pie in a bowl that ever was created! Then….. - another rainy night.

5^th DAY – THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2003

The morning greeted us with overcast skies and the continuing threat of rain – but it was time to move on. The rental cars were returned – bikes uncovered – and rain gear stowed in an easily accessible place. The Group had a final meeting before dividing up and departing into different directions, and plans E thru Z were discussed. Two bikes and 4 riders headed east to meet other bikers in Gatlinburg, TN. One bike and the car headed towards Knoxville, TN to replace a cut motorcycle tire; but re-joined the Group in Maryville, TN after repairs.

The remaining 10 bikes and 12 riders had breakfast at the “Back Porch Restaurant” in Townsend, TN. With the “special attention”, excellent & prompt service, and good, reasonably priced food…. we were sorry that we had not discovered this place sooner. It’s definitely one to visit on a return trip.

After meeting up with the repaired motorcycle in Maryville, TN, the 11 bikes and 1 car headed towards Deals Gap. Since all of the riders and co-riders did not want to tackle “The Dragon” in the wet and unsettled conditions, it was decided to go around the gap and leave those riders at the Deals Gap Resort on the east/south end of the ride while the others made a round trip thru the Gap and back. To get there, we traveled Hwy. 411 south; Hwy. 68 east and the Cherohala Skyway east to Robbinsville, NC, then 129 north to the Gap.

The Cherohala Skyway: If you’ve never ridden this route, put it on your “to-do” list. This route takes you thru the Cherokee National Forest near Tellico Plains, the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, and the Nantahala mountains. There are many scenic pulloffs (Paved) along the mountain road which climbs to an altitude of over 5000 feet. The route climbs and descends with many swooping curves and turns. It was really thrilling to be climbing a mountain and catch a glimpse of the rest of the party already descending in the opposite direction far below us. It’s a beautiful ride that we’d like to do again on a nice day (with good weather) when we have plenty of time to stop and absorb the scenery at the many paved overlooks.

After reaching the Deals Gap Resort at the south/east end of the Gap ride, it was photo time and to decide who is going to do what. The group split again with only two riders taking on the Dragon in the wet conditions. Our group continued on Hwy. 129 south with 7 bikes and 8 riders.

Turning North on Hwy. 19, the ride thru the Nantahala Gorge is normally a nice ride with interesting scenery. Hwy. 19 is a 2-lane road that runs for about 15 miles beside the Nantahala River, which is a favorite of whitewater rafters, canoeists, and kayakers. It is a gently curving road thru the gorge – but be aware of much traffic and pedestrian congestion, along with many sudden stops during the peak summer months. The name, “Nantahala”, is derived from the Indian term which means: “Land of the noonday sun.” The gorge is so deep as it runs beside the Nantahala River, that the mountains on either side only allow the noonday sun to reach the bottom.

We then picked up the pace and headed on 19A/23/74 (divided 4-lane) to 441 south to the Dillard House in time for supper. After spending the night at the Dillard House, our group divided further into 3 groups headed home via different routes at varied schedules.

For the group that left Townsend for Gatlinburg, they got soaked while riding the Great Smoky Mountains. For those that rode Deals Gap – they had a safe ride. For those of us that returned to Dillard for the night, we managed to avoid the heavy rain.

Overview: It was a wonderful trip! The Fellowship and camaraderie of riding with fellow Fire Service personnel and their friends/families gave one a special sense of brotherhood. Although it’s not an easy task to keep 13 motorcycles together with traffic, red lights, and bad weather, we managed pretty well most of the time.

Also, with 18 participants with different likes and dislikes…. it’s hard to please everyone at the same time; but I felt that we had a really agreeable and compatible group and pleased the majority most of the time…. and no one did any serious complaining. Some liked to go fast while others prefer a slower pace; and we managed to do a little bit of both and all points in between. Likewise, we had a wide spectrum of riders’ preferences on the type of roads that they prefer. Some liked the challenging steep and twisting roads, while others prefer the gentle, rolling curves. There was some of each to give everyone some enjoyment.

The group mainly tried to ride in staggered formation, which is the safer position for a number of motorcycles traveling as a unit. It’s best from the safety of stopping distance; but also for added visibility. It was mentioned that each bike should try to maintain its same position when traveling as a unit so the bikes following will not have to be constantly changing their position. It would probably be a good idea to discuss this at the beginning of a planned group ride.

The bad weather kept us on the move to skirt its path, but we managed to avoid the worse of it all. Best of all….. there were no accidents or injuries during the entire trip; and that is a Blessing. Before we departed on the first day, we had a prayer circle asking for God’s guidance and protection – and He obliged by safely bringing us all back without any mishaps. Now we can Thankfully start thinking about the next trip.

Check out the “Pictures” link on this website to visually enjoy and re-live this wonderful experience with us.

- Jane & Harvey

MAY 2003 MOUNTAIN RIDE PICTURES - Page 1 (Jax, FL - Looking Glass Falls)

MAY 2003 MOUNTAIN RIDE PICTURES - Page 2 (Sliding Rock - Pisgah Inn)

MAY 2003 MOUNTAIN RIDE PICTURES - Page 3 (Rainy Day - Townsend, TN)

MAY 2003 MOUNTAIN RIDE PICTURES - Page 4 (Maryville, TN back to Dillard House, GA)

MAY 2003 MOUNTAIN RIDE PICTURES - Page 5 (Having Fun)

MAY 2003 MOUNTAIN RIDE PICTURES - Page 6 (More Having Fun & Other Stuff)

MAY 2003 MOUNTAIN RIDE PICTURES - Page 7 (Looking thru Mark's Windshield)