Might make a few people jealous but I`m reposting my account of my Stateside Ride. Enjoy. Unfortunately Facebook does not allow in article photo`s so you`ll have to figure out where the photo`s need to be. Sorry can`t help that. One problem of a great ride is the inevitable ride report afterward. Now riding is easy for me but writing is a lot more difficult. As some of you may know I could not make it to the WDW2010. What a bummer. Then when I saw the Cherohala Skyway being mentioned on the LDRider List I decided to try and go for that as a consolation price. :wink: :wink: :wink: What A Ride it turned out to be. In comparison to our own local biker friends helping the guy from Vancouver, a guy here, Robert Reil, did the same for me. He planned routes and eventually rented a house known as the Harley House for us in Tellico Plains at the start of the Cherohala Skyway. First of all I should mention that the main reason for me being able to make this trip was the fact that I had so many air miles on KLM`s Flying Blue. The tickets cost me a mere R2700 or there about. That included flying from Cape Town via Johannesburg and Paris to Atlanta, Georgia, USA and back to Cape Town. A Honda ST1300 was rented from Dan`s Motorcycles and eventually cost me $1015.00 for 4 days including insurance and being picked up and dropped at the airport. Man and is this airport BIG!!!! By volume the busiest airport in the world having served 88,032086 people in 2009 and already 51839,477 at the end of July 2010. Man and the Americans are the most ineffective managers I`ve met. Even South African airport officials let these guys look like amateurs. The arrogance of many American airport personnel is horrifying. Though there are some excellent people as well, but these are very few. October 15 & 16 Dan Person (Yes that is his surname) from Dan`s Motorcycle Rental in Atlanta collected me from the Hartsfield - Jackson Int`l Airport and took me to my hotel. But even before I arrived Dan had to field so many questions from me that I though he`s going to give up on me, but no way. He replied patiently and informatively all the time. The next morning very early he picked me up and took me to take charge of the rental bike. Before collecting me from the hotel Dan checked the tire pressures and all other critical stuff. A nice looking, and for me heavy, bike this Honda. At this point I must mention that I pre-ordered a zumo 220 to be delivered to Dan`s address. The order included the Garmin Street Maps for North America. The price a mere R3120.00 including delivery. Not that the GPS helped a lot at first because even with the guidance of the Garmin I got lost twice in about so many minutes until I got the hang of the American road system which is really something to behold. Getting ready - still dawn and cool. At last - Ready to roll :-) :-) :-) When I eventually set off, after being lost and riding in circles for about 20 minutes, towards Cleveleand, Georgia (there is also a Cleveland in Ohio) I found the really open road very nice and good pavement as the Americans call the tarred road. At about 9;40 am I arrived at a place where I was going to take a course in Slow riding and a few techniques. Someone on the list said that a 3 day course teaches one more than a 4 hour course. I wish I could send this guy to do the Ride like A Pro Course. After 2 hours of intense concentration I just about passed out from exhaustion. This is one really tough course and you need all your concentration to stay within the limits and complete the exercises. Scott is an excellent instructor with patience and enthusiasm and innovative. This helped me a lot. We actually discussed bringing the course to South Africa, Cape Town. Anyone interested let me know. Doing some s-l-o-w riding and NOT looking where I should be looking :-( :-( :-( With Kevin from Knoxville TN and Scott the Instructor. In the mean time Robert managed to get two more guys and his girlfriend, Simone, to accompany me to the main reason for my visit. The Cherohala Skyway. We rode from Cleveland through Blood Mountain to a roadside restaurant, pub, etc for bikers only. Nobody is allowed to park even close if it is not a bike. This is the TWO WHEELS Inn. A remarkable place as there are no prices. You eat, drink and give a donation. Imagine that in South Africa. At this remarkable place where you only pay for the bed and donate for the rest with Simone, Robert, Matt & Fady (from Venezuela) The Blood Mountain Road is like very very serious bends and curves and hairpins with virtually no straights. This carries on for kilometer after kilometer after kilometer. Highly technical with different speed limits posted by the state. If they say it is a 20 mph bend then you know it is not going to be your mate. The great thing though is that it is banked very well. The roads have no shoulders and are like narrow in our terms. Really scary stuff. Imagine this when you have arrived only 24 hours previously after 25 hours of flying and then this very strength sapping training. On the way a guy the other way dropped his bike and injured his passenger. Knowing something about 1st Aid I turned around to help. When I asked the many bystanders if anyone had 1st aid training they gaped, yes gaped with open mouths, at me. They did not have a clue. Luckily the lady was not badly hurt. He husband wanted her to ride on the back of the bike to the nearest hospital. Imagine that! A..ole. I instructed someone to call 911 and waited until it was confirmed that they were on their way before leaving the scene. We arrived in Tellico Plains just as the Sun started going down. At the first restaurant we stopped and had supper. The food was just OK`ish but Robert draw the bad one and had a steak that you really needed a Leatherman to cut it with. When the lady came round to ask about whether we were satisfied Robert was a bit shy to say that his steak was not good so I just pitched in about it. He ended up getting a much better piece. The now to be avoided restaurant at Tellico Plains. As I mentioned previously we stayed at the Harley House where EVERYTHING is marked with the Harley Logo. Towels, glasses, floor mats, duvet covers, pillow cases, curtains, and, and, and....... In the Harley House ..... Sunday 17th October Sunday October 17 started with a nice chilly morning. We are up about 9 am and Matt, Fady and myself go look for a better place to eat. Robert and Simone rock up later and we managed to finish breakfast at about 11 am. What a breakfast. Good value for money and all that. It is what was called a Southern Breakfast with biscuits and gravy. Now before you get the wrong idea. What we call biscuits and what the Americano`s call biscuits are not even remotely connected. A biscuit to them is rather something more like a scone but with the texture of bread. And the gravy is more like white cauliflower sauce with 50% mince meat or sausage. We hit the Cherohala Skyway right from Tellico Plains. What a feast of a ride. Good road surface. Nice sweeping bends. 80km of scenery with the Fall (Autumn in African English) leaves really making it a ride of pleasure. It is on this road that we come to the TWO WHEELS INN. From here we start going more north-east and end up at Deal`s Gap just after 2 pm. We decide to do the Tail of the Dragon return and the have supper. What more can I say than their Slogan 318 curves in 11 miles. Technically very very demanding with concentration like you cannot imagine. Matt and Fady decide to skip supper with us and return to Atlanta while Robert and Simone stayed on to have supper with me. Fantastic people this. On the Tail of the Dragon...... At Deal`s Gap..... With Matt and Robert. I`m booked there for a night and Robert and Simone leave just before dark. Now Robert is hard core and does not mind night driving. The Dragon souvenir shop only close at 8 pm so I book in and buy the proof. The whole nine miles of it. Pins, patches, bandana, etc. Monday 18th October On Monday 18th October I get up to start early just to find out that the Sun only reach here late in the morning. Nevertheless I set off at 8:19 am and have the Tail of the Dragon for myself with only a few trucks and cars. Having a better idea of what it is like and with so little traffic I cut the corners and have a really good time. From here I take the Foot Hills Parkway which wind through the Great Smokey Mountains and the Smokey Mountain National Park. A really beautiful ride with squirrels being the most dangerous animals for the rider that I encountered. They run into the road when you approach and then dart back just when you`re about a bike length away. Little buggers really gave me a fright. Then after a wrong turn back to the Blue Ridge Parkway and on to Asheville where I stay over for the night. I only really started mastering the bike halfway through the Blue Ridge Parkway. Tuesday 19th October On Tuesday I returned to Atlanta. On my arrival start day I gave Dan a sticker..... he rental gets returned to it`s owner. Overview of my Loop Ride. 600 miles..... I`m still jet lagged, very tired but happy. From Atlanta I flew to West Palm Beach and is staying with my cousin from Stellenbosch who has moved with her family to Dallas, Texas and then on to Florida. I have now also realised why it is so easy for the American riders to do so many IBA Runs. They have open highways with very little demanding bits and you can maintain high averages throughout your ride. Most of them will not be able to achieve an IBA here. That has diminished their IBA Achievements in my eyes at least. Here the bikers, read Harley Riders, are very friendly with about 95% of the peeps greeting you even before you can greet them. According to Robert, who rides a 1150 GS, the real snobby guys are the Bee Em peeps. Hope you enjoyed the narrative and the photo`s as much as I enjoyed the Ride, the Nature and the Hospitality.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 18:41:28 +0000
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