I rode through Tennessee with out much happening, travelled a few good roads but nothing real special. I decided to stay in Maryville TN. but had troubles finding a good motel and settled for one that only cost $35.00. It was this price for a reason as before the evening settled in I was asked by the fellow in the next room, who was a long term resident if he could wash my bike for $20.00, seems that he was short $20 for is next week stay and he was going to be evicted in the morning. Needless to say I slept with one eye open and both ears, but all was well in the morning and I headed up to the Foothills Parkway which supplied me with about 30 miles of great road and beautiful senery. I then swung around south and proceeded to the Cheraohala Skyway which is 40 miles of pure motorcyclist joy. It consisted of many good sweepers of 100 to 120 kms per hour to real technical corners of 20 kms per hour. The pavement was perfect with only one imperfection in the full 40 miles. The traffic was next none existent with just a scattering of bikers at turnouts who could not stop smiling. Even the signs were accurate which allowed me to go real hot into the corners, fast break then accelerate quickly out of them, there was not one corner that surprised me. Everybody that I have met on this trip has said this is the best road in america and so far I have to believe them.
Picture of views from one overlook, I only took one as I was very reluctant to stop as I didn’t want anything to change the high that I was on.
The Blue Hills of the Smokey Mountains
Smokey Mts. from the Cherohala Skyway
As always pictures not not do justice to really incredible scenery.
I spent the rest of the day finding then riding great roads all the way down into Georgia. I found a motel on the Chattahoochee River in a quaint little town called Helen. It has been wrote up in various m/c magazines as a good place to make as a central point. The town a number of years ago decided to make this a bavarian style town and touristy has it is, it also was very pleasant. I watched fly fisherman catch trout from my motel, and really enjoyed going down to the river in the evenings after a ride to have a quite pipe full. And to think it was only $59.00.
Motel in Helen Georgia
the Chattahooghe River behind motel in Helen
I spent two nights here and enjoyed it completely with the many roads around here, from sweeping state highways to narrow back county roads. The county roads definitely showed a person the real hill country and how the people live. The people as in Arkansas, although visibly poor are always courteous and more then willing to help an white haired old man on a motorcycle.
After a great day riding and even with my GPS, getting lost a couple times I started the hot gruelling ride to Atlanta. The traffic outside Atlanta for about 40 miles was terrible and as Mik was later to comment it was like playing dodge ball with me as the ball. Not enjoyable at all.