The Gamble Family (.Net)

While I was at the Dragon, Killboy.com was there taking photos. They got a few shots of me as I whizzed past.

Autumn is in full color explosion in Tennessee, which means that Winter is not too far away. Winter means my riding season starts to quickly taper off as the roads get very frosty in the mornings here. So, with an Indian Summer forecast of mid-70’s and sunny skies, I decided to play hooky from work and take the last opportunity of the year to travel some of my favorite roads in East Tennessee - The Dragon (aka 318 curves in 11 miles) and the Cherohala Skyway (41 miles of mile-high splendor).

My day began at 6 AM. I knew that if I were to make this 510-mile trip in a single day, that I had to get an early start. The night before, I laid out my riding gear so that I would be ready to roll soon after I got up. At 6:30, I pressed the starter on the Goldwing and a smile came across my face as 1800 CC’s of power came to life. With The Allman Brothers on the MP3 player, I rolled out of the driveway to start my journey.

As I rolled down the entrance ramp onto I-40, I set the cruise on 85, settled into the rhythm of the Wing, and blew down I-40 towards a beautiful red sunrise. By 9:30, I had traveled the 200 miles across I-40 east, and made the right-hand turn onto US-129, which meant that I was only 10 miles from The Dragon. I couldn’t contain myself and felt a smile creep across my face as I saw that famous US-129 highway sign.

The approach to The Dragon takes you beside a spectacular view of Tellico Lake. The road slowly meanders along the lakefront for about 10 miles, then it takes a sharp left hand turn away from the water. This marks the entrance to The Dragon. This is where the fun begins. I could feel my eyes narrow as I prepared to encounter this beast that has beaten many unsuspecting (aka rookie) riders and I whispered ever so respectfully, “OK Dragon, let’s see what you’ve got for me today”.

Approaching The Dragon

For the next 12 miles, a rider experiences every type of curve imaginable. There are short sections of quick S-turns, areas of up/down humps, lots of 180-degree switchbacks, and everything else in between. Since it was mid Autumn, the foliage in east Tennessee was unbelievable. As I pushed the Wing hard into the turns, with pegs scraping on just about each turn, I could hear The Dragon growl as he tried to bite me. Each turn unveiled an new explosion of color. My vision senses were overpowered as turn after turn of green, golden yellow, and bright red passed by in a blur. I stopped several times along the way to take a few photos. This is the first time that I can remember smelling hot rubber after a ride such as this. I guess I was leaning on The Dragon a little harder that I realized.

The Overlook - 1 1/2 miles into The Dragon

Curves and Color

By the time I got to the south end of the Dragon, my heart was pumping at about twice its normal rate from the sheer exhilaration of what I had just experienced. I pulled into the gas station for an early lunch and a short rest. After a tasty burger, I repeated my ride through The Dragon by riding back to the beginning and then back to the south end.

After making three passes through The Dragon, I headed for one of the most beautiful sections of highway on the East Coast - The Cherohala Skyway. The Skyway is unquestionably my favorite road. The Skyway starts in west North Carolina, just west of Robbinsville and ends in east Tennessee, at Tellico Plains. The road is 41 miles long. Along this road, a rider experiences radical elevation changes from 930 feet to 5,383 feet above sea level. With elevation changes like that, the temperature can change as much as 25 degrees from top to bottom. The other fun part of the Skyway is the fact that the entire 41 miles is one continuous section of wide sweeping S-turns from end to end. There are no straight sections longer than 1/4 mile anywhere on this fabulous road. Combine all of this with spectacular views of mile-deep valleys covered in golden and red foliage, and you simply can not ask for a better riding experience.

The Cherohala Skyway

My trip across the Cherohala ended all too soon as I arrived at Tellico Plains. I took a short rest stop, enjoyed a Diet Pepsi and Peanut Butter and Cheese crackers (my favorite mid-ride snack), and then started the 200 mile journey back towards home.

What a day! 510 miles - 10 1/2 hours - and the most beautiful scenery that God can possibly create. Hmmm, let’s see. It’s only 11 1/2 more months until next Autumn…