On the Cherohala, once you are on the Tennessee side it is really all downhill, literally. As we dropped in elevation, we gained in sunlight. By the time we reached the river the road was almost dry and I tried to make up for lost time. I was pushing Ole Blue/Dances with Rain pretty hard and Pop was right on my tail. We were still on vacation so I took the turn North to Bald River Falls. I have seen it several times but I had never been able to get the picture I really wanted.
This picture:
We moved on past and parked the bikes, I always love this photo op:
As we were parking, I noticed a couple about my age watching us. I am a naturally suspicious person so I mentioned it to Pop. They did not look like a threat and the woman was very attractive and was filling out a gray Harley T-shirt just the way it should be done, but still I don't like being watched. I really wanted to climb the trail to the top of the falls because I had never done it and now looked like a good time, but I did not want to leave the bikes alone and did not want to leave Pop either.
"Go ahead, I will be here when you get back," Pop said and I believed him.
From the top:
I also took a quick video on my phone and hustled back down the trail. I stopped long enough to joke with a group of ladies who were struggling to make the climb and then ran the rest of the way down.
Pop was next to our bikes and staring at a Gray SUV. "Your curvy woman got in that thing and they have been sitting there watching you climb that trail. I cannot figure them out."
On cue, they idled over to us with the windows down. Turns out they were really nice folks, they were just looking at our bikes. They had ridden to that area on their Harley but because of the weather they had rented the SUV. They were regretting their choice when they saw me climbing to the top. The lovely lady asked me if it was worth the climb to see the top of the falls.
Without a thought I passed her my iPhone and told her to hit the play arrow. She watched my little video and handed the phone back to me. She thanked me graciously and then turned to her husband. "Let's go back and get the bike." He broke out in that happy smile that all motorcyclists know, shook my hand and thanked me. Somehow, at that moment we understood each other like old friends. I hope they had a good ride. Pop and I sure did.
On the way to Tellico Kats for lunch Pop made a few comments about "other men's wives". I just ignored him.
As always the sandwiches at Tellico Kats were excellent. We ate at the same table we always get, on the back porch, over the river. The food tastes better like that.
In Tellico Plains we took Hwy 68 South. I have never ridden it all the way out, we usually turn off to see The Field of the Woods. We skipped that experience today and rode that twisty jewel all the way into Georgia. We weaved and bobbed our way all the way to Rome Georgia where we decided to call it a night.
While I went in to get our room Pop was chatting with a gentleman about my age who was sitting on a bench under the front overhang. When I returned, Pop was the center of a group of 7 or 8 guys who were asking him questions one after the other. Turns out they worked for Georgia Pacific, the company Pop was retired from. Even though they worked at a completely different plant in a completely different state, they knew who he was.
The first guy came over and told me, "That is one happy man right now. He told us that nobody can pick a route for a motorcycle like you can. He's having a great time." He paused and said, "Riding like this with your Dad has got to be awesome."
He looked at the FJR while I was unstrapping Pop's duffle bag and I could see he was puzzled. "That is kind of a bad ass looking bike. Is it as fast as it looks?"
"You cannot even imagine", I told him. "And yes, that old man rides the hell out of it."
He patted me on the shoulder and laughed. "Y'all have a good ride. I already know you are going to take good care of your Dad."
I made a McDonald's run while Dad showered, neither of us felt like going out for supper. The window view of the hotel parking lot made us miss Kentucky.
I spent over an hour in the hotel's "Business Center" fighting with Google Maps. I had to revise my route because the rain was going to make my previous choice of Very Twisty roads a bad idea.
