Sharif
Well-known member
It all started with reading about the Georgia Guidestones while following the IBR over the years. I made a mental note to go see it some day. Since the weather has been so uncommonly cool, this year’s August trip seemed to be as good a time as any.
The route planning was easy. Lets see, northeast Georgia from Indiana. I had yet to ride the Dragon yet on the FJR, so that was in, as was the Cherohala Skyway. Thanks to forum members and Google Maps, so was GA-60 from Morganton to Dahlonega. A college buddy in Atlanta I had not seen for years offered a great place to overnight.
I decided to blow out of work at lunch on Friday and boogie down to Alcoa, just south of Knoxville, so I could wake up in the mountains with tasty roads surrounding me. Rain coming down hard, I rode to work. Finished up some last-minute items, saddled up, and headed south. True to the radar, I had steady rain from South Bend to Peru:
The sun came out, the road dried up, and I started roasting in my rain gear. Time to pit for gas, stow the gear, and hit the road.
The rest of the trip to Alcoa went quickly, with me getting more and more amped up as the miles ticked by. The weather was phenomenal, the roads great, the traffic light and fast, so I was able to get off the road and be done before 9 pm. I was getting more and more excited – so nice to see mountains again.
Unwinding after the ride, looking at the laptop and doing time estimates, I decided to get going early on Saturday morning. This would accomplish two major things for me – hitting the Dragon when it was not crowded and maximizing time with my buddy. I targeted wheels turning by 05:00. As usual, when filled with anticipation, I slept poorly and beat my target by about 20 minutes.
Let me tell you, there are very, very few folks on the road before 5. Inky dark. Aux lights lit up, I made my way to the Dragon. Got some cool shots of deserted landmarks:
I really liked the shot of Stich the dragon on the TN side:
So I tried to replicate the eyes with a shot at the scenic lookout point:
I could not accurately capture the faint outline of the mountains with my phone camera, so here’s a shot that I could get:
So. The Dragon in the Dark. It. Was. Awesome. Nobody on the road, at all. No photographers, at all. Nothing but the road. There is only the road, nothing else. Singularity of focus and purpose. Bike locked in second gear, riding The Pace. Aux lighting is critical to enjoyment. Stopped at the scenic lookout point to just drink in the silence. No sound, no engines, no bikes, no cars, no nothing. Just peace and quiet. The only thing visible was the faintest mountain silhouette to the east in the pre-dawn light. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend it.
As I said here, I got a shot of Gary and Kathleen’s bikes at the resort. Saw the Tree of Shame. And headed south.
I finally found what I was looking for:
Getting lighter now, still nobody on the road. Bike locked in third gear, riding The Pace with a little added gusto on long straights, enjoying getting my lean on and the beautiful scenery:
Such wonderful peace and quiet. Nobody around. Imagine, the entire Skyway to yourself. On the descent into Tellico, I did see a Miata coming my way, but that was it. Wonderful.
About the only downside to early morning riding is the fact that places like this are closed:
TN68 to GA60, wonderful road. GA60? Holy cow. Absolutely incredible. Great elevation changes, lovely scenery, immaculate roads, no gravel. Primarily third gear, I focused on getting my head down, my shoulders forward and down, looking through the curves. I overtook a bicyclist and caught a guy on an Harley XR1200X. I followed him for a while, enjoying the sound and smell of his bike. Nice popping sounds on deceleration. After he let me by, I resumed my Pace:
The ride from Dahlonega to the Guidestones was an exercise in frustration and the need for a GPS. Accidents everywhere. Roads closed, traffic diverted. I tried trusting my sense of direction and ended up 5 miles into a gravel track in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately for me, a power company truck came by and the nice gents pointed me the way to the nearest paved road. Much obliged, thanks, good to be on pavement again.
I kept having to pull over and fiddle with my phone to try and figure out a decent route. Need to do a GPS, possibly a ram ball on the left bar in the mirror hole mount? On the to-do list for the off-season.
The Guidestones were interesting to see. Nobody was there, just me. A curiosity for sure. Big. Quiet. I spent ten minutes photographing and thinking about who and why.
My stomach reminded me of its neglect, so I head west to Atlanta, where I was treated like a king. It was almost embarrassing. After a shower, consenting to letting my laundry be done, we drove into Roswell for some Millionaire Mojitos, followed by cappuccino.
Dinner at home: wild Alaskan salmon on the grill, risotto, homemade limoncello. Yes please! So good to catch up, the years just melted away. Almost asleep on the couch, we finally call it a night and pack it in.
I got a bit of a late start the next day, saddling up after breakfast around 10:30. A little concerned with time (~680 miles), I decide to slab. I had a quick trip out of Atlanta towards Chattanooga, only to see signs over the interstate saying all lanes closed in 40 miles. Gah! When I pulled into a tourist information center for some heat relief, the nice ladies are highlight alternate routes on Tennessee back roads. I’m figuring that all the interstate traffic is going to be clogging the back roads, so I head into Alabama.
Temperature is climbing now and I’m getting a bit fatigued. Pit for gas, soak my long-sleeved tshirt in cold water. Ah yes, much better, air conditioning is on as the wind flows through my vents. It felt so good and perked me right up. Onward on 72! Cut through Rocket City before angling northwest and picking up 65.
Traffic! The bane of my return trip. Jammed going into Nashville. Jammed between Nashville and Louisville. At least the temperature was falling. Final gas stop, fire up the aux lights, and the temperature fell to 57 by the time I got home just after midnight. Ended up being 770 miles, not 680. Grip heaters kept my hands happy, and closed vents kept the rest of me happy.
Trip stats: 1740 miles, 43.9 mpg.
Slightly longer than planned - every part enjoyable.
My Olympia gear worked great, as did my Schuberth C3. The FJR, as expected, never missed a beat. It is simply an incredible motorcycle. Smooth, powerful, reliable, and relatively rare – only saw two others on my trip. It does everything I want it to and more, burns regular gas, and is reliable to a fault.
What did I learn on this adventure? I love to look around. I like to see things, hang out with friends, and chat with travelers and natives alike. But fundamentally for me, when I’m riding, it’s all about the road. I love following the road. I love looking at side roads and following them. “Dangerous curves and steep grades next 33 miles” signs make me happy. Time is the biggest constraint. I like to wander. I like feeling alive.
There is something about being constantly in motion that is energizing. I just feel more alive. Decisions are made quickly, all the senses are vivid, in higher definition. Moving along on a motorcycle is just so much more fun than moving along through the office.
It’s all about the road. Follow the road.
And be thankful there are great people along the way and at the end of it.
The route planning was easy. Lets see, northeast Georgia from Indiana. I had yet to ride the Dragon yet on the FJR, so that was in, as was the Cherohala Skyway. Thanks to forum members and Google Maps, so was GA-60 from Morganton to Dahlonega. A college buddy in Atlanta I had not seen for years offered a great place to overnight.
I decided to blow out of work at lunch on Friday and boogie down to Alcoa, just south of Knoxville, so I could wake up in the mountains with tasty roads surrounding me. Rain coming down hard, I rode to work. Finished up some last-minute items, saddled up, and headed south. True to the radar, I had steady rain from South Bend to Peru:
The sun came out, the road dried up, and I started roasting in my rain gear. Time to pit for gas, stow the gear, and hit the road.
The rest of the trip to Alcoa went quickly, with me getting more and more amped up as the miles ticked by. The weather was phenomenal, the roads great, the traffic light and fast, so I was able to get off the road and be done before 9 pm. I was getting more and more excited – so nice to see mountains again.
Unwinding after the ride, looking at the laptop and doing time estimates, I decided to get going early on Saturday morning. This would accomplish two major things for me – hitting the Dragon when it was not crowded and maximizing time with my buddy. I targeted wheels turning by 05:00. As usual, when filled with anticipation, I slept poorly and beat my target by about 20 minutes.
Let me tell you, there are very, very few folks on the road before 5. Inky dark. Aux lights lit up, I made my way to the Dragon. Got some cool shots of deserted landmarks:
I really liked the shot of Stich the dragon on the TN side:
So I tried to replicate the eyes with a shot at the scenic lookout point:
I could not accurately capture the faint outline of the mountains with my phone camera, so here’s a shot that I could get:
So. The Dragon in the Dark. It. Was. Awesome. Nobody on the road, at all. No photographers, at all. Nothing but the road. There is only the road, nothing else. Singularity of focus and purpose. Bike locked in second gear, riding The Pace. Aux lighting is critical to enjoyment. Stopped at the scenic lookout point to just drink in the silence. No sound, no engines, no bikes, no cars, no nothing. Just peace and quiet. The only thing visible was the faintest mountain silhouette to the east in the pre-dawn light. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend it.
As I said here, I got a shot of Gary and Kathleen’s bikes at the resort. Saw the Tree of Shame. And headed south.
I finally found what I was looking for:
Getting lighter now, still nobody on the road. Bike locked in third gear, riding The Pace with a little added gusto on long straights, enjoying getting my lean on and the beautiful scenery:
Such wonderful peace and quiet. Nobody around. Imagine, the entire Skyway to yourself. On the descent into Tellico, I did see a Miata coming my way, but that was it. Wonderful.
About the only downside to early morning riding is the fact that places like this are closed:
TN68 to GA60, wonderful road. GA60? Holy cow. Absolutely incredible. Great elevation changes, lovely scenery, immaculate roads, no gravel. Primarily third gear, I focused on getting my head down, my shoulders forward and down, looking through the curves. I overtook a bicyclist and caught a guy on an Harley XR1200X. I followed him for a while, enjoying the sound and smell of his bike. Nice popping sounds on deceleration. After he let me by, I resumed my Pace:
The ride from Dahlonega to the Guidestones was an exercise in frustration and the need for a GPS. Accidents everywhere. Roads closed, traffic diverted. I tried trusting my sense of direction and ended up 5 miles into a gravel track in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately for me, a power company truck came by and the nice gents pointed me the way to the nearest paved road. Much obliged, thanks, good to be on pavement again.
I kept having to pull over and fiddle with my phone to try and figure out a decent route. Need to do a GPS, possibly a ram ball on the left bar in the mirror hole mount? On the to-do list for the off-season.
The Guidestones were interesting to see. Nobody was there, just me. A curiosity for sure. Big. Quiet. I spent ten minutes photographing and thinking about who and why.
My stomach reminded me of its neglect, so I head west to Atlanta, where I was treated like a king. It was almost embarrassing. After a shower, consenting to letting my laundry be done, we drove into Roswell for some Millionaire Mojitos, followed by cappuccino.
Dinner at home: wild Alaskan salmon on the grill, risotto, homemade limoncello. Yes please! So good to catch up, the years just melted away. Almost asleep on the couch, we finally call it a night and pack it in.
I got a bit of a late start the next day, saddling up after breakfast around 10:30. A little concerned with time (~680 miles), I decide to slab. I had a quick trip out of Atlanta towards Chattanooga, only to see signs over the interstate saying all lanes closed in 40 miles. Gah! When I pulled into a tourist information center for some heat relief, the nice ladies are highlight alternate routes on Tennessee back roads. I’m figuring that all the interstate traffic is going to be clogging the back roads, so I head into Alabama.
Temperature is climbing now and I’m getting a bit fatigued. Pit for gas, soak my long-sleeved tshirt in cold water. Ah yes, much better, air conditioning is on as the wind flows through my vents. It felt so good and perked me right up. Onward on 72! Cut through Rocket City before angling northwest and picking up 65.
Traffic! The bane of my return trip. Jammed going into Nashville. Jammed between Nashville and Louisville. At least the temperature was falling. Final gas stop, fire up the aux lights, and the temperature fell to 57 by the time I got home just after midnight. Ended up being 770 miles, not 680. Grip heaters kept my hands happy, and closed vents kept the rest of me happy.
Trip stats: 1740 miles, 43.9 mpg.
Slightly longer than planned - every part enjoyable.
My Olympia gear worked great, as did my Schuberth C3. The FJR, as expected, never missed a beat. It is simply an incredible motorcycle. Smooth, powerful, reliable, and relatively rare – only saw two others on my trip. It does everything I want it to and more, burns regular gas, and is reliable to a fault.
What did I learn on this adventure? I love to look around. I like to see things, hang out with friends, and chat with travelers and natives alike. But fundamentally for me, when I’m riding, it’s all about the road. I love following the road. I love looking at side roads and following them. “Dangerous curves and steep grades next 33 miles” signs make me happy. Time is the biggest constraint. I like to wander. I like feeling alive.
There is something about being constantly in motion that is energizing. I just feel more alive. Decisions are made quickly, all the senses are vivid, in higher definition. Moving along on a motorcycle is just so much more fun than moving along through the office.
It’s all about the road. Follow the road.
And be thankful there are great people along the way and at the end of it.
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