Ride To Burnsvile, NC Via Da Backroads

Thursday, April 17th, temps at 8 a.m., 37, end of day, 72.  No rain.  It just doesn't get any better than this.  So what do you do with this information?  Why you pull on your insulated riding clothes in layers, crawl onto Sweet Thang and back her out of the garage.  Drop the garage door and fire her up.  Oh, that deep sound so early on a cold morning.  Deep voiced women, especially those with dark hair, always did turn me on.  Sweet Thang doesn't have long dark hair but she still turns me on.

Pulled out at 7:50 to meet friend Paul up the road about 4 miles to be there by 8:15.  He was already there so he asked if I wanted to burn a Krystal coupon before we met Dan, the other rider of the day, at Burger King in Sevierville.  I said yes that I had the coupons in my bag.  Now for you young folks, this is old retiree's lingo for saving a few bucks.  Can always use the extra cash to buy gas for the bike.  So away we went heading up Boyds Creek Highway, TN 338, to make turn-off onto the Old Knoxville Hwy. and ride back in to Sevierville.

 It was just a tad foggy
when we left but not so
that it was a real hazard.
Does give things an eerie
look which also makes
things appear softer.

 Shortly up the road the
fog lifted and things were
clearer, like the old
school house on the left
here and the foothills in
the right photo.



We arrived at the Krystal in short time and gobbled up that $1.99 special plus coffee breakfast in a short time.  Three scrambled eggs, sausage pattie, grits and two slices of toast.  Can't beat that even if you're not retired.  Some folks in there questioned us about being cold and we answered no, that we were warm with our riding gear on.  I asked here where was she from and she replied Chicago.  I laughed, for this is nothing what Chicago is getting.  Then she realized what I was getting at.

We left for Burger King and met Dan in the parking lot.  Next point on the ride was Newport, TN and then on to Hot Springs, NC.  Hot Springs is a wee little town nestled in the valley which just happens to have some soothing springs that people come to so they can soak their aches and pains away.  Shucks, three fingers deep in a No. 3 washtub of Bourbon can do that.  And probably let you have some visions to ponder over while in your sot stupor.

 There's just something about an early morning ride that makes you feel alive and I don't mean the cold air hitting you in the face.  Everything just seems clearer, you mind, your sight, and the coolness makes the colors just pop out at you.  With Spring now the grass looks so rich and green, the slight haze formed over the mountains, and then you know when the early mist burns off that "big ole sky" is going to be blue.

 The mountains in the background appear to be a long way off, and they are, but not so that you won't reach them in a couple of hours.  Much different than driving across Wyoming looking at the Rockies.  The rolling foothills just seem to frame the mountains making them even more appealing.  Now you don't have to wonder why I love to ride my bike.

 There are some grand old
houses in this area and
some newer ones built in
the same style as the older
homes.  I just love to look
at them but do not want to
go through the trouble of
re-doing everything.


You've probably noticed that most of the highways in this area are not straight.  So if you suffer from or have motion sickness, hang onto your dramamine or go by your local pharmacy and pick up some of those elastic wrist bands.  You'll definitely need them when riding or driving in East Tenn.  Or North Carolina, Or Kentucky, or Virginia, etc.


We rode through Hot Springs heading Northeast to Pensacola.  No, not Florida.  Pensacola, NC.  At one time this was a thriving little town but it is down to almost nothing today.

 And by the way, we never
take the most direct route
nor the major highways
unless it is absolutely
necessary and so far it
hasn't been absolutely
necessary.  That's why the
countryside is so interesting.

 Highway, railroad, river.  Transportation factor is no problem.  As the road twists back and forth you may cross the RR and river several times in just a few miles.  All depends on the lay of the land, in other words, where the flat places are so they won't have to blast the mountains away.

We have been waiting, no, let me
correct that, this bridge has been
under construction for some time
but we haven't been waiting on it
as there is a one lane/two lane/one
lane road that you can take to
by-pass it.  But now that it is
complete, I guess we'll have to
take a ride over it just because.

Then we finally arrived in Hot Springs, NC.  It is a quaint little town and going out in an Easterly direction you cross the French Broad River.  The French Broad meets up with the Holston River northeast of Knoxville and then becomes the Tennessee River.  Don't ask me how the river got named French Broad.  Your guess is as good as my guess.  Maybe the fellow was travelling with a lady from France.

From Hot Springs we headed on to Pensacola, NC. where we made a stop at the General Store to check it out.  It has an old hand pump gasoline pump in front and some old oil company signs.  Inside it is not a store any longer but they do have a few snacks to sell.  The lady that has the building now does furniture restoration, wood and fabric.  But before we got there we met an elderly man and woman meeting us on the highway in a covered wagon pulled by two mules.  Apparently they were travelling on the slow road to somewhere.  Time was not a factor.  Probably the way we all should do instead of the fast pace lives we live.

Mules and wagon, original
RV living.  Nice "sweeper" curves along the way.

What is there to not like about this picture other than you are not here enjoying it with me.  Just look at that sky.  Scenes like this can almost put you in a trance.  But hold on "Ole Girl", we don't want to lose where we are just yet.  For we have miles to travel before we rest.

 Riding alongside the river.
Our next stop was to get a
shot of this tumbling little
stream.  We were so far
back in the mountains that
I could hear banjo's playing.

 This is what I call the money shot.  Sweet Thang parked on a gravel mountain road with a babbling stream flowing under the bridge.

Mountain gravel road and
on the right showing one of the many switch backs you will travel.  Gravel and road bikes don't really get along very well due to weight of the bike and the type tires used.

 B. B. Wilson Grocery.  Now a furniture upholstery and wood refinishing business.

A beautiful old church on the opposite side of the road from the General Store.  You can't tell from this angle and the sun, but the roof was metal but like fish scales.  There's a number of old houses with such roofs in this part of the country.

After Pensacola stop and a purchase of a coffee cup with the store front pictured on it, we headed on up the road to Burnsville where we stopped at a McDonald's to eat lunch.  After a quick lunch we rode around the town square after gassing up the bikes.  The town has little shops and restaurants around the square.  Cute place to visit for a bit.

We rarely ever return the same way we went.  That doesn't quite sound right but you get the meaning.  We more or less ride in a loop, up one way and back another.  However, we crossed roads in Hot Springs going and coming.

 Travelling along the back
roads we often come upon
a "little fixer-upper".  I have
to admit, some will need a
lot of fixing, both lower and
upper.

We usually at some point in the ride, parallel a river or
small stream.  This adds
beauty to the picture and
the route and is really
inviting on a hot summer
day.  And don't forget the
curves.

We get to see all types of
bridges, from just old flat
poured concrete to the type shown here, to covered bridges, etc.  Also just as many types of barns.  This is a partial cantilever constructed barn, meaning the top overhangs the bottom.  Cantilever barns are primarily found in the Appalachian region.

This old Victorian styled home has always been somewhat intriguing to me.  In some ways it looks as if the person building it didn't quite know what they wanted but this is how it ended up.

 The picture on the right is a Christmas tree farm.  This particular area of North Carolina grow a lot of and different varieties of Christmas trees.  These particular trees look as if they missed the season as they look more like shrubs than the typical Christmas tree shape.

 I laugh when we run upon this area.  If the farmer or the state had moved the barn or road a little the barn could have become a very short tunnel.  The road edge is just a few feet away from the front edge of the barn.  I wonder if it has ever been hit by a vehicle?  Maybe a banjo playing "moonshine runner" on a dark night running without his lights on.

 On the way back more
curves, more hills, a little
more gravel road travel,
a quick stop at the water
falls, and then on to Hot
Springs for a cup of coffee. 

We ran along this stream on our way to the falls and on to Hot Springs.

 

It would take all of your two week vacation just to visit some of the waterfalls in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.  In fact, I don't think you could do all of them for some you have to hike to.  But let's say just those near a road, you would be hard pressed to see all of them in two weeks.  There's over 30 waterfalls just in Sevier County alone.  But what a view to start ending the day with.  

It was a great day with two great guys to enjoy riding on this trip.  My mileage, door to door, was 266 miles.  A full day in the saddle, a million curves, and a lot of fun.  Just a thought, if you're not enjoying your life, make a change in it.  One way is to start looking at things around you and open your mind to new things.

Ride safe.