Back Roads Loop for the Cheese Run No. 4

Friday, March 4, 2016, temps 30 to start 40s to finish.  Very heavy clouds but only slight chance for rain.  New rear tire on the 700, time to ride.  So all donned in my winter riding gear, I pushed out of the garage about 8:15 a.m. to make a gas stop and then to McD's for a cup with the "Elderlies".  Paul to arrive at or about 9:00.  And at the appointed time he showed up just as I finished putting my riding gear back on.  The ride begins.  But a quick update.  New motorcycle tires have a coating to help preserve them before they are put on a wheel and this coating either has to be scrubbed off or worn off so the first 50 to 100 miles you sort of have to take it easy as it will slip out from under you in a tight curve.  Second, it rained Thursday afternoon and night so the roads were still very damp.  This makes the first issue with the tire even worse.

Paul, my old and "Ole" biker friend headed down US 441/411.  The mountain you're looking at in the horizon is Bluff Mountain.  There's a smaller one in front of it called Sugarloaf.

In the distance you can see the church I attend as well as two layers of clouds over the mountains.  They are not snow capped.  It does, however, make you check your memory to see if you brought along your rainsuit.

Not too far down 441 we made a right turn onto Titsworth Springs Rd.  Unusual name I know but tis true.  And the road, which has an excellent surface, is quite damp.

On today's ride we tried to make every road in this part of the county and the next two counties as well.  A lot of turns and some very ominous clouds.

It really didn't make much difference in which direction you turned the clouds just seemed to follow you.  Yep, I did bring my rainsuit.

We crossed and ran along several small streams and after the rain they were flowing very well.

In this particular area of the county there are some very large farms.  The green grass on this hill with the mountains for a back drop make everything look awesome.

Didn't see an A/C unit but this little log cabin does indeed have electricity.  I bet it is really cozy with a fire in the fireplace.  Probably wouldn't take more than two matches to get it all warm and toasty inside.

The picture shown last night titled "Sunshine" is kind of a joke.  The sun did finally come out but it was a few hours later in the day.

A very picturesque old farm house.  I would like to come back this way some day and take a full frontal picture of it.

Another turn and the scenery changes altogether.  A small urban area nestled among the hills and valleys.

I just love this picture.  This was a very large farm nestled in the lowland among the rolling hills.  Great backdrop.

Yet another turn to another highway and that dark cloud just keeps getting darker.  It's like rolling the dice, am I going to get wet or not.

Finally around 10:30 we pull into Vonore, TN at a Hardee's and had a late breakfast.  A very big breakfast.  But not very expensive as we had coupons "buy one get one" deals.  Old riding guys are somewhat cheap.  Leaves more money to buy gasoline.

After our breakfast we were back on the road again and heading toward Tellico Plains, TN, the southern end of the Cherohala Skyway.  But no skyway ride today, we were roughing it on small back roads.

Or at least that was our plan.  But I see a speck of blue, surely it won't rain if I see blue.

Lots of houses styled like this one in the area and this home has been well cared for.  It sits at the edge of Tellico Plains.

I've ridden by Tellico Plains on the outskirts but have never taken the turn off to go to the Historic Downtown area.  Today our route took us downtown.  Just to the lower right you can see a pinkish rose color.  Those are Pink Dogwood trees blooming.






A better view of the Pink Dogwoods.

Riding through town allowed for some interesting buildings.

A typical main street type scene for many small towns across the U.S.A.

Not too many miles out of Tellico Plains we made a turn to run some rougher roads.  This was the road to Conasauga Falls.

And it wasn't flat either.  We were actually climbing to the top of a mountain to the head of trail parking area to the falls.

And then the asphalt ended and the dirt and rocks began.  Thank goodness for the rain as this would have been a dusty ride if dry.

A bunch of curves and a couple of 180 switchbacks, some uphill.  And that drop to the left is a loooong way down to the bottom.

We even had to contend with some road hazards along the way.  Something larger than a chuck hole or a large rock and throw in a few washed out areas.

This trip was three miles off of the main highway.

 But then you get to the top, park, look around and take a "million dollar" picture.  In a few months you won't be able to see those mountains in the back ground due to leaves.

Paul went to explore the trail down to the falls but I had no intention of walking that far.  He walked far enough to ear the water running in the creek but it was still a couple of miles to the falls.  So he huffed and he puffed and he finally arrived back to his bike.  Meanwhile, I'm just looking at the road we just came up and was now going to have to navigate it back down.  Back brake, back brake, back brake.  You have to keep your hand off the front brake when riding on dirt/gravel/rock.

We then headed to Philadelphia, TN and to Sweetwater Farms for the cheese we started out to get.  The horses in this pasture became a little spirited when we rode by.  And our bikes are very quiet.

Daffodils blooming in front of this old rundown house.  We saw lots of daffodils on today's ride.  They're everywhere, they're everywhere.

This stream was doing its share of gurgling and bubbling.  A nice peaceful sound but we were unable to stay for very long.  Just time enough to snap a picture and off again.  Miles to travel before we slept.







This picture did not get centered as I wished but it brought a chuckle to me as we rode by it.  Two very large tanks and around it a whole litter of little tanks.  Hmmm.

And to one of my artist friends, Barb, this one is for you.  It's a study of Black and White on Green.  Mooooo.

Another very large farm in this valley area.  It's hard to believe all of the green grass after so many snows and freezes.

This house and buildings backed up to a very flowing river.  In fact, all of the houses on this side of the road and in this area were built high off the ground.  I would imagine due to flooding issues.

The barn that seemed to go on forever.  And only one horse did I see.

We reached our destination.  Sample time, rest stop and get those cheese curds they've been saving for us.

We met up with Terry and his rather new Harley at Sweetwater.  It was good to see him and chat for a while.  He rode with us down near Knoxville where we split, each for their respective house.  And those darned clouds were still hanging around.







Today's ride consisted of 187 miles door to door for me, a few more for Paul.  It also allowed me and Paul some new sights and some new roads to ride.  The weather was great for sweating was not an issue today.  Nor did it rain.  And the main thing is, we had fun. 

So until the next adventure, be a little thankful for what you have been given, and remember that your actions are watched much more than you may realize.  Tell your neighbor hello, talk to a relative, and enjoy your life.