Crossing NC Mountains The Hard Way

Thursday, March 10, 2016.  Temps are in upper 50s this morning with a high of 79.  Very nice weather, very clear sky and very ready to have a nice day of riding.  Arranged to meet biker Paul at the Exxon Sta. at 8:30 a.m.  So at 8 a.m. I pushed Little Hoss out of the garage and fired him up.  Tank was full and I was ready.  Time to go.

I shot this pic shortly after I pulled out of my subdivision heading North on Boyds Creek Hwy.  An excellent morning to ride.

Farther up the road it just seemed to get better.  This particular farm had a bunch of pygmy goats.











We rode up US 411 to Newport, Tn and then was going to ride over into North Carolina to hit our mountain road.  Paul was going to gas up in Newport because gas there last week was $1.37/gal.  When we got there it had increased to $1.69/gal.  That was not a good thing.  So he put in a couple of gallons and would refuel back in Sevierville where it was $1.44/gal. on the return home.


After gassing up we took off riding East out of Newport.  This route takes you parallel to the French Broad River and a favorite biker hangout called Bobarosa's.  Small motel, camping spots, live music on weekends, restaurant and hundreds of motorcycles.  In the winter it is pretty much a ghost town.

We turned off of US 25 onto TN 107 running through part of the Cherokee National Forest.  It is a very scenic road with lots of sweeper curves and some old homes scattered along the way to spruce up some of the newer ones.

The mountains were especially pretty this morning.  The morning mist slowly burning off the mountains leaving that smoky appearance and green pastures along the way.

Evey once in a while you would pass a real old homestead like the one shown here.  I don't think it has ever had a drop of paint put on those timbers, all aged gray from the environment.  And that old rusty tin roof has lulled a few to sleep on those rainy nights also.

It seems like every road up in here has a stream running along it, often meandering beneath the road to the other side for a while and then back again.

The last of an era.  This old barn has just seen it's last days and all that's needed now is a re-cycler or a match.

A turn or two later we're on the paved one lane road that is taking us to the beginning of our adventure ride this morning.

We reach the starting point and decide to stop and read the signs and maps.  Yep, we're heading to the Upper Shut-in Road that will take us from the TN side of the mountain over to the NC side.  And from there onward to Marshall, NC for a cup of coffee and an apple fritter at the Ingle's Store.

You can tell it stays rather cool and damp as anything that is stationary has green moss growing on it.  Like these large boulders shown here.

We were rather surprised as the paved portion of the road ended the road left was mostly clay based with a little rock every once in a while.  If raining it would be very slick.

These little mudholes meant nothing to us compared to what we did a couple of days prior.  We just went between them and kept heading on our way to North Carolina.

The road was really not
bad as it has been several days of sun since the last rain.  The surface was slightly damp but packed causing no traction problems.

                                             The road meandered up and down hills etched into the side of the mountain slowly winding its way up to the top eventually.

What surprised us even more was there were several houses back in these woods.  Ahead starts the real portion we were heading for, just across that bridge up ahead.  But this little stream was just too cute to pass up taking a photo of.  It just flip flopped its way down the side of the mountain and under the bridge we were to cross.




That bridge was a sound as a dollar.
But what lay ahead wasn't.  In fact, there was a small tree that had fallen across the road and leaves about six inches thick on the roadway.  No one had crossed that bridge in a loooong time.  Litle Hoss is on the right.

Paul and I got off to take a better look.  I moved the small tree from the road just across the bridge and Paul walked up the road a bit to remove a fallen limb.  We decided that to go up this you would need a bike with knobby tires or a 4-wheeler.  It wasn't right for our tires.  So not knowing if it got better or worse, we elected to turn around and go to the alternate mountain road.

So back out onto a main road we went heading to Objective No. 2.












We wound around the mountains for a while until we finally came to the turn off for our alternate adventure.

This was an old neighborhood.  We saw a number of log barns and log     cribs, well weathered and some in various stages of survival.

The closer you get into the mountains the more majestic the appear.  And then you realize some historical facts that these are some of the oldest mountains in North America.

Another surprise was the number of sheep farms and some with sheep and various goats.  They also had some very large white long haired dogs that were almost as large as the sheep.

 We arrive at our alternate mountain crossing and found the road to be in pretty good shape.  It did have some very loose crushed rock in places that would make you tighten up on the seat but then that's just another isometric exercise function.

 The drop-offs on the side of the road were nothing to kid about.  It was a very long way to the bottom and don't even try to count the number of trees you would bounce off of on the way down.

This road also, would be tricky in places right after a rain due to the muddy clay stretches.

Now that the leaves are still off the trees you can really see the valleys below as well as the mountain side.  Come Spring, it will just be a sea of green with a little gray streak running up the side of the mountain.  You will only be able to see from one curve to the next but not beyond.

Once you crown the top you have to start down and keep reminding yourself, foot brake, foot brake.  You have to pretty much forget about the front wheel break going downward.

Then we were back on the main road heading for Marshall and those apple fritters.  Paul's bike automatically turns into an Ingle's Store for that purpose alone.  One thing you do notice are the number and styles of churches along the roads and in the communities.

After apple fritters we started heading for the house.  Along the way we passed a couple of interesting houses.  This was one of them.  I couldn't tell if the poles propped up was some kind of fencing or just that was a good place to put them for the time being.

Just as we come into Hot Springs, NC we catch the river again. 

We were going to have another adventure of sorts as the paved road ends after a few miles and then a 4 mile stretch of gravel road runs along the river to finally join back up to the paved section. 

 I guess it's because no one lives here due to the area being part of the national forest and maybe it floods when the river is up.









The river sure was pretty today.













We catch the main road again and head it for the hose.  The sky is still very blue with some high white clouds but not a fear of rain today.  Had to shed some garments due to increased heat but was still plenty clad for the last leg of the ride.







Door to door today was 212 miles some which was a little intense and some very relaxing.  By the way, Paul got back to Sevierville and the gas had gone to $1.69 at all of the stations.  We split here so I hope he decided to stop somewhere toward his house and get some gas.  I ran all the way back to Seymour and then filled up.  Love Little Hoss as I got 68.5 mpg on this tank.  And on the paved roads, the wide ones, we rode a little spirited.

A great day for having fun, one of the perks after retiring.  I have some working friends or friends from work, some family members and other folks that are going through some tough times right now with the weather, mainly the rain.  I've been there and done that.  It hurts plenty to see all of what you've worked for go under water.  And believe me, if they have insurance, it still won't cover all that you lose.  So keep these folks in your prayers, they need them.  Until the next Adventure, may you keep the wind to your back, the sun on your shoulders and the asphalt beneath your wheels.