After months of “COVID cooped up”, the guys were eager to get out of town for an overnighter, so… Seven riders (Larry, Dave, BobK, Dennis, Mel, Dan and Chuck) and one driver (Richard’s still recovering from a minor surgery) left Ball Ground for the beautiful Cherohala area near Tellico Plains, TN. We took the fast lane to Blue Ridge, then 5 to McCaysville, before enjoying the scenic Ocoee River Rd to Chilhowee Mtn to enjoy a beautiful overlook above Ocoee Lake.
After riding 3 sides of Chillhowee Mtn, we headed N on a lightly traveled backroad to our home for the night – Cherohala Mountain Trails Campground (CMTC) a few miles W of Tellico Plains. We quickly set up camp (yay, lighter bikes!), then headed to TP for lunch before our Skyway trip. Katz Deli right on the Tellico River served some fine sandwiches (come hungry or consider splitting them!).
So what do you get when you combine an easy-paced pre-Christmas ride with deserted backroads you never knew existed? – a Gawker’s Special! Why? Because at low speeds and with no tree cover, these remote areas offer lots to see. My head was on a swivel moving from one sight to the next. With temps only in the forties, we planned a late start and early finish. Larry, Dave and Mel met in Ball Ground, then meandered west along Long, Friendship and Salacoa roads. The light pace provides plenty of gawking opportunities… at properties, Christmas decorations, farm animals, the $1M mansion on the hill with the septic truck parked in front. The leisurely pace gave us time to stop and watch a slow-moving flock of turkeys cross the road. After a brief warmup in Fairmont, we enjoyed more of the same in the Henderson Mountain area before stopping for lunch at Davis BBQ a few miles south of Jasper on Refuge Road. Very enjoyable and I’d go again, but…
In the midst of our never-ending Georgia summer, we wondered if it would be possible to sneak in an overnight ride before winter flurries came. The Lord provided in abundance as we enjoyed gloriously cool riding and camping in God’s wonderland we call North Ga. Three (Larry, Dave and BobK) were able to sneak off work Friday and make a full 2 days of it, while Dennis, Richard and his friend Chuck left Friday afternoon to meet up at our evening’s destination – Two Wheels of Suches. (Welcome, Chuck! We thoroughly enjoyed riding with you and hope to see you again.)
With about five record highs in the previous week, we weren’t sure what to expect on our trek to the Cherohala Skyway. Saturday morning 5 riders (BobK, Dave, Larry, Mel, and Mike) met in Ball Ground for an early start north.
For the uninitiated, the Cherohala Skyway is a federal road project to create a ridge-top road connecting Tellico Plains (in SE TN) and Robbinsville (SW NC) and crosses up and over the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests – hence the name. While similar to Blue Ridge Parkway in beauty, its layout is less “tight and twisty” and more “fast sweepers” with wide open views and large, frequent scenic turnouts. In other words… Who knew our federal government would create such a glorious motorcycle route?! And since it starts and ends in such remote areas, it’s always lightly traveled.
Morning temps were almost cool as we made our way toward Blue Ridge the fast way (4 lane). After a quick bite, we headed N to Tellico Plains on TN 68 – a wonderful motorcycle road in its own right. Another pit stop in the excellent visitor center and we headed East, enjoying the graceful curves and views. And much cooler temps as we rose over 5000’. Yes, sweatshirts came out! As we neared Lake Santeetlah, Mike headed to Robbinsville and a fast return home for his date night, but the rest reversed course and rode it again for twice the fun. Why not, we’re already here.
Lunch was at the excellent Tellico Grains Bakery and Deli in downtown - you can’t go wrong with anything here. Our return home was the same beautiful route, just warmer. Between Ellijay and Jasper we caught a popup shower, but then pushed through it and were able to ride dry skies home to Woodstock. Mileage was about 325 for the day and home by 5. Or, as Trump would say… a big, beautiful ride. With fall colors just around the corner, keep this route in mind for your loved ones - they let autos use it as well!
