@StoneTrekker "Full Speed Ahead" Kevin! 😁
Safe Travels to You and The Mrs.
Mike U.

 

Have a wonderful relaxing time!

 

Looking forward to the road trip pics, Kev.

 

Fire in The Hole.........give 'em Hell Brother and take good care of my Bike

 

I am sure any businesses in the area that are open can use the business .

 

Enjoy Kevin and yall be safe…

 

@StoneTrekker according to the guys on ADVrider that are out exploring on their dual sport bikes you want to stay north of I-40. Anything south of I-40 that could be flooded was flooded with a lot of road closures and downed trees.

Of course conditions are improving daily.

 

I appreciate the knowledge. What we don’t know with absolute certainty is almost everything. This trip could be great or possibly a bust….and we depart early. My intel seems to show that heading west of Buncombe county is our best bet for good roads. We will be explorers for sure. I’ve heard there are still towns without complete water, phone/wifi, or cell service. A lot of businesses are accepting only cash which tells me they’ve got telecommunications problems. No matter what happens I’m sure we’re in for an eye opening trip.

 

I've watched too many YT videos re: Hurricane Milton, both in FL and also the 4 states further north that had damage. Several residents talked about the smell of dead people/animals being overwhelming ... and in one I watched yesterday, the resident saw 3 pickup loads of DBs in body bags being taken to a makeshift coroner's place. Obviously you're not heading into those areas of greatest destruction. I saw the Gov of NC today say that 'officially' there are still 90 people missing and presumed dead. Some of the YT videos will just rip your heart out. One women they interviewed, who had a house above the normal flood zone, but close to one of the rivers showed the reporter that not only did her entire house and all her possessions go downstream, her entire lot was also washed away. She was strong but shed a few tears when she said, "now I'm paying taxes on land that isn't even there any longer". Let that sink in for a minute.

Enjoy the trip, best time of the year to go in my opinion.

 

You mentioned a 45 minute detour. I'd expect to about double that depending on the time of day and amount of traffic using that same detour. Other than that, have a great trip. Looking forward to your pix.

 

Here's an example : The town of Weaverville is small but has many fine businesses. The town has officially announced it is open for business and NEEDS people to show up...shop...eat...spend. All the restaurants are open and inviting people to come. Most or many have no reliable telecommunications so they aren't accepting card payments. Robbinsville, Bryson City, Franklin, Tellico Plains, Marion, Cherokee, G-burg and many others are dying for customers to show up.

I'm going to do my best to keep you/us updated on what we find or experience.

 

Ok, you talked me into it. Loading up the bike tomorrow and heading out on Friday. Hoping Wayah Road is clear.

Cash, Mmm. Gotta get some cash.

 

As a resident, most people on the city water system has water, but currently it is a boil water policy. Which means it's safe to bathe or wash in, but not to consume without boiling, so you may want to bring some drinking water. Most places have power as well, except for the hardest hit areas. The worst areas are east of I-26 from lake lure all the way north to erwin, TN. Gas really isn't a issue anymore and most card readers are working at most businesses that I have been to, although they are a little slower to process, but no problems. West of asheville is pretty safe, but definitely keep an eye out for gravel and debris in roadways still. It hasn't really rained since Helene, so the roads really haven't been "washed" off of all the dirt and debris. Still a lot of good roads to explore. Ride safe and if you have any issues while down here, hit me up.

 

I saw on FB earlier that 441 between G'burg and Cherokee was shut down today due to a little snow and ice. Keep an eye on the weather.

 

I bet it's beautiful out there with the leaves changing and that bike looks fantastic!

 

I saw on FB earlier that 441 between G'burg and Cherokee was shut down today due to a little snow and ice. Keep an eye on the weather.

Saw that myself. Upper elevations of WV and VA also got some frozen precipitation. It's that time of year.

Ok, you talked me into it. Loading up the bike tomorrow and heading out on Friday. Hoping Wayah Road is clear.

Cash, Mmm. Gotta get some cash.

I'm truly excited for you Dave. Fun to know you'll be out there breaking trail for us. 😃

I bet it's beautiful out there with the leaves changing and that bike looks fantastic!

Thanks Scott. We've been there enough times to know it's fantastic in the fall. We're both pretty geeked to get this vacation in gear.



Maybe someday a RGF fall ride should take place there....or somewhere?

 

Thanks Scott. We've been there enough times to know it's fantastic in the fall. We're both pretty geeked to get this vacation in gear.

Maybe someday a RGF fall ride should take place there....or somewhere?

That would be great. It's my favorite month out of the entire year. Luckily where we live in Indiana has nice roads and is beautiful in the fall. I grew up in Nashville, Indiana which is a little tourist town lots of people flock to in October when the leaves change. I'd compare it to a very small-scale Gatlinburg.

 

Have fun and be safe.

 

So far we've learned nothing that changed our minds about going. Our friends have given us the use of their (second) home for 9 days. I think we'll be needing to clear out their refrigerator give it a good cleaning. We'll need to flush out the water lines and get the water heater fired up. Not sure what else we might find to do. We always leave the house in better shape than we find it, and we typically leave them a gift to find when they return.

We're rtg and leaving in the morning. This feels like a trip into the unknown....a bit unsettling.

 

We always leave the house in better shape than we find it, and we typically leave them a gift to find when they return.

Suburbs of Chicago are LOVELY this time of year...a must see for any rider......I'll PM you our address and just give me an ETA

 

Made it to Weaverville. The trip was amazing from Johnson City on south. We detoured east to Elizabethton and then southward on 321. I lost track of the turns we made and roads traveled. The damage and devastation from the flooding, winds and landslides was and is too much to describe in simple language. We saw incomprehensible flood effects....water levels so high as to be almost biblical. Some valleys were flooded by deep high-speed water to the point they now look like they were scoured by some million gallons per second fire hose. We saw people sitting on the front steps of their flooded and gutted homes....trying to send a text message somewhere. Some of the roads we traveled had their edges washed away to a drop-off depth of 4-8 feet. Drop a tire over that edge and you wouldn't recover it. There are aid and supply distribution locations all over, and we saw a FEMA field office in operation. The town of Weaverville looks like the saw yard of a timber operation. Huge numbers of big trees down all over.

I purposely did not take a single photo of the storm damage because it feels like disaster tourism during the misery of so many affected people. But the images in our minds will be there a long time. It WILL take years for people, communities and counties to clean up and recover. Many areas will be changed forever.

I think we'll take a rather easy exploratory ride today. There is plenty of 'surprise' debris on roads, consisting of rocks, gravel, wood, limbs and more....much of it dropping off haul trucks. Additionally, the majority of fallen trees which were blocking roads have only been cut back to the edge of the blacktop or maybe just to the painted line. There's no way to know what's waiting around any curve.

 

Popped a few text messages with Dave @twowheeladdict who was not far from us this morning. Sounds like the area west of Asheville is definitely gtg for riding. The Vino Vixen and I headed to our favorite breakfast cafe in Weaveville....Well Bread Bakery....for a superb breakfast of quiche and coffee cake. After that it was time to ride.

We rode the backroads down to Waynesville and then westward to Cherokee. The roads were good and the trees were gorgeous. These mountains always warm my soul and leave me longing for more. We picnic lunched by the river in Cherokee. The temps were pleasant and the sky was deep cloudless blue.

After lunch we elected to simply retrace our route back to Weaverville. I had committed the turns on the backroads to memory and we enjoyed riding swiftly and confidently through the rural hills. At some point we dodged a serious pile of cable occupying 2/3 of our lane. I'm talking about large diameter cable you wouldn't elect to run over because it would potentially put you down. I missed one turn from being lost in thought so pulled a U and got back on track.

 

For the evening meal we made the long 3 mile run into downtown Weaverville to eat at Blue Mountain Pizza. This is one of my wife's fave stops. They have great food, and they pour a full glass of wine when it's ordered. We ate outside and people-watched for entertainment.

By the way; we've been met with nothing but kindness and appreciation from local people and businesses. They are all suffering from the financial and cultural shock of the hurricane's damage. They seem to appreciate anything that gives them a sense of normalcy and value. We watched a guy throw a hundred dollar bill on a server and walk away with a tear in his eyes.

 

We watched a guy throw a hundred dollar bill on a server and walk away with a tear in his eyes.

That was awefully kind and thoughtful of ya, Kev.

 

Sounds like the kind of trip that will leave you with some life time memories, especially under the circumstances. Those folks who live in those small mountain villages are the salt of the earth and are plenty used to working hard and helping anyone around when needed. It's gonna be damn tough, and quite a few won't be able to start over again, but others will work side by side with their neighbors to make sure everyone gets a roof over their heads. Unfortunately, they're going to be facing cold weather very soon and many have no heat source other than a outdoor campfire. God bless them all.

 

I'm wondering if anyone has definitive knowledge of:

US 129 from Chilhowee to Tapoco, and from Tapoco to Robbinsville.

NC 28 from US 129 down to Almond / US 74.

Are they open to ride?

 

I rode US 129 from Topton to Robbinsville. Then 143 to 28 and 28 to Almond. All cleear and no signs of issues.

There were also no signs on 28 at 143 saying you couldn't go to Deals Gap.

I know for sure that people are running the dragon.

https://killboy.photoreflect.com/store/Photos.aspx?e=14295541

Several thousand photos from yesterday.

Google maps wouldn't let me route through that area. Even Harley Ride planner restricted some of the routing in that area.

I think you will be good and some are saying they are marked closed on google maps to keep relief traffic off 129 since it can't handle tractor trailers. They do have signs on the Tennessee Side saying no vehicle longer than 30 feet allowed.

 

Thanks gents! We're doing some other necessary work and play today, but making plans for long rides the rest of this week. I appreciate the intel for sure.

Weather forecast looks almost unbelievably perfect. Pinch the sh__ out of me!

 

Early departure this morning. Temperature was 40F as we headed to Franklin, NC....Murphy....Rt 68...and into Tellico Plains. We're not much into the usual traps, so we bypassed everything in Tellico, the visitors center, gift shop, museum, the H-D swag store....and we rolled into the Skyway. Along the Tellico River we stopped and had a fine picnic lunch with the river singing its song behind us.

Although the weather was perfect and trees were pretty, we only stopped twice in the Skyway. I think we rode it in record time for...and Robbinsville happened quickly. Fuel, and then onward to find Wayah Rd. I truly love this road as it offers everything: 2 rivers, a small mountain or two, wicked curves in abundance and wonderful scenery. We made one stop along the river for a snack and drink.

Wayah Rd dropped us back near Franklin and we wasted no time heading eastward. Dinner was at Haywood Smokehouse and we were back in Weaverville before dark.

 

Wednesday: We elected to do some more work at the house we’re staying in. The landscape needed serious help:

We trimmed all the shrubbery and cleaned up the beds completely. Next we bought mulch and added it to the beds throughout:

After finishing the work we ate some lunch and then decided to take a short ride to Hot Springs. We followed the Old Marshall Hwy along the French Broad River. The river banks and trees held an enormous amount of flood debris…..no way to adequately describe it. Literally hundreds of thousands of tons of debris are lining this once beautiful river. The depth of the flood waters was basically incomprehensible. Though the river was far below our road, there were places where the flood waters reached above our heads. It had to be apocalyptic to see.

We rode into the little burg of Hot Springs and I immediately regretted that. The flood all but destroyed the main town area, and it looked something like a war zone. Mud, dirt, debris, junk tarps…..and people working hard to get relief going. We witnessed the ongoing tragedy and I literally hurt for those people. Of course we took no photos which we refuse to do amidst such suffering.

Later in the evening we slipped into Weaverville for dinner. Twisted Laurel got the nod and the food was perfect. I had fettuccine Alfredo with grilled shrimp. A cold pilsner ‘Mosey On Over’ by Salt Face Mule was the right beverage this night.

Next up…..Thursday’s ride action.

 

Today, Thursday.

We had originally planned to do a very familiar ride from Cherokee up 441, Little River Rd and the Foothills Parkway. But a couple days ago we got a tip that kept tickling my brain. We discussed it and ditched that plan in favor of exploring roads not ridden by us.

It started innocently enough with stops in Sylva and Bryson City. BC is well known to riders and is a tourism destination. We covered it in 30 minutes and rolled away.

We dropped down to Franklin and picked up the combo route of 64 and 28 east. It took us toward Cullasaja and along the river of the same name. I expected a tight and twisted ride, but was unprepared for what we encountered and saw. After some serious multi-curves in 2nd and 3rd gears I watched the road ahead open up to a view of shear cliffs on the left, huge gorge on the right, and the road disappearing around the corner of the cliff. Far below us the Cullasaja roared and crashed over huge boulders and waterfalls. It was a view unlike any I’ve ever had in the Smokies. The road snaked onward and upward around cliffs and corners. The stupendous churning whitewater below us was simply awe inspiring. Yes....the Cullasaja Gorge will get visited again.

We landed in Highlands, NC which is for sure a high dollar tourist mini Mecca. Money flows like water there. Upscale clothing stores, home decorations, artisan shops and good restaurants abound. We ate lunch at The Ugly Dog Public House which was a winner with us.

We made our way back to the bike and rode a short distance to Edelweiss Pastry. This place has pastry and confections unlike anything you typically see. Some are literally works of art in their perfection.

After much drool-liberations we made our selections. I have to admit it's pretty damn fun eating art works that taste fabulous, even if they cost up to $18 each. I loved watching the VV oohing and ahhing over her chocolate skull thing.

We managed to get out of town without buying any $250 massages, $375 facials or hitting any number of $100k+ European suvs. Lord....deep pockets everywhere.

Onward to Cashiers, NC and Lake Toxaway. From there it was a lonely state route x 28 miles to Tuckasegee....then back north to Sylva and the highway back to Weaverville. What a day.