A Little Closer to Heaven

After traversing the Gulf and Atlantic Coast for the past weeks, I took a left-hand turn and went into the mountains of North Carolina.

The reason I rode into the mountains was that there were very specific motorcycle adventures I wanted to check off the bucket list and I am excited to have accomplished them all, with one minor refinement.

Background, the mountains of North Carolina are a motorcycle mecca.  An area that attracts motorcycle riders with beautiful vistas, twisty and challenging roads and hospitality that caters to the motorcycle rider.

My first stop after leaving Augusta was Highlands, NC.  Highlands, NC lies in the Southern Appalachians within the Nantahala National Forest at an elevation of 4,118 ft.  As I approached Highlands, I knew that I was about to experience something special.

The motorcycle appeal of Highlands was a destination called Bridal Veil Falls. The other appeal was the beautiful scenery and people known for the area.  Bridal Veil Falls is a waterfall that literally flows over the road so that motorcycles can ride under the falls.

Highlands also features covered bridges and beautiful streams.

Having achieved the Bridal Veil Falls goal, I was off to Robbinsville, NC and the dreaded “Tail of the Dragon.”  The 11-mile Dragon is said to have 318 curves. Some of the Dragon’s sharpest curves have names like Copperhead Corner, Wheelie Hell, Sunset Corner, Beginner’s End, and Brake or Bust Bend. The road earned its name from its curves being said to resemble a dragon’s tail.

At the end of the Dragon is an overlook that captures Cheoah Dam.  This is the dam that Harrison Ford jumps off at the end of the Fugitive movie.  Happy to say that I made it to the overlook.

As I have mentioned, the riding is great.  But just as great is the people you meet along the way.  In Robbinsville, I stayed at the Two Wheel Inn, which is a motel that caters to bikers by offering every room a motorcycle “garage.”

Before leaving Robbinsville, I had wanted to ride a road called Moonshiners 28.  This is a 28-mile road Moonshiners used to bring their illegal “hooch” out of the mountains.  However, I was informed that a more picturesque ride was the Cherohala Skyway.  The Cherohala Skyway is a 43-mile National Scenic Byway that connects Tellico Plains, Tennessee, to Robbinsville, North Carolina.

Having ridden The Tail of the Dragon and Cherohala Skyway and met some really interesting bikers, I was off to Cherokee, NC which is the Southernmost point of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  My last bucket list item for this trip was to ride the entire Blue Ridge Parkway.  Starting in Cherokee, NC and ending in Afton, VA.  The Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles.

To get to Cherokee, I elected to ride through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park which was another surprising thrill.

Today finds me on my 2nd day on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The Parkway offers more beautiful vistas and, so far, interesting lodging.

Let me comment on the fact that for days I have been at elevations that allow me to see for hundreds of miles.  The feeling of “Being a Little Closer to Heaven” is real.  At times it is spiritual.  A place of peace and contentment.  “Great things are done when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the street.” – William Blake.

The Parkway has very few cars and no commercialism is allowed on the parkway.  There are no “motels” near the Parkway and last evening I stayed in Little Switzerland Inn and tonight finds me in Glade Valley Bed and Breakfast owned by Jim and Margaret Connor.

And cozier is the Glade Valley B&B

It has been an incredible past week.  I have had the opportunity to see beautiful country, test my motorcycle driving skills and raise my adrenaline levels – which is what makes one feel alive.  I have met interesting people and enjoyed their company.  Bikers, like horseback riders, share a brotherhood.  A brotherhood of understanding the thrill and zen of motorcycling.

Over the past months, I have seen another part of America that not many of us have the opportunity to experience.  You can call it Middle-America, call it Trump’s America or call it the South.  Whatever you call it, it is America and deserves the same respect and attention as any other part of the USA.  I deeply enjoyed meeting people in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.

They are a proud and spirited people.  They have a rich heritage of state pride.  And, I have earned a new respect for them.

I am reaching the end of this motorcycle journey ( I plan many more in the future).  It has been a thrill. But now I am ready to get home and be with my family.  Traveling is great, but so is coming home and I am ready to come home.

I have enjoyed blogging and I hope you have enjoyed reading them.  I may have one more blog in me before I return home this Saturday.  Thank you for being a gracious audience and as I say, Keep Wheeling.

 

Paul