Bike ride out to the Smokies... Cherohala, Deals Gap, Moonshiner's 28, etc.

fammdw · 11-01-2012, 11:30 AM

I recently returned from a bike ride out to Pigeon Forge, TN. My family from NC was out there for a short vacation so I went out to both visit with them and ride some of the famous bike trails throughout the area. An old friend of mine from NC made the ride out as well and accompanied me on all the bike trails.

I used this trip to give my new Voyager the break-in it deserves. I only had 700 miles on her when I left and had just had the initial tune-up service done a couple weeks before I left. By the time I returned home to Wichita, I had just a hair over 4000 miles on the bike.

We started with the Cherohala Skyway as I've always heard that you don't want to leave that one out. It did not disappoint either as the ride was beautiful and quite a bit more technical than I expected. It was one of my favorite rides, but not the favorite of the trip.

fammdw · 11-01-2012, 11:30 AM

At the end of the Skyway there is a little Harley gift store. Of course my friend (He has a Street Glide) had to stop and shop. I have never been anywhere where there are more little Harley gift shops than the Smokies.

I told Jimmy that I just wanted to see one freakin' sign with Kawasaki written on it. Never saw one the entire trip! Harley Davidson has the market sewn up in the Smoky Mountains I'm afraid!

fammdw · 11-01-2012, 11:33 AM

Over the next couple of days we did the Devil's Triangle, Moonshiners 28, Smokey Mountain Expressway and others. I was bad about getting my camera out during these trips so sorry, no pictures. All the roads were great and the scenery was gorgeous as the leaves were nearly peak.

On the fourth day of riding, We did the Foothills Parkway, the Tail of the Dragon and Moonshiners 28 for the return to Pigeon Forge. This was my favorite part of the trip and not for the reason you might think (Dragon). I enjoyed riding the Foothills Parkway more than any road I was on. It was probably the least technical of all so I had the time to sit back and take in the beautiful scenery as I rode. The leaves were falling in the roadway and would swirl around the bikes as we passed. There was hardly any traffic on the way up to the Dragon.

fammdw · 11-01-2012, 11:36 AM

fammdw · 11-01-2012, 11:39 AM

**crazygene49** · 11-01-2012, 11:40 AM

Beautiful! Thanks for posting all the pics.

fammdw · 11-01-2012, 11:41 AM

fammdw · 11-01-2012, 11:48 AM

And finally... Deals Gap and the Tail of the Dragon, Not much to add to this except - AWESOME.

I took it easy as it was my first time and really enjoyed the ride. I kept expecting to meet a fool on the wrong side of the road around every curve, but never did. There seemed to be mostly cruisers on the road the day we went and the absence of Crotch Rockets was a welcome thing!

fammdw · 11-01-2012, 11:54 AM

The hit of Deals Gap was this guy that had his dog dressed exactly like him. The rider and dog had on the exact same jacket, helmet and goggles. You really have to love those Harley boys. No one takes it quite to the extreme they do! Everything my friend Jimmy had on had Harley written on it, even his damn jeans! I gave him grief about it all week...

The ride back to Wichita was uneventful. It went smooth up until the last 100 miles or so after I entered Kansas. The wind blew like a dirty B@T%H as it is accustomed to do in this state. Other than those last few miles, I couldn't have asked for a better trip!

We're already planning our next trip this summer to the Rockies. Going to plan it around the National Rally in Estes Park. I'm very familiar with that area as I lived in Loveland, CO for ten years before moving to Wichita. Got to start working on the kitchen pass from the wife now!!

**crazygene49** · 11-01-2012, 01:24 PM

Great stuff!

waterman · 11-01-2012, 03:19 PM

Great pictures Mike. Glad you had a good time. You said your buddy had "Harley" written all over him, even his jeans. Did you check his underwear? Probably Harley issue as well.

See you in Estes.

fish · 11-01-2012, 04:10 PM

nice pics and even nicer bike, the voyager

Corigan · 11-01-2012, 05:52 PM

Awesome pics. What days were you up there? I have been up there 3 times in the past month. Heading to Bryson City this weekend. I love the foothills parkway, usually nobody on it and you can haul the bacon. It is under some issues as the Federal Government doesn't want to pay for it, and neither does TN. Hopefully someone picks it up as it is a great road and I don't want to see it closed. It is a great cut through from townsend

Bud2rat · 11-02-2012, 07:03 AM

Glad you had a good ride. Thanks for the pictures. I love riding the mountains of NC and Va. I am planning next years trip, hopefully, I'll get to go to Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore. Then on the return trip go by the Grand Canyon. Looking to do 3 weeks with the wife.

fammdw · 11-04-2012, 09:43 PM

I asked about the underwear and he said they were Harley free. I took his word for it, but have my doubts!

Quote:

Originally Posted by waterman

Great pictures Mike. Glad you had a good time. You said your buddy had "Harley" written all over him, even his jeans. Did you check his underwear? Probably Harley issue as well.

See you in Estes.

11-01-2012, 11:30 AM	#1
fammdw Advanced Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 543	Bike ride out to the Smokies... Cherohala, Deals Gap, Moonshiner's 28, etc. I recently returned from a bike ride out to Pigeon Forge, TN. My family from NC was out there for a short vacation so I went out to both visit with them and ride some of the famous bike trails throughout the area. An old friend of mine from NC made the ride out as well and accompanied me on all the bike trails. I used this trip to give my new Voyager the break-in it deserves. I only had 700 miles on her when I left and had just had the initial tune-up service done a couple weeks before I left. By the time I returned home to Wichita, I had just a hair over 4000 miles on the bike. We started with the Cherohala Skyway as I've always heard that you don't want to leave that one out. It did not disappoint either as the ride was beautiful and quite a bit more technical than I expected. It was one of my favorite rides, but not the favorite of the trip. __________________ *Mike Williams* *Wichita, Kansas* VBA Member #02104 2013 HD 110th Anniversary Electra Glide Ultra Limited 2012 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager 2009 Yamaha FJR1300 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 Nomad 2002 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Custom 1989 Yamaha Virago 750 Login or Register to Remove Ads
	0

11-01-2012, 11:30 AM	#2
fammdw Advanced Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 543	At the end of the Skyway there is a little Harley gift store. Of course my friend (He has a Street Glide) had to stop and shop. I have never been anywhere where there are more little Harley gift shops than the Smokies. I told Jimmy that I just wanted to see one freakin' sign with Kawasaki written on it. Never saw one the entire trip! Harley Davidson has the market sewn up in the Smoky Mountains I'm afraid! __________________ *Mike Williams* *Wichita, Kansas* VBA Member #02104 2013 HD 110th Anniversary Electra Glide Ultra Limited 2012 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager 2009 Yamaha FJR1300 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 Nomad 2002 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Custom 1989 Yamaha Virago 750 Last edited by fammdw; 11-01-2012 at 12:17 PM.
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11-01-2012, 11:33 AM	#3
fammdw Advanced Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 543	Over the next couple of days we did the Devil's Triangle, Moonshiners 28, Smokey Mountain Expressway and others. I was bad about getting my camera out during these trips so sorry, no pictures. All the roads were great and the scenery was gorgeous as the leaves were nearly peak. On the fourth day of riding, We did the Foothills Parkway, the Tail of the Dragon and Moonshiners 28 for the return to Pigeon Forge. This was my favorite part of the trip and not for the reason you might think (Dragon). I enjoyed riding the Foothills Parkway more than any road I was on. It was probably the least technical of all so I had the time to sit back and take in the beautiful scenery as I rode. The leaves were falling in the roadway and would swirl around the bikes as we passed. There was hardly any traffic on the way up to the Dragon. __________________ *Mike Williams* *Wichita, Kansas* VBA Member #02104 2013 HD 110th Anniversary Electra Glide Ultra Limited 2012 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager 2009 Yamaha FJR1300 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 Nomad 2002 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Custom 1989 Yamaha Virago 750
	0

11-01-2012, 11:36 AM	#4
fammdw Advanced Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 543	__________________ *Mike Williams* *Wichita, Kansas* VBA Member #02104 2013 HD 110th Anniversary Electra Glide Ultra Limited 2012 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager 2009 Yamaha FJR1300 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 Nomad 2002 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Custom 1989 Yamaha Virago 750
	0

11-01-2012, 11:39 AM	#5
fammdw Advanced Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 543	__________________ *Mike Williams* *Wichita, Kansas* VBA Member #02104 2013 HD 110th Anniversary Electra Glide Ultra Limited 2012 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager 2009 Yamaha FJR1300 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 Nomad 2002 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Custom 1989 Yamaha Virago 750 Login or Register to Remove Ads
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11-01-2012, 11:40 AM	#6
crazygene49 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Dover, DE Posts: 1,856	Beautiful! Thanks for posting all the pics. __________________ Gene Chestnut Dover, DE USAF 1968-1995 VBA#01761 2007 Nomad 1600 Black and Titanium
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11-01-2012, 11:41 AM	#7
fammdw Advanced Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 543	__________________ *Mike Williams* *Wichita, Kansas* VBA Member #02104 2013 HD 110th Anniversary Electra Glide Ultra Limited 2012 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager 2009 Yamaha FJR1300 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 Nomad 2002 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Custom 1989 Yamaha Virago 750
	0

11-01-2012, 11:48 AM	#8
fammdw Advanced Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 543	And finally... Deals Gap and the Tail of the Dragon, Not much to add to this except - AWESOME. I took it easy as it was my first time and really enjoyed the ride. I kept expecting to meet a fool on the wrong side of the road around every curve, but never did. There seemed to be mostly cruisers on the road the day we went and the absence of Crotch Rockets was a welcome thing! __________________ *Mike Williams* *Wichita, Kansas* VBA Member #02104 2013 HD 110th Anniversary Electra Glide Ultra Limited 2012 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager 2009 Yamaha FJR1300 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 Nomad 2002 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Custom 1989 Yamaha Virago 750
	0

11-01-2012, 11:54 AM	#9
fammdw Advanced Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 543	The hit of Deals Gap was this guy that had his dog dressed exactly like him. The rider and dog had on the exact same jacket, helmet and goggles. You really have to love those Harley boys. No one takes it quite to the extreme they do! Everything my friend Jimmy had on had Harley written on it, even his damn jeans! I gave him grief about it all week... The ride back to Wichita was uneventful. It went smooth up until the last 100 miles or so after I entered Kansas. The wind blew like a dirty B@T%H as it is accustomed to do in this state. Other than those last few miles, I couldn't have asked for a better trip! We're already planning our next trip this summer to the Rockies. Going to plan it around the National Rally in Estes Park. I'm very familiar with that area as I lived in Loveland, CO for ten years before moving to Wichita. Got to start working on the kitchen pass from the wife now!! __________________ *Mike Williams* *Wichita, Kansas* VBA Member #02104 2013 HD 110th Anniversary Electra Glide Ultra Limited 2012 Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 Voyager 2009 Yamaha FJR1300 2006 Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 Nomad 2002 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Custom 1989 Yamaha Virago 750 Last edited by fammdw; 11-01-2012 at 12:32 PM.
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11-01-2012, 01:24 PM	#10
crazygene49 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Dover, DE Posts: 1,856	Great stuff! __________________ Gene Chestnut Dover, DE USAF 1968-1995 VBA#01761 2007 Nomad 1600 Black and Titanium
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11-01-2012, 03:19 PM	#11
waterman Top Contributor Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Colorado Posts: 6,530	Great pictures Mike. Glad you had a good time. You said your buddy had "Harley" written all over him, even his jeans. Did you check his underwear? Probably Harley issue as well. See you in Estes. __________________ Joel "Waterman" 2017 HD Road Glide Ultra 2006 Nomad - Sold VBA 213 VROC 16913 Custer 09: Cortez 10: Crescent City 11: Kanab 12: Estes Park 13: Tahoe 14: Red Lodge 16
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11-01-2012, 04:10 PM	#12
fish Top Contributor Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Aquashicola Pa. Posts: 6,377	nice pics and even nicer bike, the voyager __________________ I'm not prejudice I hate everyone equally;) 08 nomad blue/silver MaryJane 74,010miles VBA #299 Her's 10 900LT 36,700 09 Bath NY. 10 Lake George NY. 11 National Maggie Valley NC. 12 Pa Wilds (Wellsboro) Pa. 14 Lincoln NH. 17 National Lake George NY.
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11-01-2012, 05:52 PM	#13
Corigan Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Woodstock, GA Posts: 104	Awesome pics. What days were you up there? I have been up there 3 times in the past month. Heading to Bryson City this weekend. I love the foothills parkway, usually nobody on it and you can haul the bacon. It is under some issues as the Federal Government doesn't want to pay for it, and neither does TN. Hopefully someone picks it up as it is a great road and I don't want to see it closed. It is a great cut through from townsend __________________ 09 Nomad 1700 07 Shadow Spirit 750 VBA #02196
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11-02-2012, 07:03 AM	#14
Bud2rat Sr. Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: St. Pauls, NC Posts: 2,089	Glad you had a good ride. Thanks for the pictures. I love riding the mountains of NC and Va. I am planning next years trip, hopefully, I'll get to go to Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore. Then on the return trip go by the Grand Canyon. Looking to do 3 weeks with the wife. __________________ Robert Torrey VBA# 02077 Vroc# 27672 1996 800A Customized (SOLD) 2001 1500 Nomad (The Mistress) 2013 Voyager 2014 SE Rally - Elkins, WV 2016 SE Rally - Helen, Ga
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