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Thanks guys, good tips. I can cut out parts of the gauntlet on days 1/3 to make things shorter but I think you're correct that I've got too many miles packed into day 2. I could pick a different route, but because of the out and back nature of that day I'm a bit limited in options. It'll either be a really short and stay close to base day or it turns into a committed day of riding.
I also have to be very careful to not ride at night. I don't know if my bike is 'special' or it's just the way HD makes 'em, but my headlight is effing useless. It throws a small pool of light about 20 feet in front of the bike and that's it. I adjusted the headlight up a bit and it's still garbage. I'm 95% blind riding that thing at night, very frustrating.
Last edited by Mike flies; Apr 14, 2017 at 06:31 AM.
Mike, the gauntlet is about a 4 hr ride, I,m not sure I would put this in my itinerary -
Maybe part of it on the way home---but enjoy the roads around the Dragon
Mike, the gauntlet is about a 4 hr ride, I,m not sure I would put this in my itinerary -
Maybe part of it on the way home---but enjoy the roads around the Dragon
Rocker
My route only covers about 30% of the gauntlet on the way up, and roughly 60% on the way back. A straight shot from my home to the hotel is only 150 miles, I'm hoping a few side excursions will liven things up a bit.
Just got back, great weekend of riding. Thanks for the suggestions and hope others can snag an idea from this thread.
Day 1 went as-planned. With the wife aboard we found the gauntlet in northern GA a bit high on the technical side and low on the scenery side. Probably a great ride for just the guys. We made it to Deals Gap but didn't ride the tail of the dragon as it had just finished raining and my wife wanted to get to the hotel. I wasn't overly disappointed since I'd done 2 previous trips up to Deals Gap to do nothing but ride the tail on a sport bike. The ride from Deals Gap to the Fontana Dam and then Bryson City was outstanding.
I made a small change to day 2 and took 441 up to Clingman's Dome which was a very enjoyable ride. We took the short hike up to the observation area and admired the inside of a cloud before resuming the ride. The road was pretty sparsely populated on the way in but after our hike it was packed with people flocking to the forest for the weekend. If you go that way and are relying on a smart phone to navigate, make sure you download the maps for the offline areas since cell phone reception is very spotty in the mountains. When we cleared the national forest it was a fairly boring drone to get to the Cherohola Skyway visitor center; however, the boredom was paid back with interest when we got to ride the skyway back towards Bryson city.
Day 3 we were a little saddle sore so we made a futile trip to Biker Barn in northern Georgia (closed for Easter) and then a straight shot home. All in all, we logged about 18 hours in the saddle for 750 miles on the odometer. For those wondering, the Smoky mountains host it all -- ultra tight Deals Gap to extremely scenic vistas in Maggie's Valley and the Cherohola Skyway. Definitely can't wait to go again!
And finally I just decide that pictures of the wife and bike look way better without me in them.
Best of the 3 Pics Mike. I live where you rode it's my back yard. As they say, not a bad road in the area, all good. My 2 favorite are the the ride from Deals Gap on Hwy 28 to Highlands, NC and Wayahla Rd from Franklin, NC to Hwy 19 then back to Robinsville. Also the road from Lake Janaluska, NC (Waynesville) to Hot Springs, takes you through Pisgah National Forest.
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