The temps were headed for the 70s on this early March day and I decided I needed to take a ride. Where to go? I considered chasing down my Appalachian Tag which is currently at a mine in West Virginia but decided I didn’t want that much of a ride this early in riding season for me.
It’s been quite a while since I rode through the GSMNP (Great Smoky Mountain National Park) or drove through for that matter. I decided to risk going through on my street bike for the first time. I used to run through there regularly on my old GSA but that’s built for the rough conditions. It’s a beautiful route through but all gravel and dirt. I knew with the trees bare some of the views would be better than usual.
On my way up rte 32 I saw this old house and decided to get some shots for the Old Structures thread on ADVRider.com
I was really in luck. The incredibly twisty Rte 32 from Newport out was cleaner than I’ve seen it for a long time. That let me scrub some of the old rubber off the edges of my bike’s tires. Then when the road transitioned to dirt it was also in great hard packed condition with very little loose gravel on top. Still, the tires on my bike are not designed for dirt and tend to skate a bit so I was more tense than I should be.
As the temps climbed and I failed to get relaxed I started think it was time to take off a layer. I found a wide new wooden bridge that offered a great stopping place. I even got reception for my XM radio while I stopped and looked around.
That way is “up the creek” so I’m not going there. 🙂
There is a nice little stream flowing under here. Even with my helmet on I could hear the sound. Lovely.
By this point the hard packed gravel roads had gone to more loose gravel. The Park Service is doing a great job of maintaining the roads and had spread fresh gravel not too long ago. Not great for me right now but looking forward a very good thing.
Up near the top you can see the gravel road I came in on  weaving through the trees.
No surprise. More gravel here.
If you don’t like gravel roads this is no place to be and no place to be going forward. As I mentioned this is looser and I was sliding around a lot. My shoulders were up next to my ears. I kept working on relaxing and when I did things worked and felt better. By the time I got back onto the paved roads I was starting to get my comfort levels back.
Before that happened I came upon another bridge.
Here’s the sign.
And a closer look at the bridge. Well maintained. Unfortunately I wasn’t holding my phone very level.
I was glad to be back on hard pavement when I came out. I thought about heading on into Maggie Valley to see the Wheels Through Time Museum but decided to head straight back home instead. I took the interstate and took it easy. Wow it was a nice day and a nice ride.