If you’re looking for some gorgeous scenery and nice roads to ride, a trip through the foothills of the Smoky Mountains is a great place to start.
On our recent trip, we took mostly state and county roads; riding the interstate can help you make good time, but it’s the most boring thing I can imagine. All those miles, with hardly anything of interest to see – just mileposts, billboards and gas stations. If I’ve got time to make up, I use the interstate; otherwise it’s the regular roads. To quote Daniel Meyer, “sometimes the journey is the destination”.
The final leg of the trip on the way up was from Townsend to Pigeon Forge on Highway 321. It’s about 18 miles, and there are some very nice twisties, plus one switchback, turning sharply to the right and climbing an incline at the same time; if you’ve got time to really look, you can see that the vehicles ahead of you are almost over your head. I always get my heart in my throat during that kind of switchback, so I really had the adrenaline going.
There were lots of long slow curves as well, which are just as much fun to ride, even if it’s not so exciting. Lots of other bikers have discovered this little piece of road, so we were meeting them regularly. Even as tired as I was (at that point we’d been on the road for most of 12 hours), it was enjoyable.
During Friday’s ride, we headed out from Pigeon Forge, planning on riding up towards Rutledge, TN. We had found a route on Motorcycle Roads and Trips that sounded great. The description was very good, and the directions were wonderful, but we made a few changes and ended up seeing some other lovely country. We rode about 70 miles on that ride, and saw some very nice curvy roads, hilly country and lots of beautiful water and trees.
Our last stop before heading back to PF was at a combination general store/deli/parts store/garage. We just meant to stop for a minute, take a bathroom break, get a drink and head back out, but as most bikers know, it hardly ever works out that way.
When we first pulled up, we noticed a beautiful old car sitting near the entrance to the garage. I got my Elph out and walked towards it to take a few pictures, and the mechanic came out of the shop and asked if we’d like to see the engine. Of course, we said yes, and he popped the hood. While we stood and talked, he told about buying the car from it’s original owner; it had less than 8,000 miles on it. He also had several other antique vehicles that he’d gotten from other local folks over the years – he maintains them and works to improve them, but he uses them as transportation too. These cars don’t just sit up somewhere to be admired- they were designed and created to carry people from one place to another, and they’re being used that way.
The owner and some of his buddies also told us about several other good rides to make, on another day; it’s always nice to have local folks tell you good places to ride and see things, so we’ll keep that in our ride idea list (getting longer all the time).
When we went inside the store to get a drink, we had some more pleasant surprises: I found a Sunkist Orange (one of my favorites) in a real glass bottle, not the plastic kind we usually get. The decor inside the store was one-of-a-kind: someone’s old toy trucks, cars and machinery had been set up along the counters in the deli area, and it brought back lots of childhood memories – I saw some of the same toys my brothers played with, as well as some that looked like the ones my sons played with.
There were also all kinds of “kids treasure” on the walls – some still in it’s packaging.
We finally dragged ourselves away and got back on the road – another 30 minutes or so and we were riding by Dollywood. Dolly Parton has really done a lot for the area – it’s grown up beautifully, with lots of nice businesses serving customers. The small-town kindness is still there, even in three and four-lane traffic- I don’t think I ever heard someone blow their horn in anger at another driver, and I never saw someone giving the one-finger salute. And southern courtesy was in evidence as well- several times when we were trying to get back on the road in heavy traffic, someone would motion for us to come on out, even though it held them up for a minute.
It was an enjoyable day all the way around; I’d suggest a trip to the area for anyone who wants to see beautiful country, ride some fun roads and get treated with some of the best southern hospitality you could ask for.

This spring, my husband and I, along with several of our friends, drove up to Seneca, SC, to attend a biker revival.
The revival runs from Thursday through Sunday; we headed up early to get in a few days of rest and mountain riding. I’d been hearing about the Tail of the Dragon for several months, and I knew I needed to ride it, because ever since learning to ride last year, sharp curves have been my biggest challenge.
I believe God gave me my bike (due to many reasons I may cover in another entry), and I know He has promised to take care of me in all circumstances. I just needed to learn to trust Him in curves… so one of my goals during the week was to ride the Dragon, if at all possible.
DH and I talked to some of the others in our group, and we decided we’d leave out on Friday morning and be on the road by 8 AM to get there and back by supper (about 120 miles one way, through curvy small country roads). We saw some beautiful country and I got a TON of practice on curves; we didn’t realize it but the road we took to Deal’s Gap is nicknamed Hellbender…
I was escorted on my ride by some very nice guys- besides my husband, I had Robert, Donnie and last but certainly not least, my riding buddy Byron.
Robert knew how nervous I was about the ride, so before we left, he told me he’d had his morning devotional and had found a verse that God specifically sent to me. Isaiah 45:2 says in part, “I will go before you And make the crooked places straight”; I spoke that verse to myself on a regular basis during the day.
The ride was exactly what I needed- by the time we got back that afternoon, I had perfect confidence in God’s ability to take care of me, and confidence in myself, that He’d given me the knowledge to do something I’d set out to do.
You see, I knew in my head how to handle those curves:

• keep your chin up so you’re looking on out past your bike’s fender to see what’s coming up instead of worrying about what’s right in front of you
• use your clutch and brakes to control how the bike travels through the switchbacks
• keep speed as constant as possible- not so fast that the bike travels over the line, but fast enough to keep the bike moving smoothly
• adjust your sitting position so you’re giving the bike as much flexibility as it needs
• relax on the bike so you don’t wear yourself out

But what I needed was to know down in my heart that I could do what needed to be done, and that God was with me the whole time.
I’m a much better rider than I was, and it was all because I looked my fears in the eye, and took God at His word.
Keep your chin up!