It was supposed to be raining when I woke up in Maggie Valley. When I’d decided to hunker down for the day, to sit-out the storm, I had visions of sleeping late, enjoying a long leisurely meal or two, and just, you know, hanging out.
So why is it that my first thought upon seeing dry pavement was, “I can ride today after all.” Maybe it’s a sickness.
Since I was close to Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), and I had yet to make it to Clingman’s Dome — highest point in GSMNP — I figured that would be a good destination. Once it did start raining, I told myself, I’d be close to shelter.
It didn’t take long at all — 20 minutes? — for me to reach the park entrance, which is near the southern terminus of the BRP. Unfortunately, when I did, I was greeted by a sign proclaiming US-441 to be closed. The Oconaluftee Visitors Center is just inside the park entrance, so I went in to find out exactly where the closure began, hoping I could reach the summit. But it was not to be.
“Actually,” one of the rangers manning the desk told me, “the Tennessee side of the park is currently being evacuated.” What?!?
The weather on the Tennessee side of the park was much worse. There were reports of trees down all over the place, falling on people and cars.
So I headed back toward Maggie Valley. I couldn’t resist stopping for some pics along the way, figuring I might as well make the most of my outing while the weather held. Here are some snapshots I judged to be worthy of sharing. Many are grainy because it was so overcast.
It was interesting to see the difference in the foliage at lower and higher elevations. I hadn’t expected to see so many bare trees. You’ll see the change as I move from lower points near the end of the Parkway, up and into the mountains.
Ferns
Mountain Laurel
Mountain Laurel
Natural Hearts
Still pretty green, right?
Looking a bit browner.
Teeny Tiny Little Blossoms
Green at lower elevations.
The hilltops were still mostly brown.
Odd name for a tunnel.
You can see the sky getting grayer.
Pretty little yellow flowers.
Moss and lichen-covered trees.
Moss and lichen-covered trees.
Not much green at all.
Tiny purple flower.
Wintry-looking.
If nothing else, I got to see some pretty cool clouds moving in. It was getting colder, too.
Menacing Clouds
Menacing Clouds
It sure looked like I was about to get rained on.
Cool Clouds
Hints of Pink
Roadside Cascade
Same cascade.
Temps were in the upper 40s by the time I decided to head back to my motel. So that was my morning.
Final note… this post has been in the works for a week. I caught a stupid head cold/upper respiratory think that’s had me coughing/hacking/gagging and blowing my nose for a week. As an extra bonus, each day ended with a pounding headache, too. Last night’s was so bad, I thought maybe I was dying. Needless to say, we didn’t do any riding over the long, holiday weekend. Maybe this coming weekend I’ll feel better.
I have yet to mention long-range weather forecasts and the impact they sometimes had on each day’s planning. A little bit of bad weather can be tolerated. Major storms, on the other hand, must be given serious consideration. That morning, as a major storm was bearing down on the area, I decided to plan ahead more than usual to find a good spot where I could hunker down for a few days. I’d thought Bryson City, where I’d spent the previous evening, might be a good spot. It was close to eateries, shops, and stuff, but the hotel was a bit further from things than I would’ve liked, and on a pretty steep hill.
After a bit of research, Maggie Valley is the spot I chose. I even booked a motel room for two nights. The motel I selected was close to several restaurants, shops, and other attractions, inexpensive, had great reviews, and a Mexican restaurant within easy walking distance. Not only would I not have to worry at day’s end about where I’d be sleeping, I would have a margarita to look forward to as well.
Although storms were expected to move in that evening, the weather was absolutely perfect that morning as I set off for the Nantahala River Gorge.
All of the previous images were captured along the relatively flat US-74/US-19 south of Bryson City. The next several images were captured along the hillier Wayah Road.
It was SUCH a lovely place.
All of those scenery pics MIGHT make you think the road wasn’t very good. It was actually excellent.
Where I’d Been
Where I Had Yet to Travel
Different section of road (exact location forgotten).
The road was so nice, I sort of lost myself in thought. Before I knew it, the lovely river, with all its cascades and waterfalls was replaced by a beautiful little lake.
I think I might be happy living in Western North Carolina. Until tourist season hit every year. Which reminds me…
According to the National Park service…
Great Smoky Mountains National Park covers 522,427 acres, divided almost evenly between the states of North Carolina and Tennessee. [There were] more than 11.3 million recreational visits in 2016. (This figure does not include the approximately 11 million travelers on the Gatlingburg-Pigeon Forge Spur.) Highest visitation of any of the 59 national parks. The second most heavily visited national park is Grand Canyon with 4.6 million visits, third is Yosemite with 3.8 million, fourth is Yellowstone with 3.2 million.
That doesn’t include all of the motorcyclists who flock to the region or people who go there to visit other area attractions, like the many rivers and lakes, Dollywood, etc.
In other words, it can get crazy-busy. I was there during the off-season, which is why it looks so empty. I’d be willing to bet that, were I there in mid-July, the roads would be clogged with traffic. Overlooks/pull-offs would probably be so full, I’d be lucky to find a spot on the bike, much less in a car. There would be LOTS of loud-ass cruisers (I will never understand the appeal of that noise). In short, it is probably a place to avoid. Unless you like that sort of thing.
I stopped in Franklin for lunch. While I ate, I was looking at several route options, but decided to stick with my original plan. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize Google maps had “lost” my original plan until I was rather far rom where I was supposed to be.
Instead of backtracking the way I’d already traveled, I quickly selected an alternate route. That’s how I happened upon this.
In retrospect, I should have gone in. But the weather was too perfect to waste even a few minutes of ride time.
Sylva, North Carolina
Sylva, North Carolina
Getting to see downtown Sylva, albeit briefly, was a happy accident.
I finally got back to the section of Moonshiner 28 I’d meant to hit, but riding in the opposite direction than originally planned.
Holy cow was I glad I had decided to backtrack. The next images were all captured there…
A Cascade (can’t remember name)
Lush forest surrounds full river.
Closer look at the same cascade.
Same road, different cascade.
A closer look because I couldn’t decide which pic I liked better.
But wait, there’s more!
There were actually few pull-offs because the road was so narrow.
Dry Falls
There was a LOT of water flowing over that waterfall. I could not imagine why it was called Dry Falls.
Why DRY Falls? Apparently you can follow that pathway behind the falls and stay almost dry.
Dry Falls
Weird hand growing out of tree!
Waterfall Close to Road
See what I mean about the road?
The road was actually so nice, I repeated a large section of it “for Hubby” and then decided to continue with the route I’d originally planned, which took me into and through a section of the Pisgah National Forest, up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and eventually to Maggie Valley.
As the road climbed toward the BRP, I started seeing flashes of pink. I HAD to stop for a closer look.
Wild Pink Azaleas
Many trees were still brown at higher elevations.
Pretty end-of-day view.
That last shot makes it east to understand where the “Great Smoky Mountains” and “Blue Ridge” labels came from, eh?
I was exhausted by the time I reach my motel in Maggie Valley. And delighted to reach the Mexican restaurant I’d read about and enjoy the margarita I’d been thinking about, off and on, the entire day.
