Getting to Great Smoky Mountain National Park took longer than expected.  A few wrong turns didn’t really help much.  Just coming out of Santee, I went North on I-95 and ended up on the wrong side of the lake.  But it being a beautiful morning, I didn’t mind.

But trying to stay true to form, I just hung a left and went through Manchester State Forest.  Much nicer getting off the Interstates and just following the smaller highways.  Even if it did involve some big logging trucks.  The trucks seemed to be going to pulp/paper mills, which explained the smells.  Reminded me a bit of Vancouver Island.

This little detour did add a National Park to my list – Congaree.  It’s not actually on Google Maps, for whatever reason, but it was on the AAA paper maps.  I ducked in and had a chat with the ranger.  It’s one of the newer parks – recently converted from a Monument.  He suggested a few hikes, but I stuck to the shortest one, mostly because of this:

Getting eaten alive wasn’t really much incentive to go wandering through the swamp.  But the raised boardwalk was nice.  Gamer in mean still thinks of the swamp level in L4D2…

Tree’s Knees! – Snorkels?

Salamander basking in the sun before ducking back under the boardwalk.

Historic still – more rusty junk in the protected natural forests…  Don’t see stuff like this out west.

The short hike was a very nice change of pace to recharge the soul.  Sitting around in the old growth hardwood was very peaceful.  Getting back onto the I-26 afterwards was less interesting.  Especially as it involved the typical rainstorm.  I ducked off to put on rain gear, but the storms didn’t last long and soon I was sweating again.

The general intention was to get near Great Smoky Mountain National park, and the city to the south of the park is Cherokee.  At this point, I was rather sick of the interstate and I thought I would duck off to follow the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway.  Not a bad view:

Kind of scenic, but it didn’t take long for me to realize it was clearly going the wrong way.  I pulled off in Columbus to go into a Visitor Center to hopefully find motel coupons and planning guides.  Not much luck there, but I did get to sit in the AC and cool down a bit.  The place was a combination information and chamber of commerce.  Sounded like the nice lady there was attempting to get people to start projects locally. Pulling off the rain gear, I headed west without much plan on where exactly I was headed.

Another rainbow!  And guess what?  More rain!

Being on the Parkway meant not many exits.  The signs had indicated 60miles to Cherokee and with the rain, I figured I’d duck off.  When I pulled over in Waynesville to check for directions and look for a motel, I had no reception. I was just about to hop onto the road and continue west into the sunset when the phone picked up wifi. Figured it was worth asking about a room and owner was kind enough to give me a bit of a discount.

Very nice little motel, rocking chairs in outside all the rooms.  I was sorely tempted to spend another night and just tool around the area. I think if the forecast had been better, I would have.

Grabbing a quick shower, I walked out in the search for food. Bumped into the owners and some other guests.  They recommended I head next door to Bogart’s.  Seemed as good as any other.  Peach beer:

Rib-eye special.   Decent steak, but the one in Texas is still the best so far.

After many days of very boring riding and minimal nature, this day was a nice change of pace.  Nice little hike through an unexpected National Park and a bit of fun…  And even that short bit on the Parkway reminded me to return tire pressures to normal until the fun riding stops again…

On my list were both Jekyll Island and Cumberland National Seashore.  I had already passed both, but since they were on my original ‘to do’ list, I figured I should back track and do at least one of them.  Cumberland would have been my preference, but it’s back country camping only and takes a ferry ride to get there.  Not sure I had the appetite for the wet and mosquitos.  This left going to Jekyll Island.

As a State park, it seems to be intended for families to enjoy the country.  There are parts of the road system that are quite pretty, but it just doesn’t have that wilderness feel you get from most of the National Parks.

Looking out over the dunes to the incoming rain.

People are at the beach anyway.  I guess they’re just prepared with umbrellas and such.  The rain storms are usually quite short, if heavy.  Not busy by any stretch – Parking lots are empty all over the place.

More lush deltas of Georgia

Getting into history Savannah was quite nice.  Grey skies and rain was still looming, but the plazas were beautiful and green.  Sometimes reminding me of a greener Barcelona.   Felt very ‘managed’ in that there wasn’t a lot of natural new architecture.   Still, nice enough for a wedding to happen in one of the plazas.

Since I needed lunch, I figured I’d find out what the lineup was all about.  Lady and Sons – Paula Deen’s place.   Everything was booked, leaving only seating at the bar.  10 seats, 30+ people ahead of me… I looked online and reviews were not favourable, so I moved on .

Live band at the City Market.  Not very crowded, but still added to the atmosphere.

Shrimp, grits and greens at Belford’s.  Very good.  But I guess if the base of the plate is grits, reformed into triangles and fried in butter, it should be pretty tasty.

Naturally, the rain started to pour just as I finished my meal.  I ordered a coffee – they had to make a fresh pot, so I had two cups waiting for it to settle down before heading back to the bike.  Kind of a historic Main Street USA vibe.

Decision on whether or not to swing through Charleston…  Couldn’t quite figure out where the rain was going to be.   In the end, I figured I should stick to the original plan and pass by.   Not a bad idea, I think I avoided the worst of the storm – and a nice rainbow.

Double Rainbow!

Passing through Charleston, as the rain let up, I noticed the chain was making noise and behaving a bit strangely again.  I gave up and bought a torque wrench, adapter bit and 10mm driver and adjusted it at an O’Reilly’s.  They were kind enough to let me wash up in their back room.   Helps to have proper shop cleaners.  I hadn’t really thought about it before now, but I think Mendy will need a new chain/sprocket setup soon.  Even with much better chain maintenance when compared to the R6, she just has a lot more torque and I’m piling the miles on.

Sunset as I rode into Santee for a cheap stay at a Howard Johnson.

I really need to stop staying in such sketchy motels.  I think a good rule of thumb from here on out is to not stay at the absolute cheapest available from Expedia.  They’re always passable – I mean, I wouldn’t take anyone else to those places to stay with me, the arguments and complaining wouldn’t be worth it.  I’ve been in that situation before – for those of you who know, think Super 8 in Valencia/Six Flags Magic Mountain.  Last night’s “Homing Inn” was definitely one of those places.  I also had the pleasure of witnessing a 535 BMW pick up a very sketchy bottle blond bimbo in a hot pink velour tracksuit in the morning as I packed up the bike.  If Zap Brannigan had a trashy sister, that would be her.

Attempting to stay on US-1, I went up the coast along the various beaches.  Palm Beach was one of the nicer ones.  Those guys have some really nice houses.  But no way to take a picture w/out being super obvious.  What I should have done was stop and have a coffee at one of the patio restaurants.   There was one with ‘self parking’ that was filled with scooters.  I might have fit right in!

After riding past all those beaches, I figured I should actually stop for one.  So here’s an obligatory picture of my feet at Canaveral National Seashore.

Beautiful beach, if a touch ill conceived notion.  When I first got there, I sat on the bench on the boardwalk over the protected dunes and pulled the pics off the GoPro.   It was a touch cloudy and I figured if it was going to rain, I would just leave.    It cleared up and I took off the motorcycle gear and walked over to the beach and napped for 30 minutes.   Very necessary to recharge myself – but not well planned.  I had lost my sunscreen a while back and hadn’t replaced it.   Napping in the sun has led to some burning on the chest.   Worse yet, getting off the beach was a nightmare. I left my boots on the boardwalk and the sun + boardwalk were scorching hot!   Nothing like White Sands…  So I think I managed to burn the bottom of my feet too.

I rode through Daytona Beach – in retrospect, should have stopped at the giant Harley Dealership – they might have stocked a cruise control of sorts for me.  I made it into Georgia and pulled over for a bite to eat.  After seeing Krystal on so many highway signs, I thought I should pull over and eat at one.  It’s apparently the southern version of White Castle!  Very good little burgers.   The fries were a little ‘meh’.

Looking online, it doesn’t look like there’s much competition.  Most states have one or the other, not both.  From the people who have tried both back to back, it seems like Krystal’s Chiks are even better.  Basically little Chik Fil A sandwichs.   As good, if not better.  I went back later that night for a 3 Chik combo…

Going to bed early never seems to help much, if at all.  Another crazy thunderstorm.  This one managed to wake me up indoors at 2am.  Weather in Florida is just crazy.   I love the clouds, but I can’t say I’m a fan of the rain and humid heat it creates in the summer.

I managed to get up early and moved the bike from residential parking in front of the hotel to pack.  Riding without earplugs and gear, I noticed the chain was making some slapping noises.  It seems to be stretching very unevenly, even with all the regular(daily) lubing.  Spent the morning ringing up the local bike shops.  Most of them were scooter only, but Moped Hospital pointed me towards the Yamaha shop.  Unfortunately, they were closed, but the folks at Pirate Rentals were kind enough to lend me the torque wrench and hex bit needed to do the work.  Thanks guys!

To finish off my time in Key West, I swung by the Post Office – Corner #3 complete!

Southernmost point of USA – The multicoloured buoy-thing behind the tree is the marker.

Raindar says no rain on the highway – so no rain gear.  Great weather, nice breeze.  The highway might be painfully straight with traffic, but still best riding in a while.

To avoid the tolls, the plan was to go up USA-1.

Unfortunately, the Card Sound Road route to Alabama Jack’s has a $1 toll.   It really does feel like you pay the toll just to eat at there.  Sample plate at Alabama Jack’s – best conch fritters around.  I guess I’m not a big fan of conch – it was okay.  But my best conch will still Rehanah’s Roti back in Port Moody.  Coleslaw was too sweet and I’m never a fan of crab cakes – but the fish fingers were awesome.   And everything was still good that night as leftovers.

Still, very cool atmosphere and coming back would be fun.

Swung by Biscayne National Park, but I missed the last boat tour, so just walked around the area and took some pictures.

USA 1 goes through Miami… With a lot of traffic.  Stop and go all most of the way.  Pretty painful, but at least I saw parts of the city.

Found a cheap motel in Boynton Beach – Homing Inn.  Not something I would recommend.  Especially after staying in a Best Western…

With a hotel booked in Key West, this was another day of commuting.  I made an attempt to visit Everglades National Park, but weather and timing worked against me.  So against my general policy of actually doing things before claiming the stamps, I just got the stamps and kept moving.

Gulf Coast Visitor Center – Everglades National Park.  Essentially the ‘water’ entrance to the park.   Best thing to do would be to take a boat tour.

Shark Valley Visitor Center – A paved route amongst the Everglades.  Tram tour or rent a bike.  Didn’t have time for either one.

Ernest Coe Visitor Center – Just outside Homestead, this is the beginning of the road toward the last one – Flamingo Visitor Center.  I had considered doing some hiking, but after talking with the ranger and how she mentioned most of the hikes were thick with mosquitos, I thought better of it.  As she put it, it’s not even repellent and clothes, there’s just so many that you inhale them and they get in your ears.   No thanks.  Plus it was raining – not my idea of fun.

Needed to get gas, so pulled over.  Next door was a Cuban bakery where I grabbed a Cuban Sandwich Special and a coffee.

Fortunately, things picked up on Highway 1 to Key West.   Still wearing half my rain gear, it wasn’t exactly pleasant, but the sun was out and it was a very nice change of pace.

Highway 1 before the Keys

On the bridge looking out at the old bridge?

Sunset in Key West!

After checking into the hotel, I walked over and down Duval St towards the docks for a bite to eat.

Key Lime Martini

White Clam Chili

Shrimp Salad

After the martini, I did want a slice of Key Lime pie.  But I was full enough that a walk was in order.  I made my way over to what Chowhound said was the best pie in Key West – Kelly’s Caribbean Grill

Havana Red Ale – brewed on premises.

Key Lime Pie with chocolate crust.  Not entirely traditional, but delicious.

Wandering back to the hotel along Duval Street made me realize how much better the music was in Memphis.  There was plenty of life acts – so a step above 6th St in Austin, but the music wasn’t really my style, so I called it an early night.

The original goal was to reduce the time on the Interstates to a minimum.  But upon realizing that I should get into (and possibly out of) Key West before the weekend, I had some distance to travel.  I hadn’t really done much homework into riding in Florida, assuming it was fairly featureless.  This turns out to be a mistake as this jaunt down I-75 meant I missed both decent riding areas.  Oh well, something for the future.

Since I knew this would be a bit of a drone on superslab, I thought I would try and listen to music.  Not much selection on the Nexus, but if I were to bother trying to get some from home, I should at least make sure it’s worth the effort.   2 sets of headphones – Sony noise cancelling earbuds and Shure e3’s.  I think the Sony’s would have been really nice against the wind noise, but there was no way to get them to fit under the helmet.  More’s the pity.

I do know that the e3’s fit.  But very fiddly and this time around was no exception.  It’s incredibly difficult to get them on and still sitting properly.  The helmet tends to drag them out of position.  Either it rips them out of your ear or pulls the cord somewhere incredibly uncomfortable.  Taking the helmet off is just as bad – with one additional problem.  My rubber fitment ball for the left ear isn’t as good anymore.  Tends to come off if you don’t take them out just right – and when the helmet is doing the work, it’s not the right way.  After the 3rd time having the thing stuck in my ear canal and having to dig it out with the leatherman, I figured enough was enough.  No more music.   It’s a nice distraction, but having to adjust volume and such on the highway probably isn’t the safest activity anyway.

A friend had warned of rain in Florida, but since things looked pretty clear in Georgia, i started off without rain gear on.   I got nicked by a small storm outside Ocala so I stopped for lunch at Steak n Shake.   The colours of the Butterfinger shake reminded me of the high school days when we bought candy bars by the box and needed ways to get rid of them.  I was thinking of Crunchie, not Butterfinger, but still a decent shake.

Royale Burger – Bacon Cheeseburger w/ an Egg.  One of the better burgers, but I guess this is actually a sit down restaurant with service so can’t really be compared to the fast food places.

Otherwise, got a chance to swing by a business partner’s head offices and meet people I had worked with for years.  POP Yachts‘ headquarters isn’t really much to see.  For a yacht brokerages, they don’t actually have anything to see – doing almost everything on the road.  Having grown and moved in the recent past, the office was still in the ‘startup’ phase.  Mismatch of equipment and bare walls.  Brings back fond memories of startups.

Had a nice chat about BoatXchange and the North American boating industry’s recent past in online marketing.  It’s a pretty messed up market right now, but still lots of potential.  Boating has been a bit of a luxury item, and with the economy in the state that it’s in, things are changing fairly rapidly.  Seeing things from a broker’s point of view was refreshing – but I guess given how little thought I have spent on the boating industry as a whole, anything would be a new perspective.

Rain continued to spatter, but I pushed on to Naples.  I checked into a Best Western – they did some price matching for me against Expedia.  Definitely one of the better motels I’ve stayed at so far.  Mints on the pillow and everything!   Of course, I promptly ghettoed it up by cooking instant noodles using the hot water from the in room coffee maker.  There were restaurants in the area, but having been bitten 3 times in the time it took me to check in and unload the bike (once on the face when the helmet was still on), I didn’t have the appetite for going back outdoors.

Rough night.  The Hot Chicken lived up to it’s name and continued burning all night.  Didn’t get much sleep and what little sleep I did get was peppered with crazy dreams.

Georgia Aquarium entryway – they have painted dolphins too!

Underwater Tunnel – One of the better ones I’ve been to.

Wall o’ colourful fish.

The Georgia Aquarium might be the biggest in the world with the most variety of fish.  But it just felt less serious than the Lisbon Oceanarium.  Georgia has a much higher level of polish, but something is lost with the kid friendly cartoons and the musical dolphin show.  Still very much worth visiting if you’re in town.

The land the Aquarium sits on was donated by Coca-Cola.  And as it is, the World of Coca Cola is next door.  Now, I’ve been to a few of these already – Las Vegas and Tokyo(I think), but since those have closed, this is the one to visit now.

The newest attraction is the Vault with the ‘real’ secret recipe.  Big fake vault and security checkpoints with trappings of hollywood spy stuff.   Eventually, you end up in a circular room with a video that opens up to reveal the real safe:

I guess there is some real controversy about whether or not the actual recipe is in there.  But I suppose given the continuing changing of their recipe under political/health pressure, I don’t know how important it really is now.  Coke is an insane brand, aside from it’s origins and taste.  As they say, the secret is part of the magic of Coke – why wouldn’t you leverage it for publicity?

d

One of the things I found interesting was that Coke is up in space!  I’m sure some ridiculous amount of engineering went into transport and design of the dispensers and cups.  I wonder if someone from coke got to taste test in zero-g?

Giant wall o’ Coke pins.

More giant Coke bottle art.

There were 4D exhibits at both the Coke and Aquarium.  Best one yet is still the Insect Museum in New Orleans.  I suspect my natural sensitivity to creepy crawlies may have something to do with it.   And as usual, there is a tasting center where you get to try flavours from around the world.  I got plenty of sugar and bubbles before heading out through the gift shop.

The plan was to go for Chicken & Waffles at Gladys And Ron’s.  I circled around downtown looking for parking.  Unfortunately, the damage done by the Hot Chicken was not complete yet.   The thought of putting food into the system was making my system churn(the excess amount of pop probably didn’t help).

The plan was to stop in Forsyth to save myself Atlanta traffic the next day, but since I didn’t burn any hours eating chicken & waffles, I pushed on.   I’d still like to make it to Key West by Friday – make the trip on a weekday.  Stopping when I ran out of gas, I ended up in Ashburn, Georgia.   Not a small part because the motels were reasonably priced.

I may have survived the Dragon without leaving my mark on the Tree of Shame, but the day after did take its toll. Very much a roller coaster of stimuli and responses.

Tree of Shame – no contribution from Mendy!

Sleeping in a tent under the Dragon’s Tail was the most cost effective way of spending the night. But it did leave vulnerable to the upset Dragon raging all night and pissing all over the place. Yup, another night of thundershowers. Bit of a rough night again.

The morning was clear and bright, and the bikes were roaring about by 7am. It was nice to see and hear so much activity. Deals Gap is a great place to people watch. Something I got to do plenty of while packing up a wet tent and working on Mendy’s chain. The store actually has a decent selection.

The people were a healthy mix, but sportbikers seemed to be under represented, or maybe less friendly compared to the cruisers. There’s a women riders convention in the area soon. Plenty of groups coming through on the way there.

One of the better stories was a lady who never used to ride. Well, she was into horses and her husband rode the motorcycle. He passed away 3 years ago and she has taken over his bike in memory. Riding places and taking him back to places they shared together.

Great bunch of folks. But the rain and time with Mendy has made me realize the damage is no longer restricted to easily replaced accessories that would likely have been upgraded anyway. The scratches in the side case are deep and into the painted panel. Right past the paint. The mounting point has also suffered some damage and the right pannier has some play now. Worst of all, the plastics on the body itself are scratched… Body armor for Mendy will come too late to save her from the battle scars.

Putting the mistakes in the past and focusing on they task at hand, I set off on the 28 to cruise around the mountains before heading for Atlanta. And wow, what a pick me up. Cool, gorgeous weather. Sun coming through the trees and on the water. Carving through the mountains. Very much what a major portion of what this trip is about.

All smiles on 28

Very cool mist over the river.  Pictures on the fly, no good place to stop.  Reminds me of the similar thing happening in the Cascades.

Cherohala Skyway Viewpoint

But what goes up, must come down. Looping around Robbinsville and over the Cherohala Sky way, the grey skies were gathering. Climbing to the peak was an eerie flowing fog.

By the time I reached the Telico Plains, I could clearly smell the rain. Ducking into a gas station to decide whether or not the rain was a real issue or just crossing my path, I grabbed a coffee.

Shortly after, the skies opened up.
Unbelievable amount of water poured from the skies. You could see riders scurrying for cover as they came down off the skyway. I finished my coffee and went back out to suit up. Didn’t take too long, and got to chat with a couple from west Tennessee who were also hiding under cover.

Properly equipped, riding in the rain – even in virtual washout conditions isn’t bad. Mendy is more than capable. Worst is really other traffic and trying to read road signs. The rain came and went, the roads remained pleasantly twisty. Satisfied with my situation and gear, I continued south into Georgia.

The 60 wasn’t as nice as the roads closer to Deals Gap. More tar snakes and rubbish on the roads themselves. The rain was gone, but the roads were dirtier. The dark clouds were still overhead, so the rain gear stayed on. This meant a lot of slow sweaty miles. Forced me to face how sick and tired I was of the heat and humidity.

Shedding the rain as I neared Atlanta didn’t help much either. I had exchanged sweaty rain gear with big city highway traffic. 6 lanes of stop and go merging into the city. Fortunately, Atlanta itself is quite beautiful once you’re off the knot off traffic that is their interstate.

I was told making the trip to Holeman Finch was worth the trip.  I wasn’t hungry yet, so I decided to make the trip on foot.  Got a chance to see a bunch of random things along Peachtree.

A castle for rent

Crazy clouds and skies before the thunderstorm

The Margaret Mitchell House 

Food at Holeman Finch was quite good.  First off – Bacon Caramel Popcorn

Bone Marrow Gratin

Steak Tartare

Hot Chicken – this was, as forewarned, hot.  Painfully so.  I had considered eating more, but after the chicken, it would just be a waste of money.

Went to bed early last night, but didn’t help much. Crazy thunderstorm last night woke me up around midnight. I lay there for a bit before realizing my tent actually leaks. I don’t know if it was because the rain was extra hard, or I have holes. but the inside of the fly was definitely wet and would occasionally drip into the main tent. In a brief lull in the storm, I went out and pegged out the fly. That seemed to help a little.

Got up at 7:30 to lube the chain and pack. Packing a wet tent still sucks and I don’t think I would have any idea how to pack the bags and bike if it were still raining.  Still a slow start – the heat makes getting going very difficult. Even with a shower, I was dripping sweat before everything was on the bike.  A young couple was kind enough to stop by on their way out to ask if I was having problems and offered me the use of their tools.

I had tried to do some research for things to do in Nashville before I left. But I wasn’t interested in any of the top attractions. I would have considered going to the Opry radio show thing, but I got my act together to late for the Sat snow and nothing was really open on Sunday. Even Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack was closed Sun/Mon. I decided to swing by the Parthenon. Might not get to see it anytime soon in Greece, but a full size replica is still good. Unfortunately, it was Sunday morning so it wasn’t open. I gave it a shot!

Back on the highway with a target of Deals Gap and riding the Dragon.  I took a quick break to grab lunch at Hardee’s.  Not very impressed.  Kind of reminds me of Harvey’s back in Canada – not sure if that’s just a name thing.  I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat there again.

The Dragon – it really is quite a nice bit of road.  Followed a couple of Harleys up… And they kindly pulled over at the lookout.  I stopped with them and took a few pics.  They kept giving me looks until they suggested I go ahead – one of them had brought his brand new Ultra and wasn’t about to do anything questionable.  I told them I’d rather follow anyhow.  I might have gone a little faster if they weren’t in front of me, but having something to follow and remind oncoming traffic that there were bikes was worth slowing down.

Quite a nice bit of road.  Lots of turns, quite clean, no tar snakes.  Marked turns.  But it is quite busy in both directions and vehicles don’t tend to stay in their lanes very well.  Some of the 10mph turns are a little too slow for Mendy and the luggage.  I could feel the luggage dragging the bike down and had to slip the clutch to keep things in control.

I got into Deals Gap early in the afternoon.   Lost a bunch of time setting up camp, but was sorely tempted to take Mendy back out unencumbered.  In the end, I chose not to – I think it would be too disappointing for the rest of the trip to know all I had to do was lose the weight…

Grabbed a quick burger combo at the Grill and pulled out the laptop to process the video and try to jot down some thoughts.   A couple at the next table gave me a hard time for ‘working’ on vacation.  I explained what I was trying to do and the wife insisted I write about them and invited me to join them.

Chatting continued over a few drinks.  Topics ranged from politics, war, draft dodging and hunting.  I suspect things started getting off track when we started talking about ‘land of the law’, capital punishment and religion.  Unitarians, Jehovah’s Witnesses and the trinity all came up.  But one thing we did agree on was the need for people to do the work and explore what they believed rather than blindly accept what organized religion feeds you.