A day of extremes

Rick and Zabrina at the overlook

Gerry and Terry at the Dragon overlook.

Esther and Gil at one of the overlooks in the Dragon.

We finally made it to Deels Gap, aka the Tail of the Dragon. It's nicknamed the dragon because it's 318 turns in 11 miles and looks like the tail of a dragon.

We had missed the rain through the skyway however, it would eventually catch up with us.

Here is the entire group at one of the overlooks... It was overcast but still breathtaking!

We're well on our way through Cherohala reaching a maximum altitude of 5000 feet.

Esther gets creative with Gils helmet.

Welcome to the Cherohala Skyway, a little slice of heaven. The day started of with a little cloud cover but we had great weather through the Cherohala. Swift curving roads and beautiful scenery.

A quick stop at a bakery in Tellico plains for some breakfast. Delicious home made treats, breads and great coffee!

The day started by meeting up with a friend of mine from work that was staying in their cabin in Murphy. We met in Duck town and headed out to Cherohala Skyway and the Dragon. It ended up a day of extremes because we started on a relaxing road with beautiful skies and it ended up with rain on the Dragon.

Blood Mountain & Wolf Pen Gap

We rode over to Dalonegah for lunch at Caruso's, great Italian food.

The group takes a quick picture at the Chattahooche overlook.


We stopped at T.W.O. and they were closed however, we took full advantage od thier shaded porch with rocking chairs for a quick rest stop. The plan was to have lunch here, but they are only open on the weekends.

We stopped at one of the scenic overlooks along the way but the view was not the best. The clouds were really low today. Lot's of rain in the surrounding areas.

Smile for the camera. He better keep his eye's on the road!!

Some twisties...

We had some rain early in the morning but by the time we hit the road most of it had passed. The roads were already dry and we were ready to tear up some asphalt.

Getting ready to roll. The destination today was Blood Mountain, Wolf Pen Gap and Dalonegah.

The group takes over Ruby Falls

Our last stop was lunch in Chattanooga.


Another shot of the waterfall as the colors in the lights change.

The grand finale is the waterfall inside of Ruby Falls... spectacular in person, pictures do not do it justice.

We're on the way to a mile trek through the cave.

Gil tries the same but doesn't have a much luck. Is that the ceiling or the floor?

Ivan decides to pose doing a hand stand while we wait for the tour to start inside of the cave.

The group is in rare form this morning. Gerry's feeling a bit like a cheeseburger head.

Esther and Gil show off their studio poses...lol



This is the view from the entrance of Ruby Falls. Downtown Chattanooga is off in the distance.

A day in Helen, GA

We wrapped up the night back at the cabin. It was the guys turn to cook dinner. Aside from blowing up a baking dish(don't ask) and wanting to boil potato's in foil, I have to say they really did a great job.

What can I say... total sugar rush!

We hit the Hansel and Gretel candy shop after lunch. Talk about a bunch of kids in a candy store!

Rick had the Ruben with sauerkraut and a potato pancake.

We ordered this HUGE pretzel as an appetizer. I swear it's the best pretzel I've had. It was hot and soft and just right.

Cheers!!! Good friends, good food, good times!!!

Time for lunch! This little German restaurant was tucked away in one of the side alley's

Terry and Gerry eye the Hansel and Gretel candy store. I'm sure we'll hit it soon after lunch!!!

This gentle little creature let Rick pet him for a while, he had just finished munching on a bunch of carrots.

Horse drawn carriages take tourist around town. These beautiful creatures were so gentle and beautiful

Helen is filled with beautiful gardens this time of year. Main street has a central area filled with benches and fountains to sit back and take in the scenery.

We took the obligatory picture in front of the wind mil that greets you as soon as you get to town.

Welcome to Alpine Helen...a cute little German themed town in the middle of the mountains.

Time to check the weather and route for the day. Looks like were headed to Helen for the day.

Looks like the bikes made it through the night. They'll get a good washing today to get rid of all the dust from yesterday's fiasco.

Nothing like a fire pit, cold beers and some B.S. to wrap up a long day.

After a long day and lots of endless turns we found our homey cabin...It was like finding paradise.

We pulled over to chat about plan B, luckily one of the locals stopped and pointed us in the right direction. We had made a wrong turn along the way however, we were not too far from the cabin. We all looked like coal miners by this time. All we could do is sit back and acknowledge that this is the type of stuff that makes road trips memorable.

Yeap, we hit a dirt road for about 7 miles of white knuckle express...lol thank you GPS! Think of your standard narrow mountain road but gravel instead of pavement, with the same turns and dips. For the first time in a long time I thought I was in WAY over my head... there really was NO option but to take a deep breath, relax and gently guide the bike through. I was fine as long as I kept my tires over the worn wheel wells that prior vehicles had etched into the ground. All I could think was thank God that it was not raining...

We finally got into the Blue Ridge area of GA and made a turn into what I affectionately call dirt road hell.

This time around we were lucky to have some great weather. After passing Atlanta the highway started to clear and the blue ridge mountains started to peer from afar... Every layer of stress we carry with us slowly started to peel away. You could start to smell the fresh mountain air and all of the rolling hills were the best therapy you can ever have. That is... until the GPS decided to take us on a detour... :-/

Early in the morning and ready to head out!!! Terry double checks the straps on the bikes...