‘Hey Ralphy, wanna go see the total eclipse?’ it was buddy Ken on the phone. ‘It’s gonna cross the Smokie Mountains not far from Maggie Valley. We can check out that museum and ride some great roads. Watcha think?’
That’s all it took. My arm was twisted far enough; The Wheels thru Time museum, some wonderful branded roads and a natural spectacle all in one road trip. ‘When do we leave?’ Our good friend Katrina heard of the expedition and decided to tag along.
We researched the event using the Nasa site. Lots of info there, including towns in the area with special Eclipse events, best locations to view and weather forecasts, as well as a whole lot of scientific facts. The eclipse was on Monday, August 21 and would cross the Cherahola Skyway about 1pm. We scored two pair of special viewing glasses from my wife’s eye doctor, packed our luggage and headed out Friday the 18th at 8am. Depending on our route it would be approximately 1600kms each way. But there was no way we were going to ride straight there and back. There were several outstan
ding roads to ride in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
We decid
ed to ride hard and fast on day one so we could get to some bendy roads sooner. 11 hours and 900 kms later we arrived in Chapmanville, WV. It was a boring ride on 4 lane interstates but here we were in the mountains. Settling in to the Best Western, we spent a couple of hours with a six pack of Yingling, realigning Ken’s GPS to make sure we stayed clear of as many 4 lanes as we could.
First destination, the Back of The Dragon. The ‘Back’ is on hwy 16 from Tazewell to Marion Va, but hwy 16 is just as fantastic further north, so we headed for Welch, WV on hwy 52 and turned south on 16. We immediately climbed a mountain, twisting and turning up and over. We pressed the Harleys hard, enjoying the thrill of riding as quick as we could with little or no traffic. After the second mountain and valley we decided to stop in the town of War for a break. ‘The Coffee Shop’, in the ancient downtown was the pride of Obri, a little old lady who regaled us with some of the history of this once booming coal town as she served her ‘famous’ coffee with sausgage gravy and biscuits. They may only be ‘famous’ as something to avoid; but the atmosphere and conversation was wonderful.
Then bac
k out and onto Hwy 16, twisting and turning over another mountain and down into Tazewell. If you have never ridden the ‘Back’, make sure you add it to your next trip. Absolutely marvelous roadway, sweeping turns, tight twisties and fantastic vistas. so, after a quick stop at the official ‘Back of the Dragon’ store, a chat with Danny, we were off to renew our acquaintance with this marvelous stretch of back road. 3 mountains and 32 miles later we arrived at Marion and the best ice cream stop in the area at the Park Place Drive In. The absolute tastiest ice cream is dark chocolate raspberry truffle. Worth the trip to Marion.
Our planned stop for the night was in Newport, NC. On our way I wanted to stop at Fox Creek Leathers in Independence, Va. I needed another pair of their fabulous deerskin cavalry gauntlets. I always buy the ones with the fringes, just because I like to make a fashion statement. This is my 3rd pair of these gloves. I get about 100,000 kms per set. They are cool enough to wear in summer and warm enough to wear well into late fall. The most comfortable gloves I have ever worn. I had ordered my previous pair online, but prefer to actually try them on first for that perfect fit.
Now off to N
ewport via the infamous ‘Snake’. Hwy 142 climbs steeply over a mountain, twists down the other side and across the Shady Valley. We made a quick stop at the General store for the mandatory patch, sticker and T-shirt then off over the next mountain. The Snake will remain as one of my favourite rides. It has plenty of challenge plus excellent scenery.
Next, out past Bristol then over to Hot Springs and down ‘Shiners Run’. After a quick stop at the Trust store for a cold drink and to buy a patch, we were off to finish the trail. The Shiners Run gets its name from the infamous moonshiners who used parts of this route to elude ‘revenuers’. It is another great ride and more than worth the trip. We arrived at the Best Western in Newport about 7pm having completed the first real day of back road riding, completing almost 600kms in 11 hours. 3 branded roads plus several other great rides. A very satisfying day.
The plan for Sunday would get us to Maggie and the museum. That would only be about 100kms if we went directly there, but that aint our style. So we headed out in the opposite direction, wound our way over to hwy 151 leading up to the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Pisgah Forest. This is one of those roads that you happen on once in a while just by chance. Ken and I had been riding the Blue Ridge in June this year and the traffic started to bog down, so Ken decided to get off the Parkway. It just happened to be onto hwy 151. What a wonderful, exhilarating set of switchbacks and elevation drops. So we just had to try the climb this trip. Just as much fun. A local told us that they call it the Devil’s Staircase if you are going up and the Devil’s Drop if you are going down. It is only about 10 miles long, but worth both names.
Next sto
p Maggie and the Wheels Thru Time museum. Ken and I had arrived here on our trip this past June on a Tuesday. They are closed Tuesday and Wednesday so we did not get to visit. This trip we made sure we got there on Sunday in plenty to time to leisurely explore the treasures within. If you have never been, it is a must for all motorcycle enthusiasts. Dale has collected a vast assembly of bikes from the earliest Hendersons to the latest Harleys. Almost all of the bikes have been repaired and are in running order. Most displays have story boards depicting their history. We spent 3 hours and finally had to leave because our tiny brains were popping with new found amazement. We will be back.
The town of Maggie Valley is a hub for all motorcycling enthusiasts. It doesn’t matter which direction or what back road you head out on, they are all twisty and scenic. Part of the fun is the sheer excitement of discovery. And at each restaurant, each motel and each gas station you will find another enthusiast who will only be too happy to tell you of his latest find.
The next morning we headed out to find our special spot to watch the Eclipse. We headed west on hwy 19, thru Cherokee
and Bryson City and onto hwy 28 (part of the Moonshiner) and across Sweetwater Road. We made a quick stop in Robbinsville to stock up with some lunch supplies and off along hwy 129 to the start of the Cherohala Skyway. It was a beautiful sunny and hot day. Clear skies and 28C. Then just as we started the climb up to the Skyway, the clouds rolled in. The traffic was thick and cars were parked all along the side of the roadway and even in the ditches. Hundreds of people with back packs and coolers were trudging up the shoulder heading to the top and that ‘perfect’ spot before anyone else could get there. The Nasa site had suggested that the best spot in the area was the Bald Hollow scenic pullover, the highest place you could drive at about 5400 feet. But the site did warn that several locals had been camping there for a couple of days to reserve the spots. It was so congested as we rode along the Skyway that we decided to settle for any spot we could squeeze the three bikes into. The first few pull-overs we tried were over packed and state troopers and park rangers were evicting cars that had wheels touching the pavement. Onward we went. Finally we found a spot on the lead-in to the driveway at a pull-over scenic area. The wheels were on the gravel shoulder, side cases were almost touching t
he guardrail and the kick stands were just touching the edge of the pavement, well inside the white marker line. Whew, we made it. And, when I walked up and looked up at the sign post, we were parked at the Bald Hollow scenic overlook. Perfect; except for the totally overcast sky. Oh well, lets make the best of it. It was almost 10am, three hours before the event was to start. Too late to search for another potential site with no guarantee to find sun or parking.
We spent the three hours walking up and down and talking to our new neighbours. The fellow next to us was an engineering professor with a Louisiana college, who just happen to be originally from Newfoundland. In the pull-off parking lot was a local family who had taken turns camping here for the past few days to reserve two parking spaces and a site for there portable gazebo and picnic tables. There was also a professional photographer with an amazing camera set up that was mounted on a huge tripod, a massive lense and a motorized assembly to track the sun. He also had three cameras on his little table and around his neck. Everyone was talkative and friendly. A real festive atmosphere.
Tensions rose as the moment neared and the clouds still covered the sky. Someone yelled out ‘its started, I’m watching it online’. A collective moan echoed into the valley. Then, a small window appeared in the cloud cover, and grew and grew. The clouds parted around our mountain as if a biblical hand had parted the seas. The collective cheer was heard along the mountain roadway. We donned our special glasses and sat in awe as the moon slowly edged its way across the face of the sun. The big yellow PacMan appeared to be swallowing the smaller moon. Amazing. We sat with our backs against the guardrail like little kids watching a magic show.
Then came the big moment. The moon sat completely in front of the sun. An eerie calm came over the area; it was suddenly nighttime. The birds stopped singing, the friendly chatter stopped, traffic came to a halt, the temperature dropped; the earth stood still for several seconds. It was as if the sun had suddenly set, midnight was upon us; but dawn stretched all the way around, dawn on a 360 degrees horizon.
Then som
eone whistled, loudly; spontaneously a cheer rose from the crowd, followed by laughter and applause. The magician had succeeded. Strangers hugged and congratulated each other as if they had somehow caused this to happen. Goosebumps ran up my arms, several times. The professor was on the roadway calling us over to look at something. ShadowSnakes. A phenomenon only seen during a total eclipse. It indeed looked like grey snakes were slinking up the roadway. He explained that because the sun radiates in an irregular pattern and the moon surface has many mountains and valleys, the effect is shadows that appear on light-coloured surfaces. And because both celestial bodies are moving, the shadows move. ShadowSnakes. Awesome.
We stood there in the middle of the road absorbing this awesome event. It felt much longer than the 2 minutes and 38 seconds and will leave an impression on our psyche for years. The three of us remarked on how this moment will be part of our collective memory for many years. A truly unforgettable moment shared with great friends.
It seemed almost like a let down as we decided to head off the Skyway and on to our next event; the Dragon’s Tail. Most would consider the Tail a hilite of any motorcycle trip, but to us it will always just be the thing we did after we watched the Total Eclipse of the Sun.
So, back along the Skyway toward Robbinsville and hwy 129 up to Deals Gap. We did the mandatory stop at the store, took photos, bought another patch and headed out to run the twistiest 11 miles most bikers will ever ride. Perhaps its because I have ridden the tail about 10 times already, or maybe it was just because it was following the Eclipse but most likely it was because I was following several cars who seemed to be having difficulty with the turns; but it was not an exciting ride.
At the n
orth end of the Tail we turned onto the Foothills Parkway. The Foothills is one of the best scenic rides in the area with multiple pull off areas to allow you to take some pretty amazing photos. There are a few spots where you can see several states down along the valleys and mountain ridges. Beautiful.
We finished our evening at the Best Western in that hectic tourist town of Pigeon Forge, birthplace of Dolly Parton and home to DollyWorld. I grabbed a sixpack and we lounged at poolside before heading next door to the Texas Roadhouse for a lovely rib dinner. Quite the day. It will be hard to b
eat this one.
During breakfast we decided that the objective today was to see how far we could ride without hitting any major roads on our way north. Like I said, there are so many nice scenic, riding roads in the area, its hard to be disappointed. I don’t think any of us remember exactly which roads we took, Ken and I took turns leading, just trying to stay in a generally north and east direction. We stopped for gas just past Bristol and decided that the Back of the Dragon deserved one more ride, and an ice cream would not be turned down. So over to Marion, lunch at the Hardee’s burger joint and a stop at Park Place for ice cream. It was closed. So disappointed. Oh well, the Back was here to enjoy, so it was definitely not a waste of kms.
We topp
ed the first mountain and were twisting our way into the valley when Ken pulled his Street Glide off in a parking area. The look on his face told me he was not happy. Apparently he had lost his front brakes coming down the mountain. We did a quick inspection but could not see anything obvious. We decided to take Danny up on his previous offer of any assistance when in the area. We rode to the Back of the Dragon store and luckily he was in the office. He called his friend at HawgPit cycles and off we went. HawgPit Cycles is primarily a custom shop and the showroom had several of their creations on display. Trevor took about half an hour to put new pads on Kens bike. The pads were worn but mostly just overheated. Now they were good as new and off we went, back over to hwy 16 and up to Welch. This is a great ride. If you are ever in the area you must ride from Welch to Marion, and back again. Marvelous views, mountains and valleys, more than enough tight twisties and plenty of sweeping curves. Love it.
We arrived in Beckley about 7pm just as it started to rain. Got rooms at the Marriott and headed to the OutBack for steak dinner. Tomorrow would be a long stretch of 4 lanes all the way home.
Now that’s a marvelous 6 day adventure. Thanx Ken and Katrina. Biking buddies for life.