North Carolina - Day 8; July 16, 2009

Today our son, Bryan, turned 29. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Bryan!

We rode north out of Helen on Hwy 75 at 7:00 AM. It was cloudy, foggy, and 72 degrees. Due to recent rain, the roads were wet. The route took us into the north Georgia mountains where the temperature dropped to 66. At one point it looked like it could rain so we put on our rain suits – jackets and pants.

We turned west on Hwy 76 and then north on Hwy 17 into North Carolina where we caught Hwy 64 (again) west to Hwy 74/129 north and east. Eventually Hwy 129 turned north and split away from Hwy 74 and the scenery was great.

Going this direction the Tail of the Dragon (http://www.tailofthedragon.com/) goes from roughly Tapoco, NC to Tallassee, TN. The twisties were nearly nonstop and the scenery was beautiful. We were there early enough (9:00) that traffic was very light. We were never passed by a crotch rocket, which I had been told was common. When we stopped for a photo opportunity nobody passed in either direction.

It was a great day to ride the Dragon. At a scenic overlook we removed our rain suits which never got wet. We stopped at a store (the only one) in Tallassee for a break and a souvenir t-shirt.

We continued north on 129 to Hwy 441 south to Hwy 68 west, to Hwy 27 south to Dayton, TN where we ate lunch at Bimbo’s Restaurant. From Bimbo’s we rode west on Hwy 30 (which turned out to be quite a twistie and scenic route) to McMinnville where we caught Hwy 70S west to Murfreesboro, TN.

At Murfreesboro we hopped on I-24 north towards Nashville, I-440 west and north to I-40 west. Traffic around Nashville was pretty heavy but, fortunately, we were a little too early for rush hour traffic.

We stopped for the day at the Dickson, TN exit off of I-40 where we found a Best Western with an outdoor pool. It was 4:15 PM central time. Our route today took us 380 miles. The high temperature for the day was 84.

We called Bill and Jamie and made plans to meet them in Mountain Home, AR the following evening.

For more photos of today’s ride click the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/NorthCarolinaRideDay8071609?feat=directlink

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