6.17.21 - BRP Smokey Dragon Recap
BY Kevin Irwin - Ride Leader
Thursday, June 17th, started crisp and cool for mid June. Tom J, Mike J, Brock S, and Kevin I assembled for the BRP Smokey Dragon Ride. The goal was four days and three nights of motorcycle mayhem. We planned to catch the Blue Ridge Parkway in Fancy Gap and take it through the mountains to Cherokee, NC. We then planned to cruise the Smokey Mountains and travel some gnarly twisties on the way to the Tail of the Dragon (US 129) in Tennessee. Finally, we would head home to Ohio through Kentucky.
The highlight of day one was WV-61 out of Charleston. Our goal was to avoid toll roads and circumvent I-64 and I-77. A recommendation from a friend was, “Why take WV-60 when you can ride WV-61?” Well, we found WV-61 and loved it! We wound our way to Buckley and then back to a toll free I-77. We rode 360 miles on day one, ate at Aunt Beas BBQ, and lodged in Hillsville, VA.
Day two started with a light breakfast, fuel, and a quick 7 miles from Hillsville to Fancy Gap, where we found the Blue Ride Parkway. Our goal was to eat brunch at the historical Bluff’s Restaurant, which is one of the only restaurants on the BRP. The morning was beautiful and clear. We had call ahead seating waiting for us, so we had to contain our excitement and not pull over at every overlook! The ride leader had to say, “We ain’t stopping!” Breakfast did not disappoint: Amazing coffee, Cathead biscuits, sweet potato pancakes, grits, and fried chicken with honey. This turned out to be the best meal of the trip. Put Bluff’s on your list of stops when you travel on the BRP.
We continued our beautiful mountain ride through the day, stopping to admire the amazing vistas. Low fuel forced us out of the mountains and down into the misty heat of Asheville. We endured a long traffic delay that took us up and down a hill that will forever be known as “Hot Crotch Hill.” We fueled and quickly left the 89 degree humidity and ascended to where we belonged: the mountains, and a pleasant 71 degree temperature.
We continued our mountain climb on the BRP, found the highest elevation point, and took our photos. We then roared out of the mountains and into Maggie Valley for dinner at the Rendezvous Restaurant. The pizza was good despite the long wait, during which our waitress kept us entertained with her quirky sense of humor. We then barreled down hill on US 19 and lodged in Cherokee for the night.
A few memorable quotes for the the day were: ”Kevin, why do you need to stop and check to see if you agree with the detour?” “Don’t go down there! That is going to turn into a GPS goat path!” “Ice cream makes everything better.” These were said during the only challenge of the day as we dealt with a brief span of the BRP being closed, which routed us on a well marked (and Kevin approved) detour.
Day three started early with hotel breakfast, petrol, and anxious anticipation as we looked for a day of curvy mountain pass roads and the Tail of the Dragon. We climbed into the Smokey Mountains on US-441 and enjoyed the lofty views. It was very busy, being a Saturday, and we were careful not to spoil our rides crawling behind campers. We exited US-441 and used Fighting Creek Gap Road and the Little River Gorge Road to connect us to US 321. These roads started near the Sugarlands Visitor Center and followed a mountain stream, which Tom sampled and bottled for his return trip. These roads were a fantastic warm up for the the Tail of the Dragon that was waiting for us. We took US-321 and then the Foothills Parkway to US-129. Then the fun began.
There was a lot of traffic, but we headed south on US-129, found the Tail, and cut our way through to the Deal’s Gap Resort. We displayed our man strength to impress all the ladies, picking up a motorcycle in the parking lot, and then we lunched. We took another run at the Tail of the Dragon with Brock “Speedy Gonzalez” leading the way. The rest of us just enjoyed riding through his dust cloud. The road was great, the weather was great, and for the most part, the other riders behaved. We survived and headed home to Ohio via Kentucky. We enjoyed a steak dinner in Lexington and relived the great roads we had traveled that day - except for I-75, which we cursed.
Day 4 had the gang splitting up after breakfast with everyone having different family agendas or events to attend.
All in all, it was a fantastic trip covering over 1,325 miles! Great weather, great friends, and great roads added up to an epic ride. We also enjoyed all of the attention a bunch of Indian motorcycles get when they travel together. People from all walks of life approached us to admire our motorcycles, and one even took a picture of them! Some were surprised to see that Indians were being made again, while others would speak of fathers or grandfathers who road Indians. We did enjoy the attention we received on these bikes. The BRP Smokey Dragon Ride reminded us why we ride these cruisers and love motorcycling.
