Author Topic: Random Smoky Mtn Vacation Pics (Read 6202 times)

kballowe · « **on:** June 12, 2018, 09:50:53 AM »

We took off on June 1st and headed the 600 miles east to the Smoky Mountains for a few days of leisurely riding.
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Here we are, on the way to the Tail of the Dragon - but first, a ride on the Cherahola Skyway
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THIS looks interesting
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Cheoah Dam, on the Alcoa Highway (U.S. Highway 129 on the North Carolina Side, near the Dragon).
Alcoa built several of these dams to supply the massive electric power needed at their aluminum smelters.
This dam was completed in 1919.
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Top of the Dragon, looking down on Fontana Dam (I think), which was built in the early 1940's
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Now off to Mountain City, Tennessee for a ride on "The Snake" - U.S. Highway 421.
Take this from Mountain City, proceeding northwest to Bristol.
hahahahaha - great road.
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At the halfway point, make a right onto highway 133 and go approx. 10 miles to this really cool rock arch
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Next - (from Bristol) take Interstate 81 east to the junction of highway 16 in Marion, Virginia.
Proceed north on highway 16 to Tazewell, Virginia.

This section of road is 32 miles and crosses three mountain ranges and is much more scenic
and more challenging than the Tail of the Dragon.
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Here's a knarley switchback
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Let's see....
Now, where was I ?

Oh yeah - on the way back and a little west of Knoxville - head north to the little town of Oliver Springs.
This is the fictitious Olga Coal Company, from the Movie "October Sky".
Take 330 to 16 and make a left. This is the Devil's Triangle.
Some righteous switchbacks on this section of road.
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twowings · « **Reply #1 on:** June 12, 2018, 09:53:43 AM »

Mmmmmm....twisty and delicious! Just the way we like it...

Guzzi Gal · « **Reply #2 on:** June 12, 2018, 10:00:48 AM »

:1: Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

Sheepdog · « **Reply #3 on:** June 12, 2018, 10:34:09 AM »

I lived in Knox-Vegas for eight years. The riding is superb and the views are intoxicating. Truly a moto-paradise.

Bill · « **Reply #4 on:** June 12, 2018, 03:45:08 PM »

Nice photo report. Just came back from that area and your pictures captured the character of riding there. Love 16 N to Tazewell especially if low traffic. Almost impossible to pass if behind slow traffic.
Bill

oldbike54 · « **Reply #5 on:** June 12, 2018, 04:38:50 PM »

Hey , I know the woman in that picture

Very nice Kevin

Dusty

Chuck in Indiana · « **Reply #6 on:** June 12, 2018, 06:17:28 PM »

Been there many times. Pretty part of the country..

leafman60 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 12, 2018, 06:59:28 PM »

The dam you saw at the top of 129 (the Dragon) isn't Fontana Dam but is Calderwood Dam. Fontana is not far away, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5CDe0Nzm30

https://renewableops.brookfield.com/presence/north-america/recreation-and-safety/smoky-mountain-hydro/recreation-and-flow/Calderwood

rdbandkab · « **Reply #8 on:** June 12, 2018, 07:19:12 PM »

Looks like you had perfect weather for that ride.. Good job!

LowRyter · « **Reply #9 on:** June 12, 2018, 08:17:42 PM »

great riding country

Great rd down the Dragon to Deals Gap and 28 all the way to Highland NC

kballowe · « **Reply #10 on:** June 13, 2018, 08:43:44 AM »

Quote from: oldbike54 on June 12, 2018, 04:38:50 PM

Hey , I know the woman in that picture

Very nice Kevin

Dusty

That Woman says that she knows you, too. But - she says that you don't look dusty, at all.

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Quote from: leafman60 on June 12, 2018, 06:59:28 PM

The dam you saw at the top of 129 (the Dragon) isn't Fontana Dam but is Calderwood Dam. Fontana is not far away, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5CDe0Nzm30

https://renewableops.brookfield.com/presence/north-america/recreation-and-safety/smoky-mountain-hydro/recreation-and-flow/Calderwood

Thank-you !
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Quote from: Bill on June 12, 2018, 03:45:08 PM

Nice photo report. Just came back from that area and your pictures captured the character of riding there. Love 16 N to Tazewell especially if low traffic. Almost impossible to pass if behind slow traffic.
Bill

Yep
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kballowe · « **Reply #11 on:** June 13, 2018, 08:48:44 AM »

The weather forecast for our trip was crap. There were pop-up storms all over the place, and we managed to miss nearly all of them.

Mostly sunny and dry for a couple days - THEN - Two days brought lows in the upper 50's and highs in the upper 70's with crystal clear blue skies. Basically - we couldn't have ORDERED any better weather.

leafman60 · « **Reply #12 on:** June 13, 2018, 09:01:42 AM »

I've been riding the Appalachian areas for years and I find these road name interesting.

Hwy 129, years ago, was mostly just called Deal's Gap. Then it became "The Dragon." Now I see it sometimes called "The Dragon's Tail."

I guess everyone wants to cash in on the attraction of traffic to ride a curvy road in their area so we have The Rattlesnake, The Moonshiner, The Dragon's Back, The Diamond Back, The Copperhead and many others. They're all good roads to ride.

kballowe · « **Reply #13 on:** July 03, 2018, 06:25:53 AM »

The Wife came home and said that she got 4 days in a row off of work.
Seeing as how it's only 600 miles from here, we (She) decided that we should revisit "The Dragon"
.....off we went.....
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And, seeing as how the black bike hadn't been to the Smoky Mountains - it got picked.
(pay no attention to the old hippy)
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Then there was the ride thru the Foothills Parkway and the Smoky Mountain National Park
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Now running along North Carolina Highway 28 North. Here's a power house, being fed from piped-down-the-mountain water. It sits on Fontana Lake - just north of Fontana Dam.
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random scenery pic
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Interesting sign pic.
This is located on Hwy 28 North - on the way to Deal's Gap.

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Wife's new pet dragon
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busdog · « **Reply #14 on:** July 03, 2018, 07:52:30 AM »

Nice report on some great rides. I have a cabin on VRBO not far from the end of the Devils Triangle near the Big South Fork. It is VRBO number 1129146 and it takes one night stays. The addy is 370 Spruce Creek Dr. Jamestown TN 38556.

Highway 325 to Byrdstown and Highway 85 from Grimsley to Livingston are great local roads.

Keith

bpreynolds · « **Reply #15 on:** July 03, 2018, 08:01:32 AM »

The area never ever gets old to ride and each time I go back I manage to enjoy the roads I've been on and find something new.

Ncdan · « **Reply #16 on:** July 03, 2018, 08:27:15 AM »

Been there a few times, great part of the country to ride in!

twowheeladdict · « **Reply #17 on:** July 03, 2018, 07:00:37 PM »

What was the condition of the Devil's Triangle when you rode it? I have been on it when quarry trucks had it all torn up. Rode it right after a repaving where they hadn't yet cleaned up the extra pavement. Have ridden it in both directions as well. There are a lot of coal trucks in those hills to contend with.

Great photos.

Wayne Orwig · « **Reply #18 on:** July 03, 2018, 07:16:38 PM »

Quote from: kballowe on July 03, 2018, 06:25:53 AM

Now running along North Carolina Highway 28 North. Here's a power house, being fed from piped-down-the-mountain water. It sits on Fontana Lake - just north of Fontana Dam.
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Actually, it is on Cheoah Lake, north of Cheoah Dam, fed by Fontana Dam. Somewhere in there they have a pump and plumbing. It is used to pump water between the lakes when they have excess power, so they can use that water to generate power later when needed. Or so I hear.
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4462122,-83.864075,333m/data=!3m1!1e3

Daleroso · « **Reply #19 on:** July 03, 2018, 07:25:21 PM »

16 No thru W.Va. Wayabah Rd, Warwoman Rd East fm Clayton, Ga & the list goes on & on.
That's why when Butler Maps released their So Appalachians map a few yrs ago after completing
many other US states called the area the best riding in the US.
I tell riders out here in the west to imagine 800x300 miles of twisty connected tree lined roads along creeks & rivers. Try to describe the 469 mile Blue Ridge Pkwy to them & they cock their head & look @ me like a dog hearing a new sound for the 1st time.

Pizza Guzzi · « **Reply #20 on:** July 03, 2018, 07:49:06 PM »

Probably a dumb question but re: the picture "Welcome to Marion...."
The words " eleven.... try thirty- two" - wossit mean ?

Glenn.

Great pics and report BTW.

kballowe · « **Reply #21 on:** July 03, 2018, 08:00:14 PM »

Quote from: Pizza Guzzi on July 03, 2018, 07:49:06 PM

Probably a dumb question but re: the picture "Welcome to Marion...."
The words " eleven.... try thirty- two" - wossit mean ?

Glenn.

Great pics and report BTW.

The tail of the dragon is 11 miles. The back of the dragon on 32 miles and crosses three mountain ranges. Longer, more challenging, and more scenic than the tail of the dragon.

kballowe · « **Reply #22 on:** July 03, 2018, 08:02:24 PM »

Quote from: Wayne Orwig on July 03, 2018, 07:16:38 PM

Actually, it is on Cheoah Lake, north of Cheoah Dam, fed by Fontana Dam. Somewhere in there they have a pump and plumbing. It is used to pump water between the lakes when they have excess power, so they can use that water to generate power later when needed. Or so I hear.
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4462122,-83.864075,333m/data=!3m1!1e3

According to Wikipedia, that's a powerhouse. There's no mention of pumping water between lakes but if you have a link to the info - it would be great reading !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santeetlah_Dam

Pizza Guzzi · « **Reply #23 on:** July 03, 2018, 08:09:08 PM »

Thanks for the explanation - makes sense now

Glenn.

Guzzistajohn · « **Reply #24 on:** July 03, 2018, 08:20:08 PM »

Durn your hyde! that looks like fun! Nice photos!

ridingron · « **Reply #25 on:** July 04, 2018, 06:54:12 PM »

Quote

16 No thru W.Va. Wayabah Rd, Warwoman Rd East fm Clayton, Ga & the list goes on & on.
That's why when Butler Maps released their So Appalachians map a few yrs ago after completing
many other US states called the area the best riding in the US.
I tell riders out here in the west to imagine 800x300 miles of twisty connected tree lined roads along creeks & rivers. Try to describe the 469 mile Blue Ridge Pkwy to them & they cock their head & look @ me like a dog hearing a new sound for the 1st time.

Yeah, I've tried that myself. They just don't get it. I'm in a Honda group that has a long weekend in NC every Fall. The westerners won't come east but they think we should go West. Lots of twisty road riding. About 15 years ago we had a ride, the Triple T . Thousand miles of Tennessee Twisties. We covered 1000 miles of pretty much one twisty road after another for 3 days moteling the nights. It was for riding not sight seeing. There were several times we crossed I-states and you could jump on it and slab to the nights motel. Had a lot of fun.

I have a lot of fun every time I ride the area!

nc43bsa · « **Reply #26 on:** July 04, 2018, 07:13:24 PM »

Quote from: kballowe on July 03, 2018, 06:25:53 AM

There is a similar powerhouse (Ocoee #2) in TN on US-64, except the dam and the powerhouse are 5 miles apart, connected by a wooden flume.

busdog · « **Reply #27 on:** July 04, 2018, 09:34:45 PM »

Tennessee road sign up McCloud Mountain in Campbell County Tennessee

nc43bsa · « **Reply #28 on:** July 04, 2018, 09:41:09 PM »

Quote from: busdog on July 04, 2018, 09:34:45 PM

Tennessee road sign up McCloud Mountain in Campbell County Tennessee

Where is that? I need to go there the next time I'm in Jellico.

busdog · « **Reply #29 on:** July 04, 2018, 10:16:17 PM »

https://www.mtcloud.com/

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Author Topic: Random Smoky Mtn Vacation Pics (Read 6202 times)

twowings

oldbike54

bpreynolds

Pizza Guzzi

Pizza Guzzi