Vacation Bryson City, NC 20231027
I had it in my head for six months that I was going to see Buddy Guy in Cherokee, NC. I don’t think I have been there since I did several shows in the area and took my Cheerwine can downtown. Not much has changed except for a solar power energy and some electric charging stations. Also there is a warehouse full of 70 tons of marijuana waiting for a glitch in the legalization bill to pass. New mini-mall looking areas are trying to boot out ma and pa and Harrah’s casino has sucked the life out of several motels. But I am sucked into the idea of big bands coming to town. We had a view of the Tuckasegee River.
I was going to ride The Tail of the Dragon but found out we are an hour out which means I would be riding four hours if I didn’t stop to take photos and if the traffic was light. But that is a fat chance in the fall. I have been looking at photos from Killboys for the Tail of the Dragon for months but somehow I managed to miscalculate the distance from Bryson City to the Dragon. So we are planning to regroup.
Before we set out on this trip we couldn’t find a room but for Bryson City. We even cleared a parking space for our trailer. We picked an old Ma & Pa hotel for convenience and nostalgia.
At first we were going to bring the trailer, stay four days at the hotel and three days at a campground. The day of take off I noticed two flats on the trailer. I have walked around the trailer hundreds of times before the trip. So we took it as a sign to leave her home. I rode the motorcycle and Vera and Aroo rode in the KIA. It was a four hour trip and we had to stop four times because my knees are revolting. There were only two Rest Stops on the way. We were hit at the second one right away by a guy with lots of troubles.
Our guardian angels again must have given us flats because if we were to take one wrong road in the mountains we were s.o. o.l. We took several wrong turns scouting campgrounds. My wife hit some invisible rebar at a gas station so duct tape was an option for the front bumper.
The weather has been great so far. We plan to split the trip up going home rather than riding four hours back.
Coming off the mountain from US 74 to 40 East in Asheville, NC my fingers got too cold to handle the brakes. My heated grips were barely noticeable at setting 3 of 5 and way too hot at 5. I don’t know if the heated seat worked or not. There was a high profile warning for trucks so despite the cold the wind was blowing me around real good. One day I may own a heated suit. But I wonder if that is cheating. I know North Dakota cold and Minnesota cold but that first day of freezing weather plus wind is COLD.
Here is a side note. The cover on my bike kept a box of Kleenex dry. I had a box on top of my bag.
We enjoyed this well needed stay and needed to listen to the creek. Will and his staff at the LLoyd’s Hotel couldn’t have been nicer. Aroo was in heaven!
Dining on the road is rarely wonderful. But we remember it is always easier on this side of the counter and Door Dash is a wonderful thing! We were happy to get back home and be spoiled at our favorite restaurant, Three Bulls in Clemmons, NC by Ciera!
Nothing is ever easy when you step out of your normal surroundings, EVER! However, we were born to wander!
Ride On!
Take a break every once in awhile. Listen to a river flow at 4am.
Two down and knees to the breeze! I isolated a few biker sightings!
This is for the people that can’t get out and need to just take a ride through a mountain town in the fall.















































































































































































































































































































