It just don't get much better than this.

[klaviator]

I had time in my schedule and the weather forecast showed a break in the rain.  Time for a road trip!  Last Thursday I headed for North Georgia where my buddy Steve has a cabin near Blue Ridge, GA. 

For the most part the ride over was on a route I had done many times before.  I saw this in Henegar.  Anyone looking for a car?



I got off my normal route and saw a couple of these signs near Chatsworth.



Overlook on 52 near Chatsworth.



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It was about 230 miles total.  Not a super exciting ride but still pleasant.

[klaviator]

On Friday we headed off for Bell Mountain.  Neither of us had been there.  I never even heard of it until Jrou posted a video of it last year.

It was a bit chilly but otherwise perfect as we started our ride.



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We did a little detour to check out Nottely Dam from the bottom. 



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We missed the road to Bell Mountain the first time and had to back track.  This road is incredibly steep and twisty near the top.  Think Crow mountain on steroids............on second thought think Crow Mountain on crack.

We made it up.  The view just blew us away.


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Getting ready to go.



I stopped on one of the easier spots on the way down to get a pic.

[klaviator]

There are some great roads in NE Georgia so we went and rode some of them.  While we were at it we checked out another dam.



and a bridge.



The road along Lake Rabun is maybe the twistiest road in the state, definitely tighter than 180.

We had lunch in Tiger then rode some more stopping to check out the lake Burton Dam.

[lazeebum]

Yeah, I'm jealous, but glad for you. Keep on enjoying your retirement!

[klaviator]

One of my favorite motorcycle destinations going back to 1990 when I first rode there is Suches, Ga.  More specifically Two Wheels of Suches (formerly Two Wheels Only).  It's a fantastic place located right in the middle of some fantastic riding both paved and unpaved.  I'm not the only one who feels this way and every time I go I run into a lot of people I know and get to see some cool bikes.  My plan for Saturday was to ride there, eat and hang out.

Luckily there are some great roads between Blue Ridge and Suches.  I stopped to get a pic of this sign in honor of Nice Goat.



We rode to Suches, ate breakfast and then hung out.



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My buddy Steve and my other buddy Steve talking V-strom.



We had lunch at TWoS and finally left late afternoon.  We didn't do all that much riding but the 50 or so miles we did were great.  I got my fill of tire kicking for a while.  The next day would be a longer ride.

[klaviator]

We got on the road Sunday morning headed for Maggie Valley, NC.  Steve was doing his first overnight trip on his new V-Strom 1000.  We took the most direct route up to the Nantahalla Gorge.  We stopped to take a look at the Casino in Murphy which I had never seen.  Then we stopped in Andrews to top off.  We swapped bikes in Andrews so I could ride his new 1000.  I rode it to the beginning of Wayah Rd.  It's an impressive bike with a lot of power and a nice riding position.  I could see doing some serious miles on this bike but it's more than I need for my normal style of riding.  Steve did get a great deal on the bike.  It was a brand new 2014 loaded with factory bags and hand guards for $8K OTD.

Taking a break at the beginning of Wayah Rd.  Weather wise it was another perfect day.



Wayah Rd is a fantastic ride and was really clean on this day.



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We stopped for lunch in Franklin then continued on.



Being old men we stopped for a nap at the beginning of Charlies Creek Rd.



We rode Charlies creek to 215 to the BRP.



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We finished up in Maggie Valley where we would be spending the next two nights.  The forecast called for lows around 50 that night and 40s the next night ???