I arrived about 1AM and crashed in my trailer.  This morning I set up camp, took a shower and packed up bike for the day......and rode the Dragon.  Right now I am at the Dragon Pitt BBQ having lunch.  I am going to ride the Blue Ridge over to the Waynesville area and maybe ride 215.  So far we are the only tent in the campground,

Ok, I learned a bit today.  It was the Foothills Parkway I headed for after lunch.  I took it over to 321 and went to Townsend on then on to 73 and 441 to Clingman's Dome.  The I rode back and rode around Cade's Cove.  I saw a Black Bear while on that loop.  I was tempted to take the one way gravel road that exits onto the Dragon......old feller wanted to ride it.......but it looks to be about 10 miles long on the map, and I just didn't need that dirty deed!

The Ninjette is doing fine and I got 77.3 mpg on today's ride.  It corners we'll - but I sure do miss the torque when riding the Dragon.  On my Cafe' Savage I can let the rpm's drop through the corner and then roll on the throttle out of the corner and get my speed back in a hurry.....the Ninjette wants me to downshift once or twice to get the rpm's waaaaay up to around 8,000 if you want to hustle out of the corner!  I met 2 young men today that rode their 250 Ninja's down here from Canada.

I started riding this morning at 7:30 and rode 28 through Fontana Dam and then on to Robbinsville.  From there I rode through a bit of Joyce Kilmer where I saw my first poisonous snake, a dead copperhead on the road.  The riding was slow as road crews were spreading fresh tar and chip paving and there was lots of loose gravel.  Then I rode the Cherohola Skyway to Tellico Plains.......150 miles before lunch!  I just got to Kats Deli and I am waiting for MM and his brother Kent to arrive.  Cell phone access is really hit and miss. And with no cell or internet access at the campground I have to provide updates whoever I can find access.

I got home around 5:30, and unloaded the car, set up the tent to dry, etc.

We had a great time.  The weather was perfect on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we only had one brief shower while on the way back to the Deals Gap for the bike show....we missed it!

I was the only camper on Wednesday and Thursday....other campers showed up Friday afternoon.  

Here is the campground, tent and Ninjette!




The roads were really not very crowded this weekend and we rode almost everywhere without getting stuck behind a camper or slow car.  On the was back from Tellico Plains on Friday to meet MMRanch and his brother Kent we ran almost the entire Cherohola Skyway non-stop.  There was a ST1300 Honda, some Adventure Tourer and Harley Bagger in front of us that knew how to Boogie....and I have never seen a Harley lean over so far without throwing sparks - this fellow know how to ride that big bike.  Most of the runs on the Dragon I had to pass very few times and only once or twice did I get passed.  There was a fellow on a full sized Honda Gold Wing 1800 with bags and trunks that rode at "Warp Factor 9", and a one armed young man on an Aprilla Motard that was sliding around the corners and I could not keep up with him.  

Cherohola Skyway view (Sorry about the lint on the lens....I keep my crappy camera in my jacket pocket and it has a broken lens cover).



MMRanch, Kent and I were good riding partners and put on a lot of miles.  We did find Wayah Road this time and it was a very nice ride in a valley.  We did Happy Valley, Route 28, and several trips in and out on the Dragon.  I rode MM's Sportster and wrestled it on the Dragon for the first half.....then we began to understand each other and the second half we started to dance well together.  My little Ninjette was a lot of fun and proved to be a very fun bike....the only time I noticed it was a bit down on power was up over 4,000 feet while climbing steep grades.  It cornered well and never lacked to provide a fun time.

The only scary part for me was just after we got onto Happy Valley MM was leading, I was 2nd and Kent was following.  We were going about 45mph and a big bee flew right into my path and smacked me right in the throat....and gave me a sting.  I am allergic to bee stings.....and I quickly pulled over and started pulling off clothes as I did not know for sure if the bee bounced off or went down my shirt.....I didn't want to take a chance on getting more than a single sting.  The sting ended up being a pretty minor one and I just got a red itchy bump.....it is 36 hours later and I still have a bump on my neck.  I am not deathly allergic to bee stings...but I swell far more than a normal person.

It was a great weekend, and I plan on doing it again next year and taking the Cafe' Savage for the bike show.  MM, Kent and I did the Wounded Warrior Benefit Ride....MM and Kent are both Veterans and it was an honor for me to ride with them!

Dave      

Here is another photo of that Harley - it is up for Photo of the Week on the US129 photo site.  You can vote if you like.
http://us129photos.com/

GOOD JOB DAVE !

Dave ,

After staying in your tent and being able to stand-up in it ... I bought another tent , one I can stand in.  
Also its a 8X10 floor (the last one was 7X7).   I put it up in the back yard to try the cots / fit .   It big enough for 3 cots with 2 feet to spare , and it s no bigger package than the 7X7's I'd been using.   I'll try it out for real at the Iron Mountain rally in Oct.  

Mabee I should go-a-head and get some waterproofing now --- What kind did you try ?