Moonshine 2012, Leg 2

Easter Sunday was spent talking, relaxing, and having a nice dinner. When evening came it was tough to go to bed, knowing I would be gone before my friends got up the next morning.

Unfortunately the long good-byes meant it was a late night, and getting up was tough Monday morning. I got a late start, so I immediately worked on trying to adjust my route to save time, but there really wasn't much to save. I had a quick breakfast at a McDonalds in South Carolina on my way to Gatlinburg, TN, where I was going to visit "Cooter's Place". The ride into Gatlinburg was absolutely beautiful, but once into town, I found there was no convenient parking. I would have to pay $6, then leave my bike and gear unattended while I walked to Cooter's Place, just to spend a few minutes checking it out quickly. I ended up just riding by and heading straight to Deal's Gap, home of the Dragon, one of the best-known riding roads in the country.

The roads to the Dragon were fantastic as I wound through the hills of Tennessee. I headed onto the Dragon about 4:30, and I was worried I missed the photographers who hang out on the corners. Fortunately there was one still there, so I got a cool shot of my bike carving the corner. I have to say even I was impressed with how the loaded-down ST, sporting a rear car tire, and a rear tire on the front, was able to lean over through the turns. I scraped my pegs about every other corner. 11 miles and 318 corners later I was tired out and at the end of the Dragon. Initial plans were to run the Cherohala Skyway after the Dragon, but it was getting late and I was going to spend the night at my friends Mike and Janice's home. Since I didn't want to roll in late, I skipped the Cherohala and headed straight to Cleveland, TN. Once again I was spending the night with friends, this time from a Jeep forum I belong to. They were gracious enough to let me spend the night with them, and we had a good time catching up. I was able to get to bed a little earlier Monday night, and left at a more reasonable time for the long haul to Carrollton, TX.

I awoke Tuesday and headed west on I-24, happy that it dipped into Georgia for just a few miles. While a technicality, it meant I could color in Georgia on my Visited States map. I then dipped down into Alabama on Rt. 72 and followed it across Alabama, Mississippi, and to Memphis. The day was beautiful- sunny and warm. I was thoroughly enjoying the south, and hoped I could make another trip to the area and take a route further south.

From Memphis I turned onto I-40 West to Little Rock, Arkansas, then onto I-30 southwest to Texas. The sun was very warm, and temps were in the 80s. I couldn't believe how hot the sun felt this early in the year. I could really get used to this! I was excited as I passed the Texas state line. Very soon after I turned west on Rt. 82 because I had a plan to move the North Texas tag. I enjoyed a nice high speed run with a little traffic as I watched a beautiful Texas sunset in front of me. I rode to the Carpenter's Bluff Bridge in Dennison. This is a cool old single lane bridge that crosses the Red River. The sun was setting so the view was limited, but I could get an idea how beautiful it was here. I got my photo then made a quick run down I-75 to my friend Jody's house in Carrollton, just outside Dallas. We grew up together but haven't seen each other in several years. We spent an emotional evening catching up. The next day I got to meet his daughter for the first time. We spent the day relaxing around the area and seeing a bit of Dallas. Unfortunately another great visit had to come to an end as I went to bed, again with the goal of being gone before anyone woke up. I needed the sleep this time, as my next leg included a Saddlesore 1000 from Hillsboro, TX to Moonshine, IL by way of Salina, KS.