Franklin NC & Abingdon VA
Miles = 1,185
Sebastian was in town so he decided he would rent bike and we headed to the southeast and some twisty roads. I found a place that had some bikes for rent in Cincinnati and I hooked him up with this place and he found himself on a BMW R1200GS. The first time he had ever ridden a BMW. Hard to believe!
Day One
Getting started was not all that great as we rode down I-75 not exiting until we reached Rocky Top except for a brief detour at Clay's Ferry Ky where we jumped off and rode over the Kentucky River on Old Richmond Road. I had always wanted to do this but never took the time, but now I am glad we did. Even though it is only a few miles south of Lexington it breaks up the run on I-75 which is nice. We rode on TN116 to the town of Oliver Springs where we turned southeast towards Knoxville. Nothing special on any of these roads but it got us off the interstate. We stopped at Abridged Beer Company for a pint and some wings, and it was well worth the stop. We continued back south on I-75 and we were soon in Tellico Plains perched for our ride on the Cherohala Skyway. It was a beautiful day and the conditions were perfect. We rode to the south of Lake Santeetlah and bypassed the Tail of the Dragon and picked up Wayah Road on the other side of Robbinsville. The good conditions continued and when we reached the B&B where we were staying we were all thinking we wish we could continue. When we booked the trip Jim was planning to join us so I booked the cottage for the four of us, but now there was only three. We met the owner and she was a bit eccentric but she was very accommodating and even offered to drive us into town and take us to the breweries. We piled in her car and off we went; first to Currahee Brewing and then to Lazy Hiker Brewing. She stayed with us and escorted us to both places where she seemed to know everyone. I think she got a kick out of saying she was chaperoning these three guys around. Very nice day!
Day Two
We started with breakfast at Kountry Kitchen in Franklin and it was very good. We started out US64 and even though it was still early morning the traffic was already picking up. We made a quick stop at Callasaja Falls since there was no one in the parking lot. We stayed on US64 through Highlands and Cashiers before heading up the mountain on NC215. This is one of my favorite roads and we were all enjoying it on this perfect September day. We stopped on NC215 at the Triple Arch Bridge which spans the Laurel Creek. It was time for lunch and we had Sierra Nevada on our minds so we stopped in for our first visit there and it was great. The food and the beer were absolutely perfect. Just south of Asheville we jumped on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a run up to NC80 and another great ride. We stopped on BRP around Mt. Mitchell just to take a breather but quickly jumped back on and rode to NC80. This is another favorite road of mine and the fun continued. We rode it to its end point and continued on NC226 which turns into TN107 at the state line. After a brief run on the four lane US19 we were on US321 headed towards Mountain City. We stopped at Lake Watauga for a little mid-afternoon snack. We reached Mountain City around 3:30 and stopped by our Grandmother's old house to take a pic and just have a look at it. Next we went for the trifecta of great roads as we climbed up and down Iron Mountain on US421. We considered riding the second portion once we reached Shady Valley but I also wanted to show Sebastian the ride through Backbone Rock and Damascus so we headed north on TN133 into Damascus and on to Abingdon. We had a little trouble finding the VRBO we rented but I got a hold of the owner as we sat at Wolf Hills Brewing Co enjoying a nice IPA. We were nearly within walking distance of the property and once we arrived it was already dark. The property was really nice and well kept.
Day Three
Huddle House seemed like the best option for breakfast and it was nearby so that's how the day started. We started out on US58 but veered off over to Dungannon VA sitting on the Clinch River. We wound our way north eventually coming back onto US58 and US23 Business over to Appalachia where we began the climb up Black Mountain. We stopped at the top for a look around. The summit on VA160 is the Virginia-Kentucky border. We began following Leatherwood Creek as we wound our way north on a series of backroads. In Cornettsville we stopped for gas and began following the North Fork of the Kentucky River up to Hazard where we broke away on KY15. We stopped again on Lost Creek off of a little side road but there wasn't much to see. We reconnected with the KY River before getting on the Bert T Combs Highway. We stopped in Lexington at the Blue Stallion Brewing Co. for a beer and a little snack. The rest of the way home was mostly I-75 but I took Sebastian on a little back road tour before we reached my house.