October 27th 2023 – Suches, GA

A laid back day at Loftus’ was just what we needed. Dark skies and rain showers made it even more cozy.
The following day we woke to glorious weather. Loftus decided to follow along as we headed back to the Skyline Drive.

We came up on a long line of cars as we approached the entrance. I did the only reasonable thing and rode up between the cars. The others followed me. A female driver short circuited, jumped out of her car and chased us on foot…

Beyond the entrance most cars headed north. We headed south. Traffic was light and  we could ride unhindered. A fellow rider tagged along from the entrance. He followed suit when we pulled over for a break. It was Dan. He was new to riding. We had a good chat about bikes and riding.

The Skyline Drive continued into The Blue Ridge Parkway and so did we. Loftus split off at Humpback Rock.

We left the BRP at Collinsville where Tim @tastroman had offered to host us. We were greeted by him and his wife Nancy.
Their daughter had left the nest. We got installed in her room that hadn’t changed since she moved out.
Tim and Nancy spoiled us with their company, homemade dinner and a most excellent cake á la Mode.
Nancy’s pronounced southern drawl added a nice spice to the conversation.

It was a glorious morning when we took leave of Tim and Nancy’s hospitality.
The climb up onto the BRP on Woolwine Hwy was great fun – so much so that we had to turn around and do it twice. It was a good example of what many of the gap roads branching off the BRP have to offer.

We eventually continued south on the BRP until we pulled off at Meadows of Dan. It was a beautiful ride.
The reason we pulled off the BRP was to have a closer look at Willville Bike Camp, recommended to us by  Loftus. The place seemed very quiet. We were greeted by Will who informed us that we had arrived 1 day too late. The Campground closed for the season the previous evening. We talked for a while. In the end Will invited us to stay. Then he upgraded us from tent to cabin. There was only one downside – as the campground was officially closed he wouldn’t charge us. To top things off we were offered leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. We enjoyed talking with Will and his friend Mike while we settled in.

Early in the evening  Duillaume showed up. He was born in France, lived in Florida and picked up riding a couple of years ago. Like us, he was invited to stay free of charge.

Frost on the ground in the morning made us appreciate our heated cabin even more.
We enjoy a relaxed morning with Will, Mike and Duillaume while the sun does its thing. It’s pleasantly warm when we resume our journey on the BRP.

After a glorious days riding we arrived at Mountain View Moto Camping. Duillaume had arrived ahead of us and greeted us as we pulled in. We decided to try out the bunk house.

Withe the bikes unloaded I set to work on Katrine’s. Another front blinker had stopped working. Luckily I had a spare one from the last time it happened. As I’malmost done with the bike, Duillaume comes over to invite Katrine and me for dinner. He put a lot of effort into his cooking and find that the food tastes better if shared. I happily accepted. After dinner I went back to assemble Katrines bike and noticed that one of the rear blinkers now didn’t work. It was getting dark. I decided to leave it for the morning and retired to the bunk house.
Meanwhile more people had joined the party. The owners Mark and Janine, Another Mark traveling on a  GS, Mel on an African Twin, Robert on a geriatric DL 1000 and of course Duillaume. It was good company.

I had a look at the rear blinker on Katrine’s bike in the morning. It turned out to be an easily fixed loose connection.

On advice from Mark we detoured over Roan Mountain on our way back to the BRP in the morning. Thank you for that advice!

We left the BRP at Asheville and checked in at a hostel in the western part of town. It was a quirky place in a trendy neighbourhood.

The following morning we embarked on the last stretch of the BPW. We had been told by several people it was the most spectacular part. They weren’t lying.
We reached the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway around noon. Its 469 scenic miles should be on every rider’s bucket list.

After  a hearty lunch in Cherokee we continued east on nice riding roads until we reached Deals Gap and The Tail of The Dragon. There was a tense atmosphere at the parking lot while people prepared to measure themself against the infamous stretch of tarmac. It was mid-week and October, so traffic was light despite perfect weather conditions. Katrine and I had a fun ride through the 318 curves and continued to Sweetwater where we found a cheap motel for the night.

For the first time in a long time it was pleasantly warm at sunrise.
We used the opportunity to get an early start and soon entered the Cherohala Skyway. It turned out to be another insanely beautiful ride – often through swirls of fallen leaves.
The great riding roads seemed to have no end as we continued south after a lunch stop at Lynn’s Place in Robbinsville.
11 miles before we reached the day’s destination we entered Wolf Pen Gap Road. The first 7 miles was maybe the best stretch of tarmac I’ve ever ridden.

We found Two Wheels Of Suches by the end of the road. We’ll be staying here for a couple of days to recuperate and catch up on stuff.

The time in The Appalachians have without a doubt offered the best riding of the trip so far. We have been lucky to experience it in near perfect weather surrounded by beautiful fall colors. This is the kind of landscape that reaches my heart. Life is good!