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Putting the T's in Twisties

Nice job, IAN, with your ON article about the 'twisties!'

I recall last year's snacking at a nice river-side restaurant (on your right) as you enter Tellico Plains along the Cherohala, and the challenge of flawless runs on the 'Dragon' in both directions.

Can't wait!

I know that place! Had a nice breakfast there as the wife and I watched the sun come up before heading home from the ROK rally when it was held near there.
 
Why isn't thread a sitcky???

It's mentioned in the MOA. Might be a good idea to link the GPS files to the Rally page.
 
Thanks Ian,
Looks like many of us, including myself, could use a GPS clinic.
I'm running a NavIII and don't have too much trouble loading files via Mapsource.
Now if I could only get that voice to speak to me again, most curiously silent she is.
(What'd I do!?)
 
I know that place! Had a nice breakfast there as the wife and I watched the sun come up before heading home from the ROK rally when it was held near there.

I just might do lunch there again this year, after earning my 'Dragon Wings' once more.:thumb
 
I understand the May ON is going to have some interesting rides detailed for the Rally if you like twisties.
 
:nod

the info was on the site's home page for a few days, fwiw.

Ya, I remember seeing it, then could not find it again. Just thought it would make sense to have it more readily available as it relates directly to the article on the rally and area in general.
 
Twisites

Ian - thanks much for sharing the garmin routes for the twisties! I'm still kinda new to this sport but can't wait to do em! Thank you again.................Frank
 
Ian - thanks much for sharing the garmin routes for the twisties! I'm still kinda new to this sport but can't wait to do em! Thank you again.................Frank

you are most welcome.

i am going to try to post up some more in time for the rally.

look for my "ultimate twisties" ride soon! :burnout

ian
 
Well, I did my recon of the rally GPS routes last Friday. I modifed the start / end point to coincide with the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground in Cruso, which is a good bit closer to the Smokies and the Dragon than Johnson City TN.

My buddy Steve (on a G650 X-Challenge) and I (on my trusty F650GS thumper) headed out of Cruso at 09:00 and took a meandering route over to Max Patch Road. After reaching Wesley Creek Road, the two-lane blacktop eventually turned into 1.5 lanes with a few tight switchbacks. Then it degraded into a graded gravel road with some excellent views:

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Then it got fun. The gravel turned into dirt / rock / mud with ruts and occasional puddles. Sometimes you could ride between the ruts and sometimes you had to go splashing through the puddles. If you take this dual-sport ride into the Smokies, leave your panniers at the campground and make sure you have some off-road riding capability. It wasn't horribly technical but I could easily see a novice dirt rider dumping a bike where the trail was slimy.

There was a short break in the action at the top end of Hurricane Creek Road.

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Comparing this nice gravel road with the route direction, it was tempting to make the left-hand turn down the mountain. However, a wise man warned me that Hurricane Creek Road can be a real bitch due to the water crossings and other hazards. We followed the route as it was created and headed back into the dirt.

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One of us dumped out bike on a sharp banked left hander but I won't reveal his name. :whistle We eventually came out onto gravel Forest Service roads which took us down the mountan and underneath I-40.

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At some point, we lost the route due to sheer ignorance or a wrong turn. I don't recall seeing any type of intersecting roads but the GPS showed us plowing through the middle of the Pisgah National Forest instead of following Harmon Den Road. Mapsource doesn't show the road we followed although I do have the track. We eventually came to a Y in the road and took the right fork downhill. That brought us out to Mount Sterling Road and into the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

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From there, it was an easy gravel road to Davenport Gap and the beginning of paved TN Route 32.
 
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Route 32 is the real gem of this route- nothing but tight left and right handers for close to seven miles. And unlike the Dragon, we had it all to ourselves. I'd go back just to run this section again. :thumb

I mentioned that we started the ride at 09:00 because all of the low-speed riding and picture taking ate up a bunch of time. We stopped for a late lunch in the town of Cosby and plotted out the route for the rest of the day.

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Nothing like enjoying baby back ribs with a fine view.

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Based on the time of day, we opted to skip the ride into Cades Cove and instead took the Foothills Parkway down to Route 129. Don't make the same mistake we did - keep off of Route 441 through Gatlinburg! We were baking in our gear as we crawled through tourist hell on a very warm April afternoon.

Between the tight twisties of Route 32 and the fast sweepers on the Parkway, we were ready to do some Dragon slayin'!

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And Route 28's high speed twisties were the perfect way to decompress from the traffic on the Dragon.

Once again, time was becoming a factor so we slabbed up Route 74 to the town of Waynesville and then onto Cruso, arriving at 18:00 (6:00 pm). Nine hours and 285 miles to circumnavigate the Smokies,

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Ian, thanks for creating and posting the routes. I could have spent a week exploring all of the good roads in this area! :dance
 
We eventually came out onto gravel Forest Service roads which took us down the mountan and underneath I-40.

At some point, we lost the route due to sheer ignorance or a wrong turn. I don't recall seeing any type of intersecting roads but the GPS showed us plowing through the middle of the Pisgah National Forest instead of following Harmon Den Road. Mapsource doesn't show the road we followed although I do have the track. We eventually came to a Y in the road and took the right fork downhill. That brought us out to Mount Sterling Road and into the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

if you went under I-40 on Harmon Den you were on the right road. the real roads compared to the computer maps don't quite match up, but afaik, there's only one way through from harmon den to mt. sterling road.

that's usually the way it is up in these parts.

either that, or you took the left that goes up to cataloochie campground, and then turned right just short of it. i thought that road was closed.

that TN32 is a sweet one, eh?

i am really glad you had a good ride.

ian
 
We started on Harmon Den Rd, crossing the concrete bridge and kept going until the fork in the road. I took a waypoint at the fork (if you're interested), and going to the right (downhill) definitely got us to Mt. Sterling Rd.

TN32... :thumb

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Thanks Ian. You know those roads like the back of your hand. Those of us from out of town will really benefit from all of your efforts to lay out routes that have plenty of smiles.
 
Then it got fun. The gravel turned into dirt / rock / mud with ruts and occasional puddles. Sometimes you could ride between the ruts and sometimes you had to go splashing through the puddles. If you take this dual-sport ride into the Smokies, leave your panniers at the campground and make sure you have some off-road riding capability. It wasn't horribly technical but I could easily see a novice dirt rider dumping a bike where the trail was slimy.

I wanted to add a clarification that Wesley Church Road and the rutted dirt track are NOT part of Ian's dual-sport route from the rally site to the Smokies and onto the Dragon. This was the road that I used to connect to gravel Max Patch Road and Harmon Den Road.

But it was some fun stuff if you're so inclined.
 
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