Oh my, oh my! I've been on some wonderful motorcycle rides on which I've seen spectacular sights, driven on wonderful roads, and really wish the day didn't end. But, today's ride just might be the best day ride I've ever taken. I took off on the interstate to get around Atlanta and a bit north and then continued on Hwy 19/400 all the way up to Dahlonega. For those of you who didn't know it, like me, Dahlonega, GA is the location of the first gold strike in the U.S. Yep... no kidding... look it up. I continued on 19 up to Blairsville and what might have been the all time best road I've ever been on. Screw "The Dragon" that stupid, waste of time ride out of Deals Gap, NC. This stretch of road, moving up into the Blue Ridge Mountains, had some of the most steeply banked sharp curves imaginable. Best part... the road is perfect. Not a pot hole to be seen anywhere. One after the other, the road steeply curves left and right as you go up... and down. I drove it in the car perhaps a couple of months ago and have been trynig to get back every since. The scenery takes your breath away and it's something to be experienced, for sure. The road continues to keep you entertained all the way up into Blairsville, just shy of the NC border. From Blairsville I took Rt 76 west. This is a 4-lane divided highway but the views of the mountains are awesome. 18 miles down the road I picked up Rt 60 headed south and again, what a ride. Just after getting on it there's a stop sign. At the stop sign is a rider's dream sign: "Steep grades and sharp turns next 33 Miles." And they weren't kidding. Again up into the mountains and down into some beautiful clearings. I've got to get some kind of camera to mount on my bike. Except for the interstates, GA roads don't have shoulders... go figure. Anyway, nowhere to stop and take a photo except once when I was down in a clearing and again when there was sort of a shoulder that I could stop on to snap a couple. I stayed on 60 until it looped back to 19, then 19 south until I picked up Rt 9 south. Again, a magical kind of road passing through the mountains, farmland, a few small and sleepy towns, and just an incredible ride. A ways down south Rt 9 kind of nears Rt 19/400 which I got on for the trip home. All told 6 1/2 hours and 292 miles... every one of them a wonderful experience. I started and ended on the interstate but even that was kind of fun today :)
Two things could have made the ride 'perfect' in all regards. First, it got kind of hot. It was a beautiful 75 when I left at 9 AM and it was about that in the mountains. By 1:00 PM my thermometer on the bike was showing 94 and a few 'public' thermometers verified it. So, it would have been nice to have been cooler. I've got to get some mesh pants or something. Second, I really wish I had Steve Motor Jones riding along. I do hope that happens. Steve was planning on coming down here in June but I had to tell him that I hadn't been out to find roads worth riding so he headed elseswhere. I'm ready for him now!
That's it... a great day. The photos below are all I got to take. One 'low' one; one 'high' one.
The "low" one... beautiful road all to myself, as you can see.
The "high" one taken somewhere on Rt 60 in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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