By Lulu

We had a huge opportunity fall in our lap this summer. Gator Ken and Jeani rented a farmhouse in Clyde, North Carolina and invited us to ride the mountains with them for a few days. I have ridden the Smokies several time years ago but had never “Slayed the Dragon” on even the back of a bike! So, it was on my bucket list! 11 miles with 318 curves and we did it in about 22 minutes! The Tail of the Dragon in Deal’s Gap was amazing, and I only had to flip off one idiot on a jap bike that passed us on a hairpin turn! Go on a Tuesday or Wednesday it isn’t as busy as the weekend. AND don’t look at the Wall of Shame before you go…you will be too nervous! The weather was amazing. The farmhouse came complete with cows and ground hogs!! We were able to spend every day riding to new and interesting bars, restaurants, the Casino in Cherokee and Gatlinburg/ Pigeon Forge Tn. Every day was an adventure! The place not to miss for future trips was Bobarosa Saloon in Del Rio, Tennessee. This cool dive bar is owned by a Floridian who packed up and opened this watering hole. It is situated right on the French Broad River and people create rock towers while drinking or staying there. The Iron Horse Station, a restaurant in Hot Springs, N.C had amazing food!

The Twisted Spoke in Maggie Valley, is also owned by a Floridian. And Legends Bar & Grill, also in Maggie Valley, was very cool with the beer iced down in a canoe! I wouldn’t waste a trip to the casino again. The minimum bets have gotten ridiculous. And to me even though it was cool to drive by Ole Red (Blake Shelton’s Bar) and Jason Aldean’s bar in Gatlinburg, the place has turned into a complete tourist trap. It is nothing like the quaint town it was 30 years ago. The traffic even in August was too much, it made that part of the trip not worth the trouble. Truthfully, you are in the mountains for the riding, the view, and the weather!! My favorite rides were Thunder Ride in Maggie Valley which is along the water and the Rattler which has a lot of curves, but not of the nail-biting hairpin type. We also toured Wheels Through Time again, which I consider a MUST DO! Thank you, Ken and Jeani, for an amazing few days…and the home cooked ribeye dinner. Felt a little guilty eating it after getting to know the cows at the Farmhouse!