I did decide to bail on Atlanta on Thursday afternoon. Got rained on all the way to South Carolina and then finally it stopped and I was dry the rest of the way to Johnson City, TN.
Friday morning I checked the weather, decided that EOM Route #5 looked most likely to keep me dry, and I hit the parking lot ready to go out solo. Just as I was about to leave someone asked which ride I was taking and decided to join me.
The ride went up and down maybe 5 or 6 mountains in the Jefferson National Forest area. The picture is from the only one that had paved pull-offs and passing zones. The rest were fairly narrow roads with limited traffic. I kept it safe, rode at my comfort level, and had a blast. Hairpins, corkscrews, and decreasing radius turns all over the place. Back home we’ve got no roads that can provide that kind of experience.
Coming down one mountain we did encounter a real douchebag in a car. On every single turn he/she crossed entirely into the oncoming lane, and not a one of those turns had enough visibility to be sure that no traffic was coming. Luckily that person made it down without encountering anyone coming up. Hopefully that is the last jackass like that we come across this weekend…
