Foothills Parkway: Objectively, this is a very nice road. It is certainly curvaceous and does offer striking scenic views. However, taken immediately after having been through the relentless and more intense rhythm imposed by Deals Gap, it feels somewhat anticlimactic of sorts. The low speed limit just makes this worse. Maybe it's the due to the longer stretches of straight road. I'd be curious to ride it again for perspective.

It's a relatively short parkway. Depending on the number of lookouts you choose it can be ridden in less than an hour. At present, the Foothills Parkway offers a short 23 miles of touring enjoyment. Apparently, there is construction currently underway to bring its final length to 72 miles.

I pick up Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains (Tennessee side) by late afternoon. It is appropriately classified as a National Scenic Byway and offers many lookouts. As it slowly climbs to over 5,300 ft, I quickly get a sense of continual flow and rhythm. Roll off, turn in, roll on. Over and over. I find myself spontaneously taking in big, deep whiffs of mountain air. This goes on for fifty miles. I love this road!

It's 7:45pm as I head back towards camp. It's been a long riding day and I feel a little fatigue. Dinner is scheduled to be served until 8pm but I'm a little over an hour away. Oh well. Enjoying this beautiful countryside takes precedence.

I'm patiently sitting at a traffic light waiting for a left-hand turn. At the opposite side of the intersection, a Concours pulls up. They are riding two-up.

As the light turns green, I turn in behind them and slowly ride through the populated area of town. I settle in as I wait for the appropriate moment to pass them on this winding and undulating two-lane road. As traffic leans out he picks up the tempo considerably.

I let him go, observing his riding. Judging by his pace, he seems to be a local, knowing when to keep momentum and when to slow down as we negotiate all manner of road layout. He is riding well, using the Ninja engine to good advantage. I hang back at a comfortable distance.

As the miles pass, I realize that this is just what I needed. Someone to follow who is moving at a good clip, requiring much less energy than fraying my own way over unfamiliar roads in the approaching darkness. And so we go.

As we move through the countryside, I'm fairly certain that this couple is headed to the rally -- they are taking all the right turnoffs. By the time we get to the town of Hiawassee, I've enjoyed a refreshing and brisk ride.

I pull up beside them at the traffic light to exchange greetings. As I look over, they both give me a blank stare. Surprised, I ask if they're headed to the rally.

"Huh?"

"Are you headed to the rally?"

They answer with something unintelligible. I nod. The light turns green and we go our separate ways.

I reflect on how interesting it is that we arrived at that first intersection at the same time. Had either of us arrived several minutes before or after, I would have missed this great escort. But as it turns out, he was right on cue. Hmm. . .

I finally roll into camp a little past 8:30. Steak dinner (delicious cook your own on a grill and grab potato salad from buckets) was only being served till 8pm. The person in charge of dispensing the steaks is initially a little grouchy about having to "serve dinner" past the 8pm cut-off, but as more riders come in, he seems to realize that it may not be so bad after all.

As we sit to eat, he joins us and begins to reminisce about awesome feats in the good old days, back in the 70's. He recounts how friends of his used to lean old BMW's so much that they were just about horizontal. And this on skinny and hard, 70's vintage rubber to boot! As I listen, I'm reminded of what a wonderful faculty memory is, effortlessly enhancing past events. . . :)

The meal is quite satisfying and I get to chat with some of my fellow latecomers.

As I get up, I come across Carol (SKERT) Youorsky. It's nice to meet her in person. SKERT, as she's often referred to, is known in the riding community for her seminars on how to pick up a fallen bike. She's not a big woman, but she demonstrates effective technique to overcome 700lbs. of dead weight laying on its side.

She's also a passionate person. Wanting to do something interesting and different for her big five-O, she decided to train for and participate in some grueling motorcycle endurance rallies.

In fact, I remember reading some of her trip reports documenting her experience in the Iron Butt Light and Iron Butt Rallies. These endurance rallies typically have you riding approximately one thousand miles a day for five and eleven days respectively. Just being a finisher is a solid achievement.

She's quite animated and quickly shows me her bike, a K12RS christened Dancer. While talking about her mount and why she chose a K-bike in particular, the word passion comes up several times. In fact, within the first 5 minutes of meeting her she utters the word passion 8 times. Definitely my kind of person. Instant affinity and I tell her.

Spending some time riding together would be nice and I suggest the possibility of crossing paths on the Cherohala in the next day or two.

Bruno
Montreal, Canada