The second thing Lani and Jay said I should do is ride highway 151 up to the Parkway. When I rounded a corner in a 55mph zone and saw this:
I knew I was in for a treat. The locals call it their version of Deal's Gap, and with good reason. It's a short run but tremendously fun, and I was busy the whole way up the hill. Awesome! Thanks again, Jay and Lani!
When I got to the Parkway I was ready for a little stretch and stopped at Mount Pisgah. When I pulled in I got to talking with a guy on a Harley from Virginia. I never did get his name, but we had a really nice little chat about nothing in particular, and I was again reassured that there are talkative people out there.
So we stood there and talked while we watched the thunderstorm brewing to the south, the way we were both headed We concluded that it was not so much a question of whether we would get wet, but more how wet would we get. We talked a bit more, and then decided that we should just go for it.
He took off, and I was still hot from the last few weeks in the heat, so I opted for no rain gear, and I was glad I did. I rode south into the storm and it started to sprinkle, then actually rain. I could see the other side of the storm, so I just kept going because I felt really close to cold for the first time in a long time. When I came out the other side I was a little wet, but felt cool, and relished it!
I stopped at an overlook to see if I could get a photo of the storm, but it had already mostly moved on so here are the remnants:
At the overlook I talked again with the nameless guy from before. We had a smoke together, and then off he went. I took off shortly after and enjoyed the twisty fun of the Parkway until I came around a corner and saw all black sky ahead. I stopped and listened to the storm grumble, and I knew that I'd get really wet without the rain gear, so I geared up. I was right, the storm was wet, and kept going for the last 20 miles or so of the Parkway. I had mixed feelings about the rain, because it made the road less fun, but also kept me from bursting into flames in the 100+ degree heat. In the end I was grateful to have not been sweaty all day long.
I spent the last part of the day's ride in Great Smoky Mountains State Park. It was really wonderful in spite of the drizzle and the traffic. For most of the ride I was meandering along the side of a little river:
The road through the park spit me out onto the main drag of Gatlinburg, TN, where I decided to stay the night. Granted I have only seen a few blocks of the town at this point, but I think this town is what the offspring of Disneyland and Aspen, CO would look like. The main drag is filled with bright family attractions to take your money, but it's tucked in the mountains with a National Park and other mountain activites, too. Strange.
So I got a hotel because I have been craving a bed, and while looking up a meeting another storm came in. The thunder was deafening, and the rain was driving. I was grateful I had arrived when I did, and even more grateful to find that the meeting was only a half block away!
The meeting was the North Gatlinburg Group and it was a book study. I would love to tell you that I read the book regularly while I'm on the road, but I'd be lying, so it was nice to be reading the book again. And the group was great. Being a resort town the meeting was about equal parts visitors and locals and the discussion was great. I remember feeling wonderful in that room, and I am happy I chose to stop here. Thanks, North Gatlinburg!
