Day Thirteen

Burlington, North Carolina to Knoxville, Tennessee

Mileage: 309

As we feared, it was raining this morning. The uniform of the day will be rainsuits. It's one thing getting caught in the rain, but having to start a ride in the rain is the pits.

Today's leg was from Burlington, NC to Asheville, NC. The distance to Asheville is 192 miles and we rode in the rain for the first 150 of them. At times it rained hard, but for the most part, it was a the constant face-stinging type. Even during a drizzle, when you're traveling 60 mph or more, the rain stings as it hits your face. That's why I generally wear a full-face mask made of polyethelene. The same thing scuba gear is made of.

About 30 minutes outside of Asheville, I looked in my mirror and as usual, could see Sludge, but not Batman. When it rains, Batman tends to slow down a little, but he was nowhere in sight. At the first available overpass, Sludge and I pulled over to wait. We waited and waited. Five minutes went by and decided to see if he had called. Just as I began to dig for my phone in the saddlebag, Sludge told me that he could see a motorcycle coming. It turns out that that cheap rainsuit he bought came apart. Well, the pants did anyway. He didn't even know it. A passing motorist told him about it! He had to stop and don his leather chaps.

When stopped in Asheville to have lunch and look at the maps. Months before the trip, while scheduling the stops, I thought it would be a fun ride to go through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. There are a few great winding roads through the park. The views are spectacular.

After lunch, we drove the 30 miles to the exit that will lead us south to Waynesville, North Carolina on State Route 74. We wanted to stop at the local dealership, Ghost Town Harley-Davidson for a souvenir tee shirt. Another $30 bucks to the HD man!

The skies were sunny as we left the dealership. It didn't last long. Twenty miles down route 74, the rain was waiting for us. It was a torrential downpour and along with the traffic, we slowed to 30 mph. That may give you an idea of how hard it was raining. Our riding glasses were fogging up and our leather gloves were cold and soggy. As the rain let up, we found a fuel station and pulled in under the canopy.

The park was about ten miles away and the clouds were beginning to part. The sun decided to make an appearance. Thank you! Most of the way through the park, it was sunny, but the roads were still wet. We took our time and enjoyed the views. A few pics are attached. I hope that you enjoy them too.

As we exited the park and entered Gatlinburg, Tennessee, it was bright, sunny and warm. We realized that we had way too much clothing on. The rainsuits are made of a thick nylon that doesn't breathe. When it's warm and humid and you're sitting on a hot motorcycle, it feels like a sauna. If you want to shed a few pounds, wear one of these things on a hot day! I know that I have!

I had no idea that Gatlinburg was such a tourist trap. It reminded me of Wildwood Beach, New Jersey or Coney Island, New York. There were shops, game rooms and restaurants lined up for a couple of miles. North of Gatlinburg is Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the home of "Dollywood", the theme park created by country singer Dolly Parton. She has not returned my calls. We stopped at a TGI Friday's in the north side of town about 7pm for dinner.

The hotel was another 41 miles and it looked like rain again. It was just a scare. The clouds were dark, but spared us the hassle. Right after we parked the bikes in the registration area, it began to rain again. As a side note, most of the hotels in this chain has allowed us to park right outside the registration desk under the canopy of the hotel entryway. Thanks to them.

We will be heading west again tomorrow. More rain predicted. Again, the rainsuits will be the uniform of the day. Great.