By design, we made the last day before we embarked on the Trans-America Trail (TAT) a short travel day that included a Bucket List item. For those of you non-motorcyclists, Deal’s Gap aka Tail of the Dragon, appears on list after list for many of us two-wheeled fanatics. Why? 318 turns in 11 miles, that’s why!
An early start allowed us to get to the eastern-most starting point before the daily crowds started accumulating, let alone the weekend crowds. We had a quick ride from Murphy, North Carolina to the starting point in 60 degree temperatures with patches of mountain fog.
On the way to the General Store (staging area), we made a quick stop at the Cheoah Dam for some mirror-like conditions on Cheoah Lake. Pretty is an understatement.
Then, up and over Deal’s Gap we motored along with a whole host of other motorcycles, sports car clubs, and an occasional minivan. Below are a couple of pictures. We grabbed some great video footage and will post once we can edit down to manageable segments.
The early start permitted us to reach our pre-TAT destination (Etowah, Tennessee) before noon. As such, we used our early arrival to be productive work-wise and then we took a well-needed walk around town. Exercise does a mind and body good; in fact, Madelyn met a friendly older gentleman that engaged her in quite a conversation about fire hydrants (check out Madelyn’s fire hydrant album on Facebook page) before we completed our walking loop and began our other daily chores, such as dinner, laundry, device charging, image downloading, etc.
Tomorrow is the big day. TAT — Day 1!
3gsriders 