Riding on the Heights of the Land

Today’s chapel at the school started a series dealing with the Sabbath. I was debating in my mind the appropriateness of my choice to spend not only a Sabbath, but Easter no less, alone on my motorcycle in the mountains of North Carolina. Feeling the need to get away and hoping the mountains would have their usual euphoric affect on my dragging soul, I headed north last Friday. Actually it was supposed to be just an afternoon ride with a friend, but when we didn’t connect and with no absolute commitments for the next several days, I just decided to go see some mountains.

I aimed north to where I knew I’d find some and with no map, intended to get myself intentionally lost and just wander. I pretty much did that the first day until somewhere around Asheville I ran into the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was getting late so I decided to find a place to sleep and get on the parkway the next morning. This is when I found out how hard it is to find any out-of-the-way woods in this part of the country.

Next morning I got a map and decided that, having been on all of the parkway to the north at one time or another, I would head south toward Great Smoky Mountains National Park which is the southern terminus.

This I did and then wandered the park with numerous stops to take pictures. After another night on the ground under the stars, this time in a legitimate campground, I headed home.

Not wanting to fight the traffic back through the park I determined to go around the south/west end. I discovered some great new roads. Soon out of the park I took the Foothills Parkway, a less formal, much shorter, and lesser traveled ridge route than the Blue Ridge.

Then it was on to route 129.

Not far up this wonderful, serpentine road I encountered motorcycles. Lots of them. And an occasional photographer sitting in a bend. I got to thinking that this might possibly be the famous stretch known as “The Tail of the Dragon.” I had given passing thought to seeking out this roadway on this trip but decided not to bother as I thought it was much further west than I intended to go. (Which it was at the time.) But when I saw the photographers I realized this was it – the road I’d wanted to ride for years. 318 curves in 11 miles.

I had started up the back side of it. Most folks seem to start at the resorts on the other end. I stopped a few places and took some pictures myself. Sure enough, at the top there was Deal’s Gap and the motorcycle resort I’d seen on the internet. I stopped and got a few more pictures and bought a t-shirt.

It was pretty cool. I almost turned around for another run down and then back up again, but I was kinda wanting to get home, another night on the ground not sounding very attractive, and many miles to go. I intended to get to 64 and head to Brevard and then back south. To do so requires a bit of back road adventure. I took Wayah Road which turned out to be a delightful run.

64 is a nice highway but kinda dull after the switchbacks. I was making good time, though, and planning to be home by 9:00PM.

But somehow at Franklin, 64 must have made a turn I missed and by continuing straight ahead I got onto 23/441. At Dillsboro I managed to turn onto 23/74 and put aside the nagging thought at Sylva that something wasn’t quite right. When I crossed under the Blue Ridge Parkway I was finally jolted to the fact I had messed up. After a stop and check of the map I decide to proceed to Waynesville and catch 276 south to Brevard. I had originally intended to take 276 from Brevard to Greenville, then back down 385 and 26 back to Columbia. As it turns out, I thought I was done with the great roads when I hit 64, but 276 is an awesome ride. My detour cost about an extra hour but the discovery of that part of 276 was really worth it.

Each of these roads is a motorcycle dream. Though all are mountain experiences, each has a different character. It’s hard to decide which is best. They are all great.

So, at the end of chapel today, a passage from Isaiah 58 was read. After a long list of “ifs” that basically involve honoring what the Sabbath is all about, one of the three “thens” that will result is “I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land.” I took it that I had the Lord’s blessing.