Brake First, Ask Questions Later

The trip was a success. I made it back in one piece and so did the bike. Despite the weather's best efforts to bring me down, it didn't happen. I was able to do all of the roads that were originally slated on my ride plan and make it back to the hotel before dark both days I was in Gatlinburg. Because each day was so eventful, they warrant their own posts delivered over a few days. That will make things more manageable for everyone involved. These will be photo heavy with each shot preceded by a narrative. The post trip montage will follow after all the updates. So get comfortable and let's start from the top.

March 15th

With everything mostly packed the night before, getting ready that morning was rather easy. All that had to be done was pack a few more cords, eat breakfast, get geared up, say my goodbyes and get under way. It seemed like Jacksonville didn't want to let me go because there was a rather large crash blocking three lanes on 95 near downtown. It was 6 in the morning and people still managed to find ways to smash into each other when no one else seems to be around. Passed that and opened it up, preparing for the long haul.

Two hours and 110-120 miles in and the bike cuts out. WHAT. THE. HELL. I begin to pull over, but Jarvis turns back on. There is a noticeable lack in power and I'm getting the "FI" light and rotating "CHEC" on my instrument cluster. I'm still running, so I decide to try and ride it out. Until it happens again! He cut off for a little longer the second time, so that instigated finding a gas station to figure out what the hell was going on. I'm not really panicked but rather extremely pissed off. I pull apart what I can in the parking lot of the gas station I was at with the stock tool kit, with people looking on in confusion. I checked battery connections, made sure the spark plug boots were seated properly and that the plugs were actually tight, scraping up my knuckles on radiator fins in the process. Thought the tank vent might be blocked or clogged due to the heavier than usual tank bag, so I removed the bag, opened the gas cap and cranked him up. He ran fine for a minute, then the idle dropped again and up flickered there error signs. Damnit. Something has to be fouling up the fuel pump in one way or another. After a distressed call to the fiancee' and some deliberation that I should call off the trip and turn around, it was decided that I should fill up, add some fuel system cleaner, and push on. Jarvis ran strong after that with no hick-ups for the next 6-7 hours. I'll chalk this scare up to bad gas that I filled up with at the Gate station the night before.

After navigating around an accident on 95 that had people hanging out outside of their cars, I kept going until I hit 26 west that cuts across South Carolina. Heading further inland, the road became more and more hilly. It was fun, but was killing my miles per gallon. Stayed on 26 until Highway 40 in NC. It wasn't that long before I started seeing mountains in the distance and I couldn't help but hoot and holler at the sight of them. 

I was getting close to my destination. 40 was super fun! An excellently paved road carved through the mountains along the Pigeon River. I don't think the Pilot Road 4's that Jarvis wears have ever actually been "warm" in Florida, but they sure were blazing down 40. 

I wanted to do an actual mountain road before I got to the hotel. I made a lot of rest stops along the way up and amazingly wasn't really that tired. Pulled off on Waterville Road to take 32 West shortly after passing into Tennessee. 

Researching this road on Google Maps left me with some questions as to whether or not it was fully paved. It wasn't, but only for a short portion. Still fun though and I was able to get my dual-sport on for a bit. When the road became paved again it started to get twisty to the point of epic proportions. I quickly learned that I needed to adhere to getting all of my braking done before entering a corner, else I would be shunted off down the side of a mountain. Brake first, ask questions later, you know. I had my fiancee on the phone via a Sena headset so I wouldn't have to worry about calling someone if something detrimental happened to me. Completed that little filament of hell with a smile on my face, giggling all the way.

Whoever thought it would be a good idea to have a Shriner's parade on the main drag of Gatlinburg needs to rethink what they are doing with their life. I got there around 3:45 and didn't get to the hotel until AFTER 5. Officers were redirecting huge amounts of traffic onto tiny back roads. In my opinion, it wasn't really that well thought out. The temperature had also risen to an uncomfortable level with all my layers and gear on and I was sweating up a storm while stuck in all the traffic. 

I had already decided that Saturday night would be spent back on the bike heading south on 73/441 towards Cherokee for dinner after checking in. 

This was a beautiful road! The weather was nice, although it did get pretty chilly as the elevation rose. I had stripped a few layers off before leaving the hotel since they were soaked with sweat and I was somewhat unprepared for the trip back because it got so cold. For some reason I decided to leave my overpants in the hotel room. Getting to Cherokee was interesting. There was a Toyota Camry in front of me that I decided to pace myself with since I was on an unfamiliar road and was under the impression that the speed limit would at least be heeded. Boy was I wrong. This dude was hauling ass! I did try to keep up, but stayed a little slower because I wanted to get some good shots with the ActionCam and there was a lot of salt residue on the road. Snow was everywhere once we got pretty high. Finally get to Cherokee and NOTHING is open because the season for them hasn't started yet. Awesome. I originally planned on getting there, eating dinner, and getting back on the road before the sun went down. One of my highest priorities was to stay off of the roads after dark because I knew nothing about them. Since nothing was really open, I turned around and headed back the way I came, stopping here and there to snap some pictures.

Ended up walking around a little and eating in Gatlinburg. Got back to the hotel room to transfer all the video and pictures, made sure all the cameras were charged, and got some much needed rest for the following day.