My plan for today had been to do one of two things…either 1) head northeast to the Roan Mountain area, or 2) head for the southwestern corner of the Smokey Mountain National Park to ride a dirt road that formed its boundary.  But…

A low pressure system that had been wreaking havoc on the mid-west was headed our way.  The weather guessers said that we would have strong thunderstorms about noonish, and it would flood tonight.  I decided that I had better get in some riding this morning, and count on hunkering down with my laptop and a book the rest of the day.  Needed to stick close to home base today.

So I rode down the mountain to intersect with 215, rode it up and over the Blue Ridge, then took 64 into Brevard for gas and breakfast. 

By the time I was done with breakfast, my sunny morning had turned overcast and grey…the weather was coming.  I spotted a Food Lion as I headed out of town and stopped for some soup and apples, since it was supposed to be pouring around dinnertime.  Back up the eastern side of the ridge on 276. 

Looking Glass Falls and The Sliding Rock, both on 276.

At the top I met 3 bikes turning off the BRP to run my route back down.  Lots of riders know this road! 

BRP north to 215.  It was cold and blowy at the top of the ridge.  It started to rain on me as I came to 151, which is one of the tightest, twistiest roads I have been on.  I had to take it slow on the wet pavement.  As I got lower the rain quit and the pavement dried.  When I reached 19, I had a decision to make…head back to the campground, or keep riding.  It was almost noon, and the weather should be here anytime…so I headed in.  It was raining on me within a matter of minutes, and kept up a drizzle almost all the way back to the campground.

The Camp Cats.

I washed clothes, talked to Phil and Leslie, played with the camp cats, worked on the computer, made some calls…and waited.  The rain didn’t come.  I checked radar occasionally, and it appeared that the weather was moving northeast, just missing us.

About 3:30, a Harley pulled in and stopped at a cabin.  The rider was Ransell, and he had gotten wet today, but he said “It was still a good day”.  Gotta like that attitude!

A little later, two guys on Triumph Tigers pulled in and took a cabin.  I chatted with them for about an hour, and looked over the new Tiger, a complete re-design from the old one.  It looked like a really cool bike, and the rider was very pleased with it.

After the Triumph riders headed out for dinner, chatted and drank Scotch with Ransell and his girlfriend Donna on the front porch of their cabin.  It sprinkled a little while we talked, but the promised torrents never arrived.  I should have ridden more today.

In bed about 9.

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