I topped off the fuel tank in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, and gazed at the mountains to the east. My usual route would take me across the famed Cherohala Skyway to North Carolina. The bucket-list motorcycling road never disappoints riders, but I had a different adventure in mind for this trip: a crescent-shaped ride along southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Tellico Plains often serves as a starting or ending point for riders exploring the scenic highway and heading to the other famous routes over the peaks in North Carolina such as the Tail of the Dragon and Moonshiner 28. I’d ridden it numerous times and was in no rush to return home. A couple of extra days spent on the road appealed to me. Just to be different, I decided to link the Cherohala to Moonshiner 28 via their opposite ends two states away — from Tellico Plains to Wahalla with a stopover in my favorite fake German village of Helen in between.
I pulled into the Cherohala Skyway Visitors Center where I could relax and ponder my next moves on this rambling road trip. Inside the building, a nice gift shop and cordial employees awaited the just-arriving or just-exiting skyway visitor.
“The skyway is always beautiful and breathtaking as ever,” said Madison Harris, administrative assistant to the director of tourism for Monroe County. “They really just love it.”
I nodded in agreement, having told riders for years how I preferred it for the serene landscapes and enjoyable — but not taxing — curves.
“A lot of people are excited about the overlook they recently redid. It’s been the biggest attraction this year,” Harris said.
Other new and remodeled businesses in the town are also attracting more visitors, she said.
“They like they know what to expect when they come here. It’s a small town with good business, good people who run the businesses. “Lots of good food, great coffee, great people. Activities throughout the entire county. There’s always something going on here.”
I always ask the locals about the area roads, even when I’ve made up my mind. I inquired about Route 68 heading south, and Harris nodded with approval.
I pointed my Yamaha Tracer 9 GT south from Tellico Plains. Route 68 proved to be the kind of backroad where you can relax and enjoy the sun on your face as the bike instinctively handles the gentle curves for you.
Soon, the sight of a country store prompted me to pause in Coker Creek, Tennessee. Turns out, it’s a welcome center and small museum celebrating this tranquil spot’s rich history. Gold was discovered here in the 1830, years before the California gold rush. The Trail of Tears also passed directly through here. Today, most of the area is surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest and offers plenty of hiking and fishing opportunities.
Soon I turned east to cut across the western tip of North Carolina and head south on U.S. 19 to Blairsville, Georgia. I looked forward to ripping down Blood Mountain on my wandering route to tonight’s stopover. Traffic was almost nonexistent 19 as I tossed my Yamaha Tracer 9 GT through the curves. I paused at a pull-off somewhere near the bottom. I could hear the howl of a sportbike echoing off the hills long before a Gixxer came into view.
North Georgia holds some of the best motorcycling routes in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Some call it Six Gap, others The Gauntlet. Whatever nickname you choose, the roads running up down the mountains certainly make for a great motorcycle trip. I turn northeast to roll into the Bavarian-themed town of Helen.
I find the kitschy town and its faux Tudor architecture absolutely charming. It never fails to bring a grin to my face as I rumble into town and back my bike into the abundant motorcycling parking in front of my favorite venues, the Two Tire Tavern.
“We love the bikers, not just Harleys or Suzukis or whatever. Everyone is welcome. Anything with wheels,” said Two Tire Tavern co-owner Misty Terlizzi. “We want people to come in and enjoy themselves. We love fast cars, but we love motorcycles more.”
From the open-air bar, I sit back and enjoy the parade of motorcycles rumble through town. As the sun sets, the buildings begin to glow with holiday lights regardless of the time of year.
“I like that it’s a German-themed town,” Terlizzi said. “You get all kinds of people that come through here. You get to meet and talk to them. They’re like, ‘This is so cute, I love it.’ That’s the bonus owning the business and working the business. It’s like you’re on vacation, too.”
Among the motorcycle décor of the Two Tire Tavern you’ll spot Bigfoot crossing signs and other regalia. Turns out Terlizzi’s husband, Dan, is a fan of the cryptid. Several credible sightings in the north Georgia woods get reported to local researchers each year.
“We love Bigfoot, so we get the Squatchers in here, Terlizzi said. “Dan gets to go on the Expedition Bigfoot hunts. He loves it. He’s a big Squatcher.”
I check into my motel and the confused desk clerk thinks I’m a cop since I’m wearing my Hi-Viz vest and he sees blue lights flashing outside. Helen’s finest doesn’t approve of speeding or not yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks. They just pulled over a Slingshot three-wheeler in front of me.
Room keycard in hand, I strip the bike of my bags and accessories and head out to roam the town with all the other tourists, stopping to window shop for souvenirs. Something about this place just brings back the childhood excitement of visiting tourist towns and begging my parents to buy some idiotic trinket. I talk myself out of buying something I don’t need with the rationalization there isn’t space on the bike.
The next morning, I wipe the dew off the bike and decide to don another layer. There’s a chill lingering in the air, and I want to put a few miles behind me before breakfast. As much as I love Helen’s devotion to their aesthetic, there are no chain fast food places. I’ll need my McDonald’s intake of biscuits and caffeine for today’s long ride. To accomplish that, I head toward Clarkesville with an old Monkees song filling my head.
After a bit of chit-chat in the parking lot with some curious strangers interested in my bike, my travels and the usual warnings of, “Be careful on that thing,” I make my way eastward to my next point-of-interest, the town of Toccoa.
As you ride into town, the tall antennae-cluttered peak of Currahee towers above the surroundings. This last vestige of the Blue Ridge Mountains holds a special meaning for military buffs as the training ground for airborne troops during World War II. The miniseries “Band of Brothers” also added to the mountain’s lore. “Three miles up. Three miles down.” A gravel road allows you ride to the summit. No yells from a drill instructor required. The Curahee Military Museum in downtown is well worth the stop.
Another nearby landmark is Toccoa Falls. This stunning 186-foot waterfall on a scenic college campus makes a wonderful spot to relax for a bit. There is a modest entrance fee payable in the bookstore next to the waterfall. I didn’t have time to linger by the waterfall today, so I kept heading east on U.S. 123 toward the state line.
The Tugaloo River soon appears before me. I always pull off at the Stephens County recreation area on the Georgia side of the river when I pass through these parts. The park is basically the old section of U.S. 123, along with its old iron bridge — a section of it removed to prohibit its use by traffic. There’s something about rivers serving as a natural border that pleases me. Riding across a seemingly random boundary always makes me wonder, why here? Not so with a wide river to cross.
The Tugaloo and Chatooga rivers form the Savannah River, spitting the Peach State from the Palmetto State, and there are a few backroads where you can cross over. U.S. 123 and 76 are the mainstays, but Prather Bridge Road / Cleveland Pike Road north of U.S 123 makes for nice excursion if you’re in no hurry.
I pass through Westminster, South Carolina, and take Route 183 up to Walhalla, the town I’ve been journeying toward — in a round-about-way — since Tellico Plains the previous day. At the red light on Main Street, I spot the road sign I’ve been waiting to see, that lovely 28. The southern end of the famous Moonshiner 28. The twisty road that runs 100-plus miles up the Blue Ridge Escarpment, across the corners of three states before ending at U.S. 129, the Tail of the Dragon. I enthusiastically begin the climb into the heart of the mountains, feeling an odd pride about completing my southern crescent to connect the Cherohala Skyway and Moonshiner 28 in a way most riders never do.
Most people don’t notice, but a small plaque nearly hidden on Walhalla’s tree-lined Main Street declares the town the Gateway to the Blue Ridge. I’ve seen other small towns from Georgia to Virginia claim that moniker, but with Moonshiner 28 running from the town center across some of the best motorcycling roads in three states, I feel less cynical about their catchphrase.
Any gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains, be it Tellico Plains or Walhalla, is always worth the ride.
