Day 9: Dragon City to Easley, South Carolina
Tuesday 18 Jun 2024
Miles ridden: 170
Reran the Dragon--better this time--and found marmots and a waterfall and one of the most sublime moments ever riding... with goosebumps.
Got out of Dragon City Resort and scooted back east. Less annoying this time--mostly dry with some puddles in the curves--but more irksome traffic. A sparse cluster of six or nine boy racers in their Camaros (well probably not boys if they're in General Motors product on a Tuesday workday morning) decided they would race west through the curves, and a couple of them were halfway over the double yellows and that put a damper on enjoying the ride. Kids stay off my lane!
I did get a better at the 1st/2nd gear shifting back and forth on those many 15mph hairpins, and I was paying attention to either steering the handlebars or counter steering, but really wasn't up to hustling fast. Just trying to enjoy the ride and stay to the right as much as I could to avoid the next next boy racer.
Afterwards I headed east along NC 28 and the north shore of Fontana Lake, and the road opened up a bit and I just felt the weight of the Dragon departing. The mists of the lake had drifted across the road, sunlight shafts and gentle curves and it was just sublime and I found myself getting goosebumps that it was all mellow and what a way to start the day and here I was in the moment. It wasn't a short moment, it went on and on and I was just drifting along, the bike responding to my intentions without any mental work on my part. Wonderful. NC28 just kept on going and going through the lush verdant forest, push the bars this way and that. After a stop in cute hippiesh Franklin for coffee I continued on its southern reach--a Facebook buddy said "check out these waterfalls" which sounded like a decent goal. Dry Falls had a parking lot mess (who takes a horse trailer into a cramped roadside lot?) but Bridalveil Falls was empty save for a couple of families walking behind the falls on the closed road--which at one point went behind the falls! I wanted to ride my motorcycle behind the falls, but, well, didn't want to run over the kids. Ah well.
After a marmot encounter, kept on going down and down--wanted to get out of the mountains quickly, it was sprinkling at 11:30am already in Cashiers--and crossed into South Carolina and made my way to my buddy Michael's for lunch at 1pm for nibbles and catch up.
A great morning of riding and thanks to Michael's cooking, a decent meal!