Leaf-blowing the Blue Ridge Parkway
Day 4: Little Switzerland – Gatlinburg (305 km)
Well, the sun rose bright in a clear sky this morning, and we had the window to watch it rise. Beautiful colors, over a beautiful vista.
Our hosts have a balcony on which they served breakfast, and it enjoys the same view. As we ate, we chatted with a couple from Florida who are travelling in the same general direction, also by motorcycle. We swapped a few stories and a few gear tips, and before we knew it, it was 10:00!
Fortunately we are travelling light, so it didn’t take us long to pack up the bikes and get rolling.
It was a little chilly, but with a clear blue sky we were confident it would warm up.
We had gathered a little intel a day earlier, and learned that Mt Mitchell, the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi, was nearby, and so we had to check it out. As we rode to the top (the base of which is at 5120 ft), we were reminded of our time in Morocco as we saw icicles up to a foot long hanging from the rocks beside the road. We arrived at the summit (6684 ft) and learned it was 35°F (25°F with the wind chill), which in °C is pretty cold riding weather!
Fortunately, it should be all down hill from there, right? Ha! We rode on, watching the overlook elevations fall, only to rise again. The promise of lower elevations and higher temperatures failed to materialize, and we soon learned why, arriving at the highest part of the BRP itself, at 6053 ft! Brr!
However, we were able to enjoy a measure of reprieve – the traffic which until today had been light to nonexistent had thickened considerably, and so we were rarely able to make a decent speed, which doubtless kept us from being even colder.
We made it to the end of the BRP, and turned north to cross the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We were immediately caught in a traffic jam. There was a field full of elk, and everyone was rubbernecking. We also saw two more rafters of turkeys. What we didn’t see for almost the whole day was roadkill. Not sure whether the rodents in this part of the BRP are better at playing Frogger or whether the scavengers are more efficient.
One thing we both noticed was how few leaves were on the road. Angela joked that someone must be out there with a leaf blower clearing the road, and every time she said that I would just roll my eyes. Then we saw it. Near Asheville, there was a medium-sized blue tractor driving along the oncoming lane, and attached to it was this massive, I kid you not, leaf blower, and it was clearing the leaves off the road. You could not have convinced me had I not seen it for myself.
So far, my greatest regret on this trip is the same one from our time in Morocco – no helmet cam! I mean seriously, who’s going to believe that they actually leaf blow the BRP?!? I know I wouldn’t!
Again today, the fall colours were magnificent.
