From Tara to TeePees

From Tara to TeePees

We crossed into Georgia in short order on Sunday, June 12,  however shortly into our drive, our trip was waylaid by a group of bikers - the Lance Armstrong kind. We waited for nearly a half hour in Troup County while literally hundreds of bikers sped past participating in what was clearly some sort of race. They passed in groups and they passed as stragglers, but they passed, and passed and passed.

Men and women. Young and not as young. Fit and, well..let's just suffice to say spandex is not a forgiving fabric.

Once on our way, we rode through LaGrange, Georgia and over the Chattahoochee River of country music fame. Sadly, while I hoped to see some antebellum plantations, like Gone With the Wind's "Tara", I was out of luck. I snapped pictures of a few beautiful homes in LaGrange, but nor much after that, at least on the route we were traveling.

The ride along Route 53 in Pickens County was scenic, and we saw almost as many bikes as cars. Curiously, we passed quite a number of houses with huge collections - no, I can't even use the word "collections" because that would infer that there was a rhyme, reason or plan - with more than their fare share of cars parked, stalled or forgotten in their front yards. They were all makes, models and years, and in various stages of disassembly and rust.  Hard as I try, I can't fathom a reason, but if you're looking for a car to restore...or parts... or an interesting lawn ornament for your own front yard, traverse Route 53.

Now we've been below the Mason-Dixon line for a week now, and when you've spent that much time in the south, at some point, you have to eat barbecue. Today was our day and it was in a class by itself. The yellow house on the side of the hill was enough to attract our attention, but the hundreds, maybe even a thousand pig signs, painted by "Oscar Pig-casso", was just beyond description.

Colonel Poole's  Bar-B-Q in East Ellijay, Georgia, is a local wonder. Not only was the bbq delicious, the place was definitely entertaining. We met one of the Colonel's sons, who was pleasant as pie, and funny to boot. He took our order and gave us some history of the Colonel and the BBQ. You can read more about them at their website. It's a hoot. Or in this case, an oink!

We crossed into North Carolina in the late afternoon and the began our ride towards the Great Smoky  National Forest. The ride  up the mountain was spectacular. Around nearly every curve was another breathtaking view, and talk about bikes! We saw tons.

Cherokee, North Carolina was our end point for the night, and to our surprise, we found not a Harley dealer, but a Harley store - Cherokee Harley. More tee shirts! At this rate, my Harley shirts are going to outnumber my Mets attire!!

Tomorrow we continue through the Great Smoky Mountains on our way to Virginia.

Stay tuned.