Road of Never-Ending Curves

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Look at that title again. 

Roll it around on your tongue a few times. 

Let it enter your deepest consciousness. 

Sounds like a motorcyclist's dream, huh?

Well, there is such a place, named by that fellow, Stretch on the Carolina Rider Forum.  When he was describing the Fields of the Wood Bible Park for the forum tag game back in October of 2011, he also told us about a nearby road that he called the Road of Never-Ending Curves near Murphy, NC. 

Well, when I was up there a few weeks ago, I found the road he was talking about.  Unfortunately, it was raining rather hard when I started down that road, so I had to take it slower than if it were dry and had good visibility.  I'm not too fast anyway, but that day I was especially cautious. 

Nevertheless, let me tell you about it.


After I leave Fields of the Wood, I ride few miles west, over to the Tennessee state line to say that I had been there, thus upping by a third my vast riding area (that previously had included South and North Carolina, and Georgia).  

Just about a mile east of Fields of the Wood, is Hiawassee Dam Road.  That is Location 1 at the lower left on the map below.  Turn toward the northeast there, the only way you can go from NC-294.  By the way, the name Hiawassee comes from the Cherokee word Ayuhwasi, which means "meadow".  

Click here for Bing interactive map

The road goes down hill and curves around nicely.  There is a side road to the left that leads to the powerhouse, and view of the face of the dam. 

There is small park and picnic area just off the parking lot. 

Rain begins.  Lightly.  It has only been sprinkling before. 

Once I leave the powerhouse and continue on Hiawassee Dam Road, I cross over the dam itself.  Here is a picture Stretch took of the dam from an observation point at the far end of it.

Photo by Stretch

The road continues for about 11 miles to the intersection with Joe Brown Road, to the right.  Hiawassee Dam Road continues straight, but it becomes gravel. 


It is Joe Brown Road that Stretch named Road of Never-Ending Curves.  Look again at the map between Location 2, at the top, and Location 3 in the town of Murphy on the lower right.  That is about 20 miles of nice curves -- one after the other with few straight sections.  The scale of the map doesn't do the curves justice.  Click the link beneath the map to view an interactive map that you can enlarge to better see the curvaceous details.  Even then, the real thing is curvier than the map appears. 

From what I can tell in the rain (which has become heavier) the pavement varies from fair to good.  The traffic is very light today. There are surprisingly few driveways and intersecting roads. 

Stretch says, "...this ride alone makes the trip worthwhile. There is no dirt riding on the road of never ending curves: This loop is paved the entire way back to... Murphy, NC.  When in doubt turn right."    


I'll have to go back when the weather is dry to enjoy the Road of Never-Ending Curves more.  See what you think next time you go up that way. 


Other interesting curvy routes I have taken:

• Ridiculously Twisty -- Another of Stretch's finds.  Also at Tail of the Dragon -- But Nearer By
• The Parkway, Some Knobs and Rocks, and a New Twisty Road
• Skyuka Mountain Road
• Rally to Ridgecrest, 2013 -- Days 3 and 4
• Wiggly Roads Nearby
• Sweepers Galore
• Road to Nowhere, and a Good Jumping Off Place
• A Very Twisty Road and a Downhill Technique Tried

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Never Forget! ...and Much More to Come

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We must never forget what Islamist terrorists did to us in 2001.  

They are growing stronger and our political leadership continues to studiously ignore and deny the danger. 

Think it was just isolated to 9/11/2001?  

Think again.

 Here is an interactive graphic that shows all of the 73 terrorist attacks and threats since 9/11.  

 "This graphic does not include activities that are merely linked to terrorism, such as traveling abroad to join a terrorist organization.  Each plot requires some threat directed at the U.S. homeland. Additionally, to be included, the primary motivation of the terror plot or attack must be a radical Islamist ideology, which supports the use of violence as a means to achieve the long-run objective of imposing Islamic law." 

All were committed by Islamist terrorists, a phrase our president refuses to use. 


If you have forgotten the devastation on our own soil of the 9/11 attacks, look here for a short review.   The blood shed by over 3000 people is not visible in the photos. 


Want to see what some citizens just like you and me did on that day to fight the terrorists firsthand?  Look here.   


We must stand strong against these terrorists and our sympathetic politicians forever and always, lest the freedom of this greatest country on earth be lost forever. 

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Drying Out Your Leathers After a Rainy Ride

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What happened here?  

I've fallen, and I can't get up!

This doesn't look good at all.

But don't worry.  That's not Bucky lying on the floor.  Just his suit.  


A couple of weeks ago, I went to a place called Fields of the Wood, and got caught in a rainstorm that soaked my white leather suit pretty well.

I rode about an hour and a half after the rain stopped, so it dried to some extent, but I wanted to make sure it was thoroughly dry before storing it for my next ride.

So, I laid it out on the floor with the neck over the air conditioning register, the sleeves and legs as straight as I could make them, and let the cool, dry air blow through it for a couple of hours.  Don't do this during the heating season, or your leather is likely to come out like cardboard. 

Cool

Then I hung it on a padded hanger like this one I made out of a pool noodle and a plastic hanger... 

 

...and let it dry the rest of the way, with an electric circulating fan blowing on it so it dried faster.  . 


Even better -- don't get your riding togs wet in the first place. 

Duh.  Why didn't I think of that? 

You could either ride when it is not supposed to rain...

...or invest in a rainsuit -- and remember to take it with you when you ride. 

On my behalf, I thought I was going to avoid the rain that day, but it rained anyway.  I have a rainsuit, but I usually don't pack it because it is rather bulky in the tank bag.

[Well, don't whine about getting your suit wet then, Bucky.] 

OK.  I'll do better.  I promise. 


By the way:

If you have gotten your leather suit wet, and it's pretty dirty, you might consider going ahead and cleaning it yourself.  Yes, you can do it yourself, right in your own home. 
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