From my cabin to Cades Cove Loop in the Smoky Mountain National Park is a 270-mile round trip that takes you above the clouds, through lazy elk herds feeding on the roadside, and past more stunning views than a man can well comprehend in a single day-trip. But if that’s what you’ve got, that’s what … Read more
Two days of cloudy cold weather packed up, bundled up, and trundled up the mountain paths and out of western North Carolina just in time for spring, 2026, which arrived today with sunshine and temperatures that stretched to 72 degrees. Tomorrow, the weather god, Freyr, promises even more sunny warmth. Word is he’ll push the … Read more
The Ides of March marked misfortune and doom for the ancient Romans, but in 2026, the month didn’t start out that way in the North Carolina mountains. March 1 marked sunny, beautiful motorcycle weather in the western mountains. You take what you can get. The thermometer eventually reached 73 at mid-afternoon. Today I rode over … Read more
Like much of the rest of the country we’ve had unseasonable weather over the winter holidays, and that good fortune remains with us through today when the temperature is expected to reach 70- or more degrees. As you know, that’s nearly perfect motorcycle weather. So the bike has gotten out of the stable a bit … Read more
Fog wrapped the taller mountains in a soggy embrace along the Russell Scenic Highway as I made my way to the historic old covered bridge near Sautee Junction, roughly another 30 miles away. This area of Georgia is part of the Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway, which itself is part of our National Scenic Byways that dot … Read more
“The sea is a different sort of enemy. Unlike the land, where courage and the simple will to endure can often see a man through, the struggle against the sea is an act of physical combat, and there is no escape. it is a battle against a tireless enemy in which man never actually wins; … Read more
Six days after the launch of Spring 2025 the feelings of unremitting illness molted like an outgrown snake skin and fell from me long enough, at least, for me to take the motorcycle out for the first time in two months, maybe three. Who can remember? Winter and sickness are alike in being oppressive to … Read more