Ride Report: Exhausting theWolf, an Ellijay Loop

7 Nov 2009:
Last Sunday's ride assured me theWolf's bindings were secure.  The week that followed found me re-energized for the battles ahead.  This weekend, I want it to stay that way.  I could be certain it would with theWolf tired.  With that in mind, I agreed to meet David (aka Cruzman on the FZ1oa forum) in far away Smyrna (some 40 miles from home).  I knew it would be a long day beforehand, just didn't know how long!!

I started out early, to meet David at Cycle Gear by 9.  By the time I got there, my old Heine Gericke gloves had convinced me it might be time to invest in heated gloves.  We ogled each other's bikes before shopping a little and I found a great deal on another, warmer, pair of winter gloves that I couldn't turn down.  (It was time to re-purpose the old gloves and I had a project in mind.)  We headed north toward Ellijay with thoroughly ogled bikes and a new pair of gloves for me.

The day's route:




Daytime Moonshot:


We stopped at a scenic overlook I spotted last week to take some more pictures:




We stayed on HWY 5 until we got to Blue Ridge, GA and took Blue Ridge DR to Copperhill TN.  I didn't get to explore some of the roads around the area last week so I was okay with riding in the area again.  This time we ate Mexican.  It was average so I didn't bother with a picture.  We also walked around the little town and got to smell "Monkey Fart Soap" in a little store called "I Walk the Line" or something like that.  They had Baby Oil, Gardenia, and something mint scented.

After we left Copperhill, we were in search of scenic twisty roads.  We found the Ocoee Scenic Byway.

We stopped along the way to take a few pics (all the bathrooms were closed for the season!!)




Locked bathrooms to the right:


Our FZ1s, almost twins:  Baby--My 2005 (Super Fast) Blue and Stella--David's 2002 Liquid Silver

(I did say almost!)





Short girls with tall bikes do not park them on slopes.  They pose on the bike (with it running and in gear!).


Taller stronger men park their bikes and do their best to look really cool (I didn't see him trying to get it off the side stand though):


Remember what I said about the bathrooms being locked?  This wasn't helping:




Really pitiful panoramic attempt:




I couldn't take any more rushing water sounds, next on the agenda?  Find an open bathroom!!  After that it was back on the road.

Along US-411 heading back toward Ellijay:




Learning to do the wheel shot:


I kept trying to get a shot of the upcoming mountain.  1:


Never mind, I'll try Cows in sunlight:



Crossing the state line:


Missed it TN.  Maybe my I'll do better in my birth state.  Let's try again.  2:


Not quite.  I wasn't born in the mountains anyway.  One more time, 3:


Finally.  I guess you can tell I played softball.  I didn't strike out often!

Okay, last stop.  We made it into Ellijay a little before sunset and decided to try to get a better view.  We went to the Cohutta Overlook.  If we'd just arrived 15 minutes sooner:




A better (but still pitiful) panoramic shot:

(Looks like we weren't the only ones trying to catch a last glimpse of the sun.)

After a good day's ride, I still had a good night's ride home.  Unfortunately, I forgot to put my liner in my luggage and nearly got the chills on the way home.  Thank God for Target!!  I bought a $15 fleece jacket that held back the cold.  When I got home, my little girl (Ebony is a dawg) was so mad at me she bit my fingers and forced me to take her outside.  It's a good thing mom fed her, huh?

Until next time,
tWT