GAR 2012 Day 4 in Maggie Valley

Maggie Valley is a good place to ride a motorcycle and to kick back and relax. So we did both. I started the day by watching a river of fog meander benignly through the valley below. What a way to start the day.

Still recovering from the previous day’s ride, Marilyn and Sue opted for a peaceful day in the woods at Saving Grace.

After a leisurely breakfast, Jack and Lori, Ruth and Steve, and I departed for a loop ride to Cherokee, Bryson City, and Franklin, depending again on Jack’s directionally-challenged GPS. Unexpected quick turns at the urging of the GPS can and do lead to intense and animated conversations between the leader and his wingwoman who was clearly taken aback by Jack’s failure to provide a timely turn signal.

But for the most part we were on the roads we expected and especially enjoyed the snaky NC 28. The speed through the turns was sufficient to be exciting without stimulating a pucker factor. The final leg of the route brought us the back way over the mountain to the cabin, which wasn’t as challenging as yesterday’s inaugural hill climb but was nevertheless made more interesting by the occasional indecision generated by the murky messages emanating from Jack’s GPS. Which-way-should-I-go? Which-way-should-I-go?

In the meantime, John had made a short ride on his own and had returned by the time we got back from our four-hour loop. A quick lunch re-energized Ruth and Steve and Jack and Lori, and John joined them for another brief ride. I took the opportunity to try to reduce my sleep deficit.

It was another good day all around. This evening we’ve been reviewing rides for the next few days to try to ward off the dreaded GPS-induced quick turns.

It will be tough to say goodbye to “Saving Grace,” our definitely not so humble abode in Maggie Valley. This was a memorable waypoint on this year’s Great Adventure.

Tomorrow we say goodby temporarily to John and Sue and the remaining six of us will head east in search of new roads and whatever awaits us there.

“I can’t wait to get on the road again.”