Indy Dave Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 Here's a quick recap of my visit to Maggie last Fall. I left Sparta and headed South to meet some cousins in Hickery. I ran into some light fog in the hills, but for the most part, I had the roads to myself. I remember passing one house set back a bit from the narrow country road I was on. I could see from a distance a large dog arise on all fours from its resting position as it saw me on the horizon. We both kept an weary eye on each other, and as I got closer, I could see that its bed was made up of a series of old mattresses piled on top of each other. The base of its bed was a king size mattress, then a queen and finally a double on top. No doubt the bedding was water logged and smelly, but that didn't seem to bother the dog and apparently I didn't either, as he it maintained his position as I passed. I wanted a picture of this dog and his castle, but I didn't want to press my luck - the day was still early! I was doing kind of a hodge-podge route that included some gravel. But mostly pavement. About 15 miles from Maggie, a storm cell unloaded and I found shelter at a Sonic. The storm passed through quickly and the sun and blue skies returned. About 6 miles down the road, everything was dry as a bone! I got to Maggie and checked in to the Maggie Valley Creekside and headed out exploring. Everywhere I went - curves and hills and hills and curves. Heading a little deeper just outside of Maggie, I passed a bridge and the road changed from pavement to gravel. As I crossed the bridge, I noticed a guy sitting off the road a bit in an old pickup. I continued on and began climbing, eventually leveling off and the road came to a T. Hmm...? I went right. And ended here. So I headed back the other way, passing the original road I was on. Soon, the pick up truck comes by and follows me. The better gravel road ends in a wide area and the truck loops around. I stop. I have ear buds in, so I can only make out random words. I'm not too sure if this guy is 'safe' or if I've just stumbled across someones sill or weed patch. He says the road continues down the hill (I think). So I ride through the overgrown path and down hill. . And then . . Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Hmm - I go left and soon the gravel ends and it gets a bit sloppy and there's a few mud puddles. In the deeper woods, the fact that the sun is going down is magnified by the thick, tall trees. I see ahead the path gets narrower. I have no cell service. Light is failing. I make a 10 point turn around and head back the way I came, ignoring the higher road as I pass the fork. Up the sloppy path and back to the gravel road where I'd last seen the truck. Sure enough, a couple of miles up the gravel road, there he is idling along. I move on around him and return to Maggie for dinner. Heading out the next day I didn't take as many pictures as I should have, but here's what I've got. I half expected a troll by the first bridge saying "None Shall Pass!" There you have it, my quick pass through Maggie. To be sure, these photos don't even to begin or represent all that is Maggie. I invite others with pics from their visits to the area to post up some of their favorites pics. NOTE! Ken's routes are all pavement. So any gravel pictures you see posted are not from Ken's routes. Having said that, here's a few pics a GS rider shared from Maggie: Soooo what do you have to share? Link to comment
TEWKS Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Great mix of pics! Meaning that this is exactly why I'm eventually going to become a full-time GSer. Whenever / wherever I find dirt roads lately, I want to explore them. Nice! Pat Link to comment
Sonor Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Great pics and nice write up. What kid of tires are you on? Link to comment
terryofperry Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Excellent Dave, thanks for sharing. Terry Link to comment
tallman Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 I rode those roads on Metzler Z 6's, back a while. Link to comment
Indy Dave Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 Great pics and nice write up. What kid of tires are you on? Those are PR 3's. Great mix of pics! Meaning that this is exactly why I'm eventually going to become a full-time GSer. Whenever / wherever I find dirt roads lately, I want to explore them. Nice! Pat Maybe we can get a 2 for 1 discount Link to comment
TEWKS Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Maybe we can get a 2 for 1 discount That's the route I planned on taking (discount probably not but) until I heard that the GSA was going to receive a styling update for 2018, which should be available in the fall. This all hinges on me staying out of the Honda dealership though! Pat Link to comment
roadscholar Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; To be sure, these photos don't even to begin or represent all that is Maggie. I invite others with pics from their visits to the area to post up some of their favorites pics. I think 80% of GS riders started out on RT's Dave so there's probably no sense in fighting it : ) Here's a few pics of some of the dirt/gravel roads in the area.. Link to comment
Indy Dave Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 Great Stuff Bill - thanks for digging those out and posting. Link to comment
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