Cherohala, the Dragon and a Hellbender

We both wanted (and felt the need) to head to the mountains yesterday. On the way we received a flyover by a juvenile Bald Eagle between Stevenson and Brdgeport, AL......we were moving too fast for me to get a shot of it....hawks joined it along the trip to help keep us safe. We stopped in Benton, TN at Nanyehi's grave and left tobacco before continuing the trip. We took a different route. We turned off the highway at Etowah and headed towards Tellico Plains and the Cherohala Skyway....weather was perfect. Last time we were on the Cherohala it was foggy and misty with snow and ice....yesterday was much better. Got some good shots of bikes and the flying squirrel launch towers. That took us down into Robbinsville, NC and US129 about 16 miles from Deals Gap and the Dragon. We made our northbound run with our USAF and US flags flying....for the cameras. A little over halfway in we encountered the first 2 of 4 18-wheelers that drove past the warning signs. Seems that the idiots thought it would be a "good idea" to divert to the Dragon after an accident in NC on I-40......let's ignore the big warning signs in Robbinsville and later on close to Cheoah Dam.....anyway we all made it around them and continued on. We stopped at the overlook and had a great time....there was a gay/lesbian group up from FL making their first run on the Dragon and had also ran into the trucks.....talked cameras, bikes and where the closest HD shop was (one of the group had a really nice, purple Harley Softail Deluxe).....someone also had a wicked sense of humor and rode their Electra Glide with a blow-up doll....hehehe! Headed from there down to Tabcat bridge and made the turn for the southbound run and the trip home. That's where it got interesting.....we encountered the 2nd group of 2 trucks...again traveling together....this time one of them ran us into th enewly paved pulloff....if it had not been there we would have been hit. Got some good photos of both groups and sent them to Tail of the Dragon....they wanted to put them up. Stopped by the tent and replaced the silver dragon decal that I accidentally ripped in half....and got 2 other decals to make a matched set. Tommy (who helps out at the ToD tent) gave us a great recommendation for a place to eat in Robbinsville....Lynn's Place.....we took NC28, Hellbender, to get there. I wanted to make the short side trip to the top of the dam but someone just wanted to eat and come home.....we did stop at Lynn's and I had the ribeye sandwich and TJ had the Texas roast beef sandwich....both were really good and if you are ever in Robbinsville, it's on Bus. NC143 at the top of the hill across from the Courthouse. We came home the same way we had come in....back across the Cherohala....550 miles, 300+ photos and perfect weather....it was a good day.

I did change the settings on Photobucket to private.....you can click on the thumbnails but it won't navigate the entire album, you have to click on each photo.