Tanassee Gap

South into Transylvania County.

North towards the Parkway. 

A brief break at a taproom on the south end of NC 215.

UPDATE: Afterwards I rode up 215 to the top where the Blue Ridge Parkway crosses it. I there encountered a stranded motorcyclist. Part of the unwritten Biker Code is to always assist motorcyclists who are having mechanical trouble and never to leave one stranded. (A helmet positioned behind a bike on the side of the road is a sign of distress.) Fortunately, between my toolkit and my Kabar we were able to get him back underway.

View from the top of the rock. 

5 comments:

raven said...

Thank you from the biker cloud.
We must pack alike-
What sort of temps are you seeing? We are still dipping into freezing at night on occasion.

Grim said...

No more freezing weather on the scope. Barring a freak event I think we’re past it here. Mid-40s at night. Daytime highs between mid-50s on cold and cloudy days, and upper 60s on pretty afternoons like today’s.

Mike Guenther said...

Been a minute since I've been up that way. If I recall, Tannasee Gap is quite a ways from NC 215. Trying to jog my brain. It almost seems like Tannasee Gap Rd might also be called Slick Fisher Rd. Kind of a short cut towards Toxaway that cuts a few miles off of NC 281.

Grim said...

Not quite. NC 281 crosses Tannassee Creek just a bit east of Bonas Defeat Gorge, then crosses Owens Gap and comes down to Toxaway through the Panthertown Wilderness. If you follow Tannassee Creek instead of crossing it, it comes to another gap in the mountains. Come down on the other side of that gap and you'll eventually meet NC 215 in the heart of downtown Balsam Grove -- that is, at the fire department, which is almost the whole town. They also have a diner, a community center, and a gas station that only accepts cash money -- no cards of any kind. If you show up without cash, they'll often let you have some gas on a promise to come back and pay them later. So I've heard; I carry cash.

Anonymous said...

Raven, we got below freezing this morning out here in Texas. Our elevation is 3600', and we're very dry this year, so temps are swinging more than usual.

Looks like a great day to ride, Grim!

"Oh, Texas is warm," they said. "Texas you can grow anything," they said. Riiiiiiight. :P

LittleRed1