Cherohala Skyway and Fontana Dam - Lost Keys & Close Calls

We started Day 4 in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, with plans to ride Moonshiner 28, check out Fontana Dam, and then head back across the Cherohala Skyway before starting toward home.

We’d already ridden the Tail of the Dragon the day before, and while we enjoyed it, we decided we’d rather ride the Cherohala Skyway again. It’s a much longer ride with big sweeping curves and beautiful mountain views. Besides, there were still plenty of roads we hadn’t seen yet.

Our first stop was along Fontana Lake, and that’s where things got interesting.

We’d only planned to stop for a few minutes to stretch our legs and look around. Somehow, in that short amount of time, Kennie’s motorcycle keys disappeared. We looked everywhere and couldn’t find them. We were starting to wonder how we were going to get out of there when a couple of nice guys stopped to help. They left before we found the keys and we still don’t know if they stopped to help or just happened to be stopping. Either way, they immediately joined the search party and we appreciated it. 

After a whole lot of looking, prying the saddlebag lid open a little, and digging around with a flashlight, Kennie finally spotted the keys. Somehow they’d ended up locked inside his saddlebag! We still don’t know how that happened, but at least we found them. Unfortunately, our five-minute break had turned into about an hour.

We eventually made it over to Fontana Dam, where we stopped to look around and take some pictures. Kennie also managed to scare himself pretty good when he lost his balance at an overlook and almost went over the edge. Luckily, nothing happened except a little excitement and some laughing afterward. Plus, the fastest “get back on the bike and go” that we’ve ever recorded.

Not long after that, we ran into the same people who had stopped to help us find the keys. Only this time, they were the ones having trouble. A rock had hit the tire on their rental car and sliced the sidewall open. They didn’t have a spare, and the damage was too bad for a tire plug. Kennie offered his tools and tire pump, but there wasn’t much we could do. They were waiting for roadside assistance, so we wished them luck and continued on.

We made another quick stop at Deals Gap, but since we’d already spent time there the day before, we didn’t hang around long. We weren’t riding the Dragon again this time. We were headed back toward the Cherohala Skyway.

Somewhere along the way, we ended up on a little road that Kennie didn’t like and Chris absolutely hated. It was narrow, had grooves in the pavement, and was full of really slow, tight turns. After spending the last few days riding curves, this was apparently one road too many. We couldn’t even remember exactly what it was called, but we both knew we didn’t want to ride it again! The only good thing about it was a nice little fishing area we found and took a much needed break at. We’re suckers for fishin’ holes if you can’t tell.

Thankfully, the Cherohala Skyway was just as enjoyable the second time around. It was still pretty cold up in the higher elevations, and we had to keep an eye on our fuel since there aren’t many places to fill up along the way. We stopped at a few overlooks, enjoyed the views, and eventually made our way back down toward Tellico Plains.

By then, we were getting pretty worn out from all the mountain riding. As much as we’d complained about the straight, boring roads back home, we were actually looking forward to a little interstate riding for a change. Funny how that works!

We headed north on I-75 and then west on I-40, putting some miles behind us before stopping for the night in Cookeville, Tennessee. We’d covered about 255 miles and found another reasonably priced hotel, this time a Baymont, where we could park the bikes right outside our room.

By the end of the day, we were definitely feeling the miles. We’d spent four days riding, with most of the last two spent going up and down mountains and around more curves than we could count.

One thing we were learning was that trying to fit so much riding into just a few days can wear you out pretty quickly. There were plenty of other places we could’ve stopped and things we could’ve seen, but our main reason for coming was to ride the roads. And we’d certainly done plenty of that!

We still had two days left before we’d be home, but the mountain riding was pretty much behind us. Now it was time to start working our way back toward Illinois.

And at least we still had both sets of motorcycle keys!