Our main reason for coming to Helen, GA, and Unicoi State Park was to ride the Russell-Brasstown Bald National Scenic Byway, a loop through the mountains with a side trip to the summit of Brasstown Bald, the highest mountain in Georgia. The route is up and down with lots of twists and turns and hairpins—a classically good motorcycle ride. The Brasstown Bald summit road is very steep and twisty and ends at a Forest Service Visitor Center near the top (the road continues but the Forest Service doesn't allow public access to the top). It was an exciting ride for Ellen and me, but not in the way we intended.
The day started gray with a bit of mist in the air, but the weather forecast indicated cloudy with only a 30% chance of rain. So we took the optimistic view that there was a 70% chance of no rain and headed out. After a quick gas stop, we set off northbound on the Unicoi Turnpike and up the hill. It is an old road, one of the original routes north through the area and still just a two-lane road (with the occasional passing lane). The first 11 miles twisted up hill past the still-closed Forest Service campground to the top of Unicoi Gap where the Appalachian Trail crosses the road. The road was mostly dry with a few damp spots.
We briefly pulled into the trail parking lot to let traffic pass and noticed a tent shelter set up with the sign "Appalachian Trail Hikers Oasis". It is the time of year when the AT through-hikers get started in Georgia on their way to Maine. It may have been to cheer them on their way. We didn't stop but continued, downhill now, to Route 180 where we headed West toward Brasstown Bald. This is rural country with small farms in the hills and an occasional RV park for the summer tourists. It was getting damper.
At mile 19 of our ride we turned right, up the Brasstown Bald Road, and it immediately went to at least a 10% climb. There is even a sign at the bottom warning against taking trailers up the road. (It used to be used as a summit finish for a stage of the Tour de Georgia, a major spring international bicycle stage race, which attracted the major professional cycling teams. It was last contested in 2008 after which it lost major sponsorship, but the organizers are trying to bring it back.) The road continues for a 2.5-mile climb with 1,400 feet of elevation gain.
We got about a third of the way up when it started to get wet, more than just a mist. By the time we reached the top of the road, we were in the clouds. We'd intended to walk the trail to the summit where there is a three-state view (Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina), but the fog was thickening and there was barely a one-state view (and only about 100 feet of that state), so we hardly got off the bikes. Needless to say, the visitor center was closed. The fog got so thick so fast that we could barely find our way out of the parking lot. As we headed down, it quickly cleared, but it was a bit tricky at first with the steep road and nearly invisible turns.
It was still heavily misting when we reached the main road, continuing east. The road was now wet, but this section was relatively flat and winding. It continued this way through the intersection with the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway, where we turned south. Aside from the dampness, it was a pleasant part of the ride—until it started back uphill. At that point we started to see bicycle racers coming downhill towards us with their rain jackets on. A team out practicing, we assumed, but a wet team...not a good sign.
The road became steep and twisty once again and the rain got heavier...then it got foggy, very foggy and rainy. We crested Hogpen Gap at about 3,500 feet, crossing the Appalachian Trail again and entered a seven-mile twisty downhill stretch in dense fog. We went down with the bikes in first and second gear, barely making out the center and fog lines on the road. It was a bit tense as we were now on a regular road. Ellen led and I followed with my flashers on, hoping that any traffic from behind would see my flashing lights and Hi-Viz jacket.
Finally, we got down to Route 75, out of the fog, and turned left onto the short leg back to the campground. At this point we were quite soaked. We got back to Speedy and as a last present, the skies really opened up before we could get into the van. I hurriedly put the bikes in the trailer, we got our wet riding gear off, including the soaked-through "waterproof" boots, dashed into Speedy and turned the heater on while we changed into dry clothes.
Then the rain stopped.
It was an exciting ride...just not the one we expected.
Here are some photos from Warm Springs, Allatoona Lake, Kennesaw Mountain, Unicoi SP and today's ride
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