Fall has arrived. The morning weather was very cool requiring jackets on everyone. The sky was cloudy and threatened rain, but the forecast was for a beautiful day.

It almost turned out to be a stag ride, but thanks to Teresa showing up, the testosterone was kept in check and the ten guys that showed up all acted civil and managed to have a great time.

Happily the forecasters were right this time and it turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun was out, the sky was deep blue accented by white puffs of clouds. The temperature was perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. All in all, it couldn't get much better.

We left Atlanta Motor World and headed north. The ride was great, taking mostly surface streets and two lane roads with just a little I-575 thrown in. There was some light color in the trees as we made our way toward Tellico Plains, but everything was still pretty green. We made one short stop for a break along the way and arrived in Tellico Plains in time for lunch.

There is not a lot to choose from in restaurants there. We decided on Tellicafe and had some great food topped off by excellent service. Everyone got their fill and we headed back out. We made a quick fuel stop before setting out on the skyway.

The ride across the Cherohala Skyway was beautiful. It is a great road. The tree color on the Tennessee side of the mountain was colorful but not quite at peak. We made a stop at one of the scenic lookouts and took some pictures. Getting back on the road, we shortly crossed over into North Carolina and it was like someone flipped a switch. The trees were much more colorful with multi hued red, orange and yellows.

It all ended too soon and before we knew it we were off the skyway. After riding a ways we made a stop and plotted our way home. We mostly stayed together as a group most of the way home with a few splitting off at the appropriate locations. The ride home was nice as well and we managed to ride some of the best roads in the state, getting maximum twisties and scenery all at the same time.

This would be the last really long ride of the year as cooler weather is rapidly approaching along with the holiday season. It was a great ride. The most color we have seen in the mountains on a ride in years.

We still have plenty planned for the remainder of the year, so be sure to show up for our planned rides. We will be hitting some local eateries. Best of all we get to spend time with our Star family. So make sure you plan to attend some of the rides and the Christmas Party.

Attending:

Doug Turco & Teresa Turco
Gary Kohl
Preston Howard
Malon Metz
Jason Banister
Rick Curtis
Rick Cothran
Marty Howard
Georges Tacquet
Jeff Merry