One of Five Corners

During the summer our riding group had the bright idea of planning a four corners trip of Georgia.  Not a bad idea until you consider the shape of the state and realize there could potentially be 5 corners.  But that is just me fussing over semantics.

The group never did get around to taking that trip.  It was either something about the weather or lack of interest or availability or something.  As interesting as it sounded I probably would not have attended because they wanted to accomplish it in 4 days.  It would have been doable, but not conducive to having fun, sightseeing and photography.  It would have been looking at the slab and dashed line all the way.

When it came time to figure out a new ride for us, you know, someplace we haven't been before, we thought the NE corner of Georgia might be a good destination. One of five corners.

Our route took us into some new territory across Tugaloo River defining the border between Georgia and South Carolina and into Westminster for a break.  We were disappointed at the lack of view or anything interesting at Tugaloo River.  It was a short-lived encounter with the river and lots of fishing boats.  Westminster was only interesting because of the people that loved to chat about the bikes and riding at the gas station.

So you ask why are we in South Carolina when we are heading for the NE corner of Georgia?  Fair question.  The Georgia town nearest the NE corner is Satolah.  And the easiest way to get there, on new roads, was to approach it from South Carolina.  Not to mention it looked like the road had some pretty good twisties to offer.

Heading north out of Westminster were lovely roads.  We did encounter some obnoxious riders that wanted to fly the road.  The first passed us unexpectedly in a no passing area running about 90 mph with the passenger in jeans and a tank top.  Par for the course here.  After that I was prepared for the second.  He did hang back for awhile and we passed him on when the coast was clear.  Last thing I want is to hold someone up that is itching to go faster than I am.  They get antsy and dangerous.

Once we turned onto Hwy 28 traffic disappeared and the twisties started in.  The roads were perfect with few cars and some tight roads. They were free of debris and the scenery was bright and green.  We were enjoying the ride so much we almost missed Satolah.  This was a town.  We were expecting at least a small convenience store or something.  Nothing.  There was nothing.  We pass the last mountain and spied a beautiful valley with a couple of farm houses and some nicely growing fields.  There were wire fences with growing vines and border trees.  There were a couple of dirt roads and not much time to take them.  So before we knew it we had passed Satolah and were well on our way to Highland, North Carolina.

We debated about turning around, but there wasn't much area to turn around in.  Our one chance was a gravel turnout where we stopped for a break.  Nah.  We could do it again, but enjoyed the thought of going forward and encountering more twisties on the way home.

Wow.  Looking back on it, it seems like a trip of "should have's".  Should have turned back to Satolah.  Should have stopped in Highlands (cool town, like Big Bear used to be).  Should have gone to Bridal Veil Falls right outside of Highlands.  At least we did turn around for our photo op with the Eastern Continental Divide.

We did hit previously ridden roads on the way home.  That means we rode through Dillard, again.  But we did not stop to partake of the buffet.  We wanted something a little more cozy and a lot cheaper.  So we stopped in Tallulah Gorge.  At a place we have been telling ourselves we will go to for years.  And now we finally have.  The food was great, the atmosphere was great.  We sat out on the wonderful screened in patio and listened to all the chatter.  The day ended nicely.

Stats: 247 miles, 6 hrs 46 minutes (including dinner), wonderful weather and good roads.  Yes.  I do need to ride WarWoman Rd.  And Yes, the watermelon was as good as it looks.