Post-GONE: Day 11

This morning there was no rain, but a dense fog alert didn’t give me any reason to rush out of the hotel. I didn’t doddle too long, as I had a full day of driving ahead of me.

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The morning was full of very scenic roads. I spent quite some time actually driving slower than the speed limit, as I checked out the old buildings. Some of the homes and barns looked very old… I’m sure my Mother would have enjoyed them all. I also learned that there are tons of Christmas Tree farms in this area!

The first fun section of road was on the way from Tennessee into North Carolina. At one point I thought about short cutting this section of road (just driving direct on US-19), but I’m really glad I didn’t. I was originally disappointed with the 40 mph speed limit, but once the first climb started… it was more than enough.

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The turns were tight and the climb was steep… much like the other drives in this area. Crossing from Tennessee into North Carolina the speed limit increased to 55 mph, at the perfect time for the descent!

While winding through the mountains, I found a spot to pull over to take a few photos.

While climbing around my car, the guard rail, etc. I determined that I really needed to use the restroom… unfortunately, I was in the middle of no where (with all the trees at the bottom of a cliff). At this point, I was yet again happy to have a 4-door car (I will spare you the details). Eventually it didn’t matter, as there were no passers-by. Given the empty roads, I decided to take some additional photos.

After the photos I got back onto the road and headed down the mountain and out onto the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Much like the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a very scenic road that slowly winds itself through the forest. There are many scenic outlooks, but today the view was completely fogged-in. The fog was actually quite thick in many places… so much that I needed to slow down just to see the road.

Yesterday I loaded a “new” tune onto my car with the attempt to stop the P2135 DTCs that I’ve been getting… well, it didn’t work. I was driving along and just like before had the car go into “limp mode”. I pulled-off into an outlook point to rest the code and to stretch my legs.

When I got out of my car I heard two guys on motorcycles start to comment (positively) on the G8. They came over to check-out the car and talk shop. One of the guys asked if it had the 6.0L V8… and his eyes grew when I said it was supercharged. The other guy mentioned that his son has been asking him to get a G8. We shared some storied from the road, and talked about great roads to drive (they kept mentioning US-421, aka. “The Snake“)

I continued to get periodic P2135 DTCs as I drove, so after lunch I decided to load another new tune onto my car. I don’t know specifically what is different with this tune, but my mechanic suggested I give it a shot. Right now we’re thinking more and more that there is something physically wrong with a sensor. I’m going to need to have things checked-out, but hopefully it can wait until I return home.

After lunch I headed back out towards the Blue Ridge Parkway. The road that I was driving on had a detour (stupid bridge closure), but I’m glad I didn’t get lost as the subsequent road was a great drive.

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This was a very technical section of road, and many of the corners were just begging for me to use 2nd gear… but again, with wet roads (and a lack of traction) 3rd gear was my only option.

Back on the Blue Ridge Parkway I found myself at it’s highest point.

I didn’t stop to take a photo (the above image was something I found on the web) because I didn’t want to wait for the group of bikers to disperse from their photo.

Today was a long day, but I decided to take my last “optional” loop. The first part was a little bumpy, but the turns were challenging. Unfortunately, I quickly found myself stuck behind a pair of motorcycles. I can understand not wanting your woman to fall-off the back of your bike, but going 15 mph under the 45 mph speed limit is just not acceptable!

The second leg of the loop was not a fun one, as the road was covered with gravel and “fresh tar”. I had to slow down, but there were a few times where I wanted to play rally driver and drift around the corners!

Yet again I had a really lucky day when it came to the weather. While there was fog, and the roads were fairly damp, I never got caught in the rain. Hopefully tomorrow the rain will hold out long enough for me to drive one of the most iconic roads in America!