We rolled out from the Copperhead Lodge at 8:05 a.m. It was a frigid 36 degrees and I was very thankful for modern riding gear and some hand-warmer pouches tucked inside my gloves. We were headed into Blairsville for breakfast at one of the local eateries because the Copperhead's restaurant is closed on Mondays. Later in the day we were scheduled to meet a local businessman who was going to give us a tour of more local roads.
Eddie's bike, Battlestar Galactica, had developed a starting issue late in the day on Sunday. As the day wore on the problem became more pronounced, to the point that push starts were required to get him underway. So, part of today's agenda included finding a shop where Eddie could get a new battery installed in his bike.
Breakfast was at a place right on the town square in Blairsville called "Hole-in-the-Wall". We had been steered here by some friendly locals working at the Copperhead. The recommendation was spot-on; the Hole-in-the-Wall proved to be a great place for breakfast. The fact that this restaurant served quality country ham, red eye gravy, and oven-fresh biscuits made Eddie especially happy. The restaurant was also located across the street from a historic courthouse with great architecture, so Mr. Sarcasm and I got to turn our breakfast stop into a nice photo op as well.
After breakfast and a quick push-start of Eddie's bike, we were off in search of that new battery. We got some recommendations on places to get a motorcycle battery, but chasing them down proved to be a series of dead ends. One of the last pieces of advice we got was to head up US 129 to a place called the Biker Barn, so we chased that lead as well.
Riding about seven miles north of town we found the Biker Barn without any trouble. I went in and asked the friendly guy at the counter if they had any batteries available and was told that he had just sold his last battery of the season the week prior. I thanked the guy for his time and turned to leave, but I guess the chagrined look on my face was too much for him. This guy told me about a place back in Blairsville -- Union Powersports -- that might be open and would be our best bet for finding a battery.
Taking the guy at Biker Barn's advice, we rode back into Blairsville and found Union Powersports, where Eddie was able to secure a new battery and installation services. Now, for those of you that don't know any better, buying a new battery is not just a matter of taking it off the shelf and bolting it in place of the old one. New batteries have to be conditioned and charged a certain way to make them ready for installation. In the case of Eddie's new battery it was going to be a two-hour job, so Mr. Sarcasm and I left Eddie at the shop while we continued to ride. Besides, we had a noon appointment to meet up with our tour guide back at the Copperhead Lodge.
Leaving Eddie at the shop, Mr. Sarcasm and I got in a bit of riding on some of the backroads south of Blairsville. We also managed to toss in another run on Wolf Pen Gap Road before winding our way back to our scheduled rendezvous.
Pulling into the parking area at the Copperhead Lodge I spotted a single motorcycle and rider parked under the canopy. Since the Copperhead was closed, it was a pretty good bet that this was our guy. But something about the man before me was strangely familiar. It seemed that I had seen this guy somewhere before. And that's when it hit me: this was the same guy I had talked to earlier in the morning up at the Biker Barn. And, yes, he was our tour guide for the day.
It turned out that this man was Brad Betters, owner of the Biker Barn and good friend of the owners of the Copperhead Lodge. Brad, as I soon learned, was also the architect of the route dubbed "The Gauntlet". Brad explained that Michelle Evans, co-owner of the Copperhead along with her husband, got worn out having to hand-draw routes and maps for visitors to the lodge. Michelle's desire to simplify the routing process for guests resulted in her teaming up with Brad to come up with a route that they could package, promote, and share with guests and visitors to the Copperhead and cooperating businesses such as the Biker Barn. So, Brad used his knowledge of the area to design the route and Michelle came up with the name, produced the maps, and started the promotional campaign for "The Gauntlet".
Before heading out for a guided ride with Brad, we checked in on Eddie and learned that the new battery had not solved his problem and the shop now suspected that it was a bad starter causing all of the problems. The shop was having a new starter overnighted for installation the next day and that meant that Eddie was off the riding circuit until that repair could be made. The great folks at Union Powersports had agreed to deliver Eddie back to the Copperhead where he would resign himself to a slow day of hanging out in the cabin.
With Eddie's status settled, Brad, Mr. Sarcasm, and I headed out for our ride.
Brad took us a bit farther north before turning us southward on GA 60 where we largely covered the same ground we had traversed the day before. At Suches we continued south on GA 60 down to where it intersects with US 19 at an old Indian grave site called the "Stone Pile". From there we made our way over to GA 348 where I got in some photo passes for an article I was tasked with writing for Born to Ride Magazine.
We ended the day with some more backroad riding south and east of Blairsville before calling it a day and saying farewell to Brad Betters. Parting company with Brad, Mr. Sarcasm and I headed into town to find the Walmart as we were under orders from Eddie to bring back vittles for grilling. And that's just what we did.
We arrived back at the cabin right at 5 p.m., with 183 miles of riding under our belts. Eddie took our groceries and converted them into a delicious grilled meal of country-style spare ribs and potatoes. Of course there was a smattering of beer and whiskey to wash it all down and to keep the conversation running.
Eddie brought us up to speed on his bike and let us know that the folks over at Union Powersports had promised to have the job done by 4 p.m. the next day. That information was a mix of good and bad news: on the good side, Eddie's bike would get fixed. On the bad side, Eddie was going to miss another day of riding. Such are the travails of motorcycle travel and there's not much to do except grin and bear it.
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