9:00 AM - Longwood, FL

Our journey begins the morning of 16 August 2008, Saturday, whenever we finally have everything packed onto the bikes and are ready to go. Having already had breakfast, we won't need to stop until lunchtime for food, perhaps sooner for fuel. Williston, FL - 85 miles or about 2 hours away. Newberry, FL is another 20 miles or half an hour down the road, due west of Gainesville, FL.

11:30 - 12:00 AM - Williston, FL

Williston has some antique shops we could browse and kill some time waiting for lunch, or better yet, walking it off. The Ivy House, a popular restaurant in Williston, draws visitors from all over the region and features an antique-laden décor. If we left at 9:00 AM it's only around 11:30 AM. Let's say noon if we really fall in love with the place.

 1:30 - 2:00 PM - Lake City, FL

Leaving from Williston we head north on US41 and join US441 to Lake City, FL, the last stop before Georgia. It's about 60 miles or another 90 minutes up the road. We should stop for fuel here too, around 1:30 PM. The closest town with anything going on is Homerville, GA, nearly 70 miles from Lake City or an hour and 40 minutes away. Maybe we'll stop at the DQ? Filling up in Lake City gives us (or at least me) the range to make it there without having to stop.

 3:15 - 3:45 PM - Homerville, GA

It's getting to be 3:15 PM or so. We have another hour to our destination, Douglas, GA. and a few minutes from there to the state park. So sometime between 4:30 and 5:00 PM we have dinner and put in for the evening, roughly an eight hour day and a total distance of 250 miles travelled.

 4:30 - 5:00 PM - Douglas, GA

Day Two

 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Douglas, GA

Ahhh... relaxed and refreshed from a good night's sleep in the cabin we awake to nothing in particular we must do. The mandatory two night stay means we can explore the area and Waycross, about an hour away, or just kick back and put our feet up and relax and do nothing. In any case, we'll need to fuel up before we go anywhere and upon our return for the evening.

Day Three

 9:00 AM - Douglas, GA

Back in the saddle after 'striking camp', we head north toward McRae and Dublin, GA. Do we stop for breakfast or have it before we leave? Dublin is over 75 miles or slightly less than two hours away. We should probably fuel up there since the next town, Milledgeville, is just outside my range. So it's around 11:00 AM in Dublin and we're on our way to Madison, another 90 miles or about two hours 20 minutes away. That puts us there around 1:30 PM and we still haven't had lunch.

11:00 - 11:30 AM - Dublin, GA

Maybe we should stop in Milledgeville for lunch since we'll be passing through there around noonish. Still looking for a restaurant... That way when we get to Madison we can visit the microcar museum for an hour, fuel up and get back on the road around 2:45 PM or so. From Madison it's only about another 80 miles or two hours of travel to Clarkesville.

 1:00 - 1:30 PM - Madison, GA

In about 30 miles or 45 minutes we bypass Athens, say 3:30ish, and head towards Commerce, another 20 miles or half an hour up the road. Cornelia awaits another 25 miles or 35 minutes away. We're within 10 miles of our destination of Clarkesville at around 4:30 PM so we have time to explore Cornelia and Demorest before we get there. Total distance of another 250 miles travelled and another 8 hours on the road.

 4:30 - 5:00 PM - Clarkesville, GA

Day Four

 9:00 AM - Clarkesville, GA

When we get up we can take our time about breakfast, take the Walking Tour, get packed up and on our way to Tallulah Falls, less than 15 miles or about 20 minutes up the road, say around 10:30 AM or so. We'll park and walk (hike?) the falls, all five, in staircase fashion. We're just a stone's throw from South Carolina, about 2 - 3 miles east of us.

10:30 - 11:30 AM - Tallulah Falls, GA

Once we mount up, we'll take the Old GA-441 to Dillard, following the Tallulah Gorge. It's only about 20 miles or 30 minutes to Dillard House for lunch. So let's say we take our time and it's around 1:00 PM now, we still have the rest of the day to go and do and explore.

12:00 - 1:00 PM - Dillard, GA - Lunch

 1:30 - 2:00 PM - Franklin, NC

It only another 15 miles or 25 minutes to Franklin which would put us there around 1:30 PM. We could hang out here and explore a bit or continue on to Cherokee, Bryson City, Maggie Valley or Fontana Village. But where? I'm through agonizing over this! I vote we go to Fontana Village, get settled in, then go explore from there.

 2:30 - 3:00 PM - Fontana Village, NC

It's a little over 45 miles or a little over an hour on the Hellbender 28 to Fontana Village, if we don't hang around in Franklin too long, so it's around 2:30 PM, say 3:00 PM at the latest.

Day Five

 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM - Fontana Village, NC

We can take our time getting up and getting moving, today we ride the dragon! A short jaunt out the remainder of the Hellbender puts us at US129, on our way to the tail of the dragon, just across the North Carolina - Tennessee border.

Day Six

 9:00 AM - Fontana Village, NC

10:00 AM - Bryson City, NC

10:30 AM - 3:30 PM - GSMR

 5:00 PM - Bryson City, NC

Day Seven

 9:00 AM - Bryson City, NC

 5:00 PM - Dublin, GA

Day Eight

 9:00 AM - Dublin, GA

 5:00 PM - Longwood, FL

Day Nine

Recover in our own home.