Shortly after returning from my previous trip I began asking Jeff and Tad what there plans were regarding a fall trip. The initial reaction from Tad was more of what I expected to hear from Jeff, something along the lines of it's too early to make plans. Anyway, after several emergency meetings I convinced Jeff and Tad that the 3 of us should take a trip back to the Appalachians in the fall. Even though we'd been on trips together before, it had never been just the 3 of us. As Tad once said, there were many questions to answer and many miles to answer them in. The following is a recap of that trip which totaled 2587 miles in 7 days through 11 states for me.
Day 1 - October 15, 2000 (Sunday)
445 miles
Generally it is wise to get a good nights sleep before leaving on a trip. For me that was not possible to do because of a wedding I was in the night before. As if drinking at the wedding wasn't bad enough, I had this bright idea after I got home to consume a few more beers before bed. For some reason I had the Eagles Hotel California song stuck in my head, and no - it had nothing to do with being on the road. :) At any rate, Jeff and Tad meet at my place shortly before 9am. I was told to make sure the coffee was ready but despite the full pot I had ready, I was the only one drinking it.
After a few comments from the peanut gallery and a little coloring by Tad, we saddled up and hit the road. Instead of the usual route out of town and despite my weather warnings, we headed towards Champaign via I355 and Rt 47. Both roads were rather uneventful and it was a welcome change to the tri-state. Once onto Rt 47 I cruised around 60 and watched Jeff and Tad speed off in the distance, catching them only through the towns. My mind was pretty much elsewhere and just being on the bike was good enough for me this morning. Once we intersected with I74 we took that a short distance over to I57 which we took towards my almamater. We stopped for the first time shortly after getting onto 57. I was glad to finally stop for a few minutes. We had done about 2.5 hours of continuous saddle time - a little too much for me. I took advantage of the gas station delicacies and had a turkey sandwich and a Coke. (yes, I have to have my Coke!)
Jeff made a comment to me while we were stopped that had held back from doing triple digits in honor of the pass-o-mattic (a name I am sometimes referred to). Shortly after Effingham, on a well known section of 57 and with nobody around, I did a nice top gear roll-on to, well, somewhere slightly above the legal speed limit. "Maverick's re-engaging sir." :) A short time later, with Tad now in the lead we somehow got stuck between a convoy of semi's. Tad hesitated to take a pass in the right lane so I signaled and *safely* passed the semi hogging the left lane. Jeff gets credit for the first squidly move here when he somehow ended up trying to pass 2 semi's on the shoulder. Seems he didn't time his pass very well and, well, the rest is history. Thankfully we all made it by the truckers, some a little better than others.
After another hour on 57 we exited and headed south east towards Kentucky. We rode in and out of a few showers for about an hour and eventually crossed into Kentucky via the free ferry (my first BTW) at the end of Rt 1 in Illinois. Immediately after crossing in the Kentucky the scenery really started improving. We stopped after the next intersection and I had to back Jeff up for making the correct turn. Eventually we made our way onto the Trace (The Land Between The Lakes) and proceeded to find a great campground along the lake. Due to the recent time change to CST, after eating dinner (great campfire hotdogs w/ Mustard BTW), we realized it was too early to go to bed. I stayed up for a while longer enjoying the campfire before turning in.
Pictures:
The bikes on my first ferry
The Illinois shoreline as seen from the ferry
Day 2 - October 16, 2000 (Monday)
421 miles
After tossing and turning all night, morning eventually arrived and I naturally was the first up and starting boiling water for coffee. Not more than a few minutes later, I got the now standard good morning greeting from Tad. (stty erase ^H) Thankfully for all your readers, my terminal emulation was setup correctly. After not just coffee but my instant capachino, we packed up camp and were actually on the road at a reasonably early time. On the way out of the campground I stopped to pay the host despite him trying to scam us for 3 times the price. Good thing I read the sign on the way in.
It was a little brisk this morning so Jeff and I had decided to put our vests on. I was glad I had done so and casually enjoyed the morning ride through the Trace. At the end of the Trace we all meet back up and headed up the road where Mr. Breakfast found a GREAT place to eat. I of course had Biskets and Gravy (my favorite road breakfast) along with some awesome hashbrowns and coffee. Oh ya, and they even had CMT playing on the TV. Great find for sure!
After breakfast we made our way over to Rt 232 thanks to the suggestion of some locals we meet the day before. The first half of this road turned out to be great and I verified that my adrenaline pump still worked. We weren't riding at a super fast pace, but I was able to get the first peg of the trip on this road. Despite recently getting knee pucks installed on my Aerostich, they remained undamaged after this road. We continued on what was thought was still Rt 232 but the pavement really degraded. Eventually we found out we had made an unavoidable wrong turn. After a quick route correction, we intersected with Rt 13 and headed south. The scenery was very nice along this route and I couldn't believe how warm it had gotten, somewhere around 75 degrees.
At one point along route 13, with Jeff in the lead, he really hit the gas to get away from an insane dump truck driver following us too closely. I was of course cruising along in top gear when I noticed this and Tad got a good jump on trying to pass me. Unfortunately his kungfu was too weak for my VFR and after a few (ok - 3!) quick downshifts he fell back in line behind Jeff and I. Now would be a great time to mention how much I really love my VFR!
At the end of Rt 13 we stopped to regroup before turning east onto Rt 64. It was at this point that I realized my foot peg feeler was missing! Jeff pointed out that the threads were still ok so it must have vibrated out after my abuse on Rt 232 earlier today. I was actually pissed and you can bet I'll carry spares from here on out. I like having the feelers on for riding on the street so I know where the edge of my tire is. With the feelers gone, how would I know how far to lean now?
Riding across Rt 64 was kind of uninteresting to me except for the cotton fields. It had also gotten almost HOT (now 80+ degrees) and I got stuck in a few small towns that could really use some traffic engineers. We regrouped again and eventually made our way onto I24 which took us through Chattanoga around rush hour (read traffic jam). Jeff and I also had a problem with cars seeing our RED bikes. There were a handful of people that tried to merge directly into us on more than one occasion. Once safely through Chattanoga we stopped at the next grocery store to pickup some sandwiches for our second night of camping. Again, due to the recent time change we found ourselves fighting to find the campsite before the sun went down. After about 1/2 hour of searching we finally found the second campsite we looked for along Rt 30, not far from the North Carolina border. Thanks to the help of Jeff's VFR we were able to get our tents setup at our very dark (ok, it was pitch black) campsite. We all scavenged for wood, got a fire going, and enjoyed our sandwiches and a few beers before turning in for the night.
Day 3 - October 17, 2000 (Tuesday)
229 miles
After two days in a row of camping I was ready for a hotel room. I hadn't sleep very good the past few nights and immediately upon waking up I suggested we plan for a hotel this night. Tad came up with a great idea that we get a room in one of the little towns along Rt 28 near Deals Gap. We all agreed this was a great idea so we set off towards the Cherohala Scenic Skyway. The ride heading up Rt 68 towards Tellico Plains was rather "spirited" and my blood was defiantly pumping when we stopped for breakfast at Hardies. After a quick Frisco sandwich (or two for some of us), we began our crossing of the Cherohala. I purposely lagged back and let Jeff and Tad go ahead. I have some very fond memories of riding across the Cherohala and wanted to take a very casual pace and enjoy the scenery. I stopped at the first overlook and for the first time on this trip I felt completely at peace. The scenery was breath-taking, the weather a perfect sunny 70 degree's, and best of all, I was on the road with my VFR. There's just something about this area of the country that keeps drawing me back.
Sometime later (not that time mattered at all) I met back up with Jeff and Tad at the last lookout before leaving the Cherohala. I had passed them a while back and ended up having almost 30 minutes of "quiet" time before they showed up. This was just what the doctor ordered. I grabbed my bottle of water, took a seat along the ledge, and watched the world go by while I waited. I knew Jeff and Tad would eventually show up and I really didn't care if it was 5 minutes or 5 hours. I had found that state of mind I was looking for.
Next we made our way towards Rt 28 and I pulled into one of the roadside
motels. After securing a room and unloading the bikes, we relaxed for about
a 1/2 hour before I made the motion to head to Deals Gap. The bike felt
really light w/o all the luggage on and I was glad for that considering where
we were heading. As the road started to tighten up I began experimenting
with hanging off the bike and sticking my knee out. I quickly realized that
Jeff and Tad were not completely crazy and that the bike actually felt very
good going through the corners while hung off. In fact, I felt like I was
actually riding at a slower pace than normal. Then it happened. Around a
tight uphill assisted left hander I felt a very small scrap on my knee
puck. I was obviously excited and couldn't wait to get to TWO to tell
Jeff and Tad. (they were somewhere ahead of me at this point) A couple dozen
corners later and I got a more substantial 2nd knee drag before pulling
into TWO. When I got my helmet off, I just smiled and Jeff asked me, "Ok,
how many?" (referring to foot pegs) I responded with "none" and told him
that either he or Tad had just won a dollar. You see, Jeff and Tad like to make
these little 1 dollar bets about, well, almost anything. After a little
visual inspection of my puck and checking out the Deals Gap store, I saddled
up and began my first run through the Dragon.
In case you're new to this, the Dragon is a stretch of road that I still wonder why it was ever built. There are 318 wonderful corners in 11 miles and is motorcyclists dream come true. At the other end of the gap, after riding the second half with Tad, we pulled over and waited for Jeff. If anyone needed some adrenaline, I'm sure we all could have spared some. After a short break, I saddled back up and began pass #2. This time through I pretty much left the VFR in 2nd gear the entire time and concentrated more on holding my speed through the corners. This run through was much better than the first and I was really into the riding this afternoon. My VFR and I had become one and everything just seemed right. As Jeff would say, it felt good to be leaned over. Once safely back to TWO we all grabbed something to drink and hung out for a while chatting with other bikers before making another pass. I also took a quick look at my Sigma and found my average speed through was 39 mph with a top speed of about 49. Not bad.
With Jeff in the lead we began another assault of the Dragon. We were all riding great and well within our limits I believe. Jeff set a good pace and once again we had a very safe ride through. It was on this pass that I got my next few knees down and a couple of right foot pegs. I was really happy with my riding this day and it was a great day to be on the road. We stopped this time through at Calderwood and again after a short break we began our return pass - this time with Tad in the lead. I really enjoyed this run also and had fun riding behind Tad for most of the run until he waived me by. For being self taught and coming from the land of "11 turns in 318 miles" I was very happy with my riding compared to just a few years ago. I kind of criticized Jeff and Tad for their attitude about dragging stuff on the road, but I will admit, there are a few roads, such as the Dragon, where this kind of riding can be done safely. It's not always about riding hard when we're on the road, but today was one of those days. Once back to the hotel I thanked my VFR, kissed her rear tire, and proceeded to take a much needed shower before we headed out for dinner. After dinner I pretty much crashed immediately. Man, it felt good to be in a bed as opposed to laying on the ground.
Pictures:
One of my favorite views from the Cherohola
The same place, looking down the road
At the end of the Cherohola
My bike lost somewhere amongst 318 turns
Woaa, there goes Tad
He went that way.... after him
The Deals Gap sign nicely decorated for Halloween
How many times to I need to take this picture?
Three bikes that challenged the Dragon - and Won!
Day 4 - October 18, 2000 (Wednesday)
291 miles
We all knew what this day would entail - the Blue Ridge Parkway. I know both Jeff and Tad really enjoy this road, but this was probably the part of the trip that I was looking forward to the most. There is just something about the BRP that puts my mind into a state of, well, I don't know. I am just able to really let go on the Blue Ridge parkway. For this trip, we planned to ride from start to finish, some almost 500 miles. The first 50 miles of the Parkway were new to me this year. While I did enjoy them, my mind was still focused on the previous days riding and I found myself not relaxing initially. There was also a lot of traffic this morning so I found myself passing more cars than I wanted to. Sitting here writing this trip report almost a month later thinking about the BRP still puts a smile on my face. I have to say that it is probably my favorite road yet.
Jeff and I alternated leads for a while, but eventually we all spread
out. The only plan we had made was to meet at the base of Mt. Mitchell. So
with 100 miles of beautiful scenery to go, I set the cruise around 50 and sat
back and enjoyed the ride. A short number of miles later and I was already
thinking (with 450 miles still to go) that I didn't want to get off this road
and feared the end would come to soon. To say that I enjoyed the mornings ride
is probably an understatement. We eventually all met at Mt. Mitchell after
Tad blew by me despite me flagging him down at the visitors center. We
must have all been riding and stopping about the same (or the math worked
out anyway) because Jeff showed up about 10 minutes later. We decided to
skip going up Mt. Mitchell because of the fog, and pressed on to Little
Switzerland were we stopped for gas after a (begin encryption)ride down
Rt 226A(end encryption).
Once back onto the BRP, we continued north another 100 miles to Doughton Park. It was already getting late so we decided to get a campsite here for the night. Jeff and Tad went ahead, found a site they liked, and we setup the tents before going for dinner. It turned out there was a great little restaurant right on the BRP about 2 miles back from our campsite. I enjoyed a wonderful meatloaf dinner and then we picked up some firewood and water before heading back to camp. It was supposed to get pretty cold this night so Tad stoked up a good size fire. While he was getting the fire going, I stood back and then it really hit me. I could hardly believe that I was standing in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains at this moment. Looking up at the Milky Way (which was very visible away from the city lights) I had the feeling of being the smallest person on the planet. I mean here I was, just one person, standing amongst millions of acres of forests. It really hit me hard and I felt very lucky to be here. I sat around the fire for a while before turning in for the night, mostly because I was getting cold.
Pictures:
Heading up the Blue Ridge Parkway
A nice overloook along the BRP with nice fall colors
Day 5 - October 19, 2000 (Thursday)
300 miles
Despite the 35 degree overnight temps, I awoke this morning only slightly chilled. Now almost a ritual, I started boiling water and was pouring my first cup of coffee about the time Jeff and Tad got up. Jeff emerged from his tent looking like he was ready to travel across Antarctica. Many layers was his method for keeping warm and it seemed to work for him. After packing up camp and putting on the electrics, we jumped back onto the BRP and continued north.
A short time later I made my first stop at the outlook to the right.
Despite the cool temps, I was already really enjoying the morning ride. I
stood at the outlook for a while trying to take in as much of the scenery
as possible before continuing on. After a couple more hours of riding and
stopping, generally just taking my time, I arrived at Marby Mill. Initially
I didn't see Jeff and Tad (we had plans to meet here), so I rode around to
the reserve parking to see if they were there since the Mill parking lot
was jammed full. After another 15 minutes of waiting and a pass through the
restaurant just in case, I figured they had seen the huge crowed and decided
to press on. I really didn't care, but I figured I would backtrack a few
miles for gas just to make sure. At the gas station, realizing it was almost
11am already, I grabbed a sandwich since it didn't look good for having
breakfast this morning. With both the VFR and my stomach now full, I headed
back north only to find Tad and Jeff at the Mill. Keeping in mind how Tad
is when it comes to breakfast, it didn't surprise me that he was pissed that
I had eaten. With my slow pace for the morning and already having waited 30
minutes or more I was sure you guys were ahead of me. At any rate, we forged
on and then Jeff and Tad cutoff the BRP at the next intersection in search
of food.
With 200 miles of the BRP left, I was perfectly content just sitting back
and enjoying the ride. And enjoy the ride I did. I'm struggling with what
to write here because it was all so great! I stopped several times along the
way including one extended stop to watch the world go by for a while. Before I
knew it, I noticed the mile marker signs were getting very small too quickly.
After 500 miles of the BRP, I wasn't ready to leave yet. I arrived first at the
last outlook and planted myself on the ground while I waited for Jeff and Tad.
My mind was definitely gone at this point and I had found that peaceful easy
feeling I was searching for. Thank you BRP. "Hope to see you again soon."
After entertaining the thought of turning around and riding the BRP south 500 miles, we stopped for the pretty maids in a row pictures, said our goodbyes, then headed (rapidly according to some of our spedos) towards Harrisonburg via the interstate. I pulled over to the side of the road hoping to figure out what everyone wanted to do for a hotel but Tad and Jeff didn't stop. I got the feeling they didn't want my opinion anyway so I just followed as we spent the next 30 minutes looking for a hotel. Eventually we ended up in a Shoney's Inn and I volunteered for floor duty this night. After a 'dude - you stink' shower by Tad we headed out for dinner. I knew immediately upon pulling into this town where Tad would be eating so rather than arguing about it, I decided to go my own way for dinner. After some much needed (and very good) Mexican food I walked up to the Steak place and had a beer with Jeff and Tad while they finished eating. After dinner we had a few more beers in the hot tub before turning in for the night.
Pictures:
Marby Mill
Enjoying the view at the end of the BRP
Pretty maids all in a row
Day 6 - October 20, 2000 (Friday)
307 miles
Ok, who's idea of a sick joke is this? The hotel floor really sucked for sleeping on. I might have gotten maybe 2 hours of sleep. Oh well, nothing a little capachino can't fix. :) With the bikes packed we made our way through town on Rt. 33. Tad and I had come through here on my first trip and I had fond memories of this road and was looking forward to the morning ride. In no time at all the road started to tighten up as we approached the WV border. After waking myself up through the first corner, I re-engaged and had a blast through the 25 mph switch backs up the mountain. I was really making the VFR work this morning and she answered all of my requests without any hesitation. Man, I love this bike! Once through the first section of twisties, we stopped at the next town for breakfast were Jeff and I had the worst B&G ever. (who uses brown gravy anyway?) After a couple more cups of coffee I felt ready for the rest of the ride on 33 to Elkins. We decided to meet just up the road at Germany outlook. Tad had to stop for some air in his tire so Jeff and I went ahead.
I was in the lead and in no time Jeff and I found ourselves back into some great twisty roads. I was now completely awake and was really having fun on this road. I wasn't riding a super fast pace, but then again we weren't stopping to pick daisy's either. The pavement was really clean and the road offered a variety of corners to carve. Then, on a slight downhill, left handed, almost carousel type of corner, I dropped my knee to the ground slightly before the apex and solidly dragged it all the way through the corner. I was grinning ear to ear in my helmet. Man, what a rush. Everything just felt so right about that corner. :) At the next outlook Jeff complemented me on 'the best knee down he's seen yet.' Thanks man. Once my adrenaline wore off and Tad caught up, we continued the rest of the way to Elkins.
After filling up with gas in Elkins we headed north into Maryland. This was my first time in Maryland and my initial thoughts were that life seemed a lot simpler here. Continuing up Rt 219 we eventually crossed into Pennsylvania but not before stopping for a BFS. Tad had warned us that Pennsylvania was a nice state to ride through as long as you totally disregard the speed limits. He was right. Roads that I thought should have been marked 50 were sometimes posted at 35. With Jeff and I alternating leads we spent what seemed like the better part of the afternoon in PN before crossing back down into WV. I wasn't overly impressed by PN and was glad to be back into WV.
Looking at the map we decided to make our way west on Rt 7 over to New Martinsville for the night. Jeff took the lead and a short time later I was pleasantly surprised when the twisty road signs started to appear. About this time Jeff had gotten held up by a few cars and the pass-o-mattic (me) was getting impatient. I had the line from Top Gun going through my head when Maverick said "$($# #$(#$% I could take the shot from right here. Engage or come off my wing." I wasn't sure what Jeff was waiting for so I decided to take the pass myself from 2nd position. After getting by Jeff I focused my attention back to the road which had really gotten twisty now. After about 10 minutes I noticed a bike closing fast behind me. It was Jeff and I could tell he was no happy with my passing antics. For the next 15 miles Jeff basically stayed right on my wing even through the corners knowing full well that I didn't like people riding that close to me. I guess he was trying to pay me back for that pass I made. Eventually Jeff returned the favor and double passed me and another car before we reached the next town. I was glad that Jeff passed me and at the same time disappointed in myself that I let him push me like that.
After getting declined at the first hotel we stopped at, we found another roadside motel and ended up in a room with 4 beds. With not much to choose from for food choices we ended up ordering Pizza Hut for dinner. I attempted to eat a few pieces before resorting to my leftover BFS from Maryland. Yuck! Then, according to Jeff and Tad, I kind of passed out while watching Die Hard on TV. Hey - I was tired ok!
Pictures:
Germany Valley, WV
Wow, what a nice road (cough-cough)
Day 7 - October 21, 2000 (Saturday)
594 miles
After my best night of sleeping since leaving home I awoke very refreshed and ready for the days ride home. After packing up the bikes one last time we crossed into Ohio and traced the route along the river before turning inland on a road that Jeff suggested. We ended up missing our turn (unavoidable) and after about an hour of peaceful Ohio countryside riding ended up in the town of Marietta. A few laps through town were required before we finally found a place to eat breakfast. After breakfast we said our goodbyes and all headed off our separate way. Tad was planning on staying out another day and Jeff was going to take a less direct route home. I decided to head north up to I70 which I planned to take west to Indianapolis. After waiving to the officers in the plane above (WI isn't the only state that uses airplane stings) and stopping for some tacos I eventually crossed into Indiana and from there didn't need any maps to find my way home. I ended up getting home about 7pm after stopping twice along I65 - once to change to my clear shield for the first time of the trip, and a second time to put my electric vest on (it got cold quick once the sun went down). I really enjoyed the days ride despite most of it being spent on the interstate. It gave me a chance to reflect on the week that I had just spent on the road.
Pictures:
A stop along Rt 65 in Indiana
Summary:
Wow, where do I begin. I guess the first thing I should say is thanks to Jeff and Tad for taking this trip with me. I truly enjoyed our time on the road together. I know we've been going down to the Appalachia's for for 3 years in a row now, but for the first time this year I finally saw them. I've been kind of struggling with what I'm looking for on road trips and I really needed this trip to figure some things out. What I am slowing learning is that you've just got to let it all go. (ya, I know that's from the Matrix but it's true). The last 200 miles of the BRP were absolutely amazing for me this year. I've been trying to write this conclusion for a while now and I still can't seem to get this down on paper the way I want to. Tad and Jeff have shown me a lot of things over the past few years, but again to quote from the Matrix, they can only show me the door - I have to walk through it. For the first time since I began taking these trips I believe I found that door. In fact, I know it's different, but I enjoyed this years ride more than the first time through this area.
We did some great riding on this trip, and to keep with tradition, I got "jiggy" with it a bit. The more I ride my VFR the more I realize how much I love that bike. Despite all the talk I do about wanting 929s, 996s, etc, the VFR is really the perfect bike for me. Where I go from here is unknown at this point. I know taking trips is something I want to continue to do. Thanks again guys for letting me share the time with you on the road. "This is how I will remember the BRP this winter."
Links:
All of my photos on one page
My homepage
Tad's report
