FCR 2005 – (Bob’s “dumb” trip)

I dedicate this trip (and tune) to my son - who taught me:

    a.    how to be on the road

b.    what being on the road really means

Thank you Son

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   My favorite picture of the trip:

This report covers the Fall Color Run to the Appalachian Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway tour.

Yes, I’ve done it more than once before, but each trip to the BRP with my son is an adventure I look forward to.  The building excitement before this trip was no exception.  I think, however, I will NEVER learn how to pack lightly.  On a night just before departure, my son stopped by (to show of his new wax job on his VFR) and I was complaining how “stuffed” my saddle bags were, despite the fact we were NOT camping on this trip so all that gear could stay home.

Hearing my complaint, he dismounted his rig after already “helmeting up” to depart for home, and quickly “unpacked” my tool bag, carefully pointing out to me how I really didn’t need all that “junk”.  I have come a long way, just not far enough.  (On my very first ride with him, I was even packing a spare oil filter.  Oh boy….embarrassing.)

Ok, mark that:  #1 “dumb in front of my son”

I kept thinking how a friend (Tad G) went on a 3 week trip to Alaska, literally, I think with the clothes on his back, riding an off/road dirt bike.

But, I was Ready.

We were really anticipating lots of fall colors, seeing the Weather channel “Fall Foliage report” was showing near peak conditions along the Appalachians.  Weather conditions were expected to be really great with a big high pressure approaching us from the west.

Day 1 – Saturday, Oct 15

We opted for breakfast at the Steamplant prior to departure, so I left my rig in Chad’s garage and we went to eat.  This good breakfast should hold us and give us “needed energy”.  At least that was a good excuse to chow down some eggs.  Seems as it is somewhat of a tradition anyway, promoted heavily by Tad at Stooges.

After chowing, we hit the road, hoping to cover 500+ miles on the first day.  I tried not to drink to much coffee seeing our first stop is traditionally exit 174 on 74 for gas and a snack.  By the way, did I mention the weather was clear blue sky, bright sunlight, hardly any wind, and temps that rose from 45 to near 60 during this stretch?  Nice!

After fueling up (and a “light” snack), we headed onward.  Hwy 74 took us from Illinois into Indiana, around Indianapolis, around Cincinnati and downward into Kentucky, following rt. 8 along the Ohio river.  Nice road by the way, newly paved.  Now this is weird.  We lodged in Maysville, Ky, in the same motel we stayed in 3 years ago after I crashed my ST and broke my shoulder.  No kidding, we did not ask, but ended up in what both of us think was the exact same room. I thought it might freak me out, but I was cool with it all.  I had felt good about covering 506 miles for the day. 

We were both needing a good meal, so ended up at (the same) tumbleweeds across from the motel.  If anyone ever travels with my son, you can always be assured there will be good eats within walking distance from the motel (since we adhere to the don’t drink and drive on 2 wheels rule) 

Heck, it is about all I can handle to just locate lodging.  His brain is multitasking way ahead of mine, keeping the “eats” in mind when searching out the bed to rest our bones.

Day 2

As usual, I cannot sleep in, so I got up early as usual.  I had advised Chad to not worry about it, since I could use the morning solitude for bible study anyway.  We capitalized on motel breakfasts whenever possible, so after consuming some cereal and toast, we suited up and hit the road.  It was still a little early, and hit a light morning fog.  The temps were colder than expected so we both needed to stop and change into warmer gloves.  Chad put me in the lead, and it wasn’t long before the sights warranted pictures.  I pulled over and we shot some pixs of some beautiful scenery.  (pictures are un-edited, just shrunk.  Check out the blue sky)

Onward, CRT took the lead and down the road a piece, turned off on a side road.  He had spotted a cool bridge, which we crossed and then worked our way down a “one car wide” road attempting to get down to the river.  After discovering it was actually a drive down to a private house, we opted to turn around.

#2  “Dumb in front of my son”.

Don’t ask me how, but in turning around, I let the rear wheel get to far off the road and with a ditch and wet tall grass, I was rolling backwards.  My eyes must have been as big as saucers, because when I was getting myself stuck, I couldn’t remember if the ditch was a small one or a cliff dropoff.  Now MY brain went into overdrive multitasking, and I was wondering if I needed to abandon ship if the bike kept sliding backwards.  Luckily, it was a small ditch and the bike stopped.  I saw Chad already dismounting to come give me a push.   Once back on solid ground, we unhelmeted to take some shots.

My tire after spinning the wheel trying to get out of the grassy, muddy ditch.  (not to bad)

Two bikes down along the river on that single lane road.  That’s the bridge we came across.

Just down the road a piece more (10 minutes), we hit another previously visited sights, and well, I just had to take another picture………… just because the sky was so blue.

After riding a bit further, Chad pulled off into a picnic area (North Bend – Monongahela National Forest), for a pit stop.  We were both very hungry, and wondering if we would need to enjoy a serviceman’s lunch (cheesy peanut butter crackers and water)

A family was just finishing up picnicking and the smell of their warm pizza hit us simultaneously.  Thought waves crashed midway between us and Chad set foot to talk to them.  After asking if he could possibly buy a couple pieces of their leftover pizza, the kind woman said we could just have it.  We both thanked her at least 5 times.  We inhaled two pieces each and I stopped to silently thank God for the eats and his planning on how he would feed us!

The Pizza stop:

After riding and stopping and taking pictures, and riding and stopping and taking pictures,

Shenandoah mountain pass

We ended up the day with 389 miles at Stoughton, West Virginia.  This is somewhat of a pre-planned set-up to yield a short ride to the beginning of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the morning.

Day 3

Although Day 3 is the start of the BRP, I honestly cannot focus all the trips attention just to it.  Day 1 and 2 getting here has been tremendous!  I can truely say riding has been very comfortable and I felt really good about my (cornering) abilities.  Ever since my crash, I've been working toward a proper confidence level.  In reality, after installing a new rear shock, I have been now riding at a level better than I have ever ridden.

The weather again blessed us with pure blue skys (for the entire day) and very nice temps (in the 70's).  As is tradition, Chad and I stopped for the "pretty maids" picture before we headed out solo to enjoy the solitude of the day on the BRP.

I don't know who that guy is that looks like the Pillsbury doughboy, but I can assure you I'm not overweight.  I had on 3 layers under the coat since the morning did start out cool.  Anyway, the smiles on our faces and the warm sun on our face told us it was gonna be a good one.

Anyway, this is about the hardest part of a trip report.  Sorting out what pictures to include.  It is so easy to go overboard with a digital camera. 

Just a "piece down the road" is a familiar sight I thoroughly enjoy and wonder what it would be like to live there, enjoying that splendor year round.

Right around mile marker 75 (Terrapin Mountain overlook), I had to once again do something dumb.  Chad had already pulled off into an outlook.  While pulling into the overlook and parking behind his rig, I got a little to close to the edge bricks and very lightly scraped my front brake rotor on the stone.  It must have sounded horrible to him, based on the expression and staring at my rotor.  I could hardly see any marks on it, but, once again, dumb Bob strikes. :-(

So, this is my dumb in front of my son #3.  Ok, I get it now.  Lets be dumb once a day.  What makes me mad is that I always wait to do it in front of him.  You can check out the perfect setup for the interference in the picture below.

Are we having fun???  Judge for yourself.  Looks to me like someone is having WAY to much fun in the sun.  Hmmmm, doesn't Alan Jackson address "To much fun"?:

So far on the trip, we have seen very beautiful color............Green!  So, at Little Glade pond, (after CRT pointed out the little stream, thank you), I couldn't resist a picture (or 2)

So, those were the last shots of today's riding.  We exited the parkway and found lodging and good eats in Boone, North Carolina.  We had excellent food at Sagebrush Steakhouse.  Miles for the day totaled 320.  Also, I can wait no longer to say how very much I enjoyed the dinners after riding with my Son.  We enjoyed some very nice conversations and it was truly pleasant!

Day 4

I enjoyed some really nice quiet time this morning in God's word while waiting for #1 son to get up and going.  Today, the angel that rides with me, gave me some great help after leaving the parkway.

Today, we set out to enjoy the remainder of the parkway.  It is 480 miles long and we had consumed 290 of it already the day before.  Sooo, off to more riding and enjoyment.  As I turned the bend to open up on Linn Cove, I was surprised to see all the leaves had dropped there.  This was a really weird FCR.  To this point, all the mountains east and west of the BRP were 95% totally green.  Then, this one spot (which, by the way we have seen in all of Gods splendor) was grey.  Despite the grey, it was still beautiful to me.  You can catch another picture of it in full color in one of my other trip reports.

Linn cove in grey:

Off to another stopping point to view Mt. Mitchell:

More riding and some really nice camera shots. 

Sorry for #4 Dumb in front of my Son.  I thought I had passed him, and so I pulled off to take his picture.  After waiting for over 30 minutes for him to ride by, I realized I must have goofed and headed down the road again.  He had stopped not even a mile up the road at another pull-off with the same intentions of taking a picture of me on the ST.  I know I caused worry, and again, very sorry for the mix-up.  I was getting bored waiting for him to show and snapped a flower pix:

When I passed mile marker 35, I was suddenly very sad, telling myself to slow down, cause it would soon be over.  Our plan was to meet at the last outlook on the parkway, which is Big Witch outlook.  When I pulled in (ahead of Chad), I dismounted and walked back to the road to catch a picture of Chad as he arrived.  Glancing at my bike, I could tell something was wrong.  She was sagging pretty bad in the rear.  Yup, you got it, a flat tire.  It was a scary thought, being on top of a mountain with a flat, but with proper planning, things went fine.  I'll make a long story short here, in that my onboard "Plugger" did an excellent job plugging the hole, and when the CO2 cartridges seemed futile, we asked a  man who was with is family in a van if he had an air pump.  He did and helped with the air situation to pump me back up.  After trying to pay him for his kindness, he reached for, and shook my hand, stating NO, this is what God wants us to do.  Help each other!  We hugged and I could have cried at God's help, through him, for me.

Flat at Big Witch:

After the parkway ends, it is usually some pretty hairy roads (tight twistys) and this is where I REALLY felt God's presence.  It seemed like every time I encountered some  "scary" tight curves (to me anyway), there always seemed to be a car in front of me.  I KNOW it was an intentional pace car to slow me down and guide me through safely!  On one occasion, a SUV eventually pulled over and the driver waved me to pass.  I was hesitant to pass, but did anyway, only to find Chad stopped around the next bend, where the road straightened out for the remainder of the ride.

This day would have us traveling only 230 miles, but it was Glorious!  We lodged in Franklyn, NC.  I had to take a picture of the mountains in the distance, even thought the foreground Blimpie sub store was not very picturesque.  (Yes, we had Blimpie fast food for dinner)

Day 5

This morning, there was some heavy fog.  So, in waiting for it to lift, we had quite some conversations with other motorcycle riders that had also lodged there.  We got some splendid instructions on how to get out of Franklin.  If you're ever in the vicinity, Wayah road, west  out of Franklin is a "not to miss".  Just look at the shots we HAD to stop at to take pictures:

The road behind us..........................................................................

The road ahead of us........................................................................

And just another short "piece" down the road:...................................

Man, we gotta get goin, we got LOTS to do today. (that's my Boone County - hillbilly talk) 

Our plan was to visit the Dragon (Deals Gap) so Chad could tame her once again.  After probably pumping some adrenalin by taming the dragon (by my son), we settled for a nice lunch at Deals Gap restaurant.  It was GOOD!  Then, it was back on the road to hit the Cherohala Skyway (another mountaintop road) to get from North Carolina into Tennessee.  Once again, in years past where we have seen color crayon painted trees, we saw mostly green.  At any rate, it was good riding and pleasant mountain scenery.

Deals Gap

Last picture I took (end of Cherohala)

Our plan was to just ride into the evening as far as we felt like riding.  We ended up stopping in Joelton, TN, just a tad north of Nashville.  (By the way, Nashville was pretty all lit up at night as we passed by)  Today's journey took us 365 miles.  It was actually hot for most of the day, with temps in high 70's, lower 80's.

We had dinner at a flea-bag pizza joint, but it was good none-the-less.  We actually "talked through" like adults (imagine that) my misunderstanding and seeming accusations about our route to Joelton from the Cherohala.  Thanks for being understanding AGAIN !

Day 6

Day 6 would be our final day, and we had decided to make the long stretch home from Nashville to Belvitucky (some 500 miles).  The day started out warm and sunny.  An hour or so down the road, Chad pulled over with a dead electrical system.  We opted to push start the bike and make it to the next town to get off the side of the road.  But, after restarting the bike, everything started working again, so we pushed on.  Then it went out again.  Long story short, his regulator box was flakey.  Being the engineer (I taught him to be..... hehehehe) he had a spare.  But, every time he stopped the engine, it started working again so the plan was to try to make it home.

As we approached Champaign, IL, the weather started to get nasty.  Little did we know how nasty it would get.  The whole trip, I was watching the temps go DOWN, a degree at a time, and felt the winds picking up little by little.  The rains came up on us fast so neither of us stopped to change gloves.  The temp had dropped into the mid 40's. The wind was 20-25mph sustained sidewind.  My neck was so sore from resisting that sidewind on the helmet.  Lucky for me I hadn't taken off the electric vest, so at least my core was warm.  By the time we again pulled off on our traditional (exit 174 on 74) it was raining so hard, and it was so dark, I could barely see the car in front of me. 

Chad's report will surely detail the regulator problem, and how we repaired his bike "on the road", but after fixing, warming up, fueling up, & eating, we headed home.  The rain eventually let up and the temps gradually rose back into the 50's at least.

After 552 miles, we made it home.

Summary & Conclusions

Man.............. I thought writing the report was tough.  Now I'm speechless to muster the proper thoughts for my summary.  But I think I can get something out. 

First and foremost, I want to tell everyone, I have recently become a Christian and accepted Jesus Christ into my life.  About a year ago, he tapped me on the shoulder.  My biggest question is why it took me so long to wake up.  But  I am SO happy because of it.

PS.... if anyone reading this doesn't believe in angels, just turn your life over to Jesus.  Your eyes will be opened to his Glory and your life will flourish under his care.

The tire plug held perfectly ever since the flat (1000 miles on the plug).  I think I might just need to keep riding with the plug in.

Anyway, the total trip was just shy of 2400 wonderful miles.  I'm sorry it is already November and will need to put the ST to rest for the winter.

As for this trip with my Son, I thank him so much for traveling with me and caring for me.  I'm not sure how many more trips like this I will be able to take, either due to my own abilities, or where-as-much as I become to much of a burden.  I hope I will be able to do more, for I had the GREATEST time ever.  I averaged a little over 50mpg on the old ST1100, and I still like my bike. :-)  I felt more comfortable (abilities in curves) on her this trip than I ever have since the purchase in 1999.  This is of course partly due to constant coaching I get from Chad as he travels with and through life with me.

Thank you Chad

Thank you Jesus for a safe and wonderful trip