The second leg of this adventure will be at least 391 miles.
Hampton Inn by Hilton Elliot Lake
279 Highway 108 North
Elliot Lake, Ontario, P5A2S9, Canada
1-705-848-4004
Westview Park
(705) 848-7737
Those that know me know that I have been working my way through all the logistics planning my Alaska trip May-June 2013. Yea, that seems a long time away but I hate not being prepared, I hate being late, and I hate not knowing how to do something. So like last winter when I spent the entire time riding in ridiculous cold weather, and rain, I will now spend most of the summer doing two things. I will spend my time learning how to fix things that might break on my motorcycle and teach myself how to camp and enjoy it while on a long trip.
Those that I know that ride long distances through all types of weather know that after 7 or 8 hours of riding, all you want to do is settle down in a hotel and chill out. But what if that is not an option? What if the motorcycle breaks down in the middle of nowhere? What if your stopped by weather? Well, I doubt that I will ever seriously be faced with these scenarios but I will know how to handle it.
This past Thursday and Friday the plan was to ride down to Smith Mountain Lake and camp for two nights and test out a few things. See how much stuff I could pack on the motorcycle. See if my extra fuel tanks would hold tight and ride ok without interference with me or the motorcycle. Test pitching tent, sleeping in tent, and breaking it all down and getting back home. The last thing was eating and sleeping. Nothing like not being able to actually sleep and then have to get up and drive a 500 mile clip the next day. That sounds dangerous.
My camping plans were changed at the last moment because the air condition unit at my home needed a little Freon and I had to wait on the service guy to show and leave so I could hit the road. With that now out of the way, I contacted a friend that was on the road riding and decided that I would meet him and his riders for dinner in Staunton, so I changed my camping location to Shenandoah Valley Campground in Verona, Va. With all the plans set, route set, it was time to get moving and see how this packed up motorcycle was going to ride.
The route that I choose took me through many back roads in Virginia and West Virginia. The weather was absolutely perfect with no rain and highs around 80. The motorcycle handled everything that I threw at it. The only thing I didn’t attempt was off road riding but that will come. I will tell you this, based on how the bike was handling, riding in the dirt will be no problem. Riding in the mud and rain? Well let’s just wait on that until the dirt bike tires are installed sometime in the very near future and I will have an answer for you.
One of the places that I accidently ran into was near McDowell Va., the old civil war fortifications called Fort Johnson, I may be wrong on the name. Not much of the fortification is left, but you could still see the trenches that were dug and then there was those letters written by a solider back to his wife and family. It made for a very interesting read and it was pretty cool 1 mile hike back through time trying to understand what it was like to live in those tragic days of war. Click on the picture links at the end and you will be able to see and read some of the letters.
Setting up in Shenandoah Valley Campground was easier than I initially thought it was going to be. The two times that I practice setup at home paid off once I arrived at the park. The campground was very nice and I’m sure while I’m on the road in 2013, few if any campgrounds will ever be this nice. The grounds were manicured like some golf courses and then the stream and waterfall just topped it off.
Sleeping that night was easy. I spent a lot time researching my sleep system from Big Agnes and it works well. I decided after this trip that I will have to make a checkoff list to make sure that I remember to pack the important stuff and make another list of tweaks and needs. So this means I will have to take a few more camping trips this summer to get this stuff down. The real test will be pushing two or three 500 mile days back to back, stop, setup, sleep, breakdown, and move to the next location to see if it is possible for this old man.
This first trip was a success but it was a very small trip without any adversities. No rain, no heat, no exhaustion, and a rider under no stress. So as much as I hate to search out this problems and or issues, I know that must be able to handle it because I will be by myself for the majority of my adventure.
Below you will see some of the setup pictures at home, some while riding toward Staunton, and some in the campground. Can’t wait till my next run.
We pulled back into Stephens City yesterday around 4:30pm after a long boring day riding on the Interstates for 485 miles worth. We covered a lot of miles in 13 days, saw a lot of stuff, and had some really fun experiences. 3385 miles pulling our little trailer everywhere we went and we averaged 32.67 mpg. Not to great, but for a bike that normally gets between 36-38 without a trailer, not to bad.
The only clichés we had for the trip was of course the start when I had a tooth decide that it didn’t want to go. I’ve never really had any major teeth problems and yes a I have a cavity or two, but to have Root Canal was like what? Not me! Then there was the U-turn on a 13% grade pulling a trailer and with passenger and I didn’t throttle, Clutch, and drag rear brake correctly and down we went. I never said I was perfect but at least it was slow speed affair. I will find me a place near home to practice this turn on a steep grade and perfect.
We did a little house slant land hunting in the Rocky Mount and Boones Mill Virginia and we want to go back on a weekend trip and get a better feel for what is in the area to do to hold our interest. She likes to shop and exercise and I like to ride motorcycles and play racquetball. I would also maybe like to take up golf again and see if I can play this dumb game. Either way, we liked the general location because of it’s location to Roanoke, Charlottesville, and Smith Mountain Lake.
We really enjoyed our visit with Lisa and Gary Mace and really appreciate them letting us stay in their home for the night. Thanks for the stay and thanks for riding with us for the 2 days we were in your area. We will be back to visit again. Also, have a safe journey across the country we your family dragging that rig with you. It will be a trip your boys will remember forever. Those folks at work that know Gary can track his trip here, even if it’s just for the pictures.
As for Lori and I next trip. that will actually be in September and we planning on flying overseas somewhere. The exact location and what we want to see is still undecided. I’m thinking we fly into London and take multiple trains from there to Paris and then into Italy. Till then, have a great summer.
Today’s plan was to do a little sight seeing and visit the manufacture of the trailer that I tow behind the motorcycle. The weather was right on the spot for riding, with a threat of afternoon rain.
So first order of business was to fly down the Interstate 75 and cruise into Bushtec and see if they were open for a tour. By per accident we fell inline with four other bikers, two pulling Bushtec trailers so I started to follow them through town thinking that they already knew the way. It didn’t take me long to figure out the leader was using a Garmin GPS because he was making turn for turn as I would and I knew he was in trouble when he didn’t follow one of the Bushtec posted signs on the side of the road. So I broke from the group and made my way to Bushtec alone. Yes, they came rolling into the parking lot about 5 minutes later all laughing about that GPS and the many wrong turns it was making. I’ve been there many times. I was really disappointed at the Bushtec Facility. One trailer on display, no accessories, and no one to ask questions. They now had at least 3 customers waiting to be served, so Lori and I didn’t even hang around. We hit the road to resume our tour.
We soon found ourselves meandering through the country on Rt25w even though we were heading NE. I knew eventually I would intercept Rt90 and then the compass thing would workout. 90 was a little on the rough side when you got to the tops of the mountains. Even the though the asphalt had seen better days, the scenery on the sides of the roads with the tress and rocks all made it worth while.
Rolling into Middleboro, Lori notice on the welcome sign that it is the only town built inside a meteor crater. How cool is that? Here we ate lunch and filled the bike up just to make sure I could reach our hotel without another stop. After lunch we crawled up, with the motorcycle, to Pinnacle Overlook in Cumberland Gap Park. Elevation 2440 but a view that was killer. Here is another link that tells how the Gap was used over the years. Not to surprising, the southern forces had a cannon with earthworks built halfway up the hill for defense during the Civil War.
After leaving the GAP we headed for Pine Mountain State Park for a little more site seeing. Unfortunately mother nature decided for us that we would not be walking around or hiking any trails because it started to rain. Rain to me wasn’t a bad thing after the last 3 days of above 90 degree torture. It was actually a very pleasant soft rain that cooled the temperatures down to the mid 70’s and we just rode.
This pretty much has ended our vacation because tomorrow morning we will load all our gear back into the trailer and start our 480 mile trek back to Stephens City, Va. I figure we will spend about 8 to 9 hours on the road with stops, as long as traffic is good.I will have to do the math when I get home, but this two week trip should add up to just over 4000 miles. Except for when I dropped the bike making a u-turn, it’s been a real good trip.
No drops today and no real excitement to speak of, but the route that was laid out was perfect playground for those that like to play in the curves. I really wasn’t expecting to see as many good roads that we saw today but by far, this was my favorite route in Kentucky so far.
We spent most of the day riding in and out of Daniel Boone National Park. One of the highlights was our stop at Laura River Dam. Here they amble parking for guest and they even built a beach with a volley ball net so all size kids could come an play. The swimming was roped off so you wouldn’t have to worry about the boaters running you over. It was a very nice area to bring the kids and family to enjoy the water.
We of course had no time to swim, so we got back on the road and enjoyed our riding through the rolling hills of Kentucky. Still hit a little dirt today, but nothing like the last few days.
Tomorrow is our last official day to ride and end up going absolutely nowhere. That’s not exactly true, but isn’t funny when you ride all day long and end up in the same location as when you left? I plan to visit the manufacture that made our trailer and maybe get a tour. Bushtec is located in Jacksboro, TN and since we are so close, why not drop by. Then we will visit Cumberland Gap and Middlesboro which is right on the boundary of KY and TN. We also plan to run through Pineville State Park and then just enjoy the roads. I have been warned that Rt90 might be a little rugged, so I guess I will carry a backup plan with me in it is to rough.
Well I guess you can say that I been slacking in my duties not posting to my blog but my excuse is that we were having fun and I did not take the time to write. So let me catch you up.
With left Bristol Friday the 25th looking for the last of the good roads that we had not covered and intercept Gary an Lisa Mace in a pre-determined location in the middle of nowhere. The morning air was all ready starting to thicken from what was going to be a 90 plus day by 1 or 2pm in the afternoon. First we curled out of Bristol to the north and eventually turned east to run through Mt. Rodgers park once again. The roads through Mt. Rodgers are fun and not as busy I thought they were going to be this time year. The other thing to be aware while driving any vehicle through this park is that bicycling is big thing here, so watch for those pedals. Leaving the park, we started out on some very familiar roads that I had previously traveled so I was patiently biding my time until we hit Highway 88. Hwy 88 did not disappoint. It was curvy, it was fast, and you know I like those curvy roads. What makes me a little nervous is when it is possible to carry an enormous amount of speed into those corners. Things happen fast, so I just rolled at my skill level and didn’t push it. I do remember a certain someone ask me if I was having fun to which I replied, uh-huh.
We had a quick lunch in Mountain City and then took a roller coaster ride on US 421. I do believe that Lori left her lunch in one of those curves. The straights were short and the corners tight. The road surface was awesome and I was eating it up. I love this combination. Pegs on the ground throwing the bike left and right. It could only have been better if the trailer wasn’t there for me to drag. Once we exited this portion of 421, we arrived in the middle of nowhere at Shady Valley General Store and the Mace’s were waiting. We chatted for awhile and then set a course to there home in Morristown, TN. Once we arrived, we all spruced up a bit and took a ride in something called a SUV with 4 wheels and went out for dinner. Dinner, chatting, and the ride back was good and fun, but all were pretty tired so off to bed we went until sunrise so we could ride again. So here ends the 25th, Day 8.
So everyone was up and ready to go and who was bringing up the rear? Me! They shook me out of bed, fed me, and got me back on the road by 8:30 or 9. We filled up the machines and took out on Hwy 31 and it was a good warm up for todays ride. It was another good little twisty event but just to short for me. Our next route was Hwy 63 and it had some very nice views and a few little twist just to keep you attention. The rest of the ride we made our way to Clinton so we could have lunch and meet a friend of Gary and Lisa. We met up with Tim and Dawn, had a quick bite to eat at Subway, and then Tim lead us out town through some very nice country roads, missing all the traffic lights and traffic to reach our goal. The goal was the Devil’s Triangle. Tim and Gary both had camera’s ready to film the event and I think Tim was going to try an record me going through the road, but that didn’t work out very well. They didn’t tell me that they wanted to video tape me, so off I went. I waited on a couple of turns, but it was so much fun that I just couldn’t throttle back. I’ll have you know though, I went through the entire run and never scraped a peg. Speaking of pegs, a rider not in our group, apparently lost control of his Goldwing and his frontend slide out from underneath him. I have no idea of his speed or if he hit anything other than the road but one thing stood out. If he would have been wearing the appropriate gear, he would not have had a scratch on him. Instead he wore a regular button down shirt, jeans, tennis shoes, half shell, and leather gloves. He had a lot of road rash, but nothing that was life threating. He could have just walked away and been just pissed about the chrome he mangled, but instead he looked cool riding and now he is likely at home licking his wounds.
After the thrill ride of Dragon Triangle we heading over to the Norris Dam, took a few photo’s and then sat around chatting about this, that, and other thing. Here we parted ways as the Gary, Lisa, Tim, and Dawn went one way and Lori and I headed to Williamsburg, KY to continue our vacation. We wished we had more time to ride with the Mace’s, but the great thing is, we know where to find them and we got time to do this again another day. This was the end of day 9, 05/26/2012. We also are well over 2000 miles so far on this trip. I almost forgot to mention, it was damn hot at 93 degrees when we finally rolled into Williamsburg.
So here we are, day 10 May 27 of 2012 in Williamsburg KY and it is hot. We rolled by one bank and the temperature was reading 94. I parked my bike at lunch time and when I returned, the thermometer was ready 110 in the direct sunlight.
When we left this morning I knew that the route was not going to be overly exciting, but I knew it was going to be pretty. We drove though Daniel Boone National Park and thought for a moment that we might like to do some hiking, but I wasn’t much in the mood to hike with the temperatures. Going through park we passed a rock that over hung the road a little bit and I wanted a pictures. So I made a u-turn and traced my path back uphill toward the rock. I remember reading a sign warning truckers that the road had an extreme grade of 13% but this idiot didn’t account for that. My second u-turn to put me on the same side of the road of the rock and my eventual path, turn out to be a boo-boo on my part. Picture this, climbing a 13% grade with a 1000 lb motorcycle pulling a trailer. Start your left hand turn at about 5 mph without hardly any clutch dragging power applied and then the trailer slightly tugs backwards and the whole rig falls toward the downhill slope. Mr. Idiot didn’t have enough momentum and power applied to overcome the forces pulling the bike downhill. In fairness to me, that was really my first time to experience this exact situation and I just didn’t do the right thing. We were immediately ejected off the bike at about 1 mph, because it had slowed that much. There was no holding that beast up with my puny legs and 170 lbs of weight. I was in full armored gear and didn’t feel the ground and rolled right up to my feet. I immediately went over and ask Lori if she was ok and picked her straight up to her feet. She was in full armored gear except her pants and she skinned her knee just a little bit. I know that Mrs. Bruise will likely bruise somewhere, but it was such a slow motion fall, there was no way we could really get hurt. It was like leaning to far on a stool and falling into the floor. It was shocking how fast it ejected me, because this time I didn’t have time to tell her to get off the bike before I dropped it. No this if not the first time. I do dumb things at slow speeds. The rest of this leg of the trip was uneventful and after we arrived back in Williamsburg, I had Lori change into shorts and put on her armored pants back on. She knows I do not like her not wearing full gear, but every once in awhile she will not listen to me. It only takes one dumb second for something like this to happen, so wear full gear all the time. And Yes, yes that is the rock in the picture above that I wanted so bad that I dropped the bike and wife! :0
We got back so early today that we decided to run another leg. So we refueled the bike and took off into the heat, ugh! I remember this route from years ago and I took a wrong turn an ended up in a coal field full of active trucks driving in all directions. I still remember them looking out of their trucks down at me thinking what an idiot. Teehee. Today I made all the right turns and when I told Lori the road was about to change to dirt, bam, we went to dirt. My poor motorcycle. First I dropped it and now she is getting powdered with dirt. Wait till you see the pictures. This leg of the trip was much more entertaining then the first of the day because it was all two lanes and full of scenery and twists. What a day. Where most would be thinking why or it’s just not worth it, I had a great time. It is an adventure and I would do all over again tomorrow without a second thought.
Tomorrow we will do another ride north of Williamsburg that we be about 220 miles. Since we eliminated one of our day legs, our trip will likely end a day early. Tomorrow weather looks to be about the same as today but maybe not quit as hot. I’m reading that it might cool to 89-91 for high’s tomorrow. I guess that is better than 91-94.
This morning when we hit the road it was a bit chilly at 62 but not a problem when you got the gear. So with the GPS fired up and a full tank of gas we started todays adventure. Speaking of GPS, the Garmin and me had a few fights today because I would come to an intersection and ole Garmin thought it was funny not to indicate which direction to go. I would pick a direction and most of the time I was wrong and re-route was done. Once today ole Garmin said she didn’t have enough memory to continue, but eventually I worked her through it. But at the end of the day, route was complete and it got me back to the hotel.
The First really cool road was Hwy 80 with it’s very tight switchbacks and short straights. This lasted for about 8 miles and ended at the top of a small mountain. I had to take a picture in each direction, just for me. That is another road that I will have to remember to do sometime in the future. Then the fun started. In the pictures today, look for the funny looking short tunnel. Water was flowing on one side and a road went through the other side. The road itself started out normal enough until somewhere near the top of the mountain we ran out of hard surface road and into dirt. Oh my! Do I turn around an back track and or find another route? Are you kidding me? We plow straight ahead as any true dual sport rider would do, even though I was on a cruiser pulling a trailer. It was actually fine. The dirt roads were hard compact and not a lot of loose gravel so I was able to move along at 25 mph except going down hill. Little harder to stop pulling a trailer in the dirt and rocks when you do not like using the front brake. I’ll use front brakes in the rocks, but not very aggressive. Back brakes on the dirt in most situations will help keep the bike upright. I guess we did about 10 miles in the dirt before we finally popped near Richlands. Here we stopped for lunch and fuel.
Leaving Richlands it got really pretty driving through the valleys and mountain ridges. This would be an awesome ride in the fall while the leaves are changing colors. Your line of sight was far so I could imagine the colors. We were tacking toward Tazwell Virginia looking for Highway 16 or the Back of the Dragon. Once established on this road it was obvious why the name stuck. It did resemble the Tail of the Dragon or 129 in TN and NC. unfortunately the eastbound lane mostly was under repair. The sides of the roads had taken a beating due to the heavy rains so they were fixing the shoulders which made the road surface a mess. Still at 16 miles long, there was plenty of good clean surface to run, so it was still a hoot. Looking at the proximity of Hungry Mother State park, I might have to do a run on the BMW to overnight camp and run this road a few more times. Good practice for Alaska.
Today was a good day. Weather was perfect and for the most part the route followed was fun. I’m sure Lori could have done without the dirt roads. She’s a trooper though, she didn’t whine. This ends our stay in Bristol Virginia and tomorrow we will do another loop around Bristol through Mt. Rodgers, and then then West toward Gary Mace’s place. Hopefully if all plans workout, we will meet somewhere in between here and there in the middle of nowhere and track back toward his home. It’ll be good to see the Old Boy again and his family to. Gary and I worked together for 20 plus years at the FAA till he retired to the mountains of Tennessee. We will do a one night stay at their place and then move onto Williamsburg, KY to squat for another 4 days of riding.
We left for our ride today knowing that it was more like 100% chance of rain than the 60% they were calling for, because we could feel it. That really didn’t damper my spirits at all because I have spent a lot time and money getting comfortable riding when it rains and when it is cold. Remember Alaska? The only thing I was worried about was Lori staying warm and dry. She let me know from time to time during the ride she both and she was fine.
The ride itself was still pretty even though it rained half of the time and was overcast and dry in other places. The climb up and over Mt. Rodgers was actually mostly sunny which totally caught me off guard. The only issue of the day was one section of road prior to the Mt. Rodgers climb that we were out in farm country. There was something on the road that I just couldn’t figure out that was making the bike slip a bit in the corners. Not sure if it was something from the trees, runoff from the edge of the road, or sand. All I know whatever it was when mixed with water was extremely slippery.
We saw lot’s of nice homes today and lot’s of nice roads and I will save this route for a future ride if I’m ever back in the area. Route 421 heading east was a very nice road, but since it was rain soaked, I road it very conservatively. I do not consider myself a great wet road rider, specially with a large cruiser pulling a trailing. So today I just road smart.
We ended our ride today faster than I anticipated and by 3 pm we were back at the hotel. So we relaxed a bit and then ventured out in the rain for some BBQ that was recommended by the desk. Ridgewood BBQ in Bluff City, Tn. was definitely worth the trip. You could see them cook’in dinners for all right there in front of you as soon as you walked in the door. The smell outside the building would draw hungry folks from miles around. How to describe the meat? You know how Arby’s slices their Roast Beef? Well this is how they sliced the Pork. Then they threw it on a flat grill, and I mean threw it, heated it a bit, then added their special sauce. Now the scooped it off the grill onto a plate and then covered the meat with french fries. All this was served with Cole Slaw, Rolls, and Baked beans. Damn, I’m stuffed. It wasn’t Carolina BBQ and I wouldn’t even classify it as Memphis, it had a taste all its own. Click the link above and then look down the right hand column and you will see the exact thing we ordered. I’d go back again.
Tomorrow we have a 30–40% chance of rain which is better than 60%, so let’s hope for dry. That’s all I want. I like dry. Dry is fast. Today we took a total of zero pictures so I will end here.
When we got on the bike this morning the weather forecast was a 60% chance of rain and thunderstorms. It was easy to tell that a cold front was pushing through because it was a bit chilly at 57 degrees. The sky's were overcast but there was no rain falling. Riding when it is cool is much better than riding when it’s 90 plus, so I’ll take it.
So off we went blazing a trail north trying to get to Breaks Interstate State park before the rains set in. Did I mention that this part of Virginia was coal country? Well believe you me that coal trucks out numbered the cars on the road 2-1. Even with that ratio, the traffic was so light that we rarely stayed behind a truck much more than a mile or two. The first real excitement of the day was when I came barreling around a corner, off in the distant straight ahead, about 1/10th of mile down the road, I swore I was seeing a cow in the road. So I started to reduce speed and sure enough, not one but two calf’s in the middle of the road while all the cousins were sticking their heads through the fence obviously giving them hell for breaking out. The wide eyed calf’s scurried left, right, stopped, then scurried some more whilst I did my best to hold a straight line doing 2-3 mph on 900 pound beast pulling a trailer. So my smartass passenger pipes in, can we keep him and take him home? To which I replied, “Not unless you plan on fixing him for dinner.”
Around Haysi Virginia we stopped at a local Subway for lunch and while taking some of the gear off, I see a women sitting in her car talking to us but I couldn’t hear a word she saying because of truck traffic. She was apologizing for staring at the motorcycle but couldn’t help it because it was so pretty. My bike is not that pretty, specially now with all the road grim, but then she continued, your in poor country here so bikes like that are not the norm. Thinking back on my route from the hotel to where I was currently standing, there was not one home that stood out that was like, “wow, nice”. So her words all made sense and I didn’t really no how to respond to that statement, so I just let her do all the talking. Once her husband returned to the car, she told Lori and I have a safe trip and off they went. We do take a lot for granted living in Northern Virginia with a low unemployment level and a standard of living that we all have come accustom to.
Next was the park. Breaks Interstate State Park was nice. It would be a nice place to hike, fish, or even have a family gathering. It was very well keep and the only thing that struck me was there wasn’t any views of any kind inside the park. Maybe that is what all parks are suppose to be like, but I just thought being in the mountains that they might trim a few trees so you could see a little something. If you got on their trails and did a little hiking, you could see a little bit. Ok, I checked this off, now time for more road play. Before I leave this paragraph, it would be wrong if I didn’t tell the story of the little black snake. As I’m pulling into a overlook parking lot we skim by a harmless black snake in the road to which I see feet rising in the air and a eeewww in the my helmet. I was like really? We are just a little bit bigger than him and I do not think he wants to pick a fight. So I walk over, take a picture while my brave partner stayed very close to the motorcycle for protection. What are you going to do, stand on the seat? Yep, she probably would. Pictures of both snake and Lori below.
Leaving the park we ran into a grave marker of an Unknown Confederate Solider that apparently got taken out on his way back home in 1865. Poor fellow likely survived the war and once it was over got taken out by a sniper who either had a grudge or didn’t get the word.
Today we were lucky. We had plenty of good roads to ride that were fast and curvy. We hit no rain until after the ride was over and was on our way back to the hotel after dinner. We hit about 3 miles of rain and after I was back at the hotel, I took advantage of the rain and gave the old girl a bath. No not Lori, the motorcycle. She’s going to mad at you for even thinking that she is old. Our secret, I won’t tell.
Tomorrow we will head east toward Mt. Rodgers and hope once again that rain stays away until late in the afternoon. There is a 60% chance of rain, but rain or shine, we ride.
I only laid out just over 200 miles today tweaking the Road Runner route with some of my own. We began by swinging through the heart of Bristol, Va. and I was not over impressed. Looked kind of run down to me, but maybe I was just in the wrong part of town. Most older towns have started rebuilding and refurbishing there older buildings but like I said, I saw none of that here.
Life is good when you wakeup in the morning and it is already 69 degrees and the sun is shinning. We can only hope that our fortunes continue another 10 days or so.
This morning we were also greeted with another very delicious breakfast. What did we have? Let’s see, Cantaloupe for starters followed by scrabbled eggs and pecan pancakes with a side of bacon. I also had mint green tea and orange juice. Yummy. We also meet a couple this morning from Connecticut that were in the area visiting her brother. It always fun to meet new people and hear their stories of life and adventures. The one little tidbit that I will tell you is this. He is a truck driver and he hates motorcyclist. Oops!! To clear this up a bit, he hates Sportbike riders that zoom him on the right as he is in the process trying to merge back to the right and they are doing 100+ mph. Sorry, but I must agree with that assessment. I’m not a big fan of sportbikes.
So after breakfast and after checkout, we packed our things and headed toward Bristol, TN. The first part of our ride was full of switch backs that made to order thrill ride for me and a stomach churner for Lori. One section of road named Callaway Hwy that runs into Ferrum College reminded me so much of Deals Gap it wasn’t funny. To bad it was so short at 2 to 3 miles.
Then we arrived at the road that caused Lori to reach for the aspirin, Shooting Creek road. I handed Lori the camera and asked her to film it so I could show just how rough this road is to travel. I told her Good Luck, and off we went. She did pretty good holding on with one hand while filming with the other. Apparently way back in the day, moonshiners ran this road regularly.
We finally bounced out of Shooting Creek and picked up US-58, which we followed off and on most of the day. Our next stop was Lover’s leap. There will be pictures of the overlook but the story behind it and Lori’s reaction is sort of priceless. Apparently when the White man moved into the valley below the Indians of which tribe I do not remember, were none to happy with their arrival. In time, the Chiefs daughter and one of the settlers son’s fell in love. Both sides were not pleased and refused to allow the relationship grow. So one day the couple sneaked away and climbed to highest ridge and leap to their deaths so they would be with each other forever. To which Lori replied, “I’m not so sure I loved you enough that I would have leap to my death. I might have pushed you off, but me jumping, no way!”
One last note about a particular road. US-58 running through Mount Rodgers Recreational Area, western edge, is a must do. I will be running this road again in two days and this time I hope to hit less traffic. There were to many old farts out riding Sunday in the beautiful sunshine and they were driving me crazy. Second, there were to many group riders, 8 or more, that were riding like old farts to. Rant over, back to passing on double bars when Lori is sleeping. Hehe.
So here we are in Bristol TN. and no more B&B which I will miss come morning. We are staying in a standard Hampton Inn and will be here for 5 nights. Tomorrow we will run the first leg of the cloverleaf routes laid out by Road Runner magazine that runs East to Southeast and back to Bristol. Toward the end of the run, I plan on doing a drive by of Bristol Motor Speedway just to see it. Not sure they give tours or that I will be there in a timely enough manner to take one, but I will be stopping to see it.
There are 10 pictures and 1 video in my slideshow, so if you do not have a fast internet connection, just close the tab if you do not want to watch a sample video of 1:30 minutes long.
We got our day started with a very delicious breakfast served by our host at Claiborne Bed & Breakfast. First up was a combination of Pecans, Blueberries, Bananas, Yogurt, and Granola. I normally do not eat yogurt, but combined with the right stuff, I will eat it and I did. Then to the main course we had French toast with Strawberries and Sausage. There was also two slices of Pineapple. To drink you had your choice of tea, coffee, orange juice, and water. It was a good way to energies our engines for the days ride.
After breakfast, we loaded up and headed to the lake. The countryside around the lake, as with most lakes that we have visited, reaches all extremes of beauty, ugly, poor, and ridiculous expensive. The outskirts of the lake was surrounded by many farms, new and old homes, and various businesses new and old. Mostly what I noticed was how laid back everything seem to be. Everything was blooming, green, and honeysuckle could be smelt in almost every corner. Our conclusion was reached once again, we would both much rather have a nice home, 10-20 acres for about a 1/3 the price of a postage stamp lot and small home on the lake. I can always drag a boat to the lake if I decide that I ever want one. That part of me is still undecided. Been there and done that and I still love traveling on the motorcycle.
We also visited the Smith Mountain Lake Dam and since I toured the Hoover Dam, it makes it unremarkable. Ok, it was neat to see how they built it and how it functions, but it is smallish in comparison.
Leaving the dam area, we accidently found a very nice road that had no cars, no cops, and no animals to speak of, that was a twisty delight. Not sure if Lori enjoyed it, but I had fun.
The very last part of our ride included 3 homes that I wanted to drive by and one was very nice. I would really like to come back to Rocky Mount and actually see the inside of this house. You can click HOUSE to see the Trulia listing.
Tomorrow, after our breakfast of course, we will be leaving Rocky Mount, Va and heading to Bristol, TN. We will be traveling another Road Runner route that is called the Crooked Road Tour. It roots are Blue Grass music and Moonshine. I will post below part of the article if you would like to read it. Weather for tomorrow looks very nice as well.
Nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge, Rocky Mount is a fitting start point for the Crooked Road, a loose confederation of venues and historic sites. The different regions are tied together by waypoints that feature attractive signs detailing that particular area’s contribution to the overall music scene. We find our first marker next to an old Norfolk and Western Railway caboose at the city’s Depot Welcome Center. Normally, a bright red car like this signifies the end of the line. But like the bluegrass we’ve come to love, the Crooked Road isn’t exactly heavy on rules.
We slowly wind through town, following the signs for Highway 40. The crisp morning air and bright sunlight add an almost electric glow to the stacks of heirloom tomatoes at the downtown farmer’s market. I’ll bet that corn over there is pretty good stuff—especially when it comes in a Mason jar. After all, we are in Franklin County, the self-proclaimed Moonshine Capital of the World.
The two-lane escapes the city’s grasp and flows over the rolling hills of the Piedmont plateau. Old houses and weathered barns accent the rural feel as we roll into the village of Ferrum, home to the Blue Ridge Institute & Museum. This constantly evolving monument to the area’s early settlers features livestock, crops, and rebuilt farm buildings dating from the 1800s. Across the street, the institute showcases rotating exhibits of regional folkways.
West of Ferrum, the fun truly begins. Highway 40 trades easy arcs for serious curves. The map calls for a right on Route 860, Shooting Creek Road. This narrow, rugged bit of scarred and bumpy asphalt is not for the faint of heart. Locals claim its name has something to do with the aforementioned illegal liquor production. The supersteep ravine carved by a cold, lonely stream hints at a fine starting point for such illicit activities.
At the top of the mountain, the road’s wicked grade gives way to gentle bends as we cross the Blue Ridge Parkway and make our way into Floyd. This one-stoplight town definitely qualifies as a mountain music mecca. Visitors from far and wide flock to nationally renowned events like FloydFest, a multiday world music festival, or to take in some live old-time and bluegrass favorites at the Floyd Country Store’s rollicking Friday Night Jamboree. This is one of our regular stops as music is nearly always happening on the stage, and their mocha malt milk shake is always worth the trip.
South of Floyd, Route 8 ebbs and flows with the green, gentle mounds of the Blue Ridge summit. At Tuggles Gap, the asphalt takes a serpentine nosedive back toward the Piedmont. The pavement is smooth, well engineered, and perfect for beveling off those pesky peg feelers. This is apple country, and the roadside is decorated with gnarled trees sporting orbs of red, green, and gold. Local vendors sell ’em by the bushel, bag, or fried in a pie.
After a java jolt at Honduras Coffee Company in downtown Stuart, we backtrack on Highway 58 and again climb the mountain. Upon reaching the summit, it’s impossible not to stop and take in the view at Lovers Leap, especially on a beautiful day like today. This spot is arguably the finest view along the entire Crooked Road. As 58 nears the tiny hamlet of Meadows of Dan, it modernizes into a four-lane. Don’t take it. Bear left on Business 58. Meadows of Dan is right on the Blue Ridge Parkway and tempts curious travelers with craft shops and country stores.
A bit of a late start this morning has us heading into the setting sun, so we opt for a lackadaisical pace. We know we aren’t going to make it much farther, and the easy sways of Highway 58 seem perfect for this lazy, late afternoon. Hillsville is dead ahead and the perfect place to call it an evening.
Ah, what a much better day today. The sun was out and the temperatures were cool and none of my teeth hurt. You knew I was going to say something about that damn tooth. At this moment in time, the tooth is doing fine and we are on the motorcycle with trailer in tow.
Today once we got rolling we basically did an Interstate 81 south blast until we reached the entry point of day 2 of my path. So once we reached Buchanan, Va. we stopped at Subway and grabbed a quick sub to refuel our engines and then off we went.
I have never really traveled southern Virginia west of Interstate 81 and it was fantastic. The rolling green country side with mountains deep in the background surrounding you in every direction. We rode through so many small communities and farms that looked so relaxing that it would make anyone my age or older to want to retire.
We did a drive by on a couple of homes today just to get an idea of there location in relation to life. Life meaning to me, away from most humans. To Lori that means, how near is the closest shopping whether it is for food or stuff in general. Both homes were very nice and we will see more tomorrow. Just so you understand, we didn’t actually go into the homes, just a visual drive by.
At one point today, I was so busy having so much fun on all the curves and up and downs that I basically lost track of my fuel situations. Not completely, just a little bit. Normally when I get within 30 miles of reserve, I do a GPS scan on route for fuel stations 30 plus miles in front of me. Well I forgot to do it until I was within 5 miles, and when pulling a trailer the first time in a new season, I didn’t really know what my fuel mileage was going to be. Then factor in that I was not being gentle with the throttle and now you have doubt. Going through one very tight turn and at a very good speed, the Valkyrie coughed as if it was starving for fuel. So I reached down and flipped to reserve. I knew at this point, I should have 25 – 30 miles left in fuel and I was 18 to 20 miles out. So I started throttling back and conserving fuel. Going downhill, I had the clutch pulled in and just coasted. We made it with plenty to spare. I fueled up with 5.6 gallons in a 6.9 gallon fuel tank. It wasn’t even close!!! I guess when going through that one corner, I leaned the bike at just right the speed and angle, and it coughed. First full tank gave me, 32.7 mpg, so I should be able to run 195 miles easy.
While we were fueling up, a local in a pickup truck of course, started talking to me about motorcycles in general and we wasted a good 20 minutes yapping. I felt so much like Lori that I almost, almost called myself Jabber Jaws. We left the fuel station and in just a few miles, stopped at a McDonald’s to get a apple pie and ice cream. Hey, we are on vacation. Once again, here comes a good ole boy and we talked another 15 minutes about bikes. I will say this, these folks down here are nice.
After leaving McDonald’s in Pulaski, we headed back into the country for another 2 hours of back road riding. We found one stretch somewhere between HWY 221 and shooting creek that was deep in the woods away from civilization. The road was a little rough, tight, and twisty. Let’s just say, a few times that Lori went airborne and she needed an Excedrin for here achy breaky butt. It was fun, but it was a little rough.
The Claiborne Bed & Breakfast is nice. It is in the middle of downtown Rocky Mount, Va. I believe the building itself dates back to 1893 and some of the exterior shows the wear, but it is still beautiful. Inside it is just gorgeous. I do not have many pictures to show for the day, but I have a few of the house. I will post a link at the bottom of this post for you to see. There are only 5.
Tomorrow, we’ll tour all around Smith mountain lake just to see the layout of the land and the residents that live there. I also want to find the state park that is located on the lake, because I would like to come back and tent camp. It would be a good test run on the BMW for my Alaska trip. We also have at least 4 homes that we will drive by and that is it. Weather for tomorrow looks to be the same as today, so I’m ready. Lori, Myself, Bike, and trailer are all doing fine.
Well to say today sucked is putting it lightly. I thought I felt it coming on Wednesday when I was on my way to work. Then this morning at 4am it said, “Hello, I’m just a little tooth and I’m here to take you down.” Tooth 1, me 0. So I called the Dentist and they took me in right away. Bad news, we have no idea what’s up with little tooth. Tooth 2, me 0. So they made me an appointment at 2:15pm at an Endodontist. So they ran several test and they decide the tooth was still in good shape and they were not sure if it was a sinus thing or the tooth. Tooth 3, me 0. They did a few more test and then they laid out all my options. Well after a lot of information and consideration, I decide to let them drill the tooth. The fear of the procedure was worse than the actual procedure itself. I felt nothing. So the Doc said once she got in there to see what was going on, the tooth was dying and there was pus starting to build and I was lucky that I got in there when I did.
So here I sit at home, recovering and planning to leave tomorrow morning unless my now dead tooth comes back to life to pain me. Tooth 3, me 1.
For you entertainment, here is a video of an actual root canal. I watched it before I left to get mine done. Go ahead watch it. It’s like a car wreck, you gotta look.
Thursday Lori and I leave on a 2 week adventure on the 1999 Honda Valkyrie Interstate and that has been such a reliable machine. We have done several long distance trips around the USA and not once has she let me down. We had a flat once, but that is not the Honda’s fault. We will be cruising through 5 states sitting in 3 cites for more than one night, just so we can do day rides around those location.
Frist we will ride south through Virginia and West Virginia zig zagging our way to Natural Bridge Va. We will stay the night at the Natural Bridge Resort. The next day we do a loop around Roanoke and end up in Rocky Mount Va and are staying in a Bed & Breakfast. We stay here for 2 nights and do some sight seeing, house seeing, and roll around Smith Mountain Lake.
Once we leave Rocky Mount we will take the Crooked Run Road, most of it, until we end up in Bristol TN. We will be doing at least 4 day rides around Bristol that I selected from Road Runner magazine. I have blown through Bristol so many times always saying I would visit the area, but never did. So now I will cross this off my list.
The second week of our trip will land us at Gary and Lisa Mace so we can visit our old friends that have retired in the Morristown area. Not sure we will time to do any riding with the Mace’s, but will take advantage of this if we can. After we leave the Mace’s our finally stop will be Williamsburg, KY for another 4 day cloverleaf ride around the countryside. I also will likely stop and see the restore P38, Glacier Girl, that sits in Cumberland Gap, Ky area.
I have not added up all the legs, but I imagine we will put around 2000 miles on the bike in 2 weeks riding and site seeing. Looking forward to having time off work, looking at homes, seeing sights in our beautiful country, and riding. It’s all about the riding.
Valkyrie is ready, trailer still needs to be stuffed, and weather needs to nice. Kick stands up, 9am Thursday morning.
I found this write up on Road Runner Magazine for a 315 mile loop around the Roanoke area. It actually originates in Natural Bridge near Lexington Va., but could easily be modified to start and end in Roanoke. No dirt roads, but it does sound like some of the roads would be a challenge. I just can’t imagine any hard surface road that a car can navigate anymore difficult on a motorcycle. If I went down to join you on this trip, I would be there likely May 3-5 since I have off Thr-Sat. So are you guys traveling down on Friday the 4 or Thursday night the 3rd?
Below you will find a picture of the route and the write up.
Here is the handy tankbag map they supply:
Day Four: Ah, the Mountains Again
Thankfully, the heat has subsided and we're heading west toward higher elevations on the final leg of our Virginia tour. Riding south on Route 11, we pick up route 43 in Buchanan. The cool mountain air filling our lungs seems to pump an extra dose of life into the ride, and the small, twisty roads leading us southwest offer up a non-stop helping of the pastoral scenes that make riding in this part of the country so appealing. Most of the small country stores are still in business and all of them are crammed with unique samplings of personality. If fried pies and eavesdropping on the local gossip sound like fun, then stop in and linger a little - no one will mind.
In the small group of houses known as Mechanicsburg, we hang a left on Route 738 and begin one of the most bizarre rides over a mountain we've ever experienced. If a trip to the Alps is on your list, then this odd stretch of road is great practice. Though it is paved, the asphalt is in questionable condition and barely stretches to one lane in places. The switchbacks on the east side prove to be quite the challenge, even for the deft 599. Anyone on a heavyweight machine should bypass this bit of the tour and find the way to Pulaski via Route 100 back to the north, because it's that hairy here. Pulaski's downtown has obviously seen better times as there are far more signs reading "This space available" than "Open." We opt for Mexican eats in a generic strip mall. While not the local flavor we normally look for, chips and salsa trump burgers in a bag along Interstate 81 every time.
South of Pulaski we cross Claytor Lake and stumble across one of the most entertaining roads we've found in a long time: Route 787 south near Snowville. Up, down, back, forth, sweeps, twists, no traffic, nice pavement, and frantically challenging are all descriptions flashing through my head as we negotiate this stretch. When we finally pop out on Route 221, Kathy demands that we stop for a breather. She's as wrung out as I am.
Just on the other side of Floyd, we pick up another amusing road in Route 860. This narrow piece of time-buckled pavement is best approached with caution. Sudden bumps and dips have Kathy airborne so often she accuses me of trying to get rid of her. At the bottom I assure her that I'd be hard-pressed to let go of any woman who can hang on through what we've been through today. Today's loop has been long, but there are still more back-road high jinks in store. We veer left on Route 40 and continue on with the carefree curve-carving.
Before long, at the junction of Route 220 in Boones Mill, we hang a left and head toward Roanoke. The last leg of this leaf of the tour consists of a leisurely ride on a road that no trip in this area is complete without - the marvelous Blue Ridge Parkway. When the sign for Route 501 appears, we're back where we started.
Though we've had a couple of tough days in the heat, our ride in this part of Virginia has been incredible as usual. Kathy and I have ridden all over the U.S. and even some overseas, but as I tell people all the time, my favorite place destination always has been and likely always will be the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. Here, there's an unbeatable combo of mind-blowing roads, great weather (as long as you stay in the mountains), and truly hospitable folks like our new friends at the Natural Bridge Hotel. Motorcycles are appreciated and accepted in these parts and everyone around here seems genuinely pleased to share their part of the world with you. For these reasons, Kathy and I have always felt at home here and will continue returning for as long as we're on two wheels.
Well it began last September 2011 to start making the transition from a F650GS Dakar to a R1200GSA so I could make the ride to Alaska. Since that decision was made, I sold my 2001 motorcycle and bought a 2009 R1200GSA that will give me long range comfort on the Highway and SUV capabilities when the road turns into dirt and other horrors that I have read about. There were and are a lot of things that I have to workout before leaving on this trip, so I decided to give myself an entire Summer to learn my new bike, train myself, and then determine if I can do it.
I wanted a motorcycle that was great on asphalt and good off-road. Then I wanted long range per tank of fuel and this 2009 R1200GSA has a 8.7 gallon fuel tank. The GSA is suppose to give me pretty close to 40 mpg and if I burn 8.5 of that, I should be able to go 340 miles. Well I track my fuel consumption on fuelly.com and I have already done one leg that was 365 miles, 8.99 gallons burned, at a rate of 40.7mpg. Doesn’t that make you scratch your head? It did me. 8.7 gallon tank and I put in 8.99 gallons! So now I know I can do that, but I will also be mounting (2) 2 gallon Rotopax fuel canisters on the GSA just in case I put myself in a bad situation. That will give me another 180 mile buffer. In my research to date, the longest run appears to be 275 miles between fuel stops anywhere in Alaska, as long as they are open when I arrive. That being key!!!
The next item that I have taken care of this winter is training myself to ride in the cold. Is it fun? Not really because getting dressed with all the heated gear is a pain, but I have done things this winter that I never thought I would do. I have ridden in temperatures as low as 22 degrees at night and I was very comfortable with my Gerbing heated gear. Then I wanted a new riding suit that I could use as an outer layer to protect me from rain, heat, cold, and any major falls that I may have. It was a very difficult decision for me to make dropping $1100 dollars on this suit, but I did it. I bought a new Klim latitude Jacket and Pants. The lifetime warranty on being waterproof was the bullet that put me over the top making the decision. So now I will wear this suit fulltime, Summer and Winter, and carrying my heated suit to supplement the Klim suit when needed. Gloves are not an issue because my Gerbing gloves, treated, will be waterproof and they are also heated. I have plenty of warm weather gloves.
The last piece of gear that I need to ensure that is up snuff are my boots. They are Gore-tex and should be waterproof for life, but they are not. The last time I rode in the rain, both boots leaked. I thought it may be sweat, but now I’m thinking not so much. I contacted Morton’s Bmw and W.L. Gore INC. and the W.L.Gore has already told me to call them to get a RMA number. Morton’s"? Nothing yet! So over the next couple of weeks, I will be taking care of the boot issue.
Things that I need to do that I know about right now in time are listed below and I will start picking them off one by one.
1. Wire USB port to the motorcycle.
2. Install waterproof Iphone mount.
3. Install knobby tires on R1200GSA for learning purposes.
4. Practice changing tires on the bike.
5. Purchase Jumper cables. (Bike can’t be push started)
6. Replace center tank bag.
7. Practice riding bike fully loaded off-road.
8. Practice riding fully loaded in the rain.
9. Update all tools that I would need on the road.
10. Install TT-Raid box for extra storage.
11. Take a few overnight camping trips, long distance.
I think this is enough for now but I reserve the right to update the todo list as I find a new need that has to be filled. I almost wish that I was leaving this May to take the trip because I’m mentally ready to go, but I know that I’m really not ready. I still have a lot of research on routes to do and a lot of personally training to do to make sure that I can handle the majority of issue that might arise. I know that I will not be able to protect for everything, but I know I will prepare as best as I know how. I pulled off the California trip that was 10,500 miles on a motorcycle, so this trip of 15,000 miles I will be prepared for to.
Some cool links to read if you want to see some of my research are listed below.
