trip prep…

getting ready to take a trip on the blue ridge parkway with my father-in-law at the end of the month. we’ve been talking about riding the parkway for a while and now it’s time to make it happen…

the past week or so i’ve been trying to figure out the details – when we’re going , how far we’ll travel each day, where we’ll stop overnight and other rides we might be able to fit in during our journey. the original plan was to make travel the parkway in two days. knowing we’d want to ride the snake as well as the tail of the dragon. to help plan the trip i ordered the latest version of the blue ridge parkway maps from america rides maps.

the maps arrived today and i was pleasantly surprised. from the start i’ve been impressed with the maps. i also know the maps have expanded and upgraded. but i didn’t realize how much until i got the latest versions of the map.

the new maps contain more routes as well as more detail. detail in both the crispness of the maps themselves and the number of amenities like gas stations, restaurants and lodging along the suggested routes. the routes are well marked on the map with descriptions on the back of the map. the maps, seven in total, are well labeled to indicated how all seven maps fit together. making it easy to pick up a road or route on an adjacent map.

i know wayne put a lot of time and effort towards creating these maps. his effort is definitely paid off with these maps.

well, i better get to finalizing the details of the trip. with the help of these maps it shouldn’t be too tough.

tail of the dragon...

our travels around and on the tail of the dragon...

taming the dragon...

took a ride to the tail of the dragon in july... but this was more than just a trip to ride the dragon - it was about riding with family and friends, the brotherhood of biking and fulfilling a dream.

it started two years ago when i gave my father-in-law a ride... as mentioned, he's been riding most of his life. that was until he was in an accident. thankfully he wasn't seriously injured, but his bike didn't make out so well. he'd been threatening over the years to put the bike back together and start riding again. either that or just outright buy a new bike. i would gently prod him, offering to help rebuild the bike or riding him out to a dealership to buy a bike. he finally came through in may and purchased a new bike... and this trip would be our first ride together...

we figured a three day trip to the dragon; a day to travel out there, a day of riding around and day back home. all timed to be able to meet up with my brother and the rest of the crew - as well as get back in time friday night to meet a previous commitment.

we headed out wednesday morning after topping off the tanks...



it was great riding weather - clear skies, nice temps. we decided to stop every hundred miles or so. this would give us a chance to stretch our legs and top off the tanks. it would also give me a chance to determine if we needed to stop longer or stop for the night if the trip was getting a little long for my father-in-law. while he rides really well, i wasn't sure how he'd handle a longer trip like this. especially on the interstate - i know he hates riding on the interstate. but we decided to take this route to get to maryville as quickly as we reasonably could.

along the way we made a couple stops for gas...


after this stop, we head out - using the gps to help get us to our destination. i'm usually pretty good with getting in and out of place and heading in the right direction. as i get back onto the interstate, the gps is telling me to turn around. i could swear i'm heading in the right direction. i decide to follow the gps and turn around. riding a couple miles in the other direction, i realize the gps has recalculated the route - not really the route we wanted to take. even worse, it's back tracking us about fifteen miles!! decision time... do i turn around yet again and confirm to the father-in-law that i really don't know what i'm doing?? or do we just keep riding?? i decide to keep riding...

our first gas stop in tennessee... the signs posted next to the big open field make you wonder what kind of problems they may have... forget the open field - if i didn't want to walk into the gas station that was less than a hundred yards away, i would have taken care of business down near the tree-lined creek that was ten yards away...





gearing up for the last leg of our journey, i look off into the direction we're heading - it's looking kind of iffy - rain gear or not?? we decide to chance it.

as we pull onto the highway, it starts raining. we pull over to the first rest area, less than two miles down the road. by the time we get there, the rain stops. looking ahead, the sky is clear. we're already wet, so we decide to head on without rain gear.

a couple miles down the road, the clouds roll in and open up on us... luckily our exit was just a few more miles down the road. we exit and find the first gas station so we can slip into our rain gear. even better, the gas station has a car wash to pull into so we don't have to take up space under the awning by the pumps.

note to self: don't ever pull into a car wash, especially when it's raining - it's slippery as hell!!!

after getting our rain gear on, we head the rest of the way to our destination - the princess motel...



not the greatest place in the world, but the price was right. and what do you really need when you're traveling?? a place to throw your clothes and lay your head at night. and this fit the bill...

after a day of riding, we decided to grab something to eat, relax at the motel and plan the next day's riding.

not really much to plan, though. we'd ride the tail of the dragon. as much as we wanted. and when we got tired of that, we'd ride some of the other roads in the area. and when we were done, we'd head back to the motel.

we got up thursday, grabbed a bite to eat and headed to the tail of the dragon.



i told my father-in-law that there would probably be riders that would pass us - not to be startled when it happened. in addition, we'd have to watch out for tractor trailers on the road. if we saw any, we'd just pull over somewhere and wait - yeah, like there's a lot of room to pull over!!! we agreed that we would ride our own ride and ride as slow as we needed.

we rode the dragon several times, enjoying the scenery and meeting new friends...




our new friends... sort of... the guy with the mv agusta was a little serious about his ride and got offended when father-in-law called it a honda.




father-in-law leading the pack... truth be told, when we took off, no one was behind us. by the time we made the eleven miles, several riders caught up to him and were kind enough not to pass...







the tree of shame... a living memorial to those the push the limits and don't quite make it...




after spending the day riding, we headed over to smoky mountain harley davidson. huge store and super nice people.



after that, we headed back to the hotel to meet up with my bro and the crew... grabbed a bite to eat and sat around the hotel all night telling lies...





i had to be back in town late afternoon on friday. i wanted to be pulling out of the parking lot no later than eight in the morning. father-in-law was up for leaving a little earlier since he wanted to take make longer and more frequent stops on the way home. not a problem with me.

since he's an early riser, he would be our alarm clock. when he got out of the shower, he'd get me up, we'd pack up and head out. with that, lights went out and we went to sleep.

next thing i know, i hear him in the shower. i might as well get up and start packing some of my stuff. it wasn't until i got out of the shower that i realized it was only two thirty in the morning. what the @$*%*^$@!! what was he doing up so early??

it was too late, i was awake, showered and pretty much packed. might as well head out... we would certainly be able to take our time getting home.

the ride home was long and cold. hard to believe it was july.

on the journey back, i had time to reflect back on our trip. i was finally able to take a ride, a real ride with my father-in-law. two years earlier i got my bike and started dreaming about the day i would be able to ride with him. this was it - here we were...

more importantly though, i think he was fulfilling his own dream of riding again. maybe the fear or memories of his earlier mishap had subconsciously prevented him from rebuilding his bike. but here he was, putting those fears, those dragons, aside and riding again.

this was easily one of the best trips i've ever taken... i look forward to riding with him again.

check out the 2007 ride map, this one in light blue.

a more detailed map of our laps in and around the dragon...

trip report - tail of the dragon...

what a busy but great two days... before i get too far into the trip, i again have to send props and thanks out to my wonderful wife. without too much detail, the kids were out of school, i was on vacation and we were supposed to do something as a family. well, appointments were scheduled during the week and we never did plan something for the family. instead, my wife talked me into taking a couple days and riding the dragon. although that's probably not totally true... my original plan was to hold out and not go - especially since we were supposed to do something as a family. my wife kept talking about me going and the thoughts of riding the dragon became too much - the next thing i knew, i was agreeing to go... so, my plan fell through - but i wasn't complaining...

wednesday morning i packed up the bike for my overnight trip. i left around noon, figuring that would give me plenty of time to get to hickory by 1600. plans were to meet doug at the hooters in hickory. he was spending the morning having his bike serviced in charlotte. i tried to get my bike serviced before i left, but it was kinda short notice. i called the dealership tuesday afternoon but they couldn't get me in that evening. the guy did offer for me to drop the bike off wednesday morning and he could get it back to me by friday... uhhhh, that's not gonna work. so, i'll get it serviced after the trip...

it was a little after three when i got to hooters. doug was already there - which surprised me a little since i wasn't expecting him until closer to four. this was either going to give us an earlier start on the rest of the trip, or some extra time to kill a few drinks at hooters. we ended up doing both... we killed a little time having some leisurely conversation and a couple drinks. i had never really thought about it, but the place is a little slow in the late afternoon/early evening. i was tempted to get my camera from the bike, but there really wasn't much reason...

after the few drinks, it was time to saddle up and head out. we managed to get going before four. the earlier start was good because it would be late by the time we got to the "inn" and it would be dark. not that i necessarily mind driving in the dark, i'm just not so sure about in on unfamiliar, twisty mountain roads.

we decided to take i-40 / rt 74 / rt 129 to get to robbinsville. we had reservations at the two wheel inn - which was just south of robbinsville. the trip from hickory to robbinsville was about four hours. while we wanted to get there, we did take our time and make it a leisurely journey. i took the lead towards the end of the trip because it was getting dark and i seem to have particularly bright lights.

we ended up missing the turn off for the inn. how the heck are you supposed to find a driveway on a two lane road in the dark without some sort of sign?? well, they do have a sign, but it's apparently not lit up at night. figgers... so we turn around and pull up to the office. as we're reading the notes taped to the office door, one of the owners comes around the corner. seems they had just closed the office and were heading home for the evening. instead of just bolting out of there, she showed us our rooms, and opened the garages for our bikes. yes, garages for our bikes.



the neat thing about the two wheel inn is every room has a garage for your bike. it's a really nice set up - and what more could you ask for?? towels to clean your bike?? they supply those. it's great being able to store the bike away for the evening. i would highly recommend the two wheel inn to anyone traveling in the area.

after unloading the bikes and getting them into the garage, we relaxed for a couple minutes. it was probably getting on ten and we were getting tired. the ride out was about 380 miles. a good ride i would say. weather was nice, not too many idiots on the road - the kind of ride you want to have...

thursday morning was up by six. kinda sleeping in for me since i normally get up at five thirty. even after the longer ride the day before, i felt rested. i peeked outside to see a fairly dreary day - i was hoping it was mostly fog and it wouldn't turn to rain. if it does rain, will i still ride the tail of the dragon?? i guess part of that would depend on how hard it was raining. assuming it wasn't raining hard enough to make it a total bust, would i still ride?? since this is my first time riding it, i would be real hesitant. in fact, i might not ride it - but that would be a bust after riding all the way out here. i'll keep my fingers crossed this is just a foggy morning and it will burn off.

i killed some time watching the news and waiting for doug. we didn't plan a specific time, so i wasn't sure what time doug would get going. i guess it didn't really matter since we weren't tied to a schedule - which is one of the beauties of motorcycling. as i was waiting, the fog was starting to burn off. they were calling for some rain, but later in the day. looks like it's going to be a good day for a great ride.

we killed an hour or two waiting for the fog to burn off. it was burning off, but slowly. we packed up the bikes, checked out of the rooms and caught some breakfast before heading up to the tail of the dragon. by the time we finished breakfast, the fog was pretty much gone and i was ready for the day.

doug led the way to the tail of the dragon. i find it's a little easier following someone on unfamiliar roads. you can watch then to see which way the road goes and you can judge the appropriate speed if they are slowing down or speeding up.

the roads leading up to the tail of the dragon are nice. not too twisty - enough to lean the bikes a bit through the turns. as we get closer, the turns start getting tighter. now i'm trying to imagine what the twists and turns are like on the dragon. will they be too much?? you hear about people wrecking... and there is the tree of shame...


but plenty of people have ridden it without problems. no need to psych myself out - if i just ride within my limits, pay attention to what i do, i will have no problems. besides, this ride up to the dragon is practice.

until we cross fugitive bridge. then the road narrows and the turns are tighter. the turns must seem tighter because the road is narrower. whatever, i figure this is going to be the way it is. besides, this is probably mild compared to the way it is. no need to panic - doug and i already said we were going to take it slow. at least the first time through.

we're cruising along the winding road, twists and turns... we pass a sign, "stay in your lane." a reminder this is a double yellow line, two lane road. then another sign, "do not cross the centerline." i don't actually remember if there were skulls and crossbones on the sign, but i do remember some sort of message of death for failing to heed the signs. hmmmmmmm, must the beginning...

twists and curves... just concentrating on the road - applying what i know about turns and counter steering... looking ahead at the line i want to follow into the turn. after the first couple curves, i can feel myself getting into a groove. of course, the more relaxed i am, the better i ride. this is actually a lot of fun. now i can understand what all the hype is about.

i'm managing to stay on my side of the double yellow, which was probably my biggest concern. i realize going off on the shoulder side of the road wouldn't necessarily be a walk in the park, but crossing the double yellow is worse in my mind. at one point, we had three or four cruisers pass us in the opposite direction. the last one was crossing the double yellow into our lane - that was not a good feeling. and now i really understand why they say not to cross the double yellow.

we were cruising along at what i think is a decent speed - especially our first time through. before i know it, i'm being passed by a sport bike. didn't even see this guy coming, next thing i know, he's between doug and me. he stays there for a couple curves and then passes doug. boom, he's gone. i can't necessarily say i agree with what he did... but i never did feel that my safety or riding was compromised by what he did - he didn't interfere with me at all. i guess i can't blame him for wanting to go faster and he managed to do it without affecting me. let him...

before long, we're pulling off at an overpass. kind of a nice break, but i was hoping to ride the whole dragon without stopping. well, i really can't complain, i needed a potty break, which some low-lying shrubs provided great cover. besides, the view was so beautiful.





after admiring the view and exchanging pleasantries with others, we hopped back on the bikes to ride to the end. i decided to lead the rest of the way... we didn't get too far before we realized the overlook we just left was the end. so we found a nice place to stop and turn around. funny, in what seems like the middle of nowhere, we find the official tennessee state toilet.


we're heading back and i'm in the lead... we only got to the overlook before we stopped again. this time it was because we were behind a ridiculously slow cage. not that we were trying to speed back through or anything, but the vehicle was going so slow i could have probably walked faster!!! we decided to let it get some distance before heading out again.

after a couple minutes of watching people come and go, we decided it was our turn again. i took the lead as we pulled out. this time through, i was going a little faster. although to someone who's ridden the dragon a few times i probably looked like a snail going through. it was fast enough for me. i seemed to take the curves a bit faster, dragging the floorboards a couple times. i was definitely enjoying the ride.

there were more people out as we rode back. some riding, some pulled over on the side of the road at pullovers. at one of the larger pullovers, there were quite a few bikes pulled over. i glanced at them, resisting the urge to watch - fearing i would end up with them instead of still on the road. as i passed them, i noticed one bike in the ditch. although it was a quick glance, what i think i remember was a white bike, harley davidson, female rider, she appeared to be okay, and there were two or three other people over there helping her. i do remember thinking how lucky the rider was to have not gone over the other side of the road.

we reached the end and we pulled into the deal's gap motorcycle resort to stretch our legs, take some pictures, buy some mementos, admire the tree of shame and be thankful no pieces of our bikes ended up on the tree today. we talked to a couple other riders, commenting on how nice the ride was, how beautiful of a day it was and each other's bikes. here i am standing at the sign...


after riding the dragon, we headed back into robbinsville. we decided to catch some lunch before heading home. well, i was heading home, doug was continuing his motorcycle adventure with a couple more days in western nc.

we ate at wendy's. while i don't usually mind fast food, i was definitely getting tired of it. i can't wait to get back home and have some real food. it seems like every meal has been fast food.

the journey home begins. it was actually a nice ride home - fairly uneventful. doug and i stay together until asheville - he split off to head a little north. i kept heading east. two stops and six hours later, i was home. and while it was an awesome trip, it sure was nice to be back home. eight hundred miles in two days - not a bad trip at all...

tail of the dragon...

was talking to a buddy of mine yesterday... he tells me that after he gets his 6k service done on his ducati, he's riding the tail of the dragon... i mention how nice that's going to be - of course he invites me along... i can't - although i have the week off work, i have stuff to do appointments. besides, i'm teaching this weekend and i need to make sure i'm back in time for that. he says if we ride the dragon on thursday, i can be back in plenty of time to teach on friday - probably so...

later in the day, i mention to my wife that doug is riding the dragon. she says i should go. well, it's not like i don't want to go... it's just that i had taken a week off work thinking we could do something together - maybe the beach for a day or two, something. but, with life the way it usually goes, the kids were going here and there and we didn't really have time to get away like we wanted... so she's pretty much pushing me to go. and i had my defenses up pretty good, resisting her efforts to get me to go. don't get me wrong, i wanted to go - but i really wanted to spend time with her.

well, i don't know what happened, but she talked me into going. not that that's a bad thing - i just wanted to hold out and spend some time with her. well, i know i'm on the hook to make this one up to her - and i will. all i can say is that she's the greatest - i'm really lucky to have someone like her... thanks boo.

okay - enough being mushy... so now it looks like i'm finally going to ride the tail of the dragon. i was supposed to ride earlier this summer with my bro, but somehow that fell through... it won't be the same not riding with my brother, but it will still be fun. three hundred eighteen curves in eleven miles - that's crazy!!! you'll hear plenty about it when i get back...