hubcap's Fall Color Ride 2011 pictures...

[hubcapsc]

Many times I ride solo, I was lucky to have Carolyn with me this time... we can easily
set the bike up for passenger pretty quickly, but she needs some kind of luggage that's
better than an old knapsack...



We had major wind Friday afternoon, plenty of wind on Saturday too. Enough wind to make
the trip up to Robbinsville interesting... it died down a lot at night, though, enabling the
normal gatherings around the fire pits at the Phillips Motel... here Coot is the only one who
realizes that a piano is about to fall on them...



I took mostly blurry dark pictures around the fire pits... I saw ChromeDome sneaking around
taking pictures, perhaps he'll post some...

After breakfast the next morning, the main ride left out for North Georgia... Carolyn
and I joined a BRP bound splinter group... even though we live right here, Carolyn had
never been to the Parkway... unless I went as a child, I never went there before I got the
Valkyrie... She got initiated to high winds at the highest point... we all were frozen at this
point, but this was the only cold part of the whole ride...



From the frozen top, we owned the BRP, but we encountered vast masses of people
as we got closer to Pisgah...







We took a side trip off the Parkway at 215...





We stopped for gas a break at this little store... none of us knew why this
guy kept saluting us...



We met these folks there on a snazzed out black gold wing. They
told us about a nearby impressive set of waterfalls and a cool trail
just down the road that mostly nobody goes to, and they lead us there...













We headed back up 215 after that, and down the BRP towards the Pisgah Inn...
for lunch, we thought... by that time, though the BRP was eat-up with
crowds and traffic, there was no place for even one motorcycle to stop
at the Pisgah Inn... so down 276 we went towards Brevard... right down
at the bottom was a good BBQ place, so we ate there...

Kendall and Nikki split off from us at the BBQ place, and the rest of us headed
back toward Robbinsville on 64/107/74/28... Ray and Laura split off at Silva,
and Jerry (jade Valkyrie from Georgia...) split off at Bryson city... we were almost
home, rolling down 28 I guess, when a blue Harley chugged by us, I thought about how
that would probably not do if Stanley Steamer was here... apparently the Harley moved
in front of the rest of them and slowed down, anyhow, the Harley got Bandit's goat
and soon me and Carolyn were watching the Harley eat Valkyrie dust way off at the horizon...
naturally I continued to obey all traffic regulations... Bandit and Rick (Flask) and Christie and
Matt (Mr. Blinky) were parked when we rolled into the motel...

Everyone else arrived back at ground zero safe... a couple of folks who came down from Virginia
even though they had to stay 30 miles away in Murphy (no more rooms in Robbinsville) were
there, we all stood around the fires again, and then morning came and it was time to pack up
until next year...



-Mike

[flamingobabe #44]

thanks for sharing....the color changes are beautiful.....thanks

[old2soon]

 Good ride report and very nice picatures. That area by the falls looked restful. Do they allow camping there?? Again-good report. Thanks for sharing. RIDE SAFE.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Nice report Mike    I did'nt take many pictures got some good one's out at Bald River Falls and Field Of The Woods . Nice group of folk's as always showed-up for this ride and ground zero for The Fall Color Ride 2012 only has a couple cottages and I think one or two motel rooms left.We just about sold it out before we left this morning  

[solo1]

Very good ride report.  Keep'em coming!  Good pictures and story!

[Jess from VA]

Here Coot is the only one who realizes that a piano is about to fall on them...




 
Nice report... wish I could've been there.

[Stanley Steamer]

Nice report Mike.......glad Bandit ran that old Boy down.....

My videos turned out pretty good on the computer.....I've forgotten my password to Youtube.....but I'm loading them onto photobucket......it's going so slooooooooooowwwww

[hubcapsc]

Good ride report and very nice picatures. That area by the falls looked restful. Do they allow camping there?? Again-good report. Thanks for sharing. RIDE SAFE.

I googled this up for more better information on the falls...

http://www.sensibletraveladvice.com/2011/01/living-waters-waterfalls-balsam-grove.html

-Mike

[eric in md]

looks like a great time again .. thanks for the reports i lovem .

[Detn8er]

 Who is that fatbastard with his back to the camera?????  

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

 Who is that fatbastard with his back to the camera?????  

You talking about the one with the Opie hair cut ?      Just kiddin' Mark it was good seeing you again I miss the good ol' days    Take care my friend I wish you only the best.

[Thunderbolt]

Good to see Bandit in one of them.  That guy gets around.  Sorry we didn't make it over to the fire pit Sat. night.

[Karen]

Thanks for the great pics, enjoyed the report thoroughly. Maybe next year?

[popsix]

 

Looks like y'all had a great time. Enjoyed the pics!
 
I couldn't quite get my act together in time for this gathering - only had the Valk two weeks, and for a full half of that two weeks I've  been down with a bronchial infection.   

So... when's the next event? 

[Mr Whiskey]

Hey Mike, are those pic's of the BRP from today (Sun.)? If so we were on opposite ends of the same piece of street. Sugar & I left Boone NC. this afternoon 'bout 1:30 and did the Linn Cove Viaduct, (pic's & ride report to follow in separate post).
Color was AWESOME was it not?
You're right about traffic though. Couldn't even get on Grandfather Mt. The back up was over a mile.
Glad to hear y'all had a good Fall Color Ride and everyone's safe.
Would love to do Robbinsville with ya next year but Joe say's it's almost sold out now!
I'm thinkin' 'bout going up to W. Virginia next year (New River Gorge) & jumpin' off a perfectly good 876 ft. bridge, hahaha!!! Seriously, it's legal 1 day a year and I hear the Shenandoah Valley has incredible color too.
Peace, Whiskey & Sugar............. (Home Safe).
P.S. I'd like directions to that waterfall off the 215 if it's not too much trouble. Ride safe Brother, DG.

[HayHauler]

Great ride report Mike!~~~!  I have never seen the colors changing, but you got at least a couple of money shots there.  The one taken with the bikes in front of you with the 2 red trees on either side of the road is the bestest I think.

Thanks again, and hope to see yall at the GOTF next year!

Hay 
Jimmyt

[donaldcc]

 
  That looks like great ride with lots of wonderful fall colors!  Wish I could have been there.

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

Great pics and report as always Mike. Thanks, Dave 

[hubcapsc]

You're right about traffic though. Couldn't even get on Grandfather Mt. The back up was over a mile.

Yeah, we were lucky to be at the highest point in the cold... the cold was what gave us the parkway to
ourselves for a little bit, I guess...

I'm thinkin' 'bout going up to W. Virginia next year (New River Gorge) & jumpin' off a perfectly good 876 ft. bridge, hahaha!!! Seriously, it's legal 1 day a year and I hear the Shenandoah Valley has incredible color too.

I'd like to ride to (but not jump off of) that bridge...

P.S. I'd like directions to that waterfall off the 215 if it's not too much trouble.

I put a link up above that will get you there. The exact parking spot we used would be hard
to describe on the board... you can see where we were parking in the picture where Matt is
turning around in a grassy spot... the guy that lead us there told us it was private, and that
it was OK to park there, but not OK to ask, or else they'd have to say "no" for lawyer reasons...
the side of the road where people who don't know about the parking lot park is right there
too, just would hate to leave the Valkyrie on the side of the road.

-Mike

[RTaz]

  good read , thanks for sharing.

[hubcapsc]

Great ride report Mike!~~~!  I have never seen the colors changing, but you got at least a couple of money shots there.  The one taken with the bikes in front of you with the 2 red trees on either side of the road is the bestest I think.

Thanks again, and hope to see yall at the GOTF next year!

Hay 
Jimmyt

My little camera is about pooped out... Ray has a new version, HD quality, he took some video
on our ride and we were looking at it on his laptop at the fire pit... really good... will be
upgrading to that one for some real money shots soon... 

-Mike "mmmm... brisket... "

[hubcapsc]

 Who is that fatbastard with his back to the camera?????  

That's my pal det-O-nater, the MPG fabricator...

-Mike 

[Detn8er]

 Who is that fatbastard with his back to the camera?????  

That's my pal det-O-nater, the MPG fabricator...

-Mike 

I can't believe you called me a fatbastard and a liar in one little sentence.... 

Detn8er (The Nonfabric8ter) 

[hubcapsc]

sorry to post this seemingly non-related picture, but some of us were talking about
The Evil Dr. Horsehead around the fire pit, and he made one of his rare appearances
in the Sunday Funnies...



-Mike

[POPS 57]

Great report nice pic's. i can't see many peoples pic's on the work comp. but yours come up. I guess one of these days i willl have to get a comp. for home.

[ChromeDome]

Great report Mike and I hope to post my pics this week. Just have a bunch of stuff that is keeping me real busy for the reat of the week.

[Valkahuna]

Great ride report and pictures. 

Looks like the colors there were better than what we have in most of New England this year. Thanks for taking the time making this report to let those of us that weren't there share the good times you all seemed to have. 

[BIG--T]

Great pictures Mike, thanks for posting. I was really wanting to make the ride but my wife couldn't get off that weekend....and said she'd whoop up on me if I went without her!!