Had A GREAT Ride on the Skyline Drive Friday................

[3fan4life]

The Ride home on the BRP wasn't so good...............

FIRST the good...........

I figured that a ride on the mountains would be a good way to beat the heat.

So I got onto the BRP and headed for the Skyline Dr.


Along the way I stopped to check out one of the waterfalls...




There were a bunch of guys there and as they left I saw something that I haven't seen ina long time.....


The guy in the gold helmet is kick starting his bike.

From there I didn't stop again until on the Skyline Dr.......

At one overlook while taking PICS............



I heard what I thought was a deer across the road.

It wasn't a deer...................



And it wasn't alone..............



The family decided to take a stroll across the road.............



They were almost across the road when another rider came along.............




I could tell that the rider couldn't see them so I started waving my arms at him......

He slowed down just in time.

The little one ran back up the hill as his bike approached.......



Momma didn't seem too upset but she wasn't going any where.................

after a couple of minutes BOTH of her little ones came down the hill and crossed the road......



Then mom took them over the hill into the brush...........




Thrilled at having seen a family of bears I continued on...........

I took several more PICS and turned for home about 7:00 PM.


I decided to grab a few PICS here on the way home...........



When I turned around to get back onto the bike I saw this.................



They weren't bothered by my presence and thankfully weren't very interested in me either............




Extremely thrilled about TWO bear sightings in the same day I headed for home hoping to be there by dark.


NOW THE BAD....................


About 8:45 PM I was on the BRP when the sky began to get REALLY dark.

I began to wonder if I should try and find some shelter.

SUDDENLY the wind began to ROAR and debris began flying everywhere.......





The wind was so fierce that I was nearly blown off of the bike several times.....

I'll bet that the gusts hit 100 mph at times.

The amount of debris in the road was UNBELIEVABLE.


Then Trees began to appear............


ONE


TWO


THREE



I was able to move the first three out of my way.........



THEN I came to the trees that I couldn't move out of my way..................




I was forced to turn around 3 miles from my planned retreat from the BRP.


My choice was to backtrack 10 miles or to try a DIRT road off of the mountain that only made me backtrack 1 mile.........

We'll I decided that if that hubcaps fellow in SC could ride his VALK on dirt roads so could I.

Besides I REALLY wanted OFF of that mountain, the wind was still howling and I figured that it would be better in the valley.

I encountered one tree across the dirt road but was able to move it............




The dirt gave way to hardtop and just when I was beginning to think that i was home free I encountered a bunch of large trees across the road.

As I was pondering what to do next................

Some fellows came along with a chain saw.............

 

I sure was glad that they showed up.

They cut up 5 more trees before we made it out to the main road.

If the hadn't came along I'd probably still be stuck in that holler.


I made it home about 2:30 AM thoroughly tired and GLAD to be alive. 

[..]

Holy Moly!

I love the BRP BUT there's no way I wnat to be on it once the sun starts to set.

Bigger cajones than me for choosing the dirt exit option. 

Steamer had a bear sighting right before his front wheel a couple of years ago. 

[hubcapsc]

A ride, plus an adventure 

-Mike

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

WOW, glad you made it home  Coming back from a trip to Maine a couple years ago, I rode the skyline all the way to the BRP and had 2 similar Bear sightings. Pretty cool.

[Jess from VA]

Hey Mike, the only black bears I've ever seen in nature were on the Skyline Dr, and I saw them twice in the same day (different bears in different places).

Man, I cannot believe you were riding in that storm.  I was fairly certain my house was going to blow away and was a bit afeared even indoors.  After the blow, I had to go out to see if I still had a roof or if a limb had speared it.  You must live right, you are certainly lucky you made it home. 

I am not adding a chainsaw to my riding tools.  LOL

[Ice]

Mark, sure glad you got off the Mtn. in one piece those storms were brutal and as we were in the middle of it I kept thinking I sure hope no one is stuck out there on a bike.
you take care Yuri

[~ Timbrwolf]

. ...wow...definite adventure in the night on the bike..eh

....was diggin on the bear shots....nature is so very cool..


.....glad yer adventure turned out okay.....cool shots and a great story to tell at the next parking lot gathering.. 

[hubcapsc]

Hey Mike, the only black bears I've ever seen in nature were on the Skyline Dr, and I saw them twice in the same day (different bears in different places).

Man, I cannot believe you were riding in that storm.  I was fairly certain my house was going to blow away and was a bit afeared even indoors.  After the blow, I had to go out to see if I still had a roof or if a limb had speared it.  You must live right, you are certainly lucky you made it home. 

I am not adding a chainsaw to my riding tools.  LOL

Skyline is the only place I've encountered bears on my bike, too...

Glad to see you posting, Jess, I wondered if you had power (or a roof)...

-Mike

[Jess from VA]

Thanks Mike, I managed to severely strain my back (unknown onset, no lifting injury) several days before the storm.  When it hit, I could not get out of bed, so laid there wondering if the house would blow away.  No house damage, but huge mess under 5 100 year old oaks.  Then no power in 100 degrees, and a finicky generator to run the house, friges, small bedroom window AC... requiring me to pull a heavy rope 50 times.  Power back yesterday, thank the good Lord.  And the back is getting better with drugs, Thompson's maneuver, heat, walking.  The mess will lay there until I feel better. Many here still without power, and no phone or cell towers in operation.

Now for another Vicodin....... which does not actually cure anything, it just makes you give less of a sh!t (literally and figuratively).  

[hubcapsc]

Now for another Vicodin....... which does not actually cure anything, it just makes you give less of a sh!t (literally and figuratively).  

Glad stuff is OK...

I just googled "vicodin"... I've been taking LorTab the last few days, Dr. sez
I had a bout of Bersitis... He gave me some steroid pills (that is the "curative") and
the LorTab for the pain... I was just about bed ridden too... I only had one
LorTab yesterday, and none today, but I didn't last long at work today, I'm chilling out in the
recliner now... kind of "vacant"...

It hasn't been hot enough around here to turn on the AC until Friday... the downstairs
air handler froze up. Whereas I could hardly walk across the room on Friday, on Saturday
the LorTabs helped me to crawl under the house and look at the air handler... The HVAC man
came over... I was a lousy helper for him 

Lots of scare stories on the Internet about getting addicted to hydrocodone (the stuff in
Vicodin and LorTab), my real pain is gone, and I don't plan to take any more...

-Mike

[Jess from VA]

Lots of scare stories on the Internet about getting addicted to hydrocodone (the stuff in Vicodin and LorTab), my real pain is gone, and I don't plan to take any more...

Yeah, I enjoy the low grade buzz of Vicodin, but like most folks I can only get it in small scripts (dental), so I hoard and guard it carefully, so I have it for episodes of big pain when it is nice to have on hand.

BTW, if you don't know it, the stuff is constipating as heck, and after a couple doses you may not have another BM for days.  LOL  Always drink lots of water with it.

Also, I came up with an excellent remedy (for me anyway), I take a heating pad and secure it to my low back with an industrial back support/brace with suspenders, then stick it on a long extension so I can walk around and pee if necessary;  when bad, I cannot stay in any one position for long, including sitting down, so this keeps the heat where I want it.... so long as the cord is long enough. 

[Gary]

Great shots and quite an experience, thanks for sharing and taking us along.

[steve 3054]

Night time ain't no time to be up on the mountain...much less the storm...great story and outcome!!!