Ride Report....With Pics

[mhallock]

To celebrate reaching 100,000 miles on my I/S, I decided to take it for a little ride.  After some basic maintenance I headed south to Hendersonville, TN (near Nashville) to visit family....I took the long (slow) route.  From NJ to PA, to Maryland, to West Virginia, into Virginia for the first leg of my trip.  My plan was to ride Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park, then onto the Blue Ridge Parkway.





Skyline Drive has always been my "Favorite Place in the World", but that changed when I arrived at the BRP.  I had ridden it before, but only with my wife on the back.  This was my first time riding it solo. MAN IT WAS FUN!! ....I rode into about  mile marker 40 that first day with one panic stop at MM 31 just missing a bear.  Stayed overnight at the Buena Vista Motel with 438 miles on the clock.







Day 2 - I headed back to the BRP early in the morning and continued heading south....






Otter Pond


Mabry Mill

Day 3 - I met my Mom at her church in Hendersonville, TN for Sunday Service.  I spent the next few days visiting Mom, my sister and brother-in-law, niece and her husband, and my brother and his girlfriend.  (too bad Mom couldn't swing her leg over the bike to take a ride)….



Day 6 - I left Hendersonville and headed east to ride the Cherohala Skyway.  It was my first time there and I was a little disappointed....not in the area, but the weather. It had rained in the morning and high up in the mountains the fog was so thick (in the clouds) I couldn't see very far, but I made the best of it.




Early on the ride (low in the mountains) it was clear


top of the mountain, entering North Carolina, the fog was thick

I stayed in Robbinsville that night with plans to head to Deals Gap in the morning



Day 7 - Tail of the Dragon was great!!  Another road I had been on before, but it was raining and I was riding two up.  This was my first time riding it solo and I had a chance to "bear down" this ride.






Highway 129 was fun even before I reached the Tail as well as afterwards.  That 11 miles was intense, but that road before and after was a great ride, also!!





Had some heavy rain after leaving North Carolina so I stopped for the night in Virginia.



Eight days....eight states....2134 miles and that Valk with 100,000 + miles never skipped a beat!!  Man, do we ride the best bikes or what??!!

Mark

[Hook#3287]

Nice report

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Nice ride report . Thanks for taking the time to share the ride 

[..]

BRP 

[Jess from VA]

Great report. 

The added benefit of Skyline and BRP is the temps are always lower than down off the mountains.

It's 97 outside in Alexandria VA now, but it feel like my oven on 350.  Ptuoy

PS: here's a little Dowco half cover that I use when traveling on my Interstates.  No metal to scratch anything, drys quickly, and packs as small as a big softball.  Main thing is to not let your electricals get subject to long downpours sitting out in the motel parking lots (and prying eyes and hands off).

https://www.amazon.com/Dowco-Guardian-26014-00-Resistant-Motorcycle/dp/B000GROHP6/ref=sr_1_3?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpe20lJTE4wIVAhgMCh11XAFuEAAYASAAEgLV3vD_BwE&hvadid=282529411387&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9008188&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14868809920684687635&hvtargid=kwd-500628763394&hydadcr=6589_9585042&keywords=dowco+half+cover&qid=1563648393&s=gateway&sr=8-3

[mhallock]

Jess....you might have noticed that my cover was on my luggage rack....on the trunk...….IN THE CASE....duh 

SmokinJoe...I remember a phrase that you taught me years ago (I think at a ride to Gettysburg)

It was a FROG CHOKIN' RAIN!!

Mark

[indybobm]

Great ride report. Thanks.

[Chrisj CMA]

Sounds like a great time    Thaks for sharing ir

[Jess from VA]

Jess....you might have noticed that my cover was on my luggage rack....on the trunk...….IN THE CASE....duh 

SmokinJoe...I remember a phrase that you taught me years ago (I think at a ride to Gettysburg)

It was a FROG CHOKIN' RAIN!!

Mark

In my experience, putting on full size covers is a big PITA with all the elastic fighting the shield, grips, pegs, and maybe hot pipes, yada.  And they take up way too much room on trips.  The half just throws over in seconds with one soft loop on each side.   

[robin]

Sounded like a good ride Mark we need to get together some time

[Bighead]

Nice 

[NewValker]

Thanks for the ride!
Craig

[hubcapsc]

I rode into about  mile marker 40 that first day with one panic stop at MM 31 just missing a bear.

My closest encounter with a bear was on skyline... no panic, just went across the road real
near me... we saw one up on the bank in North Georgia a couple of weeks ago, not on the
road though...

-Mike

[mhallock]

Mike,

That bear ran into the roadway from the woods on my side of the road....as I approached, stopping, he turned and ran back into the woods....I see them all the time in my yard....it's the ones on the road that scare me.  Years ago I heard a stat that the most dense population of black bears was in Shenandoah National Park.  Second most densely populated was Sussex County NJ (my home county). Not sure if that stat is still accurate....


My front yard

My back yard

Mark

[Jess from VA]

Stealth bear. 


The first one I saw (on the bike) was sitting in tall grass along the BRP roadway.  He thought and acted like he was invisible, but his whole big head was above the grass.  I slowed quickly (stock pipes), then stopped at idle some 50 feet back from him.  I did not want to ride by and have him bolt right into me.  I'm looking right at him, but he's looking straight ahead, still acting invisible.  So I revved up the throttle and then he looked at me, and got all irritated, and indignantly walked across the road and down the hill.

I guess I harshed his buzz. 

That was pretty cool, and then 45 minutes later, still on BRP southbound, a big cub ran across in front of me at full speed and then went ass over tin cup down the mountainside. 

[henry 008]

 

[..]

I saw 4 last year.

The most amusing was on the BRP. I was headed south on a long left sweeper.

Guard rail on my left. A bear was sitting on the other side with his front paws up on the rail. He had a big mouth of greens. Looked like he was at  a salad bar.

As I went by him he swiveled his head to keep me in view while calmly munching.

[msb]

Very nice report... and some beautiful pictures in there. Thanks for posting

Lots of encounters with bears and other wildlife up here, although the closest call we ever had with bears was in Custer state park a few years ago. Came around a bend only to have to hit the brakes hard as there were 3 or 4 vehicles stopped in the middle of the road... the occupants of van directly in front of us were actually all (kids included) standing on the road taking pictures of these guys.


The Mrs and I weren't too pleased to be sitting there out in the open on the bike so I gave the throttle a few twists to get their attention... got the grizzlies'attention as well, and they headed for the gathered crowd.



The Mrs managed to get this shot as the folks in the Van and other cars scampered back into their vehicles and we navigated past them to get in the clear

[The Walrus]

Mike! the things 'the Mrs' goes through to get these awesome photos for you...