hubcap's dam ride pictures

[hubcapsc]

I headed out after the rain let up on Friday to the Shady Valley Country Store to meet the Wild Bunch for
what became The Dam Ride. I picked some roads I had not been on before to get there,
in particular, I saw that I could get off the Interstate right after Asheville if I took 197...



197 is a very good motorcycle road, with just a couple of flaws...

Flaw 1. five miles of this...





Flaw 2. followed by several miles of this...





But 197 has lots of good parts...







Here's the meetup place...





Here's Big Tom at the place we stayed the first night...



On Saturday we rode around the countryside stopping at all the TVA dams...





Larry and Lisa and Curt and Teresa met us at South Holston...



All the streams are swollen up there...



We went to this haunted tunnel, Terry rode through it and came back screaming...



Robert found out cars go through the tunnel too...



Wimp, foiled again...



Joe's favorite picture...



Robert's bike quit at the last dam... all electrics - gone... we all looked at
it and decided it was probably the starter relay... Joe had a scrap of sand paper,
and he cleaned up the corrosion off the contacts and Big Tom went off to
the Otter Parts store to get some contact cleaner. He also took Robert's
battery and had it checked (it was good). After we put it back together,
it fired right up 



Here's where I want to live...







Me and Robert went through Hot Springs on the way home, if you go through there,
pay attention to the signs, they mean it... both of us had both tires break loose
at one point...











You can get to all these places on a day ride from Inzane this year, and 100s
of other good places too 

-Mike

[BF]

That's a dam good ride report.   

[fon1961]

Mike,

Nice post!   

[donaldcc]

  those are some great pics, thanks for taking the time to share them.  I am sure it will stimulate interest in Inzane.  wish I could go.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

We went to this haunted tunnel, Terry rode through it and came back screaming...




You can get to all these places on a day ride from Inzane this year, and 100s
of other good places too 

-Mike

I like this picture     Nice report Mike

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

Really enjoyed that ride report Mike. Thanks for sharing it.

[Skinhead]

We went to this haunted tunnel, Terry rode through it and came back screaming...




You can get to all these places on a day ride from Inzane this year, and 100s
of other good places too 

-Mike

I like this picture     Nice report Mike

That boy ain't right!  Looks like you fellas had a a great time, supposed to be a high of 14 here wednesday, low of 7.. Pray for us.

[97BLKVALK]

"Me and Robert went through Hot Springs on the way home, if you go through there,
pay attention to the signs, they mean it... "



What did the signs say?  I'm from flatlander country and the next week we will be lucky to hit a high temp of +10.  I'm drooling over the pictures.

Thanks for sharing!


Michael

[T-Bird]

We went to this haunted tunnel, Terry rode through it and came back screaming...




You can get to all these places on a day ride from Inzane this year, and 100s
of other good places too 

-Mike

I like this picture     Nice report Mike

That boy ain't right!  Looks like you fellas had a a great time, supposed to be a high of 14 here wednesday, low of 7.. Pray for us.

I ain't afraid of no ghost!

[HayHauler]

Thanks for taking the time to put this dam good report together Mike..... 

Man, you could be a dam tour guide!

Hay 
Jimmyt

[Jess from VA]

Thanks for taking us along Mike.   

[hal47]

Great pictures Mike,looks like you all had a good time.

[8Track]

Fantastic pictures! That looks like you blokes had a great time. I have never ridden with another Valkyrie rider - just a little bit jealous!

[Tundra]

Nice dam ride pics, thanks for sharing

[Pepmyster]

Very nice pictures, thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jimmytee]

Nice pictures

[hubcapsc]

That boy ain't right!  Looks like you fellas had a a great time, supposed to be a high of 14 here wednesday, low of 7.. Pray for us.

Ugh! It looks like (so far) that the jet stream will get to the mountains in North Carolina,
but not get that weather here to South Carolina... don't worry Sinkhead - it will be over
soon...

-Mike

[wiggydotcom]

That was a very nice ride report, Mike. Thanks for taking the time to put it together and adding all the pics!

[hubcapsc]

What did the signs say?  I'm from flatlander country and the next week we will be lucky to hit a high temp of +10.  I'm drooling over the pictures.

Loose Gravel... we were tooling through the twisties and all of a sudden we came to a place
where there was an invisible (to me) coating of non-traction, the first thing I knew both
wheels were drifting in a corner... after that you could see the gravel in every corner all
the way to the bottom of the hill...

-Mike "good luck with the cold, I hope it doesn't come back here this year..."

[Thunderbolt]

Thanks Mike, good job on the pics.   97BLKVLK to your question I think they say something to the effect of "loose gravel on curves".

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

Mike, Thanks for sharing photos and report 

[solo1]

Nice report and great pictures, Mike. We don't have those signs 'loose gravel' in these parts.  The asphalt roads turn to complete gravel with no warning here in NE Indiana. 

[POPS 57]

Thanks for the report and pictures. All we see is ice,snow and wind. Last week my icehouse was  stranded on the lake for two days. Ice road blew shut. Took half a tank of gas in my plow truck to get it off the lake.

[cookiedough]

Neither dirt nor snow nor standing water will stop that wild bunch.  My hats off to you all that did that ride.  3 of the 4 things I won't ride my Valk thru the 4th being on ice.

Not a fan of gravel either but have done it if need be.  I'm a wimp and last I knew the Valk is not a dirt bike or ATV!  

Only 1 more month, or so us northerners hope, to be able to go back on 2 wheels.  

The scooter (all parts plastic except rims) is coming out first though I think since even come April 1st, there will probably be snow left in the grass and tons of road salt left on the roads.  

[Jess from VA]

My hates off to you all that did that ride.

   I know it was a typo, but .....  

[GiG]

I ain't afraid of no ghost!

Terry:  The timing of that quote is kinda ironical, don'tcha think? 

[T-Bird]

I ain't afraid of no ghost!

Terry:  The timing of that quote is kinda ironical, don'tcha think? 

Gig,
It was too weird. He died just hours after I posted that.

[robin]

Nice ride pics Mike looks like some good riding come June

[HayHauler]

Nice ride pics Mike looks like some good riding come June

Yea, maybe Mike can be a dam tour guide come June?

Hay 
Jimmyt

[hubcapsc]

Nice ride pics Mike looks like some good riding come June

Yea, maybe Mike can be a dam tour guide come June?

Hay 
Jimmyt

I'll bet I could take you somewhere you might not otherwise find...



Some of the dams were in the kinds of places I need to follow other folks to...



-Mike

[Big Al of Tennessee]

Dam pictures were real good.

[Skinhead]

You mean damn good.

[Bighead]

Damnit boys y'all are killin me I wanna ride