Day Five: Friday, Aug. 17, 2001
Registration starts pretty early. I sleep in a bit and get there about 8:30am. We have the mandatory riders meeting to go over the typical safety issues. Then it is out to the parking lot where we break up into small groups. Jim and I decide to run with Mark "Big Dawg" Hanke's group. I believe we are the first group to get out on the road. It is gloomy and overcast, threatening to rain any moment. I take a few minutes to make the rounds of the parking lot to check out some of the bikes and one beauty in particular catches my eye, a sweet looking Aprilia Mille R belonging to NEED A NAME!
It is pretty cool, low 60's, and quite damp. We start by heading west on the Parkway towards Hwy 276. It always feels good to be on the Parkway. It is a great way to start the morning, smooth predictable curves for getting into my groove. Mark starts off setting a pretty brisk pace from the very beginning, nothing super fast, just a comfortable zip through the corners. I'm following Paul and Dee Steinbach and Jim is behind me bringing up the rear.
Warming up on the Parkway is a good thing because the down hill run on 276 on the north side of the ridge is quite steep and twisty, great stuff. However, I do have to keep a watch out for loose gravel and small branches in the curves because of all the recent wet weather. The run down the mountain takes about ten minutes and then the road opens up a little and winds along a small valley leading away from the main mountains. Small homes with colorful flower beds line the road. Scattered among the homes are small farms, some growing tomatoes, and many growing tobacco.
We soon reach the turn off for highway 110 and head Northeast back toward I-40. This part of the trip is one of those sections that is necessary just to get from one good place to another. We cross the freeway and continue back into the woods. Nothing special stands out about this section of road, it is just a pretty and relaxing ride. The clouds seem to be gathering their forces on the horizon. It is not looking good. I just slip into cruise mode and follow the leader.
When we intersect highway 63, we turn Northwest and begin a wonderful ride up into the mountains, along ridges, in and around the edges of the ridges, into small valleys and thick woods. The clouds are getting darker and the temperature has risen into the low 70's. Rain seems inevitable. This stretch of road is quite steep in places and very twisty. I can't imagine having such great roads available for daily riding! Nary a straight section of road to be found. It is getting to be around 11:00am or so and I am thinking about lunch. Eventually, Hwy 63 intersects Route 209 and we head northeast. This is another great stretch of twisty road, loads of fun!
Before long it is misting lightly, just enough to be annoying. I have ridden on wet roads in the past, but never while in the mountains. I take it nice and easy, letting the group pull away from me a little bit. Soon we enter the small hamlet of Hot Springs and pull over at a local eatery for a rest stop. Everyone heads inside and I am thinking we are stopping for lunch. Several of us start to get a table and place drink orders while others are making pit stops. When they come back out, they're ready to resume riding! Arrgghh. So we thank the waitress for her time and head back out to the parking lot. Heavy drizzle...
Fortunately, I have my rain gear. I strip off the Phoenix Air jacket and don my Tourmaster Cortech suit. It has served me well in the rain in days past. By the time I have suited up, the rain has begun to fall at a fairly regular rate. I wait under the window overhang behind the bushes with several other riders while the group gets ready to leave. When everyone is finally suited up and ready to roll, I step back into the rain and fire up the bike. This is going to be an experience. We head East out of town on US 25/70.
A few more miles and we take Route 208. When we hit Guthertown, we head East on Big Laurel Road. This is a great road, tons of elevation changes and sharp corners. It is not really a high speed run. It's a more technical precision type of road, especially now that it is raining quite good. Keeping up with Paul and Dee is proving to be more of a challenge than my nerves are up for in the rain so I let up and drift back. At one point, as I head into a down hill bend that curves back up and to the right, I hit a mud patch in the middle of the corner and start a two wheel slide towards the center line. Instinctively, I stick out my right foot and dirt track the bike through the corner until I regain traction and continue on my way. It may take a few moments to extract the seat cover from my puckered tush! Whew!
After the close call, I slow down some more and just ride a slow controlled ride. I love being out in the middle of nowhere on a small narrow road winding through the woods. It is very conducive to forgetting about everything except the moment. Interestingly, as I relax and let up, I find myself actually going a little faster and soon catch up to the rear of the group again. The rain continues.
After losing track of time, I finally snap back to reality when I realize that now I am actually getting quite hungry. Are we there yet? Eventually, the road intersects US 23. There is more traffic here so we can't all leave the intersection at one time. I get separated from the group and stuck back behind some traffic with Jim. Not having looked over the route for the day very closely, I did not realize that we were supposed to make a turn just up the road about a mile or so. Nor do I see Paul and Dee waiting for us at the corner. So I zoom by thinking I have to hustle to catch up to the group. Fortunately, Jim paid more attention and he gets me turned around and heading the right direction. But by this time, there is no one waiting for us and they have gone on without us. Hmmm...
Well, the pace had been going a little quicker than either Jim or myself really wanted to be riding, so we let the group go and don't worry about catching up with them. We follow Windy Gap road, a freshly paved road using crushed stone and oil!! The road is steep and downhill in many places so we take it easy and go slow. Soon it drops out onto Highway 19. We run 19 East to Micaville where we start looking for gas and lunch. I keep an eye out for the group just in case they stopped in this area but I never see them. We gas up at a local station and then head to a Subway Sandwich shop back up the road a mile or two.
It has finally stopped raining and shows signs of possibly clearing. We park the bikes and start removing wet rain gear. No sooner than I have everything off do I notice all the way across the large parking lot a group of bikes. It seems the group did stop here. We decide to do the Subway thing anyway. After removing my jacket, I begin to realize that it is no longer as water proof as it used to be. My T-shirt is pretty wet on the chest and arms. Apparently I have left the vents open, DOH! Ah well, it is drying out and heating up so I should dry out before too long. We down our sandwiches. Right before we leave, I spot the rest of the group heading out of the parking lot. We let them go.
Now that I have eaten, I'm feeling lazy hehe. But we suit up, mount up and hit the road. What do we see just down the road? The rest of the group is gassing up at the station we just stopped at before lunch. We give them a wave and continue on our way. A few short miles up 19 we find the turn off for Hwy 80 South and begin the run back to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Highway 80 is another great road. Last year I did the stretch that runs south of the Parkway and it was a blast. This stretch is not as good but it is not disappointing. Jim and I are riding a nice mellow pace. Seeing that most of my blood is in my stomach rather than my head, this seems a good thing to do. Jim is leading the way. After being on the road for some time, the rest of the group comes up behind us. Not a few moments later, Jim does a two wheel slide through a corner. At this point he decides to pull over and let the others pass us. Then we continue on our way, soon reaching the BRP.
The rain has long since left and the skies are patchy and clearing. The road is mostly dry and the temperature is in the upper 70's. This is great riding weather. As soon as we get on the Parkway, the pace picks up a bit. This road is just so amazingly fun! If only it were unpatrolled and had air fences and safety nets along it's shoulders! I love being up on the ridge and having such a clear view of the wonderful scenery.
We pass by the turn off for Mount Mitchell. This is one of the recommended side trips. But we are getting to the point where we'd just like to get back to the Inn. Riding on such twisty roads in the rain has worn us down. Besides, we both did the side trip last year, been there done that. We continue on until we reach the Big Butt Trail head parking lot and decide to take a rest. I need to make a contribution to the natural order of things over behind some bushes. While we are stopped, Karl comes along and pulls in to chat. He is riding his lovely Orange Sprint RS. We shoot the breeze for a bit before getting back on the road.
Jim had made some mods to his Suzuki and I have been itching to test them out for myself. He had the Racetech front fork springs and Gold Valve cartridge installed on the front, and Ohlins rear shock, and a new sprocket. The end result is that the bike is tighter, handles far better than stock, and has more apparent torque at the rear wheel. Nice. Jim rides the VFR and I lead the way.
Of course as soon as we get back on the road and I am all set to let it rip, we get stuck behind some slower riders and other traffic. It takes forever before we finally get to a place where we can pass everyone and by then we are nearly almost back to the Inn! Nonetheless, I let it hang out for a few miles and really have a great time. The changes Jim has made make it seem like a totally different bike. The grin factor has gone up considerably.
A few miles before reaching the Inn, there is a small side road that runs down the North side of the ridge, Hwy 151. What another fantastic technical tight road! The curves are incredibly tight. As the bike is leaned into the corner and I am straining to see around the blind bend, the pavement drops out from under me because the elevation is changing so rapidly. Then I have to get on the throttle to help me lift the bike back up, flip it over onto the other side and do it again. Second gear, on off on off, flip flop, smoooth... This is more fun than a person should be allowed to have. When we reach what appears to be the bottom of the mountain side, I pull off onto a side road and Jim pulls up next to me, a grin from ear to ear. We chat excitedly about the ride for a few minutes, then swap bikes and head back up the mountain.
The ride back up is just as much fun. The VFR is a little heavier and I have to work a little harder when flicking it over from side to side. Generous application of the throttle in first gear does wonders here. It stands the bike up and then all I have to do is lay it over into the next turn. Brakes are unnecessary for this run, throttle control is all that is needed. It seems but a few minutes and we pop back out onto the BRP. Then it is just a relaxing few miles to the Inn.
We finally make it back to the Inn. Already there are others collecting in the parking lot to talk about the day's ride. We pull in, park the bikes and head to the room to get out of our riding gear and into some more comfortable clothes. After a few hours everyone heads to the restaurant for dinner. Then it is back to the parking lot for drinks and bull sessions late into the evening.
For most people, the day was a good day of riding with a few exceptions. One couple literally launched the bike out into the middle of a river and T-boned a large boulder. The bike was trashed, he broke his collar bone and she was mostly just shook up and slightly bruised. The bike was totaled. There were quite a few folks recalling near misses, a few off road hair raising moments followed by miraculous saves, and one turn around and drop due to mud on the rear tire. Considering the nasty weather and the roads we were riding, not bad. Hopefully, tomorrow will be nicer.