In August of 2000, my wife, several friends and myself made a week long trip out East to explore the mountains of North Carolina. On a chance encounter we met up with some nutty folks from Dallas claiming to be part of some kind of Triumph Rallye group. Well, it turns out that they knew some people we knew and the next thing I know we are spending the weekend on the Blue Ridge Parkway participating in a Triumph Rallye. Cool.

  This year I am going alone. Beth cannot get the time off from work and the couple that went last year can't make it this year. At first I am disappointed. But then I realize that this is the first opportunity for me to take a trip alone, something I have been wanting to do for some time. Sure it would be cool if Beth could come and I will miss her. But I must admit that I am excited about the idea of it being just me, the bike and the road.

  Dad is not thrilled about me missing another week off from work. I have just taken a full week back in June for our trip out West to the Four Corners area for a spectacular tour. But if I don't get some time off, I'll lose it and go nuts. I think he is starting to realize that. So I plan on leaving early on the Monday morning before the rallye.

  I thought about selecting a totally different route for the ride out this year. But then it occured to me that I had so much fun on the roads we took last year it would be easier to just retrace the route, or at least stick fairly close to it. Besides, it saves time when I don't have to sit down and figure out a whole new route.

  Having just spent a serious wad of money on the June trip I am hoping to make this trip a little more cost effective. So I put out a general plea to all the mailing lists that I subscribe to asking for lodging along the route. I get one taker. A fellow VFR lister in the far Northeast corner of Alabama has agreed to put me up for the night. The plan is to ride as far as Jackson, Mississippi the first day. Then I'll ride on to Guntersville, Alabama to stay with Andray Hubble. From there it will be a nice days ride over to North Carolina and the famed Deal's Gap and the Crossroads of Time motorcycle Hotel the next day. I'll spend the morning goofing off around the Gap and then head over to the Rallye Thursday afternoon. Seems like a good plan, right? Sure.