Weekender Trip Ideas? (Start/End in Charlotte)

[Clive]

I've been getting crabby over time at my inability to get out for a decent ride beyond commuting and the odd Saturday 3-hour jaunt.  My wife and I had a nice brainstorming session; coming out of that was the idea to schedule and take a few weekend trips (solo) rather than trying to get a half-day ride every weekend or two.  Say one weekender every 5-6 weeks.  I'm based in Charlotte.

1. Any ideas for places to go with some nice, deserted, lightly patrolled roads?  I thought of the BRP, but I hear it's getting more heavily policed than it was 10-16 years ago when I was on it every weekend.  Currently looking at northern Georgia, just because I've never been there and it's supposed to be rolling terrain.

2. As for lodging, Not looking to camp, but I don't need the lap of luxury for overnight accommodations.  Maybe a cabin, B&B, or just some kinda cool Mom-and-Pop.  Any recommendations?

EDIT:
3. I should add that some cool scenery or places to visit would be great, too.  I tend to take the roads less traveled for the whole trip, rather than slabbing to a "destination road".  Historic sites, a waterfall, a quirky thing like Car Henge, ...

[sprint_st]

Check out the weather on Saturday  
For me I'm headen up NC 80 and over to Hot Springs then back home through Lake Lure!!!!

[CafeTBird]

Go North to the area above Shady Valley, TN - around Bristol, TN, Western Virginia, West Virginia, and North Western North Carolina.  The roads are awesome, and the traffic low.  I agree to stay away from the BRP.  This area is only a couple of hours from Charlotte, compared to 4 hours over to N Georgia.

South Western North Carolina and North Georgia are way to congested these days. Also a higer squid factor. IMHO, the riding conditions are terrible there.  Too many folks from Atlanta and Florida driving around there (no offense!) just too close to large populated areas.

[sprint_st]

Go North to the area above Shady Valley, TN - around Bristol, TN, Western Virginia, West Virginia, and North Western North Carolina.  The roads are awesome, and the traffic low.  I agree to stay away from the BRP.  This area is only a couple of hours from Charlotte, compared to 4 hours over to N Georgia.

South Western North Carolina and North Georgia are way to congested these days. Also a higer squid factor. IMHO, the riding conditions are terrible there.  Too many folks from Atlanta and Florida driving around there (no offense!) just too close to large populated areas.

I agree Scott, but there is a dispensation from God from about now till some unspecified date in May when you can do some serious riding in that area.  Certain areas like Helen and the Gap seem to be always busy but if you get out early in the morning, early in the spring it isn't bad at all on many of the other roads.  There was some snow a day or two ago up along the Tn line too so watch out for cinders and the normal spring trash in the corners.

[mustang28027]

In NC, try Hw 64, Hw 28, 181, 276, 80, 221, 321, 421. The BRP is very nice these days, with little traffic, if any.
In Va go to hw 16 between Marion and Tazewell. This is an incredible road that crosses two mountains. There is a state park called "Hungry Mother State Park" that is nice  for camping.  HW 16 goes all the way from Charlotte  to Tazewell. If you want to take the scenic route it is an excellent road.
In SC, go to Gaffney and find HW 11( Cherokee Scenic HW).  Goes past foothills of SC, and connects with vaious other roads( 276, 176, etc).  Nice sweepers.

This time of year I am not concerned with traffic, but with gravel. Be careful out there!

[CafeTBird]

I agree Scott, but there is a dispensation from God from about now till some unspecified date in May when you can do some serious riding in that area.  

Nah - I ride there every couple of weeks - the weather has been great.  Certainly, you can't plan out a trip 3 weeks in advance, but just about every month of the year there is a weekend of excellent riding in the NW NC mountains.  The major plus is it is only a couple of hours outside of Charlotte. As for the southern end, the squids and halfbacks are there to stay.

Plus, Clive didn't specify a date, only every 5-6 weeks....  that is a wide open window.

The great thing about the area is the total lack of traffic.  Lot of roads to hit too.  Pick a weekend when there is a race in Charlotte, and there will be no LEOs either...

[servicerifle]

Clive, you're tellin' us you live in Charlotte, you own a Speed Trip, you have 582 posts here, and you don't know where to go?

Where have you been?!  I am thinking "in a coma" and someone else is boosting your post count.

Follow Sprint_ST wherever he goes.  You won't go wrong.

Good advice from Scot about race week.

[Clive]

Clive, you're tellin' us you live in Charlotte, you own a Speed Trip, you have 582 posts here, and you don't know where to go?

Where have you been?!  I am thinking "in a coma" and someone else is boosting your post count.

I have a toddler at home.   and yet      And I work a LOT.  

But that's a large part of why my wife and I got to talking and came up with this weekender idea.  Speed3 has 700 freaking miles in 5 months ... and ~200 of those were riding it home from the dealer!


I'm definitely checking out the roads mentioned above.  And drooling.

[NCST]

Hi all, new to the forum here, so far I have found some really good info.  As for rides in Charlotte (or near) there are TONS.  I live in Charlotte as well and do primarily weekenders (aside from riding around town).  I'm familiar with some of the routes listed in this thread and will be trying the others this summer !

I really like the routes around Lake Lure, Asheville, Bat Cave, etc.  Nice curves, hills, scenery etc.  My only regret about the Lake Lure ride is that they closed Margarita Grill (grrrrr, new guy doesn't like bikers either).

Also, the ride near Shady Valley is great.  You can stop by the Shady Valley Country Store ( http://www.shadyvalleycountrystore.com/ ) for lunch and just to hang out with other bikers.  421 S. from the store is AWESOME.  Most say as good (if not better than) the dragon but much fewer people.  Go out there on a weekday and NOBODY is there.  Heck, I went on a sunday and it was dead also.

Anyway, I look forward to trying some of more of the local routes this summer.  Have a great ride.

[CafeTBird]

I have a toddler at home.   and yet      And I work a LOT.  

But that's a large part of why my wife and I got to talking and came up with this weekender idea.  Speed3 has 700 freaking miles in 5 months ... and ~200 of those were riding it home from the dealer!


I'm definitely checking out the roads mentioned above.  And drooling.

In the same boat - Clive - spend a lot of time posting and dreaming, between T-ball games, soccer, and Cub Scouts.  We should take a run some time - I show you the good roads.  A group of us is heading up from here to the National RAT Raid in Ohio this year...

And SR - you know how to pick 'em too - you are the one that picked the weekend for ESTN 07!

[servicerifle]

There are even better.  Some things shouldn't be posted on the internet, though.  

[sprint_st]

There are even better.  Some things shouldn't be posted on the internet, though.  

Serivicerifle taught me well.  If you want routes, PM me but I no longer post my routes.  They aren't secret but the good roads are getting too crowded with rolling HD road blocks and squids.  I advise others to likewise.

[CafeTBird]

BTW - you guys are really starting to sound a bit arrogant with your "I know all the goods roads, and I ain't tellin'" BS.  Just to let you know.

This is a community about helping refined riders seek the road less travelled.  I don't see any Harley riders hanging around here. This pompous attitude is getting tired.  

I'd tell you how to get to the good roads, Clive - but I can't remember how to get to most without riding to them.  I usually find them by accident when on "ride about", and never had any of these new-fangled gadgets like GPS until recently.   Let me know when you are ready to go, and we can plan a run.

Scot

[sprint_st]

Scott,
There is no pretense of knowing all the good roads.  It isn't 'ain't tellin', it is ain't advertising     When you look at the police presence at the Gap, the Snake, even US178 between Rosmon and Rt11, it is time to start thinking about crowd control.  HappyRider sent me a clip from the paper where the Tri-Cities police were bragging about a crack down on bikes.  If you want all the good roads to look like downtown Charlotte at 5pm on a weekday, then keep putting them one the web.  Word of mouth and PM's are one thing, broadcasting them is a whole other ballgame.

[servicerifle]

Scot, I don't know all the good roads.  I know a lot, but not all.  Rod and Don are the same.  We have many times offered to take people with us and show folks roads, and we have done so on several occasions.  That's how I learn roads, too.  

There's nothing pompous about this.  It's not a "I'm keeping them all to myself" thing, for goodness' sakes they're on public maps.  What it takes is TIME and EFFORT.  Hell, even here in K-stan I still look at maps of Appalachia.  I pore over the areas other people have missed or forgotten about, make little loops that turn into bigger loops, or treks.  I file them away for later.  In the US I program them in my GPS and just GO.  I take the time and the effort to find new roads, new destinations, and new experiences.  Sometimes the roads turn out to be real crap.  Other times they are real jewels.

Sorry, but I am not doing all that work just to turn around and give GPS coordinates or turn-by-turns on the internet.  What I WILL do for anyone is SHOW them roads.  I will make time in my schedule to take someone out on a great ride, especially if they are from out of the area.  If they are local I will just arrange it on a weekend.

Some of these roads run directly through the heart of the the land where my parents grew up.  I spent almost all of my childhood going up to that same area every weekend, usually with a rifle or shotgun in my hand, "hunting" or just being a boy.  My father is buried in a cemetary on the access road to one of the best little twisties you will find anywhere.  When I went through my second divorce, I spent DAYS in that area, not just riding, but just sitting, overlooking mountain ranges and evaluating my life and what everything meant to me.  

That land MEANS something to me Scot.   I am not about to turn any of it into another Deal's Gap if I can help it.  If you think that is pompous, tough shit.  I love to share it, but I share it in a personal way.  If someone wants good roads, I say "come ride with me" and they will never be disappointed.  My concept of "community" might be different than yours, but I hope that you can see that I too have a strong sense of community, and I am eager to share, but in a far less advertised way.  In my mind, that's real community.

[CafeTBird]

Sorry guys, no matter how you try to rationalize your behavior, coming in here and getting self rightous is simply lame.  If you don't want to tell the people where the roads are, don't advertise it, just keep you mouth shut.  Doing otherwise just makes you out to be a prick - I imagine you don't realise how it comes across.  I know that you are nice fellas, but that is not the perception this portrays to people that don't know you....

With apologies to my Granny's favorite saying - if it looks like a Duc and sounds like a Duc, it's probably a Duc....

[sprint_st]

Sorry guys, no matter how you try to rationalize your behavior, coming in here and getting self rightous is simply lame.  If you don't want to tell the people where the roads are, don't advertise it, just keep you mouth shut.  Doing otherwise just makes you out to be a prick - don't realise if you see how it comes across.  I know that you are nice fellas, but that is not the perception this portrays to people that don't know you....

With apologies to my Granny's favorite saying - if it looks like a Duc and sounds like a Duc, it's probably a Duc....

Scott,
This is a forum of opinions and within limits we can express them. IMO, what you stated above is BS.  

[CafeTBird]

Scott,
This is a forum of opinions and within limits we can express them. IMO, what you stated above is BS.  

No more BS than "I know all the good roads, and I am going to keep them to myself".    You are right about forums being for expressing opinons, and IMHO, it is junvenile to come in here and project an attitude like that, and having to broadcast it to the world is egotistical.  

[Clive]

If you don't want to tell the people where the roads are, don't advertise it, just keep you mouth shut.  Doing otherwise just makes you out to be a prick ...

Reading the thread again, I don't see anyone flat-out refusing to divulge information.  In fact, Sprint_ST specifically said to PM him, I did, and he sent me a couple replies loaded with a good deal of information.

And MY opinion: while I appreciate the bumps, I wouldn't mind if this side-topic went to its own thread and stopped jacking mine.  

[CafeTBird]

Sorry Clive - I certainly got off on a tangent on your thread!  Some goons on here are off on a "I don't share routes on the internet" gig, and it is starting to chap my hide, as you can see.  My apologies.

To get back on topic - let me get this straight - how many days are you looking to go out?  Are you looking for weekender treks of 400 mile days, or just a good long day loop?  You mention a weekender, but is that an overnight?

By a weekender, I usually do a multiday up into TN, VA, WV area, sometimes even SE Ohio....

Scot